Race and the Aesthetics of Vocal Timbre by Eidsheim Essay (Book Review)

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Introduction

In the chapter Race and the Aesthetics of Vocal Tone, the author, Nina Sun Eidsheim, argues that vocality is not a measure of a person’s race, but the result of his or her own efforts in music school and hearing. As long as people view the voice as sound, we assume that the voice will convey a priori innate qualities. As long as people assume that voice is the sound of these qualities, we will perceive it there according to our ingrained value system. As long as race is included in this value system notion of voice and its perception – we will perceive voice as evidence of race.

Discussion

The author in the introduction and throughout the chapter actively interacts with Carter G. Woodson’s The Wrong Education of the Negro (1933), where he describes what he sees as the fundamental role of the American educational system in shaping the values and attitudes of African Americans toward themselves. Social attitudes, power dynamics, and their contribution to shaping self-perception are all enshrined through the public education system. As a result, adults do not need to explain their place in society: it is already instilled in them through their early exposure to the state as children. The author focuses on the fact that the music industry believes that the timbre of the voice can be a predictor of ethnicity. Through the analysis of this work, the author tries to test this hypothesis through empirical measurements.

The discussion around the thesis unfolds through an ongoing dialogue with music school teachers and students. Through interviews, the author finds out how strong the opinion about the connection between timbre and ethnicity is. The chapter is divided into several sections that move through school interviews and scholarly research to conclusions about the characteristics of timbre and its influence on the sociocultural life of the musical community.

The author, in order to deepen the problems of timbre development in people of different ethnic backgrounds, refers to the sources of different sciences, such as ethnography, sociology, and biology. In addition, the author attracts the materials of interviews with leading experts of scientific centers in order to independently put forward a hypothesis and confirm it with an authoritative opinion. In my opinion, this is the right tactic, as it allows us to use a broad source base.

The author builds his argument on the extensive use of sources that allow us to find answers, referring to sociological surveys and studies of the structure of the nasopharynx of famous personalities, but with different races. The author wants to show that the timbre of the voice is not only genetically inherent but also tuned in musical formations. While it used to be unilaterally believed that timbre had a direct correlation to race, they now consider it a combination of many non-biological factors.

As long as race is included in the musical value system people will continue to see the voice as evidence of race, the author sums up for readers. However, when people understand singing as action, they gain the ability to appreciate that the voice is generated by an inner choreography, invisible but audible. I thought it important to consider that understanding the voice as a feature of audible choreography makes it possible to understand that the sound of the voice is not genetically inherent. Separately, I note the reference to the physiology of the human body with illustrative illustrations that confirm the partial rather than total influence of genetics. However, from the author I would like to know what he really thinks, not quoting works, but the result of his own research.

Editorial Introduction

In an editorial introduction, the authors argue for the centrality of scholarly discussions of race and ethnicity in musicology, and assert the centrality of musicology to the study of critical issues of modern times a vital issue,

The authors in the introduction actively engage with works on the music industry that narrate, through hindsight, the different perceptions of white and dark-skinned artists. Through analysis of the material, the authors turn to the past to find answers to their questions.

The discussion around the issue unfolds in an ongoing dialogue with music schools and f. During the interviews, the author finds out how strong the opinion about the connection between timbre and ethnicity is. The chapter consists of several sections that move through school interviews and scholarly research to conclusions about the characteristics of timbre and its influence on the sociocultural life of the music community.

The author turns to sources from various sciences such as ethnography, sociology, and biology to delve into the problems of timbre development in people of different ethnic backgrounds. In addition, the author attracts the materials of interviews with leading experts of scientific centers in order to independently put forward a hypothesis and to confirm it with an authoritative opinion. In my opinion, this is the right tactic, as it allows the use of a broad source base.

The author builds his argument on the extensive use of sources that allow us to find answers, referring to sociological surveys and studies of the structure of the nasopharynx of famous personalities, but with different races. The author wants to show that the timbre of the voice is not only inherent genetically, but also tuned in musical formations. Whereas it was once unilaterally thought that timbre had a direct relationship to race, it is now seen as a combination of many non-biological factors.

Conclusion

As long as race is included in the system of musical values, people will continue to see the voice as evidence of race, the author sums up for readers. However, when people understand singing as action, they gain the ability to appreciate that the voice is generated by an inner choreography, invisible but audible. It seemed to me important to consider that understanding the voice as a feature of audible choreography makes it possible to understand that the sound of the voice is not genetically inherent. Separately, I note the reference to the physiology of the human body with illustrative illustrations confirming the partial, rather than total, influence of genetics. However, I would like to hear from the author what he really thinks, not quoting works, but the result of his own research.

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