Vocal extended technique
Encyclopedia
Vocalists are capable of producing a variety of extended technique
sounds. These alternative singing techniques have been used extensively in the 20th century, especially in art song
and opera
. Particularly famous examples of vocal extended technique can be found in the music of Luciano Berio
, John Cage
, George Crumb
, Peter Maxwell Davies
, Hans Werner Henze
, György Ligeti
, Meredith Monk
, Giacinto Scelsi
, Arnold Schoenberg
, Salvatore Sciarrino
, Karlheinz Stockhausen
, and Trevor Wishart
.
which uses sprechgesang for its entire duration) and the Second Viennese School
. Schoenberg notated sprechgesang by placing a small cross through the stem
of a note which indicates approximate pitch. In more modern music “sprechgesang” is frequently simply written over a passage of music.
, Tuva
, and Tibet
, overtones have also been used in the contemporary compositions of Karlheinz Stockhausen
(Stimmung), as well as in the work of David Hykes
.
.http://www.lovely.com/albumnotes/notes3003.html
.
Yodelling is performed by rapidly alternating between a singer's chest
and head voice
.
"-type sound may be produce by means of the glottis
. This technique has been frequently used by Meredith Monk
.
that has a high pitch that can be used for speaking and singing. It is most familiar as the voice of Donald Duck
.
is occasionally used to drastically change the timbre of the voice. When inhaled, helium changes the resonant properties of the human vocal track resulting in a very high squeaky voice. In Salvatore Martirano’s
composition L’s GA the singer is required to inhale from a helium mask.
Conversely, an unnaturally low voice can be achieved by asking the singer to inhale the harmless gas sulfur hexafluoride
.
.
Another interesting example of artificial vocal enhancement is found in Robert Newell’s
Spirals in which the composers asks singers to use megaphones
.
by George Crumb
.
Extended technique
Extended techniques are performance techniques used in music to describe unconventional, unorthodox, or non-traditional techniques of singing, or of playing musical instruments to obtain unusual sounds or instrumental timbres....
sounds. These alternative singing techniques have been used extensively in the 20th century, especially in art song
Art song
An art song is a vocal music composition, usually written for one voice with piano or orchestral accompaniment. By extension, the term "art song" is used to refer to the genre of such songs....
and opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
. Particularly famous examples of vocal extended technique can be found in the music of Luciano Berio
Luciano Berio
Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian composer. He is noted for his experimental work and also for his pioneering work in electronic music.-Biography:Berio was born at Oneglia Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (October 24, 1925 – May 27, 2003) was an Italian...
, John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
, George Crumb
George Crumb
George Crumb is an American composer of contemporary classical music. He is noted as an explorer of unusual timbres, alternative forms of notation, and extended instrumental and vocal techniques. Examples include seagull effect for the cello , metallic vibrato for the piano George Crumb (born...
, Peter Maxwell Davies
Peter Maxwell Davies
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, CBE is an English composer and conductor and is currently Master of the Queen's Music.-Biography:...
, Hans Werner Henze
Hans Werner Henze
Hans Werner Henze is a German composer of prodigious output best known for "his consistent cultivation of music for the theatre throughout his life"...
, György Ligeti
György Ligeti
György Sándor Ligeti was a composer of contemporary classical music. Born in a Hungarian Jewish family in Transylvania, Romania, he briefly lived in Hungary before becoming an Austrian citizen.-Early life:...
, Meredith Monk
Meredith Monk
Meredith Jane Monk is an American composer, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer. Since the 1960s, Monk has created multi-disciplinary works which combine music, theatre, and dance, recording extensively for ECM Records.-Life and work:Meredith Monk is primarily known for her...
, Giacinto Scelsi
Giacinto Scelsi
Giacinto Scelsi , Count of Ayala Valva was an Italian composer who also wrote surrealist poetry in French....
, Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
, Salvatore Sciarrino
Salvatore Sciarrino
Salvatore Sciarrino is an Italian composer of contemporary classical music.-Biography:In his youth, Sciarrino was attracted to the visual arts, but began experimenting with music when he was twelve. Though he had some lessons from Antonino Titone and Turi Belfiore, he is primarily self-taught as a...
, Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Another critic calls him "one of the great visionaries of 20th-century music"...
, and Trevor Wishart
Trevor Wishart
Trevor Wishart is an English composer, based in York. Wishart has contributed to composing with digital audio media, both fixed and interactive...
.
