La Voce Cantata

160-page volume with numerous illustrations.

A singing teacher can communicate training more effectively by using tools that translate the student’s vocal behaviour into images, providing clear benefits for the learner. The phoniatric specialist has access to advanced videoendoscopic and recording equipment that captures both the acoustic phenomenon and the anatomical structures of the vocal apparatus, producing objective and reliable information. This information can be shared with the singing teacher to clarify potential doubts regarding vocal classification and the student’s vocal health.

The first part, in line with standard practice, reviews the anatomo-functional and physical aspects of the singing voice, as well as criteria and methods of classification. The book also presents a contribution considered significant, whose validity has been tested through research conducted at the phoniatrics unit of the First ENT Clinic of the University of Rome “La Sapienza”.

With regard to clinical assessment, the text discusses in greater detail both subjective and objective instrumental investigation methods, which can provide key information for accurate clinical diagnosis.

On singing-voice pathology, drawing on professional experience and the most recent literature, the work highlights the presence—at a statistically relevant rate—of purely dysfunctional clinical forms, alongside mixed forms and the organic conditions more frequently observed in singers. Particular attention is given to the aetiology of dysfunctional dysodias, considered essential to identify the cause of the voice disorder in each individual case so that it can be eliminated or corrected.

The text also addresses vocal hygiene rules that are indispensable for keeping the voice healthy and efficient—recommendations that are too often neglected in clinical practice. The section on the pedagogy of artistic singing, authored by Maestro Valerio Paperi, is equally valuable, reflecting extensive teaching experience in a national training context such as the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome.

Giovanna Bruno