Academic literature on the topic 'Extended vocal technique'

An improved surgical technique for epidermoid cysts of the vocal fold is presented. This technique employs a specially designed double-bladed elevator. Following betamethasone injection around the cyst, an incision is made posterior to the cyst at its mediolateral midpoint. The incision is extended anteriorly over the cyst with the use of a double-bladed elevator. The cyst then is elevated carefully from the surrounding tissue and removed. A single incision line on the upper aspect of the vocal fold should be the result. Eight patients were operated on with the present technique. The voice was improved postoperatively in all patients. The voice improvement was reflected objectively in stroboscopic findings, maximum phonation time, airflow rate, fundamental frequency and intensity of phonation, and results of acoustic analyses of voice.

The difficulties in treating granulomas resulting from Teflon injection into the vocal fold are underreported in the literature. We have reviewed our experience with nine patients undergoing 27 procedures for Teflon granuloma. Two patients required tracheotomy before undergoing endoscopic granuloma removal because of airway compromise, and a third required urgent tracheotomy following endoscopy. One of the patients requiring elective tracheotomy had a granuloma that extended across the midline to the contralateral arytenoid, causing its fixation. Arytenoidectomy was required for decannulation in this patient. In all but one patient the granuloma nearly completely replaced the thyroarytenoid muscle. This extensive involvement often precludes the adequate excision of the granuloma in a single procedure; however, the microflap technique allows mucosal preservation to facilitate future procedures. In some cases the granuloma destroys large amounts of mucosa, and a microflap cannot be elevated and saved. The difficulties of excision are related to the near-total replacement of the thyroarytenoid muscle by granuloma. This paper will help the otolaryngologist—head and neck surgeon understand this destructive process and the resulting difficulties in surgical rehabilitation.

Pamela Z is an American composer-performer and audio artist whose use of extended vocal technique and live, body-controlled electronic processing takes place in events ranging in scale from solo events in galleries to large-scale works that combine video, audio, and live musicians, singers, and actors. Her work raises important issues regarding transnationalism, Afrodiasporicism, and identity; acoustic ecologies; the articulation of race and ethnicity; and the place of women in technological media. The essay discusses several of Z's works from the late 1990s and early 2000s, in articulation with cybertheory; the aesthetics of popular and avant-garde music, voice, language, and poetics; intermedia and performance art; and contemporary technological practices.

Objective: This paper aims to describe an unconventional surgical procedure performed in a case of penetrating neck injury involving the larynx. Methods: Design: Case Report Setting: Tertiary Government Hospital Population: One Results: A 38-year-old man sustained a hacking laceration to the anterior neck that extended into the hypopharyngeal area, transecting the thyroid cartilage. After pre-emptive tracheostomy, the patient was referred to otorhinolaryngology – head and neck surgery due to the extensive hypopharyngeal injury. Neck exploration performed to control bleeders confirmed a Schaefer-Fuhrman Classification Group 3 penetrating neck injury. Anastomotic reconstruction of the hypopharynx, transected thyroid cartilage and strap muscles was attempted using absorbable sutures with post-operative re-establishment of structural continuity and documentation of full bilateral vocal fold mobility. The patient was about to be discharged home with a tracheotomy and nasogastric tube when he suddenly deteriorated and expired on the eighth post-operative day. Conclusion: Our technique might be utilized in cases where urgent reconstruction of laryngeal structures is considered despite serious damage to the laryngeal skeleton, and may provide a temporary surgical option for similar cases in an emergent setting. However, we cannot recommend it as a routine standard on the basis of one case. Keywords: larynx; penetrating neck injury; vocal cord; reconstruction, neck exploration

