sprechgesang
A vocal technique between singing and speaking, in which the voice touches a pitch and then falls away
In Depth
Sprechgesang (speech-song) was codified by Arnold Schoenberg in Pierrot lunaire (1912), where the notation uses crosses on note stems to indicate pitched speech. The voice hits each written pitch at the moment of attack but immediately slides away, creating an eerie, half-sung quality. The technique has been used by Berg in Wozzeck, Boulez, and many subsequent composers. It occupies a unique expressive territory — more musical than speech, more raw than song.
Schoenberg was inspired by the cabaret singing style of Albertine Zehme, who commissioned Pierrot lunaire and gave its premiere.