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PHONOGRAPH

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Originally appearing in Volume V28, Page 177 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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PHONOGRAPH .) The following is an instructive See also:

analysis by Boeke - of the curves representing the tones of a See also:cornet, and it illustrates the See also:laws that govern the See also:production of quality in such an See also:instrument: See also:Note . I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 To Partials. J =170 vibs. . I I.05 1'22 1'15 I-01 0.80 0.53 0.28 0.13 0.10 C' =256 ,. 1 0.92 o.81 0.53 0 39 0.20 0.07 0.04 0.06 0.04 g' =384 „ . I 0.76 0.46 0.14 0.09 0.06 0'07 0.22 001 0.01 C” =512 „ . 1 0'92 0.30 0.14 0.15 0.09 0.07 0.06 0.03 0.02 These figures represent the relative intensities of the partials enter- See also:ing into the formation of the note, and it will be observed that the intensity gradually diminishes. This analysis may be contrasted with that of the vowel dd sung by Boeke (See also:act. 5o) on the notes f and. c', and the same vowel sung on the notes g' and e” by his son (aet. I2). See also:Man, act. 5o, singing dd.

See also:

Pitch . I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Partials. f =170.6 vibs. I o•86 0.46 1'74 1'90 1'55 051 0'54 0'43 0'44 C'=256 „ I 0'49 1'96 1.25 o.6o 0.56 0.23 0.05 0.06 see Boy, act. 12, singing dd. - Pitch . I 2 3 5 6 Partials. g' =384 vibs. . I 1'22 2.67 0'45 0'17 0'06 e' =640 ,, . I 8.09 1.45 0'53 .. .. „ It will be observed that in both these cases the intensity of the partials does not fade away gradually as we proceed from the See also:lower to the higher partials, as with the cornet, but that certain partials are intensified more than others, namely, those printed in See also:black. In other words, the See also:form of the resonating cavity develops particular partials, and these modify the quality of the See also:tone. If we multiply the vibrational number of the fundamental tone by the number of the partial we obtain the pitch of the resonance cavity; or if we take the mean of the partials reinforced we obtain the pitch of the mean resonance.

See also:

Lloyd applies this method to the foregoing figures as follows: P artials. Mean Pitch in Reinforced. Partial. See also:Complete Vibration. Man's aa. 4-6 4.96 846 f =170.6 vibs. c' =256 3-4 3'39 868 Boy's dd. 2-4 2.82 1084 g' =384 vibs. c°=64o „ 1-3 2.04 1307 This analysis shows: (1) that the man's resonance rises slightly (See also:half-semitone) in ascending seven semitones in the See also:middle of his See also:register; (2) that the boy's resonance rises three semitones in ascending nine semitones in the upper half of his register; and (3) in the See also:mid-register the boy's resonance is to the man's as 5:4. Thus, as we sing a vowel in an ascending See also:scale the pitch of the oral cavity slightly changes, or, in other words, the pitch of the resonating cavity for a given vowel may be slightly altered. It would appear that both theories are partially true; they are not mutually exclusive. The view of Donders that each vowel has an oral cavity of unchangeable and fixed pitch is too exclusive, and, on the other See also:hand, it cannot be denied that each vowel has a predominant partial or predominant partials which give it a definite See also:character, and which must be produced by the oral cavity as a whole, or by the See also:double resonance of portions of the cavity, as suggested by Lloyd.

As we sing a vowel in an ascending scale the form of the resonance cavity may slightly See also:

change, but not sufficiently to alter the quality of the vowel. Thus we still detect the vowel tone. A See also:singer almost instinctively chooses such vowels as best suit the resonating arrangements of his or her See also:voice, and avoids vowels or words containing vowels that would See also:lead to the production of notes of inferior quality.

End of Article: PHONOGRAPH

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