sprechgesang

[German shprekh-guh-zahng]

noun

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

Origin of sprechgesang

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

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British Dictionary definitions for sprechgesang

sprechgesang

noun

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 Origin for sprechgesang

C20: from German, literally: speaking-song

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