sprechstimme
/ˈʃpʁɛxˌʃtɪmə/
noun
- A style of vocal performance between singing and speaking, used especially in expressionist music, where the singer hits the approximate pitch but slides between notes.
- The composer used sprechstimme to create an eerie, unsettling effect in the opera.
- The singer mastered the difficult sprechstimme technique for the modern piece.
- In music class, we learned that sprechstimme is not quite singing and not quite talking.