In the decades following the Second World War, novel sound technologies and the proliferation of ethnomusicological field recordings ignited curiosity and experimentation among many musicians; these cultural phenomena also sparked a re-examination of conventional Euro-American musical sound sources. Classically trained instrumentalists and singers – particularly those associated with the ‘experimental tradition’ – cultivated intentionally idiosyncratic musical practices and widened their range of sonic possibility; this cultural zeitgeist included a heightened interest in so-called extended vocal techniques. In this article, I examine the research and creative output of the Extended Vocal Techniques Ensemble (EVTE) of the University of California at San Diego (UCSD). Drawing from published literature, interviews and archival sources to write this account of the EVTE’s multifaceted work, I contextualize the group’s activities within UCSD’s interdisciplinary emphasis as well as in the broader social–historical discourses of ‘extended vocal techniques’. Furthermore, I address the implications of their story within the broader politics of vocal aesthetics and pedagogy in Euro-American classical music contexts. By unearthing the EVTE’s interdisciplinary vision for vocal study, I hope to not only spark interest in this ensemble’s contributions, but also to revive (and build upon) their vision of a radically reimagined vocal artistry and study in academic music and beyond.

Educational learning settings exploit cognitive factors as ultimate feedback to enhance personalization in teaching and learning. But besides cognition, the emotions of the learner which reflect the affective learning dimension also play an important role in the learning process. The emotions can be recognized by tracking explicit behaviors of the learner like facial or vocal expressions. Despite reasonable efforts to recognize emotions, the research community is currently constraints by two issues, namely : i) the lack of efficient feature descriptors to accurately represent and prospectively recogniz e (detecting) the emotions of the learner ; ii) lack of contextual datasets to benchmark performances of emotion recognizers in the learning - speci fic scenarios, resulting in poor generalizations. This paper presents a facial emotion recognition technique (FERT). The FERT is realized through results of preliminary analysis across various facial feature descriptors. Emotions are classified using the m ultiple kernel learning (MKL) method which reportedly possesses good merits. A contextually relevant simulated learning emotion ( SLE ) dataset is introduced to validate the FERT scheme. Recognition performance of the FERT scheme generalizes to 90.3% on the SLE dataset. On more popular but noncontextually datasets, the scheme achi e ved 90.0% and 82.8% respectively extended Cohn Kanade (CK+) and acted facial expressions in the wild ( AFEW ) datasets. A test for the null hypothesis that there is no significant difference in the performances accuracies of the descriptors rather proved otherwise (<em> x²</em> = 14 . 619 , <em>df</em> = 5 , <em>p</em> = 0 . 01212 ) for a model considered at a 95% confidence interval.

