Abstract
Previous research has found that the accent of British classical choral singing is based on a non regional prestige accent, Southern Standard British English, in terms of front vowels. Evidence shows that local accents can also form part of the choral accent, in terms of consonants. However, choral singing as an art form is more than a direct translation of a spoken accent to a sung medium—there are also musical aesthetic variables that create the overall character of choral sound. One such variable in classical choral singing is word-final /d/. This article asks how the realization of word-final /d/ changes over time in recordings of the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, and the Glasgow Orpheus and Glasgow Phoenix choirs. Here, I present evidence of a reduction in voicing over time in Glasgow, and increased affrication over time at King’s, which may relate to the directorial influence of Stephen Cleobury, to singing with orchestral accompaniment, or to an ongoing change in spoken English. These findings demonstrate how choral diction norms and choir director stylistic influence may shape the sound of British classical choirs over time.
Keywords: choral diction, British choral style, choir director, phonetic variation, consonant realization
