Veeda Kala defens her doctoral thesis on 28 September at 12.30 room C-405 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Musicology):

“Achieving Text Intelligibility in Western Classical Singing: Prevailing Practices and Experiences of Professional Singers Article-Based Dissertation in Music Psychology”

Supervisor: Marju Raju, PhD
Opponent: Gláucia Laís Salomão, PhD (Stockholm University)

The doctoral thesis is available HERE and in print in the EAMT library.

Abstract:

The text sung in the traditional Western classical style in operas are difficult for listeners to understand, even when sung in a language familiar to them. The reasons for this are still only partially understood. This doctoral dissertation, “Achieving Text Intelligibility in Western Classical Singing: Prevailing Practices and Experiences of Professional Singers”, provides a thorough insight into the perspective of singers practicing in Western classical style on the specific aspects of text intelligibility. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 30 professional singers across Europe and North America and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The findings indicate that being intelligible is important to singers and describe a wide variety of techniques to achieve it, although several contextual issues influence their perceived importance, the techniques used, and the final result. Additionally, achieving text intelligibility in opera could be facilitated by improved cooperation among all those who play a key role in opera production. The conclusions of the dissertation confirm the multiplicity of approaches within Western classical singing practice, map prevailing practices and suggest specific directions for future research and practical applications to address the issue of improving intelligibility in Western classical singing.

Keywords: text intelligibility, Western classical singing, opera, professional singers, interviews