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SPA (Music)
Quarter 2 – Module 8:
Classifications of Voice

Department of Education ● Republic of the Philippines

SPA (Music 7)
Quarter 2 – Module 8:
Classifications of Voice
Special Program in the Arts – Music 7
Quarter 2 – Module 8: Classifications of Voice
First Edition, 2020

Republic Act 8293, section 176 states that: No copyright shall subsist in any work of the
Government of the Philippines. However, prior approval of the government agency or office
wherein the work is created shall be necessary for exploitation of such work for profit. Such
agency or office may, among other things, impose as a condition the payment of royalties.

Borrowed materials (i.e., songs, stories, poems, pictures, photos, brand names, trademarks,
etc.) included in this module are owned by their respective copyright holders. Every effort
has been exerted to locate and seek permission to use these materials from their respective
copyright owners. The publisher and authors do not represent nor claim ownership over
them.

Writer: Mishyl E. Defensor

Hinigaran National High School
Schools Division of Negros Occidental
Region VI – Western Visayas

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 Music occupies a very important role in Philippine society. Its function is well
entrenched in the various occasions and festivals, and in the day-to-day activities of
households. Music is used as a means to express and convey messages to members of the
community.
The SPA Music curriculum focuses on four threads which at the end of the program
will equip the learner as an engaged artist in the field of music: 1) Music as borne of the
expression of the self as seen in the Filipino tales, epics, rituals and festivals; 2) Music as a
community resource rooted in the natural, tangible, and intangible heritage of the people; 3)
Music as a continuing expression of the people’s history; and 4) Music as a contextualized
reality from the local to global perspectives in the contemporary times.
In this quarter, you as the learner will explore the language of creative expression in
legends and myths.

What I need to know?

This module was designed to help you develop understanding the of human voice
as an instrument.

At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1. Distinguishes the classifications of voice (SATB). (SPA_MU7-Ib-j-13-
14)

Specific Objectives:
At the end of the module, you as the learner should be able to:
1. Enumerate the different classifications of voice; and
2. Listen to representative examples of each classification of voice.

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 TRY THIS! Let us have a Recap.

I. Directions: Read and answer the following questions. Choose only the letter of
the correct answer.

1. Making sounds of different pitches with your mouth open is called:

a. Humming b. Singing c. Falsetto
2. What is humming?
a. Singing with your mouth closed
b. Singing and chewing at the same time
c. Singing five notes on a scale all in a row
3. Which is NOT a part of your vocal system?
a. Your vocal cords b. Your lungs c. Your skin
4. What is a common way to change how your voice sounds?
a. Make sure to gargle before you sing
b. Fill up your lungs with only half as much air as they could hold
c. Use different vocal registers
5. Which voice register is the one you use in your normal speaking voice?
a. Chest Voice b. Middle Voice c. Head Voice
6. Which of these is the highest-pitched vocal register?
a. Falsetto b. Chest Voice c. Middle Voice
7. What is vibrato?
a. A way to measure your vocal cords
b. A way to make your voice sound like its wavy or pulsating
c. A way to sing so that you break glass
8. Which is an example of vocalization with true words?
a. Scat Singing b. Rapping c. Yodeling
9. What are the four main voice parts in a chorus?
a. Bass, Tenor, Alto, High
b. Bass, Treble, Alto, Soprano
c. Bass, Tenor, Alto, Soprano
10. What is special about “a cappella” music?
a. It’s done without instruments
b. It’s done with only soprano singers
c. It’s done without words

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 UNLOCKING DIFFICULTIES

Before we begin with our lesson, let us first unlock key terms that will help you
understand better our topic.

VOCAL REGISTER
You can range classifications into categories based on their respective vocal
registers. Each register has a distinct timbre and is produced by a different action
of your vocal cords.
Accurately assessing your vocal range requires investigating the breadth of
more than one type of vocal register, primarily those of your “modal” and “head”
voices, and, in special cases, those of your “fry” and “whistle” voices (wikihow.com).

