BBC Radio 3’s The Essay this week features Nicky Spence, operatic tenor and professor of voice, in conversation with our editor Declan Costello, ENT surgeon and one of Britain’s leading voice specialists.
Nicky, who starred in this year’s Last Night of the Proms, asks: “So you have two little flaps in your throat barely the size of a thumbnail, how can they make enough noise to fill a theatre?”
With Declan as his guide, Nicky goes deep inside the human voice, exploring the biology that allows us to transform breath into song. Together they discuss the inner workings of the larynx and the intricate mechanics behind every note we sing. From whispering and shouting to soaring operatic phrases, Nicky discovers how vocal folds vibrate, how breath powers sound, and why the voice remains one of the most sophisticated instruments ever created.
Along the way, Nicky puts his own voice under the microscope, revealing the extraordinary physical process that lies hidden within even the simplest melody.
The episode was first broadcast on Monday 14 September, and is available on:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00317fl
