Maximum Vocal Art in Music Performance: Indispensability of Breathing and Breath Control

Abstract

Good vocal art music performances that appeal to the ear and soothes the soulare the burning desires of every audience from its performers especially theerudite ones amongst them. The foundation of vocal art music lies in the propercontrol of the breath. Investigations and observations have shown that over fiftypercent of music undergraduates in Nigerian tertiary institutions can hardlyrender a vocal art music performance without producing disjointed and brokennotes or cracks and non-flow of the words they vocalize. Until a performerknows how to control the breath and unite tones, only then is he equipped toconvey every variety of expression expected of him in vocal art musicperformance, else, the art of singing would become a chimera. By means ofapplying the working principles of the larynx and pharynx which are part of therespiratory mechanisms in the process of sound production, this paper willexplore; the act of breathing and breath control in vocal art music, show reasonswhy impressive breath control in vocal performers should be developed andexercises for developing control of escaping air in vocal performance. All thesewill in turn ground the undergraduates in maximum vocal art music performanceif imbibed in them early enough by music educators.