Melodeclamation (from Greek “melos” = song, and Latin “declamatio” = declamation) was a chiefly 19th century practice of reciting poetry while accompanied by concert music.
It is also described as "a type of rhythmic vocal writing that bears a resemblance to
Sprechstimme."
It combines the principles of
melodrama
A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exce ...
with a kind of
extended technique.
Examples can be found in the music of
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...
,
Franz Liszt,
Anton Arensky,
Mélanie Bonis
Mélanie Hélène Bonis, known as Mel Bonis (21 January 1858 – 18 March 1937), was a prolific French late-Romantic composer. She wrote more than 300 pieces, including works for piano solo and four hands, organ pieces, chamber music, ''mélodies'' ...
,
Vladimir Rebikov,
Isaak Dunayevsky
Isaak Osipovich Dunayevsky (russian: Исаак Осипович Дунаевский ; also transliterated as Dunaevski or Dunaevskiy; 25 July 1955) was a Soviet film composer and conductor of the 1930s and 1940s, who composed music for operet ...
,
Dmitri Shostakovich, etc.
Particular poems might be associated with particular composers; the works of
Frédéric Chopin were often accompanied by the poem cycle of
Kornel Ujejski that he called ''Tłumaczenia Szopena'' (''Translations of Chopin''). The cycle was widely circulated in several European languages, and some became particularly associated with specific preludes.
References
{{reflist
Singing
Extended techniques
Poetry movements
Classical music styles
19th-century literature