1) Modal (Chest) Voice

Essentially your comfortable singing range when the vocal folds
are in their natural manner of action. These are the notes you can
reach without adding a low, breathy or high, falsetto quality to your
voice.
The range of notes that you can hit comfortably in your modal
voice comprise your tessitura.

2) Head Voice
Includes the high end of your range, produced with elongated
vocal folds.
It is called the “head voice” because it refers to those notes that
feel the most resonant in one’s head and have a distinct ringing
quality.
Falsetto – the voice most people use when impersonating
female opera singers – is included in the head-voice register.

3) Vocal Fry
For some very low-voiced males, the lowest vocal register, called
“vocal fry” is also added, but many people cannot even reach this
low end.
These notes are produced by floppy, vibrating vocal folds that
create low, creaking or croaking notes.

4) Whistle Register
The whistle register extends to super-high notes for some
women. It is an extension of the head voice, but its timbre is
distinctly different.
Some of the most famous songs that showcased the whistle
register is “Lovin You” by Minnie Ripperton and “Emotions” by
Mariah Carey (wikihow.com).

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 Making Sense of OCTAVES
An octave is the interval between two like notes (for instance B to B), the higher
of which has twice the sound frequency of the lower. On piano, octaves will span eight
keys (excluding the black ones).
One way to characterize your vocal range is by expressing the number of octaves
that range spans.
The octave also corresponds with standard musical scales, which are typically
comprised of eight ordered notes in ascending or descending order (for instance, C D
E F G A B C). the interval between the first and last note of a scale is an octave.

LESSON 1: Voice Type and Voice Classification

A voice type is a particular human singing voice identified as having certain
qualities or characteristics of vocal range, vocal weight, tessitura, vocal timbre, and vocal
transition points (passaggio), such as breaks and lifts within the voice.
A singer’s voice type is identified by a process known as voice classification, by which
the human voice is evaluated and thereby designated into a particular voice type.
Voice classification is a tool for singers, composers, venues, and listeners to
categorize vocal properties and to associate roles with voices.

Number of voice types

Many different voice types are used in vocal pedagogy in a variety of voice
classification systems. Most of these types, however, are grouped into seven major voice
categories that are, for the most part, acknowledged across the major voice classification
systems.
Women are typically divided into three groups: Soprano, Mezzosoprano and Alto.
Men are usually divided into four groups: Countertenor, Tenor, Baritone and Bass.

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 The Diagram of Vocal Range

Female voices

a) Soprano
Soprano voice range (C4–C6) indicated on the diagram above. The
tessitura of the soprano voice lies higher than all the other voices except the
sopranino.
In particular, the coloratura soprano has the highest tessitura
of all the soprano subtypes.

Tessitura is the most acceptable and comfortable vocal

range for a given singer or less frequently, musical instrument, the
range in which a given type of voice presents its best-sounding (or
characteristic) timbre.

Soprano subtypes: As with all voice types, sopranos are often divided
into different subcategories based on range, vocal color or timbre, the weight
of voice, and dexterity of the voice. Sopranos are often broken down into five
subcategories: coloratura soprano, soubrette, lyric soprano, spinto soprano,
and dramatic soprano.

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 Sylvia La Torre, known as "The Queen of Kundiman" is a Coloratura
Soprano.

♫Listen to the following examples of

soprano by typing the links online:

Sylvia La Torre, Madaling Araw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNliENb
tXrk

Kit Navarro, Sa Kabukiran

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFwR3
dwfoE4

Rosita La Bello, Tag-araw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTIOdZ
DyCWo

b) Mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano range: The mezzo-soprano is the middle range voice
type for females.
The mezzo-soprano voice lies between the soprano voice and contralto
voice, overlapping both of them. The typical range of this voice is between
A3 (the A below middle C) to A5 (two octaves higher).
Although this voice overlaps both the contralto and soprano voices, the
tessitura of the mezzo-soprano is lower than that of the soprano and higher
than that of the contralto.
Mezzo-sopranos are often broken down into three subcategories: lyric
mezzosoprano, coloratura mezzo-soprano and dramatic mezzosoprano.
Lea Salonga, a Multiple award-winning actress and singer renown
across the world is a Mezzo-soprano.

