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Word Intelligibility in Multi-voice Singing: The Influence of Chorus Size.
Nathaniel Condit-Schultz1, David Huron2
1Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio..
Journal of Voice : Official Journal of the Voice Foundation
|April 13, 2016
Summary
Sung word intelligibility decreases with more singers, but the effect plateaus after four voices. The number of singers impacts consonant clarity, especially plosives and liquids, in choral music.
Area of Science:
- Music Acoustics
- Psychoacoustics
- Speech Perception
Background:
- Choral music performance often involves multiple singers.
- Understanding sung word intelligibility is crucial for effective musical communication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of varying numbers of singers on sung word intelligibility.
- To determine how voice density affects the perception of sung English words.
Main Methods:
- A repeated measures factorial design was employed.
- 149 participants identified sung and spoken English words performed by 1, 4, 8, 16, or 27 singers (SATB choir).
Main Results:
- Single-voice intelligibility exceeded multi-voice intelligibility in sung conditions.
- Intelligibility differences between four singers and a full choir were minimal.
- Coda consonants, particularly plosives (/b/, /d/, /g/, /p/) and liquids (/l/, /r/), were most affected by increased voice density.
Conclusions:
- Sung word intelligibility is modestly reduced with four or more singers compared to a single voice.
- Increasing singer numbers beyond four does not significantly further decrease intelligibility.
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