Reexamining�Portamento as an Expressive Resource in Choral Music, ca. 1840-1940

This study reexamines portamento as an important expressive resource in nineteenth and twentieth-century Western classical choral music. For more than a half-century, portamento use has been in serious decline and its absence in choral performance is arguably an impoverishment. The issue is encapsulated by John Potter, who writes, “A significant part of the early music agenda was to strip away the vulgarity, excess, and perceived incompetence associated with bizarre vocal quirks such as portamento and vibrato. It did not occur to anyone that this might involve the rejection of a living tradition and that singers might be in denial about their own vocal past.”�The present thesis aims to show that portamento—despite its fall from fashion—is much more than a “bizarre vocal quirk.” When blended with aspects of the modern aesthetic, choral portamento is a valuable technique that�can enhance the expressive qualities of a work. Historical recordings demonstrate its presence in performance by musicians trained up to the early twentieth century. However, within the context of the historically informed performance (HIP) movement, portamento has been a neglected aspect of choral performance practice, overlooking what would have been in the imagination of Romantic-era composers. A correction now seems justified, whereby this “living tradition” is recognized and revived. Indeed, portamento, if reasonably understood and well-practiced, remains a valuable resource in choral performance up to the present day.1. John Potter, "Beggar at the Door: The Rise and Fall of Portamento in Singing,”�Music and Letters�87 (2006): 538