♫Listen to the following examples of

Mezzo-soprano by typing the links online:

Lea Salonga, On My Own

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjfmP7
h3gBw

Cecilia Bartoli, Son Qual Nave

https://www.youtu.be/6m1T1BsB9rg

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 c) Contralto
The contralto voice is the lowest female voice. A true operatic contralto
is rare, so much so that often roles intended for contralto are performed by
mezzo-sopranos.
The typical contralto range lies between F3 (the F below middle C) to
F5 (the second F above middle C).
The contralto voice has the lowest tessitura of the female voices.
Contraltos are often broken down into three subcategories: coloratura
contralto, lyric contralto and dramatic contralto. A soprano sfogato is a
contralto who has an extended high-range reaching the soprano high C.
Jaya, known as the Filipino Soul Singer is a Contralto.

♫Listen to the following examples of

Contralto by typing the links online:

Jaya, Hanggang Sito Na Lang

https://www.youtu.be/1fwyv8HXjxg

Eula Beal, Ave Maria

https://www.youtu.be/8-KcRmidxTo

Male voices
a) Countertenor
The countertenor is the highest male voice.
Many countertenor singers perform roles originally written for a
castrato in baroque operas. Except for a few very rare voices (such as the
American male soprano Michael Maniaci or singers with a disorder such as
Kallmann syndrome), singers called countertenors generally sing in the
falsetto register, sometimes using their modal voice for the lowest notes.
Marcelito Pomoy, a Filipino singer known for his ability to sing in both
tenor and soprano, is an example of Countertenor.

♫Listen to the following examples of

Countertenor by typing the links online:

Marcelito Pomoy, The Power of Love

https://youtu.be/mNKhqiIHrq8I

Jakub Orlinski, Vedro con mio Dilleto

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 https://youtu.be/yF4YXv6ZIuE

b) Tenor
The tenor is the highest male voice within the modal register. The
typical tenor voice lies between C3 (one octave below middle C) to C5 (one
octave above middle C).
The tessitura of the tenor voice lies above the baritone voice and below
the countertenor voice. The leggero tenor has the highest tessitura of all the
tenor subtypes.
Tenors are often divided into different subcategories based on range,
vocal color or timbre, the weight of the voice, and dexterity of the voice.
Famous tenors include Enrico Caruso, Juan Diego Flórez, Alfredo Kraus,
and Luciano Pavarotti.
Gary Valenciano, also known as Gary V. is a Filipino singer-
songwriter, dancer, musician actor, music producer and television host, is
one of the most prominent tenors in the country.

♫Listen to the following examples of

Tenor by typing the links online:

Gary Valenciano, I Will be Here/Warrior is the Child

https://youtu.be/oxas9Gub5AU

Miguel Castro, Kundiman ng Langit

https://youtu.be/B_MN5BXRRnQ

c) Baritone
The baritone voice type is the most common male voice.
The vocal range of the baritone lies between the bass and tenor ranges,
overlapping both of them. The typical baritone range is from A2 (the second
A below middle C) to A4 (the A above middle C). A baritone’s range might
extend down to F2 or up to C5.
Although this voice overlaps both the tenor and bass voices, the
tessitura of the baritone is lower than that of the tenor and higher than that
of the bass.
Cipriano de Guzman, is a Filipino baritone dubbed as “Pinoy Pride”
for winning several International Vocal Competitions.

