Do/Re/Mi, He/She/They: Language and Identity in Choral and Vocal Music
As society changes we must adapt as musicians and teachers. The past few years have seen an expansion of our understanding of gender identity. When looking at the terminology around vocal studies it’s clear that so much of it is locked into the traditional binary in regards to gender. The reality has never really been so black and white. Even without the increased awareness of nonbinary and trans identities, vocal range itself has never been exclusively gendered. The traditional vocal terms of Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass are not gendered in and of themselves, but have taken on an illusion of it given the majority of men sing Tenor and Bass and women sing Soprano and Alto. But it is easy to find examples of all genders singing in the ranges of a voice part that is opposite of what might be expected.
In light of this I have really been examining the ways I use language when working with singers. It is so easy, especially in a choral setting, to use terms like “ladies” and “gentlemen” when referring to the Sopranos/Altos, and the Tenors/Basses respectively. For many choirs this will not be an issue, because those terms will match the gender identities of those singers. I am also acutely aware that in even writing this post I am wading into territory where some will throw around the word “woke.” Talk of inclusivity has become a political cudgel these days. The approximately one percent of the population that is trans has become one of the far right’s favorite bogeymen lately. Given that we are talking about such a small percentage of the population one might argue that we shouldn’t spend much time focusing on this, and I disagree for one big reason. The arts are historically a place where the marginalized come for refuge. Vocal music has a rather low barrier of entry compared to a lot of other art forms where equipment of some sort might be required. As such we are more likely than some creative spaces to see some of the people who are looking for an outlet in the world. Whether or not they choose to share their stories with us is irrelevant; making an effort to make everyone feel welcome in our rehearsal and studio spaces can go a long way toward improving people’s lives. It was in large part due to the open space created by my high school music directors that I was able to come out to myself and those around me. Everyone should have the opportunity to experience such safety to just exist while they form their identity.
That is the why of course, the question is how do we put it into action. In a choral setting, the easiest solution is to simply refer to the sections by their voice parts. But there are times when we discuss voices in a different way. This is where the lack of standardized language once again trips us up in the vocal realm. The term “high voices” for example is used by some to refer to Soprano/Alto, while others, myself included, use it to mean Soprano/Tenor. Context can of course be a large help here, and the phrase could be used interchangeably, with the knowledge there can be some confusion.
The problem I keep running into is terms to use when I would want to say “male” and “female.” You often see keys referred to in this way, which frankly irritates me; keys are dependent on range, meaning there are high keys and low keys. A low bass and a high tenor are not going to necessarily sing a song in the same key because they are both male. This is more reinforcement for using high voice for Soprano/Tenor and low for Alto/Bass as discussed above. Where I have the issue the most is with many of the posts I do on my own website because they are about generic vocal technique, and saying Soprano/Alto is a lot of space on the page when used every time. The terminology I have landed on is “Treble Voiced” and “Bass Voiced” singers, referring to the clefs those voices typically sing in.
The main point I think is to define the terms that will be used in a given setting. Knowing the singers we are working with can be key here. If we are familiar with the members of the choir we can know the best approach to take. In rehearsals, inclusive language should be strived for, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing for every setting. The majority of choirs will likely consist of singers whose identities line up with the traditional gender/section paradigm. Other times the sections may be mixed but the singers won’t care about the language. I’ve sung in choirs with female tenors who had no problem when the directors said terms like “gentlemen,” but that might not always be the case. This is a place where one has to be clear about their intentions and open to learning more from the singers we work with. If we go in with the intention of inclusivity, the understanding that we might make mistakes, and a willingness to learn and grow, we will not only foster an environment that creates better singers, but better human beings as well.