Treat each sound as a character. A "boing" should sound springy; a "sigh" must carry emotional weight.
Berberian did not just throw random sounds together; Stripsody is structured with subtle narratives and distinct characters.
Cathy Berberian’s 1966 work Stripsody is a landmark of avant-garde vocal music, featuring a graphic score designed by Roberto Zamarin that replaces traditional notation with comic-strip imagery and onomatopoeia. The six-minute piece challenges musical norms by utilizing a three-line staff and visual cues for vocal register and tempo, requiring the performer to emulate a "radio sound man" through diverse vocal personas. Access the full score document . cathy berberian - llllllll.co
To help you dive deeper into analyzing or performing this piece, Cathy Berberian Stripsody Score.pdf
Cathy Berberian’s (1966) is a seminal work for solo voice that bridges the gap between avant-garde music, performance art, and pop culture. It is most famous for its use of graphic notation , replacing standard musical staves with a series of comic-strip-inspired illustrations and onomatopoeia. Overview of the Score
Lines enclosed by bars are intended to be performed as "scenes" or vignettes, while the rest are treated as basic onomatopoeic material. Specific Symbols:
: The score uses three horizontal lines to represent relative pitch levels: low , medium , and high . Treat each sound as a character
The most striking feature of the Stripsody score is its visual design. Berberian completely abandoned traditional western musical notation (clefs, staves, and oval noteheads). Instead, the score functions as a piece of graphic art, originally published by the Italian avant-garde publisher Edizioni Suvini Zerboni.
Barking dogs, croaking frogs, buzzing flies, and crowing roosters.
The score appears to be a faithful representation of Berberian's original composition. The layout is clear, and the notation is well-organized, making it relatively easy to follow. Cathy Berberian’s 1966 work Stripsody is a landmark
: It consists of a "glossary of onomatopoeia" typically found in comic books (e.g., "POW," "BLAM," "TSK") and includes non-verbal sounds like sobbing or animal noises. Visual Structure :
Performers cannot rely on standard singing techniques. The piece demands mastery over unvoiced sounds, tongue clicks, whistling, inhaled phonation, and sudden drops in register. Physical Theater
The score was created in collaboration with artists and Cathy Berberian herself, designed to look like a comic strip page.
Producing sounds while breathing in.
