The correct use of the voice and intonation requires a certain vocal technique, also known as declamation.
The noun declamation corresponds to the verb declaim, which means to recite. In this sense, the action of declaiming is related to oratory, which is the art of public speaking and which, in turn, has an intimate connection with poetry or theater.
Just as declamation is important to sing well, it is also necessary to speak properly, that is, to communicate effectively.
Vocal technique, the foundation of declamation
The human voice is an instrument and as such it must be taken care of so that the sounds are pleasant and are understood correctly. Vocal technique exercises are especially useful for those who use the voice in a professional way, such as announcers, actors, teachers and, ultimately, all those activities in which the voice plays a primary role.
The human voice involves a complex process. In fact, when emitting a sound, the diaphragm, the abdomen, the vocal cords, the control of breathing, the trachea and the position of the tongue act together. If something inappropriate occurs repeatedly in this process, the voice will end up suffering in some way, for example with aphonia.
General guidelines in declamation
In order for a declamation to be correct, experts in the human voice advise a series of general guidelines:
1) do breathing exercises and mechanical control of the parts that intervene in the emission of sounds,
2) train the correct tuning of the voice,
3) improve body position to stabilize sounds and
4) understand declamation as a technique and at the same time as an art.
The declamation in the theater
An actor needs his voice to connect with the viewer. In this sense, your voice is an essential tool and with poor voice management technique, the quality of your artistic performance will be greatly affected.
In the training process, the actors need to become familiar with a declamation method. The art of declaiming has a singular importance in poetic language, since the musicality of the voice gives poetry its true dimension.
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