Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments. Singing is often done in a group of other musicians, such as in a choir of singers with different voice ranges, or in an ensemble with instrumentalists, such as a rock group or baroque ensemble. As in many respects human song is a form of sustained speech, nearly anyone able to speak can also sing. Singing can be formal or informal, arranged or improvised. It may be done for pleasure, comfort, ritual, education, or profit. Excellence in singing may require time, dedication, instruction, and regular practice. If pratice is done on a regular basis then the sounds are said to be more clear and strong. Professional singers usually build their careers around one specific musical genre, such as classical or rock. They typically take voice training provided by voice teachers or vocal coaches throughout their careers.
Read more about Singing: The Human Voice, Vocal Pedagogy, Vocal Music, Careers in Singing, Health Benefits, Singing in Non-human Species, Singing in Different Natural Environments
Famous quotes containing the word singing:
“The night in prison was novel and interesting enough.... I found that even here there was a history and a gossip which never circulated beyond the walls of the jail. Probably this is the only house in the town where verses are composed, which are afterward printed in a circular form, but not published. I was shown quite a long list of verses which were composed by some young men who had been detected in an attempt to escape, who avenged themselves by singing them.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“My mother had a maid called Barbary;
She was in love, and he she loved proved mad,
And did forsake her. She had a song of “Willow,”
An old thing ‘twas, but it expressed her fortune,
And she died singing it. That song tonight
Will not go from my mind.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“Nor is there singing school but studying
Monuments of its own magnificence;
And therefore I have sailed the seas and come
To the holy city of Byzantium.”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)