BLURRING THE LINES: EXPLORING THE DEMANDS OF 21ST-CENTURY VOCAL LITERATURE
Dr. Sequina DuBose & Dr. Lori Şen
Voice teachers are presumably master singers, and as such, are tasked with imparting their knowledge of appropriate singing technique and performance practice to students. However, as the technical demands of the music evolve and the desired aesthetic shifts, how do we, as pedagogues, singers, and researchers, expand our knowledge and adjust to meet those demands?
In the 21st century, Western classical composers enjoy the freedom of fusing the traditional musical and stylistic elements of their genre with those of a variety of more contemporary musical genres, such as jazz, electronic music, and world music. Classical singers are often hired to premiere or perform works that showcase diverse vocalism that sometimes includes extended techniques. Recent developments in publishing, recording, and internet streaming, allow musicians and scholars to have access to the vocal literature from around the world, but also works inspired by melodies and folk literature of native and indigenous peoples, diasporic populations, and some other ethnic and minority groups. This is clearly reflected in numerous works of contemporary Western classical composers that incorporate sounds, scales, vocalism, techniques, and languages used in different music genres, such as jazz and world music. For example, America's desire for a national identity in classical music pushed composers toward fusing Eurocentric classical music with African-American vernacular music and popular music, paving the way for the use of improvisation and free vocal expression in many 20th - and 21st -century American operas. Thus, singers and voice pedagogues of today must be well-informed about sounds, melodies, and languages used in current classical vocal literature that sometimes represent identities and styles that may be foreign to a performer trained in one genre or in the “traditional” classical style of singing.
This presentation will review the current vocal literature, using examples from recent research and performance experiences of the presenters. The purpose of this presentation is to highlight the musical elements and demands of 21st -century vocal repertoire that fuses Western classical music with vernacular music. Special focus is given to works that incorporate folk music, music of the African diaspora (e.g. jazz and spirituals), Iberia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Jewish music, as well as those that require use of improvisation and extended vocal techniques.
In the 21st century, Western classical composers enjoy the freedom of fusing the traditional musical and stylistic elements of their genre with those of a variety of more contemporary musical genres, such as jazz, electronic music, and world music. Classical singers are often hired to premiere or perform works that showcase diverse vocalism that sometimes includes extended techniques. Recent developments in publishing, recording, and internet streaming, allow musicians and scholars to have access to the vocal literature from around the world, but also works inspired by melodies and folk literature of native and indigenous peoples, diasporic populations, and some other ethnic and minority groups. This is clearly reflected in numerous works of contemporary Western classical composers that incorporate sounds, scales, vocalism, techniques, and languages used in different music genres, such as jazz and world music. For example, America's desire for a national identity in classical music pushed composers toward fusing Eurocentric classical music with African-American vernacular music and popular music, paving the way for the use of improvisation and free vocal expression in many 20th - and 21st -century American operas. Thus, singers and voice pedagogues of today must be well-informed about sounds, melodies, and languages used in current classical vocal literature that sometimes represent identities and styles that may be foreign to a performer trained in one genre or in the “traditional” classical style of singing.
This presentation will review the current vocal literature, using examples from recent research and performance experiences of the presenters. The purpose of this presentation is to highlight the musical elements and demands of 21st -century vocal repertoire that fuses Western classical music with vernacular music. Special focus is given to works that incorporate folk music, music of the African diaspora (e.g. jazz and spirituals), Iberia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Jewish music, as well as those that require use of improvisation and extended vocal techniques.
*Presented at the II International Scientific and Practical Conference “Musical Traditions in Globalizing World” at the Azerbaijan National Conservatory in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2022.
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