♫Listen to the following examples of

Baritone by typing the links online:

Cipriano de Guzman, Balikbayan

https://youtu.be/rq4cy5Go6IY

John Ocampos, Di Provenza Il Mar Il Suol

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 https://youtu.be/B_MN5BXRRnQ

d) Bass
The bass is the lowest male voice.
It has the lowest tessitura of all the voices. The typical bass range lies
between E2 (the second E below middle C) to E4 (the E above middle C). In
the lower and upper extremes of the bass voice, some basses can sing from
C2 (two octaves below middle C) to G4 (the G above middle C).
Basses are often divided into different subcategories based on range,
vocal color or timbre, the weight of the voice, and dexterity of the voice.
Basses are often broken down into six subcategories: basso profondo, basso
buffo, bel canto bass, basso cantante, dramatic bass, and bass-baritone.

♫Listen to the following examples of Baritone by typing the links online:

Josh Turener, Your Man

https://youtu.be/nADTbWQof7Y

Louis Armstrong, What a Wonderful World

https://youtu.be/CWzrABouyeE

Children’s voices
The human voice is in a constant state of change and development just as the
whole body is in a state of constant change.
A human voice will alter as a person gets older moving from immaturity to
maturity to a peak period of prime singing and then ultimately into a declining period.
The vocal range and timbre of children’s voices does not have the variety that adults’
voices have. Both boys and girls prior to puberty have an equivalent vocal range and
timbre.
The reason for this is that both groups have a similar larynx size and height and
a similar vocal cord structure. With the onset of puberty, both men and women’s
voices alter as the vocal ligaments become more defined and the laryngeal cartilages
harden. The laryngeal structure of both voices change but more so in men. The height
of the male larynx becomes much greater than in women. The size and development
of adult lungs also changes what the voice is physically capable of doing.
From the onset of puberty to approximately age 22, the human voice is in an in-
between phase where it is not quite a child’s voice nor an adult one yet. This is not to
suggest that the voice stops changing at that age.
Different singers will reach adult development earlier or later than others, and as
stated above there are continual changes throughout adulthood as well.

Treble
Treble can refer to either a young female or young male singer with an unchanged
voice in the mezzo-soprano range. Initially, the term was associated with boy sopranos
but as the inclusion of girls into children’s choirs became acceptable in the 20th
century the term has expanded to refer to all pre-pubescent voices. The lumping of

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 children’s voices into one category is also practical as boys and girls share a similar
range and timbre.
Great Job! You have learned about the different Vocal Types. This time, do the
activities and assessments that are prepared for you to work on.

Activity 1: Finding My Vocal Range

Directions: Finding your vocal range is key to singing properly. With the help of your
parents/guardian complete each task below to successful locate your vocal
range.

TASK ONE: Finding your Lowest Note

1) Locate a piano or keyboard if possible. The easiest way to identify your
range is with the assistance of a tuned instrument that you can play
while you sing. If you do not have access to the physical instrument,
you may download a piano app on your smartphone, tablet or other
device as a substitute.
2) Find the lowest note you can sing in your normal (modal) voice.
o Figure out what the bottom end of your natural range is by
locating the lowest note that you can sing comfortably without
cracking or croaking your voice.
o Start by singing a higher note on a consistent vowel sound
(like “ah” or “ee” or “oo”) and work your way down the scale
into your lowest registers.
o If you’re a girl, start with an easy C4 (middle C on the piano),
and work your way down the keys, matching each note until
you hit your lowest.

going down
Start at C4

o If you’re a boy, play a C3 on the piano, and go down one key

at a time from there.

going down
Start at C3

o The goal is to find the lowest note you can sing comfortably,
so you do not count notes that you cannot sustain.

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 3) Record your lowest notes.
o Once you have found your lowest
note, write it down.
o Do so by identifying the piano key
that corresponds to the note and
then figuring out its correct
scientific pitch notation. (refer to
the Diagram below).

C2 – B2 C3 – B3 C4 – B4 C5 – B5 C3 – B3

TASK TWO: Finding your Highest Note

1) Follow the same process you did for the low notes but moving to the high
end of the scale. Start with a higher note that you have no problem
reaching and ascend the scale.
o If you’re a girl, start by playing C5 and work your way up from
there.

gradually moving up
Start at C5

o If you’re a boy, start by playing and matching a G3.

