Freddie Mercury’s voice is considered by many to be one of the best in music history. To prove this, a team of researchers, led by Austrian Christian Herbst, decided to analyze the voice of the Queen’s lead singer.
For the study by Logopedics Foniatria Vocology, scientists analyzed the artist’s voice in interviews, singles, and songs recorded with the band. Through an archive and analysis of the training of Queen singer-imperson Daniel Zangger-Borch, the team came to the conclusion that Freddie Mercury’s vocal cords were moving faster than usual – according to the study, the singer’s vibration reached 7.04 Hz with an average swing between 5.4 and 6.9 Hz.
Through the study, team scientists also discovered that the musician was a baritone (a middle male voice, between bass and substance). A cappella’s recordings also proved that Mercury had an “amazing base mod frequency”, which allowed the singer to easily change between a lower and higher record.
During the investigation, scholars concluded that the musician’s voice had a “subharmonic ambiance” which, combined with the rapid and erratic vibrations, helped “create the strange and dazzling character that Freddie Mercury used on stage.”
“It’s almost as if he took his voice to the absolute limits of what he was physically capable of,” Brandon Webber said on The Big Think portal.
Salman Rushdie is a journalist and feature writer specialising in culture, politics, literature, and international affairs. He focuses on delivering clear, informative reporting that helps readers understand the people, events, and trends influencing today’s world.
