UC San Diego

Pierrot lunaire by Arnold Schoenberg is one of the most influential chamber works of the twentieth century. Despite its frequency of performance and multitude of recordings, many questions still arise about performing and interpretive aspects of the composition, most frequently regarding the part of the Reciter. Using the complex technique of Sprechstimme, Schoenberg asks the Reciter to neither sing nor speak. Many Reciters have searched for a mid-point between these two extremes from which to perform this difficult work. Considering Schoenberg's instructions from the score along with other influences relating to the composition and vocal expression of the era, we develop a new concept of Sprechstimme through a variable approach, a mutating technique of sonic expressivity