Start at G3 gradually moving up

o The goal is to find the highest note you can sing comfortably,
so you do not count notes that you cannot sustain.

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 2) Record your lowest notes.
o Once you have found your highest note, write it down.
TASK THREE: Identifying and Classifying Your Range
1) You should now have two notes written down in scientific pitch notation.
2) Using a keyboard, count the notes between the lowest note and the
highest note you could sing. Do not include the sharps and flats (black
keys) in your count.

3) Calculate the octaves in your range.

o Every group of eight notes is one octave. A2 to A3, for instance,
is an octave. However, the last A will also count as the start of
the next octave.

4) Now that your have your vocal range written down using scientific pitch
notation, you can use it to determine your vocal classification.

5) Each voice type has an associated range, find which type aligns your full
range:

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 6) If your range may not fit perfectly into these standard ranges, choose the one
that fits closest (wikiHow.com).

1. How do you find the activity?

2. What is the lowest note you can sing?

3. What is the highest note that you can sing comfortably?

4. Now that you have identified your lowest and highest notes, discuss your vocal
range.

5. What is your voice classification? Discuss your answer.

ASSESSMENT 1
Directions: Read and answer the questions that follow. Choose only the letter of the correct
answer.

1. Which of the following best describes range?

A. The distance between the lowest and highest notes a voice or an instrument
can produce.
B. An area for chickens to feed outside of cages.
C. The relative loudness or softness of an instrument or voice.
D. The relative speed or slowness of a musical tempo.

2. Which female voice type has the lowest vocal range?

A. Contralto C. Soprano
B. Mezzo soprano D. All female voice types have an equal range.

3. Arrange the following voices from highest to lowest.

i. contralto v. mezzo-soprano
ii. tenor vi. baritone
iii. bass vii. countertenor
iv. soprano

A. i, iii, v, vii, ii, iv, vi C. iv, v, i, vii, ii, vi, iii

B. i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii D. iv, i, v, vii, vi, ii, iii

4. In choral music, the alto range is generally sung by _____.

A. Women
B. Men
C. The alto range is equally used by both male and female singers.

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 D. The alto is outside of human range and can only be performed with
instruments.

5. Which selection lists adult male voices in order from LOWEST range to HIGHEST
range?
A. Bass, Baritone, Tenor, Countertenor
B. Countertenor, Tenor, Baritone, Bass
C. Baritone, Tenor, Bass, Countertenor
D. Bass, Countertenor, Tenor, Baritone

6. Choral music written for male and female voices is usually written for four voice
parts: two female parts and two male parts. What are those four voice parts?
A. Soprano, alto, tenor, bass
B. Baritone, bass, tenor, countertenor
C. Soprano, alto, mezzo soprano, countertenor
D. Soprano, alto, bass, baritone

7. What do we call the full spectrum of notes that a singer is able to produce?
A. Their register C. Their range
B. Their tessitura D. Their alto voice

8. For most people, their chest voice describes the singing voice most similar to what?
A. The lowest possible notes they can produce
B. Their falsetto
C. Their normal speaking voice
D. High C

9. You have likely moved from your chest voice to your head voice when what
happens?
A. Your throat tightens and you feel vibrations in your mouth and upper throat
B. Your chest vibrates while singing and you are most comfortably able to produce a clear pitch
C. Your sound becomes naturally more open, fuller, and darker
D. You hear music in your head that other people don't

10. How is a falsetto tone produced?

A. By the vibration of the full vocal cords
B. By the vibration of the edges of the vocal cords
C. By singing in head voice
D. By using proper breath control

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Try This.
Assessment 1:
1. B
1. A 2. A
2. A 3. C
3. C 4. C
4. A 5. A
5. A 6. A
6. A 7. B
7. A 8. C
8. C 9. C 10. A
9. D
10. B Activity 1:
*answers may vary
Answer Key
References

https://www.wikihow.com/Find-Your-Vocal-Range

Voice type Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_type?oldid=770363359

https://study.com/academy/course/music-101-help-course.html

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