Evolution of Vocal Techniques in Music of the 20th and Early 21st Centuries: From Classical Tradition to Experiment

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to identify the main stages of the evolution of vocal techniques in music of the 20th – early 21st centuries, to determine the characteristic features of the transformation from the classical vocal tradition to the latest experimental approaches, as well as to analyse the impact of sociocultural changes on vocal art. Research methodology. The work uses a comprehensive method of analysis, which includes a historical and cultural approach, a comparative analysis of vocal techniques, as well as elements of art history analysis. The study is based on the study of the repertoire of academic, avant-garde and popular music, as well as on the analysis of vocal practices of leading performers. The scientific novelty lies in the systematisation of vocal techniques that emerged in the 20th – early 21st centuries, and in identifying trends in their development in connection with globalisation processes, the development of electronic music, theatrical performance, multi-genre forms. For the first time in Ukrainian musicology, an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of vocal experiments is emphasised. Conclusions. As a result of the conducted research, it was established that the vocal techniques of the 20th – early 21st centuries. underwent a significant transformation, caused by both internal processes of the development of musical art and external socio-cultural factors. There was a reassessment of the traditional academic canons of singing, which contributed to the expansion of the spectrum of vocal expressive means. Experimental practices, including extreme vocal techniques, extended technique, electronic voice modulation and intermedia forms, have become an integral part of modern vocal performance. An important vector of development is the integration of vocal art with other types of creativity – theatre, performance, media art, which forms a new artistic paradigm. There is also a tendency towards the individualisation of the vocal style, where the voice acts not only as a musical instrument, but as a carrier of a personal and cultural code. Thus, the vocal art of the 20th – early 21st centuries. demonstrates the dialectical unity of tradition and innovation, preserving the continuity of academic principles and at the same time actively developing the space of interdisciplinary experiment.