Emma Seiler: An Old and New Look at Soprano Formant Tuning

Abstract: Emma Seiler (1821–1886) was one of the first science-informed singing pedagogues, and her framework for understanding vocal registration influenced generations of pedagogues. In this column, we use linear source–filter theory to analyze Seiler’s 164-year-old vowel recommendations for training the soprano voice. As in the writings of her colleague Hermann Helmholtz, Emma Seiler’s work is remarkably prescient and relevant to our contemporary understanding of the voice.