Abstracts
Abstract
Björk’s Vulnicura (2015) engages the theme of the dissolution of a long-term relationship. As with much of Björk’s music, most listeners are drawn to her voice and the interplay between lyrics and vocal delivery. This article explores vocal prosody, conceived as the pacing and flow of delivery, in three tracks—“Lionsong,” “Black Lake,” and “Family”—through aspects of discontinuous phrasing, varied metric placement, melismatic embellishment, consonantal articulation, and vocal layering. Thinking about the sonic materiality of the voice broadly—and more specifically, understanding the prosodic aspects of Björk’s delivery on Vulnicura—help us probe the album’s expressivity and grasp the specific material elements that facilitate its emotional content. Though most prosodic elements on this album reflect Björk’s singing style more broadly, some—such as discontinuous phrasing—are intensified to specifically serve this album’s emotive aims.
Keywords:
- Björk,
- voice,
- prosody,
- Vulnicura,
- phrasing
Résumé
L’album Vulnicura (2015) de Björk aborde le thème de la dissolution d’une relation à long terme. Comme pour une grande partie de la musique de l’artiste, les auditeurs sont attirés par sa voix et par l’interaction entre les paroles et le débit vocal. Cet article explore la prosodie en tant que rythme et flux de l’élocution dans trois morceaux – « Lionsong », « Black Lake » et « Family » – à travers les différents aspects que sont la discontinuité du phrasé, la variabilité du placement métrique, l’embellissement mélismatique, l’articulation consonantique et la superposition de strates vocales. Réfléchir à la matérialité sonore de la voix en général – et, plus spécifiquement, comprendre les aspects prosodiques de la prestation de Björk sur Vulnicura – nous aide à mieux sonder l’expressivité de l’album et à saisir les éléments matériels précis qui facilitent le déploiement de son contenu émotionnel. Bien que la plupart des éléments prosodiques de ces enregistrements reflètent plus largement le style de chant individuel de Björk, certains – comme la discontinuité du phrasé – sont encore plus intensifiés pour servir spécifiquement les objectifs émotionnels de cet album.
Mots-clés :
- Björk,
- voix,
- prosodie,
- Vulnicura,
- phrasé
Appendices
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Discography
- Björk (2015), “Black Lake,” YouTube video, https://youtu.be/YGn1pJIpZw8 (accessed June 26, 2021).
- Björk (2015), Vulnicura, One Little Indian, cd 67572-1.