About Composition

Writing effectively for voice presents unique challenges for the composer. While orchestration books can take an almost surgical look at writing idiomatically for dozens of instruments, writing for voice is often neglected entirely. Even some of the most celebrated composers tend to write in ways that are unnecessarily demanding, taxing, or unfeasible for the voice. And while individual voices do present more uniquenesses than, say, different oboes, there are some general guidelines for writing for voice that can help composers know if what they are writing is achievable, effective, and well suited to the target singer.