From Sicilian Fisherwomen to Pious Folk Hymns: Cathy Berberian’s “New Vocality” Style
Cathy Berberian, Stripsody (1966). Example of a page in the score.
I was first introduced to the American mezzo-soprano Cathy Berberian in a composing workshop with Juice Vocal Ensemble, led by the indominable vocalist, composer, and author Kerry Andrew. Participants were invited to perform bits of Berberian’s composition Stripsody (1966), in which a cartoon-like graphic score calls for the performer to imitate a vast array of sounds, from comic-book exclamations to cat meows and chiming clocks. The aim was to demonstrate the full range of effects and sounds a singer can produce, once one escapes the ideal of beautiful sonorities in operatic singing. This liberated philosophy of vocal performance is known as the “New Vocality” style and was pioneered by Berberian. A whole generation of composers, inspired by the new possibilities this approach afforded, created works for her, and the legacy of New Vocality continues today with its influence on figures like Kerry Andrew and Laurie Anderson. Berberian’s most productive partnership was with Luciano Berio, to whom she was married between 1950 and 1964, during which time he composed a range of works for Berberian, including Thema (Omaggio a Joyce) (1958), Sequenza III (1965), and Recital I (for Cathy) (1972). Their close collaboration in creating these pieces is an interesting disruption of the gendered dynamic between male composers individually authoring works, and the oft-female performers fulfilling a subservient role of executing them. The novel approaches to composing for voice in these and other works are equally the product of Berberian’s innovations as of the male composers who she collaborated with.
Berberian’s “New Vocality” is invariably associated with its most experimental and theatrical manifestations, such as Stripsody, in which the disruption of the status quo of classical singing is most evident. Listening carefully to her recording of Berio’s Folk Songs (1964), however, reveals a subtler yet equally profound realisation of this philosophy. The piece was written for Berberian and features a cycle of eleven folk melodies from around the world, arranged for mezzo-soprano and small chamber ensemble. The vocal part is largely lyrical and melodic and as such it can be sung in a fairly standard classical style, as one finds in many recordings of the work by subsequent singers. Berberian’s interpretation, however, still reflects the New Vocality philosophy, even in this more traditional musical context. She exploits the malleability of her voice not through unexpected sounds or effects, but by creating a unique sonority, a new vocal persona, for each song, suited to its melodic style, language, and geographical-cultural origin. Berberian is imitating the voices of those who might have originally sung these melodies. In "A la femminisca," for example, she conjures the raw, wide, and almost guttural sound of Sicilian women singing at the docks as they wait for their fishermen husbands to return; this contrasts entirely with the lilting, delicate, and pious soprano sound of the American folk hymn “I wonder as I wonder,” as if it is being sung by an entirely different person. By abandoning a conventional consistency of tone, Berberian immerses the listener in the sound world of each song, creating a totally compelling and unique recording of this music.