A puberfonia e o universo da voz masculina

Puberphonia and the male voice universe

Abstract

This article has as objective the clarification for the health professional, who works with adolescence, about vocal and social impacts of puberphonia or mutational falsettos on young male adults. It discusses the anatomical and the physiological mechanisms of production of the voice taking historical approaches, looking at the medieval period, when children were castrated to meet specific artistic purposes of that time. The castration was not a guarantee of the creation of a prodigious singer, however, it caused on the castrati difficulties in recognition of their place in a patriarchal society. Now, in modern times, some patterns of the medieval vision of masculinity are still seen. The puberphonic when facing society’s intolerance to differences, suffers with labels and prejudices. Sometimes it comes from how society recognizes difference, and sometimes, as this teenager recognizes himself in society. The acute vocal pitch produces not just social and psycological impacts but also organic ones. The puberphonics may present a vocal pathology of functional origin. It is therefore mandatory to think of a vocal terapy process for this teenager to extend exercises for the voice well as to develop possibilities to discover a new voice.