Composer's Guide:
How to write for the extended voice
How to write for the extended voice
Upon reading Nick Tolle's guide to composing for the cimbalom, I thought about how vague it can seem to write for the voice, and particularly for the voice in contemporary repertoire. There are so many factors to consider, like body-type, age, the fach system, and even (and especially) emotional wellness. That, plus the fact that our instrument is literally inside our body, and suddenly dictating guidelines can seem like an impossible task.
So, I've put some thoughts together, and here is an interpretation of my own on how to write for the classical voice, how to write for the extended voice, and a listening playlist for various contemporary and avant-garde vocal works.
So, I've put some thoughts together, and here is an interpretation of my own on how to write for the classical voice, how to write for the extended voice, and a listening playlist for various contemporary and avant-garde vocal works.
Table of Contents
1. Some basics on classical vocal technique
2. Now, some extended techniques!
3. What's my note? Writing for PITCH-B!TCHES, and writing for muggles
4. Singers handling instruments (whether its solo voice, or like in Ipsa, or whatever)
5. Improvisation and graphic scores
6. Acoustic or Amplified?
7. Consensual Writing
1. Some basics on classical vocal technique
2. Now, some extended techniques!
3. What's my note? Writing for PITCH-B!TCHES, and writing for muggles
4. Singers handling instruments (whether its solo voice, or like in Ipsa, or whatever)
5. Improvisation and graphic scores
6. Acoustic or Amplified?
7. Consensual Writing
1. Some basics on classical voice and technique
First rule of thumb is that no voice is alike. Each singing voice has its own range, timbre, and capabilities. That being said, there's a great tool called the fach system that classifies different voice parts to various categories. For example, there's not just "soprano" - there's soubrette, lyric coloratura, dramatic coloratura, lyric soprano, spinto, dramatic soprano, and Wagnerian soprano. Each of these categories has its own general range, power, and timbre, and its important to understand the singer/voice for which you are writing in this particular way. Not only for your artistic sake, but for that of the singer, so he/she/they are able to use their voice on his/her/their terms. This system also helps immensely for overall instrumentation - don't expect a soubrette to sing over a Wagnerian orchestra, and don't expect a Wagnerian soprano to have a delicate blend with a baroque band.
Whatever voice type a singer may be, there are some general tendencies they all share. Extensions (low notes or high notes) are great, but it can be strenuous to write 24 high Cs in a row. Particularly for high notes, its difficult to spit out complicated text in that range as opposed to one's middle range, so high notes are a great opportunity for long vowels (like [a]) and soaring melodic lines. If you have lots of text in high notes, the text will not be as well understood as you'd like. As far as dynamics are concerned, soft dynamics on extensions are possible, but again, can be strenuous when overdone. A singer is literally manipulating their body, throat, mouth, tongue, and teeth to obtain the perfect high note, so making a singer do that on a pianissimo for 30 bars is, well, not great. But if you want a pianissimo high note here or there for dramatic effect, that's fine! Go ahead! Just do it in doses. :-)
Vibrato versus straight tone: DEPENDS FROM SINGER TO SINGER. Some singer's have a very natural straight tone, and some do not. THIS DOES NOT DEFINE THE SKILL LEVEL OF A SINGER. If you're looking to have straight tone, vibrato, or a variety, get to know the singer you're writing for, and listen to what their unique capabilities are.
Endurance is also something very important to consider when writing for the voice. A singer can't play for as long as a string player, similar to the play time for a brass player's lips. If you're writing a longer work, plan out breaks for the singer so he/she/they can last longer, even if that means just a few measures of rest. Also, a singing voice is a happier one when exploring the range, almost like a sine wave. Swooping melodic lines are awesome - 500 measures of B flat is super taxing.
IPA: The International Phonetic Alphabet is your friend. This system allows you to dictate how you want a word, syllable, or letter pronounced, and we singers worship the ground it walks on. Most of the time, you can put regular language in your music, but for whenever you have incomprehensible text you'd like the singer to perform, IPA is a great translator for that.
TL;DR: write for a person in mind! Different singers do different things! And the more connected you are to a singer and his/her/their sound, the more you can unlock creative and amazing sounds that the singer can perform with genuine power and joy.
First rule of thumb is that no voice is alike. Each singing voice has its own range, timbre, and capabilities. That being said, there's a great tool called the fach system that classifies different voice parts to various categories. For example, there's not just "soprano" - there's soubrette, lyric coloratura, dramatic coloratura, lyric soprano, spinto, dramatic soprano, and Wagnerian soprano. Each of these categories has its own general range, power, and timbre, and its important to understand the singer/voice for which you are writing in this particular way. Not only for your artistic sake, but for that of the singer, so he/she/they are able to use their voice on his/her/their terms. This system also helps immensely for overall instrumentation - don't expect a soubrette to sing over a Wagnerian orchestra, and don't expect a Wagnerian soprano to have a delicate blend with a baroque band.
Whatever voice type a singer may be, there are some general tendencies they all share. Extensions (low notes or high notes) are great, but it can be strenuous to write 24 high Cs in a row. Particularly for high notes, its difficult to spit out complicated text in that range as opposed to one's middle range, so high notes are a great opportunity for long vowels (like [a]) and soaring melodic lines. If you have lots of text in high notes, the text will not be as well understood as you'd like. As far as dynamics are concerned, soft dynamics on extensions are possible, but again, can be strenuous when overdone. A singer is literally manipulating their body, throat, mouth, tongue, and teeth to obtain the perfect high note, so making a singer do that on a pianissimo for 30 bars is, well, not great. But if you want a pianissimo high note here or there for dramatic effect, that's fine! Go ahead! Just do it in doses. :-)
Vibrato versus straight tone: DEPENDS FROM SINGER TO SINGER. Some singer's have a very natural straight tone, and some do not. THIS DOES NOT DEFINE THE SKILL LEVEL OF A SINGER. If you're looking to have straight tone, vibrato, or a variety, get to know the singer you're writing for, and listen to what their unique capabilities are.
Endurance is also something very important to consider when writing for the voice. A singer can't play for as long as a string player, similar to the play time for a brass player's lips. If you're writing a longer work, plan out breaks for the singer so he/she/they can last longer, even if that means just a few measures of rest. Also, a singing voice is a happier one when exploring the range, almost like a sine wave. Swooping melodic lines are awesome - 500 measures of B flat is super taxing.
IPA: The International Phonetic Alphabet is your friend. This system allows you to dictate how you want a word, syllable, or letter pronounced, and we singers worship the ground it walks on. Most of the time, you can put regular language in your music, but for whenever you have incomprehensible text you'd like the singer to perform, IPA is a great translator for that.
TL;DR: write for a person in mind! Different singers do different things! And the more connected you are to a singer and his/her/their sound, the more you can unlock creative and amazing sounds that the singer can perform with genuine power and joy.
2. Now, some extended techniques!
A great start to exploring the different sounds of the voice is to think about resonance. Our bodies have many different points of resonance.
- nasal vs. dark (head/chest, 12345 technique), breathiness
- goat bleet sound, or softer timbre tremolos
- body percussion
- Some crazy stuff (tone breathing in, multi phonics, etc)
A great start to exploring the different sounds of the voice is to think about resonance. Our bodies have many different points of resonance.
- nasal vs. dark (head/chest, 12345 technique), breathiness
- goat bleet sound, or softer timbre tremolos
- body percussion
- Some crazy stuff (tone breathing in, multi phonics, etc)
Listener's Playlist