Statement of the problem. Within the frameworks of interpretology, the performing style appears as the relation of two subjects (the performer and the subject of the music itself, recorded in the text), a meeting of the composing and performing thinking. It is every performance by Jonas Kaufmann, a prominent singer of the present, that becomes this meeting. According to the singer’s words, the «chamber form» invented by him and called Liederabend is the favourite form of his expression. Liederabend always demonstrates the singer’s outstanding acting skills, stage presence, strong voice and impeccable technique. Among the outstanding events there are the performances of G. Mahler’s chamber opuses (romances, «Song of the Earth», «Songs of the Dead Children», R. Strauss; Liederabends in Bamberg, Munich and the Metropolitan Opera with F. Liszt’s songs «Three Sonnets of Petrarch», G. Mahler, A. Dupark (including on Heine’s and Goethe’s verses), R. Wagner (Five Songs on Matilda Wesendonk’s verses), B. Britten (Seven Sonnets by Michelangelo). The singer’s attention to the AustrianGerman repertoire is the special trait of such chamber evenings. Analysis of recent publications on the topic. The main material on J. Kaufmann’s creative work is contained in numerous interviews, official site materials, Thomas Voigt’s book called «Meinen die wirklich mich», nonfiction articles and reviews on the performance of, in particular, Liederabends (T. Belova, T. Yelagin, E. Shapinska, Tim Ashley, and Christie Franke). From the studies of chamber and vocal performance (I. Gersamiya, T. Madysheva, T. Lymareva), the classification of dialogue quality (E. Stepanidina) in chamber music is involved. The systematic approach allows (based on G. Tsypin’s research) to identify the phenomenon of J. Kaufmann’s creativity. The purpose of the study is the formulation of the basic parameters of his performing style based on the analysis of J. Kaufmann’s Liederabends. Presentation of the main research material. In «The Winter Way» the singer resorts to such expressive means as a little exaggerated, chanted diction of the initial phrases («Sleep quietly»), radically contrasting dynamics of opera ff and subtle pp («Flood»), extremely slow tempo and filigree breathing («Inn»), «performance on the verge» of sound and silence («Loneliness», «Grey Hair», «Crow», and «Last Hope»). The centre of the performance concept is «Loneliness» (according to the singer himself). K. Frank sees the performance by Kaufmann as a rich spectrum of emotions; many listeners note the introversion of his expression. Concerning the conceptual dimension of J. Kaufmann’s interpretation of “The Winter Way”, the following facts were noted: the integrity and the construction of the performance form; the conscious avoidance of unnecessary expressiveness, monologue quality (the master connects the songs, creating an extended monologue), and artistry. Conclusions of the study. The analysis of Liederabends made it possible to find the components of J. Kaufmann’s performing style that characterize his individuality. 1. Intellectualism, conceptual design and «cyclicality» of the embodiment. For Liederabends the singer always chooses sophisticated programs, dominated by song cycles, or even the evenings devoted to the creative work of one composer. From the point of view of dramaturgy, the singer combines several songs into a kind of a micro-cycle, which enhances the monologue of the expression (dialogue «I-I»); the performance by the singer of any composition or cycle is always integral and intends for the catharsis. 2. The system of vocal expressive means that allow the singer to simulate different facets of images. Liederabends reflect the main features of J. Kaufmann’s style, which can also be noted in terms of opera interpretations: the economy of the performer, the singer’s commitment to conducting the cantilena, the role of the rhythmic component in the vocal score, the ability to tune his voice in different vocal ensembles, brilliant piano and mezzo voce, the brightness of forte, the filigree diminuendo and more. Kaufmann’s outwardly restrained manner of performance allows conveying the shades of poetic and musical text, reaching the heights peculiar to him as the performer of the tragic roles of the opera repertoire. In the chamber performance, some things sound even more pronounced. This applies to timbre (the singer can choose the desired colour of the voice, in particular, a matte or «steel» hue), the dynamic hue of ppp (sometimes a barely audible sound of the voice in the vocal cycle by F. Schubert gave a sense of boundary between the worlds, which is as if crossed by the lyric hero), diction (the singer speaks words clearly, and sometimes even sings in a recitative manner, in particular F. Schubert’s «Warrant»), and rhythm (he has a specific «acuteness» with certain disturbances of a uniform course, which has a powerful influence on the audience). Analysing the method of J. Kaufmann’s work with the author’s musical material, it is noted that he respectfully treats the text of the performed compositions, never exaggerates with “liberties” (agogic deviations, text notes, and fioritures). In terms of behavioural characteristics, J. Kaufmann’s performance always prevails in masculinity; from the point of view of the dialogue of the vocal and piano parties in J. Kaufmann’s Liederabends, the monologue quality is of great importance. All of the above allows us to identify another feature of Kaufmann’s performing style – his artistry. Due to his unstoppable artistic energy, which is felt by the listeners and visitors of Liederabends, the singer creates vivid, conceptual song evenings that are generally distinguished by the thoughtfulness of interpretations and which will surely be included in the collection of the world chamber performance. The prospect of further study of the topic is related to the study of J. Kaufmann’s performing style from the standpoint of interpretology.

Neuralgic Amyotrophy (NA) is a rare disturb of the peripheral nervous system that can include extreme pain, multifocal paresis and atrophy of the muscles of the upper limbs. When the nerves located outside of the brachial plexus are involved, the term Neuralgic Amyotrophy Extended (ANE) is used. Diagnosis of NA is clinical and has a series of inclusion and compatibility criteria established by the European CMT Consortium. On this study the clinical history, multidimensional vocal assessment data and the vocal techniques used in five-weeks voice therapy for one patient, professional voice, with ANE are presented. In this case, sudden and recurrent paralysis of his right vocal fold was the only manifestation of the disease. At the end of the fifth week the patient's voice was normal, the spoken and sung vocal ranges were same as before the current episode of ANE and scores of his vocal self-assessment were appropriate.

