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IN VOICE PEDAGOGY CIRCLES, the term "pear-shaped tone" has fallen into disuse. Popular in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the phrase describes a tone that is full, clear, warm, and resonant. The pear-shaped tone was the industry standard in both the teaching and performance of most Western European vocal music.
If one examines the fruit in question, one can see how its shape aptly describes a classically sung tone. The narrow top of the pear represents the treble-dominant higher overtones. In Italian, these high, light, bright frequencies are called chiaro. As the pear broadens out, so does the singer's voice as mid-tone frequencies are added. The pear rounds out even more as does the singer's timbre when more bass-dominant, lower overtones are introduced. These dark, rich tones are called oscuro in Italian.
In the never ending search for better ways to communicate gender-neutral and fact-based singing techniques to my students, I've resurrected the pedagogic pear from my youthful memories; I remember my voice-teaching parents using the term. I've discovered that by putting a contemporary spin on it, the metaphor can serve all singing styles and especially help in addressing the vocal diversity that is modern music theater.
Regarding the pear metaphor, assumptions are dangerous, so it may be wise to first ask students if they know what a pear looks like. You may have to draw a picture for your non-fruit eating singers, but once that's settled, you can begin to explore the various sections of the pear. I like to start at the top. Ask the student to sing a major triad with a thin, straight-toned, and nasalized sound in the middle of either the thyroarytenoid-dominant register ("chest" register), or the cricothyroid-dominant register ("head" register). Sometimes students initially find it difficult to change resonance and vocal fold activity, so it may be necessary for them to mechanically...