# Examples of strong chest voice in the speaking voice



## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Your speaking voice can tell you a lot about your singing voices, and a developed voice free of tension should have a powerful, clear speaking voice in addition to a powerful, clear singing voice. So let's post some examples of individuals with strong, well-developed chest voice when speaking. They can be singers, or simply ordinary folk in conversation.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

I'll start with some examples

love her or hate her....Giorgia Meloni has one of the most powerful speaking voices I've heard in 30 years






Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in The Godfather






Christopher Lee (as Saruman in The Lord of the Rings)






mezzo/contralto Fedora Barbieri


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Some more for you. As you can see, I'm trying to represent a range of different voices rather than just filling everything with the deepest basses and contraltos.

Barack Obama. Similar to the first example I posted, whether you love him or hate him, this is what strong chest voice is supposed to sound like






Rosa Ponselle






Lauritz Melchior






Fay Dunaway in Mommie Dearest


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## NoCoPilot (Nov 9, 2020)

James Earl Jones (Darth Vader)
John Amos (James Evans Sr., Cleo McDowell)
Samuel L. Jackson (pick a role)
Ted Cassidy (Lurch)
Lee Marvin (pick a role)


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

As they say in Calabria...

"There are always those who like Venetian and Roman accents!"

I put forward Rosa Ponselle. (Do any recordings exist of Caruso speaking?)

N.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Jessye Norman and Rosa Ponselle both had powerful baritone speaking voices.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Jessye Norman and Rosa Ponselle both had powerful baritone speaking voices.


baritone ?


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

BBSVK said:


> baritone ?


I'm a baritone and they both speak roughly on the same average tonal level with me unless I am swearing at traffic: around a D below middle C - an octave below their normal low notes in the soprano repertoire. Both actually a little bit lower and more manly  Both speak down to around an A2. The last is a sample of me speaking in an opera Youtube speech on fabulous examples of divaness from 2 historic divas. .


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Finally, Flagstad also spoke down in the baritone register as well.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

How could I forget!

Ferruccio Furlanetto (I imagine he can be found speaking on YouTube somewhere). The reason why I put his name forward is that I have actually heard him speak in real life (not much, he just said "Good Evening" to me). It's not surprising that a bass would have a resonant, chest filled speaking voice though.

N.


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## OffPitchNeb (Jun 6, 2016)

Both Callas and Tebaldi sounded pretty deep when they talked.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Early Renee Fleming reveals her Assoluta Range (Strong Chest Voice) in the Rossinian Bravura


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

The stereotype of anime is that it's chalk full of cutesy, girly voices that sound 14. Contrary to first impressions, there are actually a ton of anime featuring female characters with deep, sexy, formidable voices, ie, examples of strong chest voice.



















Seattleoperafan said:


> I'm a baritone and they both speak roughly on the same average tonal level with me unless I am swearing at traffic: around a D below middle C - an octave below their normal low notes in the soprano repertoire. Both actually a little bit lower and more manly  Both speak down to around an A2.


I've heard you speak. I'm pretty sure you're a tenor.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> The stereotype of anime is that it's chalk full of cutesy, girly voices that sound 14.


That's what actually makes it good. I mean, this








would have been even better
if it had more of this




element


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> The stereotype of anime is that it's chalk full of cutesy, girly voices that sound 14. Contrary to first impressions, there are actually a ton of anime featuring female characters with deep, sexy, formidable voices, ie, examples of strong chest voice.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I may sound like a tenor when I speak and maybe have the color but my range is of a baritone... I couldn't even sing an F till I was over 40 at the top of a baritone's range. I do a passable imitation of Elvis singing Blue Xmas and amuse people at the holidays and he was definitely a baritone. To your credit whenever I speak on the phone with help desks they always call me Ma'am 😜 Even if these ladies are just speaking in a tenor voice that is something for sopranos don't you say????


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> The stereotype of anime is that it's chalk full of cutesy, girly voices that sound 14. Contrary to first impressions, there are actually a ton of anime featuring female characters with deep, sexy, formidable voices, ie, examples of strong chest voice.


This is my first glimpse (I think) of anime. I've seen the word and never knew what it meant.

So it's a primitive form of animation in which characters move rigidly and have either pointy or cleft chins, depending upon gender?


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> This is my first glimpse (I think) of anime. I've seen the word and never knew what it meant.
> 
> So it's a primitive form of animation in which characters move rigidly and have either pointy or cleft chins, depending upon gender?


I don't know how old you are but you are OLD


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I don't know how old you are but you are OLD


By Earth standards, yes. But it's more that the culture of my native planet is so very different. I was orphaned here as a child when the Qloroks tried to interbreed with the Amonians and my planet exploded and became an asteroid belt. Earth culture changes so quickly that I can't keep up.


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