Simon Carrington talks rhetoric

Comments

1. Tom Carter says

   July 18, 2011 at 6:02 pm

   I would suggest that there’s a fifth choral philosophy — one which is gaining more and more momentum as people experience it.

    

   5. Combining textual connection (meaning/authentic human experience), the physical connection (bodies connection to sound and meaning), and the technical (phrasing/unity/dynamics…). With this paradigm, each of the elements reinforce and amplify the other; with the result being music which is sung better, learned quicker, memorized more easily, and performed at a level which is more more satisfying all the way around. Better technical elements, better expressiveness, better overall connection, better audience engagement, much more rewarding and touching concert experience.

    

   All my best,

    

   Tom

    

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2. Edward Palmer says

   July 16, 2011 at 9:17 pm

   It seems clear there are at least four easily definable choral philosophies:

    

      1. Emphasis is on sound. The words are used as a vehicle for pre-conceived, mostly straight vocalism. Think Scandinavian. (Many institutional choirs. Ouch!)

                  Usually in tune. Flexibility is limited. Can be mono-chromatic in color. Perceived as academic.

      2. Emphasis is on text. The music is used to convey words, making sound secondary. Think Heraldic church choir/ Crystal Cathedral Choir now defunct.

                  Intonation is not of great concern. Emphatic text declamation impedes beauty of tone.

      3. Doing what comes naturally. Just enjoying without much care. Think Sing Along.

                  This is one up with which many churches put.

      4. Learn one parameter at a time; that is, (utilizing nonsense syllables), notes/pitch, rhythm, text/diction, text in rhythm, phrases – musical and textual.

                   Do these until almost memorized and finally, putting all together, SING the song. Think PROFESSIONAL.

                     (The problem here is keeping a choir inspired while patiently fulfilling 4. During every meeting sing one easy song that shows them at their best.)

                    

                     (From a paper of mine which is more detailed.)

         

         Respectfully,

    

         EP

    

           

      

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3. Tom Carter says

   July 15, 2011 at 1:14 pm

   So good to hear Simon Carrington talk about the need for choirs to become “more expressive.” His observation that there’s a lot of excellent singing but not enough “energy and communicating” is exactly why I wrote my book; and his definition of rhetoric as “the use of words in a persuasive manner” is central to the techniques in the book.

    

   If you want your singers to be more authentically expressive; if you want a very direct and accessible method for empowering singers to have this “energy and communication” that Simon is talking about, check out my book. Or my website. There’s a lot of free information there, and the book is VERY inexpensive to purchase … and/or available in many libraries.

    

   Using the techniques in the book, you can transform a relatively inexpressive choir into a dramatically expressive one — in about one hour. Check out my website for testimonials from nationally recognized leaders. Don’t just take my word for it.

    

   And lest you think that Choral Charisma: Singing with Expression is written for school-aged show choirs (as one interest session participant confessed:-), trust me when I tell you that its techniques apply to singers of all ages, levels, and styles — from first grade beginners to adult professionals who sing the most challenging repertoire.

    

   Simon’s goals are my goals. If they’re yours as well, I can’t encourage you strongly enough to look into my approach. And please know that I would say this whether or not I received the $1.65 royalty per book sale. Please.

    

   All my best,

    

   Tom

   http://www.choralcharisma.com

    

    

    

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