Pedro Clarós, full academician and vice president of the Governing Board of the Royal European Academy of Doctors-Barcelona 1914 (RAED) participated on February 15 in the Scientific Sessions of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Zaragoza with the conference “El papel del laringólogo en la ópera” (The paper of the laryngologist in the opera), that pronounced in the Hall of Sessions of this prestigious Aragonese institution.
Recognized otolaryngologist and medical consultant of the Gran Teatro del Liceo of Barcelona, Clarós made a detailed and informative review of the so-called anatomy of the voice, to stop in the larynx. “The human larynx is, at the same time, a musical instrument of wind and string, with excellent resonators, it’s the only musical instrument that combines wind and string at the same time and can emit words and melodies”, he said. At this point, the academician explained how the vibration velocity of the vocal cords allows the development of the tones. “At lower frequencies (velocity) more serious sounds are emitted, at higher frequencies (speed) higher sounds are emitted”.
During his complete intervention, Clarós introduced fundamental concepts of the lyric voice, such as harmonics, formants, the setting of the voice, its tessitura, its prosody, the spinto voices, the fiato, the execution of the different waves that the human being can to emit… until defining the different lyric voices as much by its execution as by the frequency of the sounds that are capable of emitting. At this point he explained the main dysfunctions and pathologies of the voice, as well as the influence that environmental, psychological and hormonal factors can have on it.
“A good technique and frequent voice controls by a laryngologist are the best allies for a prolonged professional career, although the gift of a voice or the talent of a person to sing do not reside exclusively in the larynx, but in sensitivity, intelligence and the ability to learn, they have this gift or doesn’t have it”, concluded his presentation.
