Vocal Break

This is a new book. Condition: Brand New.

Plt;bPgt;A joyous feminist call-to-arms and cultural history exploring female singing voices by the critically acclaimed author of Plt;iPgt;Art Monsters Plt;/iPgt;and Plt;iPgt;Scaffolding; Plt;/iPgt;for fans of Viv Albertine, Jia Tolentino, Olivia LaingPlt;/bPgt;

Plt;bPgt;A dazzlingly original reassessment of the power and plurality of womenP#39;s singing voices by the critically acclaimed author of Plt;iPgt;Art Monsters Plt;/iPgt;andPlt;iPgt; ScaffoldingPlt;/iPgt;Plt;/bPgt;Plt;BRPgt;Plt;BRPgt;Plt;bPgt;P#39;It took me ten years to go from shy young girl to punk rocker, if IP#39;d had this book IP#39;d have got there much quickerP#8217; Viv AlbertinePlt;/bPgt;Plt;BRPgt;Plt;BRPgt;For millennia, womenP#8217;s raised voices have been heard as unruly, uncivilized, dangerous. Women singing were cast as sirens: mythical creatures who lured sailors to their death.Plt;BRPgt;Plt;BRPgt;In Plt;iPgt;Vocal Break, Plt;/iPgt;Lauren Elkin seamlessly blends memoir, feminist manifesto and cultural history to explore a plurality of female singing voices P#8211; and how women have used them to defy convention, genre, capitalism, racism and sexism. Drawing on her own experiences training as a young soprano in the 1990s, Elkin reflects on the way power and identity shape our voices, focusing on the women who most excited her when she was learning to sing.Plt;BRPgt;Plt;BRPgt;A vocal break refers to the place where the voice shifts from lower to higher registers and this is a book about what kind of meanings, and sounds, can be made there. Immersing readers in an eclectic soundscape, from musicals and pop music to art punk, what follows is a full-throated tour of womenP#8217;s voices, includingPlt;bPgt; P#201;dith Piaf, Maria Callas, Cyndi Lauper, Kathleen Hanna, Tori Amos, PJ Harvey, BeyoncP#233;, FKA Twigs and Billie Eilish.Plt;/bPgt;Plt;BRPgt;Plt;BRPgt;Reflecting on what makes womenP#8217;s singing so powerful P#8211; to the point where others feel the need to control or manipulate it P#8211; Plt;iPgt;Vocal Break Plt;/iPgt;is a joyous call to arms, a siren call:Plt;BRPgt;Plt;BRPgt;Plt;bPgt;Girls to the front: NOW.Plt;/bPgt;

Book details and technical specifications

Format: Hardback
ISBN13: 9781784745271
Published: May 2026

Number of pages: 384
Width: 163 mm
Height: 241 mm
Depth: 36 mm

Publisher: Vintage Publishing