The Hidden Language

Just as the voice is inseparable from the singer, language, for the singer, is an inseparable part of the artistic process. The aesthetics of classic singing require a wealth of linguistic adjustments, which in combination make up a special “singers’ language”. This project maps and explores this “singers’ language” and its central but often unarticulated significance for the artistic identity of the individual singer.

One of the outcomes of the project is a comprehensive publication with an accompanying digital platform. The release contains 56 Danish songs with IPA transcription and translations. The project has also been included in RDAM’s international collaborations, including INTERMUSIC and MUSIPÆD. The project’s study of the “singers’ language” is also communicated in an article published in co-operation with the University of Copenhagen on the development of a Danish IPA for classical singing.

The project is funded through a grant from the Ministry of Culture’s pool for artistic research.

The project will be published in the form of a printed publication in 2023 with support from A.P. Møller og Hustru Chastine Mc-Kinney Møllers Fond til almene Formaal.