Tracing the Development of Extended Vocal Techniques in ...

CHAPTER III
HISTORY OF EXTENDED VOCAL TECHNIQUES
Although extended techniques did not exist for the human voice until the
twentieth century, from the mid-nineteenth century forward extended techniques were
common in the realm of instrumental music. The manipulation of established
instrumental playing methods for new sonic possibilities made a significant impact on the
sound and vocabulary of instrumental music. Following composers such as Hector
Berlioz (1803-1869), one of the first to make use of nontraditional playing methods,
musicians began employing unusual techniques for sound production, creating new
colors and timbres previously unavailable through conventional practices. The concept of
“extended techniques,” or techniques extending beyond previously established practices
were developed. The development of extended techniques for the voice, however,
occurred at a considerably slower pace.
The transformation towards the treatment of the voice as an instrument of sound
gradually transpired in European countries throughout the early decades of the twentieth
century, which ultimately allowed for the emergence of extended vocal techniques
(EVTs). In the United States, however, composers were embarking on musical
experimentalism, that which would continue to flourish throughout the rest of the
century. It should be made clear that while EVTs were not a product of American
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