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Choral Vibrato: The Hundred Years’ War

bass voice maintained the typical semi-tone variation apply these practices. The ownness, then, falls upon the
in pitch while the others were limited to a quarter of a trained singers to listen and adjust their rate and extent
semi-tone. of vibrato to maintain blend and balance within the
The authors offered several conclusions. First, cho- ensemble. Research findings bear out this possibility,
ral directors might desire a “straight tone” because the yet scholars remain in the dark about how to empiri-
presence of vibrato may indicate more than one voice, cally engender vibrato synchrony. 57
and that “auditory segregation” may not be wanted Today’s American professional vocal ensembles run
in a particular style. Next, singers could change their the gamut of pro-vibrato to straight-tone-only singing.
vibrato behavior. Understanding the degree of this Most prefer to utilize a full range of options depending
behavior required further study, but vocal experience, on the style of the composition. In a recent recording
age, and training seemed to be large factors. Finally, the of Joby Talbot’s “Path of Miracles” the professional
authors recalled one longitudinal study where vocal- ensemble Kinnara employed varying degrees of vi-
ists worked together in preparation for a performance. brato and straight tone within one movement of this
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Over time and preparation, their vibratos increased in multi-movement composition. Recordings of solo
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synchrony, suggesting an awareness and receptivity to singers like Emma Kirkby singing Purcell and Clara
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one another. This encouraged a hypothesis that vibrato Rottsolk singing Robert Schumann showcase a spec-
synchrony may positively impact blend, although no trum of the use of vibratory and non-vibratory singing.
studies provided confirmation. This optimism towards This kind of “tonal freedom” may align with tenets of
reconciling vibrato within the choral setting has been healthy straight-tone singing offered by scholars. These
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echoed by others, and most frequently experienced in included: recovery time from sameness of style; lighter
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well-trained singers. registration; early vowel modification, and planning ;
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use of messe di voce ; and reduced subglottic pres-
sure. Though the debate concerning vibratory sing-
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Conclusion: ing within a choral setting continues, the narrative has
The Virtues of Instruction and evolved. Rather than denial and accusation, the con-
Impacts on Choral Performance versation sounds more like “yes, maybe, and how?”
Based upon the above review of literature, adjudi- Clear to this author is the importance of teaching
cation of the debate between vibrant and nonvibrant sound vocal pedagogy that will maintain singer health
singing favors two approaches: the voice teachers who and “tonal freedom” regardless of what the conductor
attempted to provide choir directors with pedagogical desires.
tools, and choir directors who worked with vocal teach-
ers to find common ground. The 2023 interest session
by Brailey, Brunssen, Robison, and Valverde typified NOTES
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this kind of collaboration.
1
As Miller suggested, rather than suppress the trained Steven Henry Strogatz, Sync: The emerging science of spontane-
and vibrant voices within a choir, instruct the nonvi- ous order (New York: Penguin Press Science, 2004), 18.
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2
brant ones and assist their vocal development. If Mc- Viktor Müller and Ulman Lindenberger, “Cardiac and
Coy is correct, the pedagogical tools for maintaining a respiratory patterns synchronize between persons dur-
functioning vocal instrument are relatively the same for ing choir singing,” PloS ONE 6, no. 9 (2011): e24893.
“straight tone” and vibrato singing. Aside from the https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0024893; Ge-
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thirty-seven articles that formed the core of this essay, rardo Acosta Martínez and Helena Daffern, “The
numerous articles, books, workshops, and conferences role of vibrato in group singing: A systematic review,”
exist to teach students and teachers of singing best Journal of Voice (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
practices in vocal pedagogy. Secondary and tertiary jvoice.2022.11.004.
choral conductors need only subscribe to, learn, and Christopher Jackson, “An Examination of Vibrato: Use
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26 CHORAL JOURNAL February 2024 Volume 64 Number 6