In the foreword to Pierrot Lunaire (1912), Schoenberg explains how a good Sprechgesang should be achieved, saying that the indicated rhythms should be adhered to, but that whereas in ordinary singing a constant pitch is maintained through a note, in Sprechgesang the indicated pitch should be given, but then immediately left, either by rising or falling. The result should be unlike both normal singing and normal speech.
The earliest known use of the technique is in Engelbert Humperdinck's opera Königskinder (1897), but it is more closely associated with the composers of the Second Viennese School. Arnold Schoenberg asks for the technique in a number of pieces: the part of the Speaker in Gurrelieder (1911) is in Sprechgesang, almost all of Pierrot Lunaire (1912) uses the technique, and it is also employed in his opera Moses und Aron (1932). Alban Berg uses a variation on the technique, asking for parts of his operas Wozzeck and Lulu to be between Sprechgesang and normal singing.
In musical notation, Sprechgesang is usually indicated by small crosses through the stems of the notes, or with the note head itself being a small cross. The beginning of the vocal part in Pierrot Lunaire looks like this:
Berg's part-Sprechgesang, part-singing is notated with a single stroke through the stems of the notes.