Long-term Average Spectra in Professional Folk Singing Voices: a Comparison of the Klapa and Dozivacki Styles

In Croatia different folk singing styles have been inherited over long periods of time. To examine the differences between the klapa and dozivački styles of singing, singing voices of 12 professional male singers were digitally recorded and analysed for long-term average spectrum (LTAS) in the Praat program. All the singers were members of the LADO Folk Dance Ensemble of Croatia, which practises songs and dances from all regions of the country. Each singer performed a song representing the klapa style as well as a song representing the dozivački style. The LTAS contours of both the klapa and the dozivački styles showed no evidence of a singer’s formant. Actually, the averaged LTAS curve for the dozivački style showed a broad spectral peak in the frequency range between 3000 and 3800 Hz (these are the –10 dB points), while the klapa style showed two peaks in an even broader frequency region. The more pronounced peak in the dozivački style may be the effect of the louder singing production typically employed in the vocal production of this style (a shouter’s formant), rather than evidence of a singer’s formant. The results seem to be in agreement with very few previous studies about folk singing