Acoustic parameters of violin vibrato

Studies of vocal vibrato conducted in 1930 indicated that the great singers produced a pulsation rate ranging from 5.9–7.8 pulses per second (pps). Studies conducted during the last decade show singers' vibrato pulsations ranging from 4.9–6 pps. The slower pulsation rate of modern singers reflects a different aesthetic that prevails today. Studies of violinists' vibrato conducted in 1930 indicate a pulsation range of 5.5–7 pps. Other findings from early studies indicate that violin vibrato rate remains constant as tonal amplitude varies and vibrato amplitude changes with tonal intensity. The present paper will examine the relation between the vibrato of violinist's representing an earlier aesthetic and those of today. Samples of sustained violin tones were obtained from acoustic, electric, and stereo recordings of great violinists of the past and the present. The samples were digitized using a 16-bit A/D converter at a sampling frequency of 10 kHz. Each digitized sample will be converted to a useful format for making purposes in order to derive information on vibrato pulse rate, the mean frequency of the tone, the semitone deviation around the mean, percent frequency deviation and percent amplitude deviation around the mean amplitude.