As human beings grow older their general physique changes. So do their voices. When males reach puberty, their voices ΓÇ£breakΓÇ¥. This is a very noticeable change, sometimes over a period of days. A deeper resonance arrives as the vocal folds grow larger and stronger, and the resonant chambers of the head expand.
Most changes are much slower, and progressive. It takes time to make a strong classical singing voice - to train and build up the singing muscles and the vocal folds. As the folds strengthen and thicken, so does the voice. Older singing voices tend to be less agile, less beautiful, perhaps, but the sound can take on a more robust quality. For many singers, the physical power of their voices goes on developing right through middle age. It is not unknown for well-trained singers to carry on performing heavy r├┤les well into their sixties, and many, males in particular, do not start as professionals until they are thirty, or even forty.
In the AcademyΓÇÖs Concert Hall, you can hear two extracts from SchubertΓÇÖs Winterreise sung by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, accompanied by Gerald Moore. One was recorded in 1955 when he was thirty, the other in 1963. A lot can happen to a baritoneΓÇÖs voice in his thirties. Can you tell which recording is which?
