George Crumb: Vox Balaenae

The technique of singing and playing the flute simultaneously was pioneered by jazz musicians and developed by composers seeking not only new sounds for the instrument, but ways to utilize the flute as a polyphonic instrument. It is produced by forming a normal flute embouchure and literally singing through it. Several possibilities exist for singing and playing simultaneously: singing pitches different from flute notes, singing pitches in unison with fingered notes, or in octaves with the sounded flute pitches. The latter two are most effective, because the resonance of the tube is enhanced by the frequency of the vibrating vocal cords. The following example is one of the most famous in contemporary music: the opening of George Crumb's Vox Balanae. Although Crumb specifies the passage to be sung an octave below the written flute line, it may be performed in unison to accommodate female performers.

Ofer Ben-Amots: Avis Urbanus