Congenital saccular cysts of the larynx are a rare cause of airway obstruction in the neonatal population. Symptoms are non-specific and common to other causes of laryngeal obstruction. Prompt recognition and management is important because of the high mortality associated with undiagnosed conditions. CASE A 2-month old female was seen at the Pediatric emergency room because of breathing difficulty. She had productive cough 2 days prior, accompanied by labored breathing, vomiting and poor appetite. She was admitted at the Pediatric ICU with a diagnosis of acute bronchiolitis. Attempting intubation, the pediatric resident noted a cystic mass partially obstructing the laryngeal inlet. The patient was successfully intubated on the third attempt. Review of history revealed stridor at birth, and she was referred to the ENT service for further management. Awake Flexible Laryngoscopy revealed a cystic mass obscuring most of the right vocal fold. The impression was an anterior saccular cyst. The patient underwent microlarygoscopy. The cyst extended posterosuperiorly, resting over the false vocal fold (Figure 1). The presence of a saccular cyst was confirmed by needle aspiration of whitish gelatinous fluid, immediately collapsing the cyst wall (Figure 2). Excision was performed with dissection of the cyst to its base at the saccule orifice. The entire sac was excised with minimal bleeding. After excision, the endotracheal tube was reduced to the next smaller size. She was extubated on the 3rd postoperative day and did not require re-intubation. The patient was kept on intravenous antibiotics and steroids until she was discharged on the 6th postoperative day without further airway symptoms. DISCUSSION Congenital saccular cysts of the larynx are unusual lesions that commonly present with respiratory obstruction in infants and children.1 They are thought to arise in the saccule of the ventricle of the larynx. A laryngeal saccule is a small diverticulum arising out of the laryngeal ventricle. It extends upward between the false vocal fold, the base of the epiglottis, and the thyroid cartilage. It contains mucous glands and secretes mucus through an orifice in the anterior part of the roof of the ventricle. A congenital saccular cyst is believed to form as a result of a developmental failure to maintain patency of the saccular orifice. It is similar to a laryngocele in that it represents an abnormal dilatation or herniation of the saccule, however it is distinct from a laryngocele in that there is no opening to the ventricle of the larynx, and it is filled with mucus.1 On the other hand, a laryngocele is defined as a dilatation or herniation of the laryngeal saccule, which is filled with air. DeSanto, Devine, and Weiland2 classified all cystic laryngeal lesions into saccular, ductal, and thyroid cartilage foraminal cysts. They further classified saccular cysts into anterior and lateral saccular cysts. The anterior saccular cyst extends medially and posteriorly from the saccule and protrudes into the laryngeal lumen between the true and false vocal cords. The lateral saccular cyst typically extends posterosuperiorly into the false vocal cord and aryepiglottic fold. This is the larger of the two types and is the more common form encountered in infants. Large lateral saccular cysts can extend into the lateral vallecula or bulge the medial wall of the pyriform sinus. It can also herniate through the thyrohyoid membrane similar to a laryngocele and can appear in the neck. Recently Forte, Fuoco, and James3 proposed a new classification dividing laryngeal cysts into two types based on the extent of the cyst and on the embryologic tissue of origin. A cyst that is radiologically and clinically determined to be intralaryngeal and can be safely and completely excised endoscopically is classified as Type I. Those with extralaryngeal extension are classified as Type II, subclassified into IIa (endodermal elements only) and IIb (endodermal and mesodermal elements - laryngotracheal duplication or diverticulum). Saccular cysts cause respiratory distress and inspiratory stridor most often at birth. The cry may be muffled, and dysphagia may occur. The diagnosis is suggested by a soft tissue lateral radiograph that shows a mucus-filled sac.1 This can be confirmed by fiberoptic laryngoscopy. The anterior saccular cyst is seen as a small round swelling protruding from the anterior ventricle and overhanging the anterior part of the ipsilateral vocal fold. The lateral saccular cyst appears as a smooth, mucosa-covered swelling of the false vocal fold and aryepiglottic fold. Both computed tomography and MRI may be helpful in delineating the exact location and extent of the mass. In our patient, the diagnosis was arrived at on the basis of clinical presentation and endoscopic findings. A good airway must first be secured prior to definitive management. Fortunately, our patient was successfully intubated, negating the need for a tracheotomy. The classic treatment of the lateral saccular cyst has been endoscopic management.1 Needle aspiration through a direct laryngoscope has been suggested as the initial treatment but recurrence is the norm because of the difficulty in completely obliterating the cyst by this method.1 Endoscopic marsupialization with or without stripping of the cyst lining has been advocated. Abramson and Zielinski4 introduced the application of carbon dioxide laser to incise the cyst and vaporize its lining. Booth and Birck5 used cup forceps to unroof laryngoceles and saccular cysts in neonates, followed by a 3-day intubation. Holinger et al6 performed direct laryngoscopy and endoscopic removal with cup forceps. In this patient, we performed endoscopic excision using cup forceps, dissecting the cyst to its base at the orifice of the saccule before amputation. Intubation was maintained to protect the infant’s airway and likewise act as a stent, similar to the technique described by Booth and Birck.5 Large saccular cysts occasionally require an external approach. A lateral cervical approach extending through the thyrohyoid membrane immediately above the alar of thyroid cartilage is the procedure of choice in such cases.2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Samantha S. Castañeda for reviewing the manuscript.

