sprechgesang

[ German shprekh-guh-zahng ]

noun

1. a vocal style intermediate between speech and singing but without exact pitch intonation.

sprechgesang

/ ˈʃprɛçɡəzaŋ /

noun

1. music a type of vocalization between singing and recitation in which the voice sings the beginning of each note and then falls rapidly from the notated pitch. It was originated by Arnold Schoenberg, who used it in Pierrot Lunaire (1912)

Word History and Origins

Origin of sprechgesang¹

< German, equivalent to sprech ( en ) to speak + Gesang song

Word History and Origins

Origin of sprechgesang¹

C20: from German, literally: speaking-song

Example Sentences

Coming in hot after a year of singing lessons, Strange Angels sees Anderson swapping her signature sprechgesang for full-blown song.

From The Guardian

Unsurprisingly, sprechgesang did not come about as a means to enable scratchy indie bands to make their audiences feel uncomfortable.

From The Guardian

I'm Ready, on which that familiar sprechgesang delivery is somehow both metronomic and distended, is exemplary, but the whole record – dosed with menace – sounds hungry.

From The Guardian

Anthony Andrews just about pulls off Rex Harrison's sprechgesang and his irritable, Basil Fawlty-ish air.

From The Guardian

Vocally she was secure throughout her range, with dusky depths, ringing heights and chilling passages of half-sung sprechgesang.

From New York Times