Singing and a Sore Throat

A young soprano came to my studio one day, declaring that although she had studied with many famous teachers, and in several well-known conservatories, she was unable to sing as she constantly suffered from sore throat. It did not take me long to realize that her voice quality was that of a contralto, albeit one with a splendid range. In her efforts to sing as a soprano, apparently with the approbation of all her former teachers, she was straining her throat so badly as to make herself actually ill. As soon as she relaxed and sang easily with her normal voice, all her sore throat disappeared.

A young tenor, who also suffered from sore throat, declared that he could sing only once a week, and would afterwards be hoarse for several days. I found that he was not a tenor, but actually a dramatic baritone. By raising his chin and his glottis, and straining the muscles of his throat, he was able to reach his high notes. When he lowered his head to a natural position, relaxed, practiced correct breath support, and attained tone focus, his voice became richer, fuller, and all soreness of throat vanished.