Spoken
Spoken text is frequently employed. The term “parlando” is a similar direction which is somewhat out of date.Sprechgesang
Sprechgesang is a combination singing and speaking. It is usually heavily associated with Arnold Schoenberg (particularly his Pierrot LunairePierrot Lunaire
Dreimal sieben Gedichte aus Albert Girauds 'Pierrot lunaire' , commonly known simply as Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21 , is a melodrama by Arnold Schoenberg...
which uses sprechgesang for its entire duration) and the Second Viennese School
Second Viennese School
The Second Viennese School is the group of composers that comprised Arnold Schoenberg and his pupils and close associates in early 20th century Vienna, where he lived and taught, sporadically, between 1903 and 1925...
. Schoenberg notated sprechgesang by placing a small cross through the stem
Stem (music)
Stems can refer to two things in music, relating to music notation and production.-Notation:Stems are the lines which extend from the notehead. Stems may point up or down. Different-facing stems indicate the voice for polyphonic music written on the same staff...
of a note which indicates approximate pitch. In more modern music “sprechgesang” is frequently simply written over a passage of music.
Vocal tremolo
A vocal tremolo is performed by rapidly pulsing the air expelled from the singer’s lungs while singing a pitch. These pulses usually occur from 4-8 times per second.Vocal trill
A vocal trill is performed by adding singing vibrato while performing a vocal tremolo.Inhaling
Vocal sounds or even words can be produced while a singer is inhaling. This can create a strained or even humorous effect.Overtones
By manipulating the vocal cavity, overtones may be produced. Although traditionally used in the traditional musics of MongoliaMongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, Tuva
Tuva
The Tyva Republic , or Tuva , is a federal subject of Russia . It lies in the geographical center of Asia, in southern Siberia. The republic borders with the Altai Republic, the Republic of Khakassia, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Irkutsk Oblast, and the Republic of Buryatia in Russia and with Mongolia to the...
, and Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
, overtones have also been used in the contemporary compositions of Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Another critic calls him "one of the great visionaries of 20th-century music"...
(Stimmung), as well as in the work of David Hykes
David Hykes
David Hykes is a composer, singer, musician, author, and meditation teacher. He was one of the earliest modern western pioneers of so-called overtone singing, and has developed since 1975 a comprehensive approach to contemplative music which he calls Harmonic Chant...
.
Undertones
By relaxing the vocal cords, a singer may obtain "undertones" or "subtones," which are produced an inverse overtone series. Although the octave below is the most frequently used undertone, a twelfth below, and other lower undertones are also possible. This technique has been used most notably by Joan La BarbaraJoan La Barbara
Joan La Barbara is an American vocalist and composer associated with contemporary music. She is a former student of Helen Boatwright...
.http://www.lovely.com/albumnotes/notes3003.html
Multiphonics
By overstressing the vocal cords, a multiphonic or chord may be produced. This technique features in the 1968 composition Versuch über Schweine by the German composer Hans Werner HenzeHans Werner Henze
Hans Werner Henze is a German composer of prodigious output best known for "his consistent cultivation of music for the theatre throughout his life"...
.
Yodelling
Yodelling is performed by rapidly alternating between a singer's chest
Chest voice
Chest voice is a term used within vocal music. The use of this term varies widely within vocal pedagogical circles and there is currently no one consistent opinion among vocal music professionals in regards to this term...
and head voice
Head voice
Head voice is a term used within vocal music. The use of this term varies widely within vocal pedagogical circles and there is currently no one consistent opinion among vocal music professionals regarding this term...
.
Glottal sounds
A "fryingFrying
Frying is the cooking of food in oil or another fat, a technique that originated in ancient Egypt around 2500 BC. Chemically, oils and fats are the same, differing only in melting point, but the distinction is only made when needed. In commerce, many fats are called oils by custom, e.g...
"-type sound may be produce by means of the glottis
Glottis
The glottis is defined as the combination of the vocal folds and the space in between the folds .-Function:...
. This technique has been frequently used by Meredith Monk
Meredith Monk
Meredith Jane Monk is an American composer, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer. Since the 1960s, Monk has created multi-disciplinary works which combine music, theatre, and dance, recording extensively for ECM Records.-Life and work:Meredith Monk is primarily known for her...
.
Buccal speech
A form of alaryngeal speechAlaryngeal speech
Alaryngeal speech is speech made using sources other than the glottis in the larynx to create voice sound. There are three types: esophageal, buccal and pharyngeal speech. Each of these uses an alternative method of creating speech-like phonation to that normally provided by the vocal cords...
that has a high pitch that can be used for speaking and singing. It is most familiar as the voice of Donald Duck
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
.
