The Legacy of John W. Large

Authors

  • Barbara Lewis University of North Dakota,
  • Paul Mortenson University of North Dakota,

Abstract

Since his untimely death in 1987, the work of John W. Large continues to be relevant to current voice research and pedagogy. He pushed for specificity in voice terminology. For instance, he drew the distinction between speech science register nomenclature (for example, pulse/fry, modal, loft, flute) and singing register nomenclature (for example, chest, middle, head). He also proposed the usage of isoparametric tones (different register tones compared on the same fundamental, phoneme/vowel, and dynamic level) in order to standardize voice research protocols. A pedagogical descendant of Manuel Garcia II, one of the first voice scientist and teachers, Large researched aspects of all three components of the vocal instrument: the actuator (breath), the vibrator (vocal folds and laryngeal structure), and the resonators (the bucco-pharyngeal cavity and nasal cavities as well as the sinuses and other supra- and sub-glottal spaces including the pyriform sinuses). He investigated airflow rate (actuator) in the passaggio, the vocal fold wavelength configuration (vibrator), formants (emphases of the harmonic partials), and the sub-glottal and supra-glottal coupling of resonators. Large, who agreed with Garcia’s “mechanical principle,” thought that vocal fold wave configuration was a primary determinant of vocal register. However, like his bel canto colleagues, he recognized the importance of the vowel in phonation as well as its use in pedagogy. In summary, while Large’s pedagogy was informed by science, it was also firmly rooted in the bel canto tradition.

Author Biographies

Barbara Lewis, University of North Dakota,

BARBARA LEWIS is presently on the faculty at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Her education includes a PhD in Music Education from Indiana University, an MEd. in Music Education from the Pennsylvania State University, an MA in History from Washington College, and a BM in Music from Grove City College. She also holds certificates in Feldenkrais Training Levels I-IV (Institute for Movement Studies), Craniosacral Level I (Upledger Institute), Orff (Memphis State University and Westminster Choir College), and Reiki (Kripalu). Her teaching responsibilites include graduate and undergraduate courses in music education methods, psychology of music, research methods, history of music education, supervision of student teachers, and supervision of theses/dissertations. Barbara initially taught public school music and has now been at the university level for over twenty years. Barbara has published a number of historical and quantitative articles in American and British refereed journals in the areas of the interrelationship between movement and music, music listening, and field independence/dependence among others. She presently serves on the editorial boards of two American music education journals, has edited several publications for the Music Educators National Conference (MENC), and has presented at numerous juried conferences. Most recently she and co-author Paul Mortenson presented a paper on Manuel Garcia at the National MENC Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah. For this Symposium paper, she has again teamed up with Paul Mortenson, a colleague at the University of North Dakota with a specialty in voice science.

Paul Mortenson, University of North Dakota,

PAUL MORTENSON, baritone, received his MM in Voice Performance and the MA in Counseling from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, North Dakota (USA) and presently teaches applied voice in the Community Music program at this university. Paul has also taught voice lessons, voice classes, and other music courses at the college level. Some of his performance experiences include singing in voice seminars with Oren Brown (formerly of Juilliard) and with Elizabeth Mannion at the Vocal Institute (University of California, Santa Barbara). He has also sung with the St. Petersburg Opera Company in Florida and the Fargo Moorhead Civic Opera Company in Minnesota. Moreover, he has toured professionally with the prestigious Norman Luboff Choir and has three world premieres to his credit including the role of Charbonneau in Sakakawew a, the North Dakota Centennial Opera by Borden/Peterson. A veteran of numerous regional solo, stage, and choral performances in Florida and the upper midwest, he has also been active as a clinician for voice and music education workshops and as an adjudicator for North Dakota/Minnesota secondary vocal contests. Since 1984 he has been a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (N.A.T.S.). His research specialties include vocal registration theory, vocal health, music performance anxiety, and acting training for singers. He is the co-author (with Barbara Lewis) of a paper on Manuel Garcia presented last year at the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) in Salt Lake City, Utah and is also the co-author of a paper on John Large to be presented at this Symposium.

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Published

2013-10-29

Issue

Vol. 6 (2007): The Phenomenon of Singing International Symposium VI

Section

Articles