Exploring a systemic functional semiotics approach to understanding emotional expression in singing performance: Implications for music education

Abstract

Engagement with songs through performance and analysis is a key component of music curricula worldwide. Music learning has a significant impact on a number of student competencies, including enhancing students’ communicative abilities as they learn to manipulate, express, and share sound in both voice qualities and lyrics. However, common analyses of singing performance rarely focus exclusively on voice quality, and there is no systematic framework which considers how emotional meaning in lyrics interacts with emotional meaning in voice quality. Drawing on systemic functional semiotics, this article proposes a unified theoretical framework for examining how emotional meaning is co-constructed in the voice and lyrics in singing performance. This framework provides a novel approach for discussing and teaching song analysis and performance. The framework will be illustrated through the analysis of the interaction between voice quality and lyrics in the song “Someone Like You” performed by Adele.

Emotional Tones and Emotional Texts

“…Rather they are contextualwhether that be relative to the conventions of a genre, a vocalist's unique tone quality, or variation within a single song. For this reason, before conducting analysis, a baseline (or equipoise) should be identified (Ngo and Spreadborough 2021). The discussion of Tone Quality Features within the analysis should be in reference to this equipoise.…”

“…[35] There are a range of approaches to text analysis in song. These range from explicit analysis of emotional words to more nuanced sentiment analysis utilizing theories such as Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) (e.g., Ngo and Spreadborough 2021). In this paper, I do not adopt a formal textual framework for analysis.…”