Luciano Berio (1925-2003) was one of the most innovative composers of vocal music in the European avant-garde. His composition for female voice, Circles (1960), marks an important stage in his collaboration with his wife, singer Cathy Berberian (1925-1983). Berio was attracted to Berberian's exceptional talents as a performer, and their work together created new avenues of expression for the solo voice, as Berio explored the relationship between music and language. Drawing upon archival documents, this thesis is a study of the materials and methods that make Circles one of Berio's pivotal works for voice. My interpretation of these sources engages with Berio's approach to pitch and setting a poetic text, as well as with the nature of his collaborations with Berberian.

There are numerous challenges to singing contemporary classical vocal music including a number of harmonic, melodic, rhythmic, and formal elements not commonly seen in the western Classical or Romantic era compositions. There are new notations, new sounds, new ideas, and new demands. Finding a way to train college-aged singers to perform standard classical repertoire alongside contemporary classical repertoire has been a personal goal for many years. This essay contains exercises and vocalises to help train singers to prepare their instrument to perform the demanding music presented in this body of repertoire. Musical concepts covered in this essay include large interval training, laughing drills, tone clusters, and a variety of others. Current scholarship on this subject does not address the pedagogical steps of teaching music classified as contemporary classical vocal music. This essay provides exercises, vocalises, and recommendations for the development of vocal techniques required to perform works from this repertoire with healthy and secure technique.

This thesis documents practice-led research exploring the intersections of, and tensions between, improvised invocation ritual within a chaos magick paradigm and Buddhist insight meditation. I explore the extra-normal self—those aspects of consciousness not usually present, or not usually accessible, in day-to-day life—by mean of improvised ritual work with the extra-normal voice and seek to maintain a Buddhist ‘witness’ consciousness throughout these explorations. I also explore the tensions between politics, aesthetics and spiritual practice; in particular, queer and trans politics, a timbre-centred vocal aesthetics and chaos magick, shamanic and Buddhist spiritual practices. This work constitutes part of a larger project of attempting to secularise and democratise spiritual practice greatly influenced by Sam Harris’ book Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion (2014) and to some extent from chaos magick, some iterations of which strive to ‘free’ the western esoteric tradition from its religious trappings. I also take cues from Hakim Bey (1985) as one of the few anarchist writers who sees spiritual practice as profoundly important and not at odds with anarchism. I make use of a ‘radical agnosticism’ (Wilson, 1977) in my practice, privileging subjective experience and critical engagement over the search for an objective truth. I take an autoethnographic approach to this project with a focus on process rather than outcome, with the final project consisting of a description of these approaches and their value (and limitations), accompanied by selected musical examples (recordings). The thesis also explores a practice that functions as a navigation away from the normative, phallogocentric western esoteric tradition taking cues from feminism, trans and queer politics as well as anarchism. My improvised possession rituals seek to give voice to aspects of the extra-normal self and/or spirits or demons. The different Belief Systems used in this work frame these experiences in different language. My practice strives to accept ‘whatever arises’ (a meditation term) with compassion—whatever their ontological status. The main text of this thesis consists of three sections: Improvising Theory, Workings and Scores. The first section presents some of my thinking through concepts and theoretical paradigms that I have engaged with over the last few years of my research. I explore the illusion of free will, the intersection of gender and timbre theory and the use of the cut-up technique in chaos magick generally and my practice specifically. The second section of the thesis presents in-depth discussion of some of the explicit ritual performances and recordings that I have explored over the course of the research. This section explore more fully concepts central to my practice such as the interweaving of insight meditation and improvised ritual work. I present reflections on my explorations of dada ‘anti-magick’ ritual which critiques the normative, phallogocentric western esoteric tradition, taking cues from feminism, trans and queer politics as well as anarchisms. This culminates in an exploration of the concept of ‘True Shamanic Black Metal’—a tongue-in-cheek gesture towards a serious exploration of rhythm inspired by my understanding of shamanic drumming, particularly from Tuva, Mongolia and Korea, merged with an interest in extreme metal traditions, particularly black metal. I explore what shamanic black metal might sound like, centring the discussion around the album I recorded in 2017 invocations of unknown entities. The third section of this thesis presents thoughts on playing scores and on writing scores. I explore scores as open invitations to explore either extra-normal states of consciousness or particular aesthetic or ethical interests.