Non-vocal sounds
Besides producing sounds with the mouth singers can be required to clap or snap their fingers. This is usually notated by writing the appropriate word over a note. These gestures are sometimes written on a separate one line staff as well.Inhalation of gases
Inhaled heliumHelium
Helium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
is occasionally used to drastically change the timbre of the voice. When inhaled, helium changes the resonant properties of the human vocal track resulting in a very high squeaky voice. In Salvatore Martirano’s
Salvatore Martirano
Salvatore Giovanni Martirano was an American composer of contemporary classical music.Born in Yonkers, New York, he taught for many years at the University of Illinois...
composition L’s GA the singer is required to inhale from a helium mask.
Conversely, an unnaturally low voice can be achieved by asking the singer to inhale the harmless gas sulfur hexafluoride
Sulfur hexafluoride
Sulfur hexafluoride is an inorganic, colorless, odorless, and non-flammable greenhouse gas. has an octahedral geometry, consisting of six fluorine atoms attached to a central sulfur atom. It is a hypervalent molecule. Typical for a nonpolar gas, it is poorly soluble in water but soluble in...
.
Artificial vocal enhancement
Amplification, possibly with electronic distortion of the voice is frequently used in contemporary composition. Through the use of various electronic distortion techniques the possibilities are nearly unlimited. A good example of this can be found in much of the music written and performed by Laurie AndersonLaurie Anderson
Laura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson is an American experimental performance artist, composer and musician who plays violin and keyboards and sings in a variety of experimental music and art rock styles. Initially trained as a sculptor, Anderson did her first performance-art piece in the late 1960s...
.
Another interesting example of artificial vocal enhancement is found in Robert Newell’s
Robert Newell
Robert Newell VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
Spirals in which the composers asks singers to use megaphones
Megaphone
A megaphone, speaking-trumpet, bullhorn, blowhorn, or loud hailer is a portable, usually hand-held, cone-shaped horn used to amplify a person’s voice or other sounds towards a targeted direction. This is accomplished by channelling the sound through the megaphone, which also serves to match the...
.
Singing into the piano
There are a number of pieces which require a singer to lean over a (sometimes amplified) piano and sing directly into the strings. If the strings are not dampened the effect is to start audible sympathetic vibrations in the piano. By far the most famous piece to use this technique is Ancient Voices of ChildrenAncient Voices of Children
Ancient Voices of Children is a composition by American composer George Crumb. Written in 1970, the work is scored for mezzo-soprano, boy soprano, oboe, mandolin, harp, amplified piano , and percussion , and was commissioned by the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Foundation...
by George Crumb
George Crumb
George Crumb is an American composer of contemporary classical music. He is noted as an explorer of unusual timbres, alternative forms of notation, and extended instrumental and vocal techniques. Examples include seagull effect for the cello , metallic vibrato for the piano George Crumb (born...
.
Notable performers using extended vocal techniques
- Laurie AndersonLaurie AndersonLaura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson is an American experimental performance artist, composer and musician who plays violin and keyboards and sings in a variety of experimental music and art rock styles. Initially trained as a sculptor, Anderson did her first performance-art piece in the late 1960s...
- Cathy BerberianCathy BerberianCatherine Anahid Berberian was an American soprano and composer. She interpreted contemporary avant-garde music composed, among others, by Luciano Berio, Bruno Maderna, John Cage, Henri Pousseur, Sylvano Bussotti, Darius Milhaud, Roman Haubenstock-Ramati , Igor Stravinsky.She also interpreted...
- Thomas BucknerThomas BucknerThomas Buckner is an American baritone vocalist specializing in the performance of contemporary classical music and improvised music...
- Savina YannatouSavina YannatouSavina Yannatou is a renowned Greek singer.After taking classical guitar lessons and participating in the children's choir of Yannis Nousias for some years, she studied singing with Gogo Georgilopoulou and Spiros Sakkas in Athens, and later attended postgraduate studies at the Guildhall School of...
- Jan DeGaetaniJan DeGaetaniJan DeGaetani was an American mezzo-soprano known for her performances of contemporary classical vocal compositions.DeGaetani was born in Massillon, Ohio...
- Paul DuttonPaul DuttonPaul Dutton is a Canadian poet, novelist, essayist, and oral sound artist.-Early life and career:A member of the legendary Four Horsemen sound poetry quartet , along with Rafael Barreto-Rivera, Steve McCaffery, and the late bpNichol, Dutton married his soundsinging oralities and harmonica-playing...
