Voice as a tool of identity: anthropological dimension of academic singing
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24195/artstudies.2025-4.10Keywords:
voice, identity, voice anthropology, academic singing, vocal pedagogy, physicality, bel canto, timbre, Ukrainian musical cultureAbstract
The article examines the voice as a universal phenomenon of culture and a tool for the for- mation of human identity in the field of academic singing. It is noted that in modern human- itarian thought, the voice is increasingly interpreted not only as an acoustic or physiological phenomenon, but as a carrier of spiritual experience, bodily memory, and cultural persistence. The focus is on the interaction of the natural and social dimensions of the voice, its role in the performer’s self-identification processes, in the formation of professional, gender, ethical and national self-awareness. The methodological basis of the research is a combination of phenomenological, anthropo- logical, cultural, musicological and vocal-pedagogical approaches. Based on the concepts of R. Barth, A. Cavarero, M. Dollar, S. Connor, M. Feldman, K. Meisel, S. McClary, J. Potter, K. Bozeman, I. Tietze, R. Miller, J. Sundberg, and V. Antoniuk, the author proves that the voice is not only a physiological function or a communication tool, but a special “anthropological space” in which body, spirit and culture are connected. It was found that academic vocals build a unique form of self-representation – the voice appears as a kind of biography, in which technical, sound and emotional and expressive characteristics are transformed into components of the performer’s personal image. It is shown that in the process of vocal training, the voice goes from natural sound production to artistically realized sound, which reflects the personal style, socio-cultural origin and spiritual orientation of the performer. Special attention is paid to the Ukrainian vocal tradition, in which, according to V. Antoniuk, folk cantilence, emotional frankness and European technical perfection of the bel canto school are combined. It is this synthesis that creates a unique model of the Ukrainian voice - open in intonation, soft in timbre, spiritually filled. It preserves the archetype of the folk song as a source of national identity, which takes on new forms in academic performance. It was found that the anthropological aspect of the voice consists in its ability to act not only as an aesthetic, but also as an existential phenomenon: in the process of singing, a person creates himself, asserting his internal and external presence in the cultural space. Academic vocal in this sense is not only a technique, but a way of being in which body and spirit, sound and meaning achieve harmony. Prospects for further scientific research are related to the development of the methodology of voice anthropology in vocal pedagogy, the study of national models of timbre identity, and the analysis of modern trends in the interaction of academic and folklore vocals.
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