The Emotional Characteristics of Western Classical Solo Singing Voices with Different Pitch, Dynamics, and Vowel

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Department of Computer Science and Engineering


PhD Thesis Defence


Title: "The Emotional Characteristics of Western Classical Solo Singing Voices 
with Different Pitch, Dynamics, and Vowel"

By

Mr. Bing Yen CHANG


Abstract

Research has shown that different musical instruments have unique emotional 
characteristics. Further research has also investigated the timbre and 
low-level acoustic features of the soprano voice and their correlation with 
emotional expressiveness. This thesis investigates how pitch, dynamics, and 
vowel influence the emotional characteristics of the western classical solo 
singing voices. Listening tests were conducted whereby listeners gave absolute 
judgments over ten emotional categories on the soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, 
countertenor, tenor, baritone, and bass voice tones comprised of two dynamic 
levels (loud, soft), three pitches (octave-steps within individual voices), and 
five vowels (A,E,I,O,U); the data were subsequently analyzed via logistic 
regression.

Regarding dynamics, loud tones dominated the high-arousal categories (Happy, 
Heroic, Comic, Angry, Scary) whereas soft tones dominated the low-arousal 
categories (Romantic, Calm, Mysterious, Shy, Sad). Regarding trends across the 
pitch range, Happy, Heroic, Romantic, and Comic was overall upward; Mysterious, 
Shy, Scary, and Sad was undulating yet overall flat; Calm was asymmetric 
arch-shaped with peaks at A2 and E3; Angry was irregularly sawtooth-shaped. 
Regarding vowel, the low-arousal categories (Romantic, Calm, Mysterious, Shy, 
Sad) and overall had a similar vowel profile of A downward to E then upward to 
I, O, U; there were no discernible vowel profile similarities among the 
remaining high-arousal categories. The overall vowel strength-of-expressiveness 
ranking was U first, followed by O and A, with I and E last; synthesized 
vocal/choral instruments generally only supply A,O,U vowel samples. Among the 
voices, the soprano and countertenor had comparatively lower significant 
differences between the vowels; vice versa for the baritone.

Overall, pitch had the strongest marginal effect on the emotional 
characteristics, closely followed by dynamics, with both effects approximately 
twice as strong as the vowel effect. These results give a quantified 
preliminary perspective on how pitch, dynamics, and vowel shape emotional 
expression in the western classical solo singing voices.


Date:			Thursday, 8 July 2021

Time:			2:00pm - 4:00pm

Zoom Meeting:		https://hkust.zoom.us/j/9553054023

Chairperson:		Prof. Shiheng WANG (ACCT)

Committee Members:	Prof. Andrew HORNER (Supervisor)
 			Prof. David ROSSITER
 			Prof. Raymond WONG
 			Prof. Richard SO (IEDA)
 			Prof. Christopher KEYES (Baptist U)


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