Abstract
Choral Sound: Ideas about Choral Singing and Sound in Post-War Sweden
Kia Hedell
This article deals with discussions and ideas about “sound” in Swedish choral singing from the 1920s to the present day. The source material consists primarily of choral periodicals and pedagogical literature from this period. There are two focuses in this article: one is on the years after the second World War, a period generally considered as the beginning of the so-called “Swedish Choral Miracle”; the second is on the choral leaders David Åhlén and Johannes Norrby, who were active during this period. The study verifies that the term “sound” (klang) was perceived differently. However, it is possible to trace a consensus about the ideal choral sound, with the 1940s and 50s being a period of transition in this respect. In post-war writing, a characteristic “Swedish“ choral sound is frequently mentioned in connection with Swedish choral singing. The article concludes with a discussion, proposing some possible explanations for the interest in distinguishing a typical Swedish sound in Swedish choral singing.