Women composers have not traditionally been at the forefront of genre development. Western classical musical genres and formal structures tend to operate by conventions codified by male composers of European and North American descent, and, accordingly, reflect patriarchal aesthetics and viewpoints. The nascent genre of vocal theatre, however, has been primarily defined by the works of women composer/performers. Artists Meredith Monk, Diamanda Galas, and Pauline Oliveros have created new modes of theatre for the voice; in their personal explorations of extended vocal technique, the female voice is used as a tool for discovering, activating, remembering, and uncovering a consciousness that is primordial, pre/anti-logical, and oracular. My thesis proposes that the vocal theatre of these women functions as musical ecriture feminine, a term first introduced by French feminist theorist Helene Cixous. As a theoretical framework, ecriture feminine provides a particularly useful tool for interpreting these works, which, in the importance they place on openness, transcending language, embodied performances, and personal visions of womanhood, reveal aesthetic concerns that in many ways have more in common with the literary genre of ecriture feminine than those of canonical Western art music. I argue that these works are important not only as musical ecriture feminine, but as examples of an alternative, "feminine" compositional practice that prioritizes collaboration, improvisation, and intuitive modes of creativity. In doing so, they destabilize the traditional "maleness" of genre creation.

The movements in Dido and Aeneas built over a ground (repeating) bass illustrate Purcell’s achievement in balancing repetitive patterning with asymmetrical phrase structure, thus transforming a common compositional artifice into artistic expression. In “Ah, Belinda,” he writes a declamation and an air over the same repeating bass pattern. In “Oft she visits,” the collapse of normalcy into destructive chaos depicted in the text is illustrated by the alteration he makes to the relationship between the repeating bass and the vocal line. Dido’s Lament is the most extensively constructed of these airs, the links to the preceding and following movements creating an extended scene depicting Dido’s dying moments.

This chapter addresses Cheryl Frances-Hoad’s One Life Stand (2011). This major work was conceived as a companion piece to Schumann’s loved cycle Frauenliebe und Leben, Op. 42 (1830). It sets eight vivid contemporary poems by Sophie Hannah—charting the often turbulent emotional journey experienced by the present-day woman in love—in starkest contrast to the more conventional, submissive attitudes portrayed in the Schumann. Each song subtly, even obliquely, evokes a movement of the Schumann, ingeniously mirroring aspects of its musical setting, particularly in the relationships between voice and piano. It constitutes a compelling narrative of contemporary feminine experience, and a rewarding tour de force for a mezzo and pianist of interpretative and technical accomplishment. The work is written in standard notation and the voice part, set straightforwardly with a few curving melismas at key points, eschews extremes of range and ‘extended vocal techniques’. The singer will, however, need to call on reserves of stamina for some lengthy high-lying passages, although there is plenty of light relief in the fast movements with their quicksilver parlando delivery.