- Diamanda GalasDiamanda GalásDiamanda Galás is an American avant-garde composer, vocalist, pianist, organist, performance artist and painter.Galás has been described as "capable of the most unnerving vocal terror", with her three and a half octave vocal range. She often screams, hisses and growls...
- Roy HartRoy HartRoy Hart was an actor from South Africa at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. He was a pupil of Alfred Wolfsohn's for many years and then furthered the work on voice after Wolfsohn's death...
- Nicholas IsherwoodNicholas IsherwoodNicholas Isherwood is US-born bass singer, who specialises in contemporary and baroque music. Notable roles include "Lucifer" in the world premieres of Stockhausen’s Montag, Dienstag, and Freitag from Licht at La Scala and the Leipzig Opera, and in Donnerstag aus Licht at Covent Garden.Isherwood...
- Fatima MirandaFátima MirandaFátima Miranda is a Spanish singer and researcher born in Salamanca. She has a bachelor's degree in history of art, with a specialisation in modern art. As a singer, her compositions touch several genres like Mongol Song or Indian Dhrupad. She has investigated the human voice and created...
- Imogen HeapImogen HeapImogen Jennifer Jane Heap is a Grammy Award-winning English singer, composer and songwriter from Havering, Essex. She is known for her work as part of the musical duo Frou Frou and her solo albums, which she writes, produces, and mixes...
- Shelley HirschShelley HirschShelley Hirsch is a singer, performer, and composer. Central to Hirsch's work are her versatile vocal abilities, which are often enmeshed in a kaleidoscope of electronic music and sound effects....
- David HykesDavid HykesDavid Hykes is a composer, singer, musician, author, and meditation teacher. He was one of the earliest modern western pioneers of so-called overtone singing, and has developed since 1975 a comprehensive approach to contemplative music which he calls Harmonic Chant...
- Joan La BarbaraJoan La BarbaraJoan La Barbara is an American vocalist and composer associated with contemporary music. She is a former student of Helen Boatwright...
- Meredith MonkMeredith MonkMeredith Jane Monk is an American composer, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer. Since the 1960s, Monk has created multi-disciplinary works which combine music, theatre, and dance, recording extensively for ECM Records.-Life and work:Meredith Monk is primarily known for her...
- David MossDavid Moss (musician)David Moss is an American composer, percussionist and self-taught vocalist, founder of the David Moss Dense Band; co-founder and artistic director of the Institute for Living Voice, Antwerp...
- Sainkho NamtchylakSainkho NamtchylakSainkho Namtchylak is a singer originally from Tuva, a small autonomous republic in the Russian Federation just north of Mongolia. She is known for her Tuvan throat singing or Khöömei.-Style:...
- Carol PlantamuraCarol PlantamuraCarol Plantamura is an American soprano specializing in 17th and 20th century music.She graduated from Occidental College and was an original member of the Rockefeller Foundation-funded Creative Associates at SUNY Buffalo, under the direction of Lukas Foss...
- Alice ShieldsAlice ShieldsAlice Shields is an American composer. She is a respected electronic composer particularly known for her work in opera....
- Demetrio StratosDemetrio StratosEfstratios Demetriou better known as Demetrio Stratos was an Italian lyricist, multi-instrumentalist, music researcher, and co-founder, frontman and lead singer of the Italian progressive rock, jazz fusion band Area – International POPular Group.Born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt, of Greek...
- TenkoTenkoTenko may refer to:*Tenko , a BBC television drama*Princess Tenko, a Japanese magician, upon whom the cartoon Tenko and the Guardians of the Magic was based...
- Michael VetterMichael VetterMichael Vetter is a German composer, novelist, poet, performer, calligrapher, artist, and teacher.-Biography:Vetter was born in Oberstdorf in the Allgäu region of Germany, and received a conventional school education...
- Trevor WishartTrevor WishartTrevor Wishart is an English composer, based in York. Wishart has contributed to composing with digital audio media, both fixed and interactive...
- Alfred WolfsohnAlfred WolfsohnAlfred Wolfsohn was a German singing teacher. He taught Charlotte Salomon, and figures in her paintings as Amadeus Daberlohn....
- Pamela ZPamela ZPamela Z is an American composer, performer, and audio artist who works primarily with her voice and live electronic processing.-Music career:...
Listening
- Vox Humana: Alfred Wolfsohn's Experiments in Extension of Human Vocal Range (Folkways RecordsFolkways RecordsFolkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
, 1956) - Lexicon of Extended Vocal Techniques