Voice Characteristics of Young Man and Young Girl Roles in Traditional Peking Opera

In the tradition of the Peking Opera, the young man (YM) role is described as using the "Dragon-Tiger Voice" (or LongHu Yin) on stage, which refers to a unique skill that artfully blends and alternates between the falsetto and modal voices. Meanwhile, the young girl (YG) role is characterized by its use of the "Small Voice" (Xiaosang), a production technique that employs a high larynx to create a high-pitched, clear, and penetrating tone. Both roles exhibit voice characteristics that deviate significantly from conversational speech. However, the details of these unique voice characteristics require further study. Particularly, this study conducted an acoustic analysis of the voice characteristics of the YM and YG roles in singing, and further sought to examine differences in phonation between singing and lyric recitation for each role type.

Three YM role singers and three YG role singers were invited to participate in the study. Their ages ranged between 17 and 21 years (mean age = 19.17 years, standard deviation = 1.66 years), and they had more than 10 years of formal Peking Opera training. Three electroglottographic (EGG) parameters, fundamental frequency (F0), open quotient (OQ), and speed quotient (SQ), were analyzed for three YG and three YM singer roles in traditional Peking Opera. Each singer performed a selected aria under two conditions: singing (S) and reading lyrics (R). The phonation types adopted under different conditions were explored based on EGG parameters.

Significant differences in phonation type were found between singing (S) and reading lyrics (R). Singing among both the YM and YG roles exhibited a higher F0, a higher OQ, and a lower SQ than reading lyrics. Furthermore, during singing, YG's phonation type was more stable and characterized by a breathy voice with significant airflow leakage. Conversely, YM's phonation type during singing varied more, manifesting as a modal voice-like production in the lower register and a tense, breathy voice in the higher register.

This study confirmed the scientific basis for the distinct phonation types employed by YG and YM roles in traditional Peking Opera. The quantified differences in F0, OQ, and SQ between singing styles and normal speech provided objective and measurable references to inform and refine vocal training methodologies in traditional Chinese opera.