Objective

This study was designed to assess the impact of phonation frequency and loudness increase on aerodynamic parameters of the singing voice in Byzantine chant (BC).

Design

Aerodynamic measurements in BC were obtained and statistically analyzed.

Method

Fifteen experienced BC chanters, all baritones, performed the ascending notes G2, C3, E3, G3, C4, E4, and G4, at normal and high levels of loudness within a mask, while repeating strings of /pi/ syllables. The parameters of airflow (FR), subglottal pressure (Psub), and sound pressure level (SPL) were directly measured, and from them, the glottal flow resistance (Rg) and vocal efficiency (VE) were calculated. All the parameters’ values were statistically analyzed.

Results

Statistically significant differences for FR, Psub, and SPL parameters in BC between the two loudness levels, at constant pitch, and for Psub, SPL, Rg, and VE among different pitches, at constant loudness levels were detected. When loudness increases, a) only the mean values of FR, Psub, and SPL, within C3–C4, increase, whereas those of Rg and VE do not show any change, and b) at G2, only the mean Psub increases, while in the upper range E4–G4, both mean SPL and mean VE decrease. When pitch is raised, a) for each level of loudness, within G2–E4 pitch range, the means of Psub, SPL, Rg, and VE increase while this is not the case for FR, and b) in the highest range (E4–G4), average SPL and VE drop while Rg and Psub remain stable. Our findings suggest that: a) most participants increase Psub and SPL without modification of Rg when loudness increases, and b) most participants increase both SPL and Psub while changing Rg with pitch rise. Idiosyncratic differences among the participants were detected in Rg and Psub, because of pitch rise, and, also, in Rg and VE due to loudness increase.

Conclusions

The results from this study reveal that, within the C3–C4 pitch range: a) there is independent control between the loudness and glottal adduction, and b) Psub is the main tool for increasing both the loudness and SPL. For some exceptions among the participants, either the Rg alteration or other modifications of the vocal system are, possibly, the cause of the loudness increase. The increased mean values of SPL, Rg, and Psub with pitch rise, for most participants, suggest that both glottal adduction and Psub increase together with the SPL and pitch increase. The VE increase within G2–E4 pitches reaches a maximum value at E4. Some exceptions among the participants exist that suggest the possible use of different phonatory strategies when changing either the pitch or the vocal loudness.

中文翻译：

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拜占庭圣歌声音中的空气动力学参数：音高和响度的比较

 客观的

本研究旨在评估发声频率和响度增加对拜占庭圣歌 (BC) 歌声空气动力学参数的影响。

 设计

获得了 BC 的空气动力学测量值并进行了统计分析。

 方法

15 名经验丰富的 BC 吟唱者，全部是男中音，在面罩内以正常和高响度演奏上升音符 G2、C3、E3、G3、C4、E4 和 G4，同时重复 /pi/ 音节串。直接测量气流（FR）、声门下压力（Psub）和声压级（SPL）参数，并据此计算声门流阻（Rg）和发声效率（VE）。对所有参数值进行统计分析。

 结果

检测到在恒定音高下两个响度水平之间的 BC 中 FR、Psub 和 SPL 参数以及在恒定响度水平下不同音高之间的 Psub、SPL、Rg 和 VE 参数存在统计显着性差异。当响度增加时，a）在 C3-C4 内只有 FR、Psub 和 SPL 的平均值增加，而 Rg 和 VE 的平均值没有任何变化；b）在 G2 处，只有平均值 Psub 增加，而在 E4–G4 的上限范围内，平均 SPL 和平均 VE 均下降。当音调升高时，a) 对于每个响度级别，在 G2–E4 音调范围内，Psub、SPL、Rg 和 VE 均值增加，而 FR 则不然，b) 在最高范围 (E4) –G4)，平均 SPL 和 VE 下降，而 Rg 和 Psub 保持稳定。我们的研究结果表明：a) 当响度增加时，大多数参与者会增加 Psub 和 SPL，而不修改 Rg；b) 大多数参与者会同时增加 SPL 和 Psub，同时随着音调上升而改变 Rg。由于音调上升，参与者之间在 Rg 和 Psub 中发现了特殊差异，并且由于响度增加，在 Rg 和 VE 中也发现了特殊差异。

 结论

这项研究的结果表明，在 C3-C4 音高范围内：a）响度和声门内收之间存在独立控制，b）Psub 是增加响度和声压级的主要工具。对于参与者中的一些例外，Rg 改变或发声系统的其他修改可能是响度增加的原因。对于大多数参与者来说，SPL、Rg 和 Psub 的平均值随着音高的增加而增加，表明声门内收和 Psub 都随着 SPL 和音高的增加而增加。 G2-E4 螺距内的 VE 增加在 E4 处达到最大值。参与者中存在一些例外情况，这表明在改变音调或声音响度时可以使用不同的发声策略。