SPEECH CHOIR

01 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF SPEECH CHOIR

02 DEFINITION AND CHARACTERISTIC OF SPEECH CHOIR

03 ELEMENTS OF SPEECH CHOIR

04 THINGS TO REMEMBER IN DOING SPEECH CHOIR

.
SPEECH • Speech choir are
performance group that
CHOIR
recite speeches in
unison.

• It is also called choral

speaking. It has a
hallowed tradition.

• The first plays put on

by the Greeks featured
choruses of speakers.
HISTORICAL TIMELINE

• Speech choirs emerged as an offshoot

of the choral gatherings of a wider youth
musical and singing movement in the first
half of the 20th century.

•The primary forces of choral speaking in

Germany were, from 1919, the Social
Democratic workers’ and cultural
movement and the Catholic youth
groups, in addition to elementary and
secondary schools.
•The popularity of speech choirs
around 1930 was also echoed in
the music of the time.

•Compositions for musical speech

choirs were produced by
composers like Heinz Thiessen,
Arnold Schönberg, Ernst Toch,
Carl Orff, Vladimir Vogel, Luigi
Nono, Helmut Lachenmann and
Wolfgang Rihm.

•Moving forward from the

Schönberg School, the post-1945
new music thereby opens up the
spectrum of vocal expressions of
sound beyond that of the singing
voice
 TWO TYPES
SPEECH CHOIR

Traditional or Conventional Speech

choir wherein the speakers simply recite
the spoken words without the use of
costumes, choreography, nor props.

The other type of Speech Choir is the

Dynamic or Theatrical Speech Choir
which makes use of props, costumes,
and sometimes, choreography
 ELEMENTS OF SPEECH CHOIR
Members
Costume
Like choir, these are the
participants who will perform the What members will wear. It
piece. They can be 12 or more could be simple or it could be in
and are divided based on their line with the theme of the piece.
natural or speaking voices.

Staging
Pitch  The capacity to
organize the position of
The highness or the the choir on stage for
lowness of the voice performance effect.
 ELEMENTS OF SPEECH CHOIR
TEMPO
The rate of speed or the ability to balance the
rhythm of a piece.

POWER
 The capacity to control volume, force, or loudness
in order to enhance or reduce emphasis.

VOICE NUMBERS
 The ability to add or subtract how many
members that should speak in a certain part to
increase or diminish the intensity of the piece.
 ELEMENTS OF SPEECH CHOIR
They are usually
In simple terms, da poems or poetic p
nce or planned mo assages like from t Ability to use
The ability to mix light, vement. It may not he Greek or Shake phrasing and
medium, and dark voice be vital to speech c spearean plays. T rhythm as
s well, as well as the ca hoir. However, it ad hese are broken in reinforcements for
pacity to communicate r ds emphasis, flair, to parts by the con each other . Each
eactions to thoughts or or dramatic effect t ductor. much blend to
emotions through voice o the performance. better express the
PIECES meaning of the
VOICE QUALITY CHOREOGRAPHY verse

PHRASING AND
RHYTM
 Connection to the group Breathing

Listen to those around you.  Nothing where it

Connecting with them will makes sense to take
eliminate any stage fright. If breath, so you don’t
anything unexpected interrupt the word flow
happens, the group must but have enough breath
THINGS TO
respond and correct together to make it through the
REMEMBER line.

Articulation and Diction

The Text
By practicing your
 The text is your guide, it’s articulation and diction,
what the audience came to your words will be clear
see and hear you perform. and vibrant.