In 1966, tired of being a vessel for other people's difficult music, Berberian decided to compose. The result was Stripsody . The title is a portmanteau of "strip" (referring to comic strips) and "rhapsody." It was her declaration of independence—a piece written by a singer, for a singer, celebrating the sounds of the everyday world rather than the abstract structures of the academy.
These techniques challenge traditional notions of vocal beauty and virtuosity, instead emphasizing the expressive potential of the voice as an instrument. Cathy Berberian Stripsody Score.pdf