Singing from the heart

Abstract

While this book has addressed itself mainly to how the voice functions insofar as we know at this moment, it is timely to consider the rather large amount of published material relating Eastern and Western philosophies to sound and singing. As singing and singers evolve they will not be able to ignore the importance and impact of this knowledge because it will enable performers to achieve a wholeness that contributes significantly to the tangible and intangible qualities of sound. How a person relates to him/ herself and achieves wholeness is an important aspect of singing and there are a number of areas along these lines which merit study: physical factors at macro and micro-levels, vibration, “quantum” factors, sound and healing and purity of emotions. These factors are an important part of the vitality and “life energy’ of the singer and of the resulting power of the music presented. A healthy life energy in the singer creates the same in the audience, whereas a poor life energy can leave the listener feeling down or tired for no apparent reason (Diamond, 1983). Ideally, the listener will leave feeling energised and enhanced. In the past singers have tended to be more concerned with the voice rather than the actual effect it was having, the actual making of the tone and the science of it, getting involved emotionally without allowing the audience to feel for themselves, and generally missing out on true listening and awareness of self, audience and the atmosphere.