For me, it’s important to include musicality and expression, particularly that of phrase shape, from the very beginning of the learning/rehearsal process. The problem with ignoring the shaping of phrases (dynamic, agogic, stressed and unstressed syllables, etc.) is that the choir learns an unmusical shaping of the phrase which then has to be un-learned (and that can take much longer than learning it correctly to begin with).
Of course, we all isolate elements (pitches, rhythms, text, intonation, etc.) in rehearsal, and sometimes the writing is too difficult for our groups to do without some drill. But . . . while drilling pitches or rhythms (let’s say text on rhythm only), one can still begin the process of shaping the phrases. Robert Shaw style countsinging can also have phrase shapes built in–this technique doesn’t mean to sing without shape or sense of where each phrase is going (make sure you come to Pamela Elrod Huffman’s session at ACDA in Dallas, where she’ll focus on Shaw’s rehearsal techniques).
Ultimately this is much more efficient and the choir will begin to sing music, not just notes, from day one.
The other part of this is that your singers become involved with the music more. Since I work on musicality and expression all the time, sometimes it only takes a reminder from me (“sing more musically”) and the choir will know what to do. It’s important to teach the whys and hows of this as well (part of teaching them to be better, more expressive musicians). What are the clues to musical phrasing? They need to listen for harmonic dissonance and release, think about text stress, become aware of the important words in a phrase, to be aware of musical contour (the rise and fall of the musical line). They need to know what the overall shape of a phrase is (where does it begin and end? we can sometimes disagree about that!) and how to determine the “goal” of each phrase (where is it going? what’s the most important syllable or beat towards which one phrases?). . . and especially to remember that all notes are not equal in a phrase!
Some elements of expression may have to wait, but don’t wait too long!
And finally, some of my favorite quotes about phrasing:
Harpsichordist and Pianist Ralph Kirkpatrick: “The essential expressive quality of a melodic interval lies not in the notes themselves, but in the space between the notes, in the manner in which one gets from one note to another.”
Conductor Robert Fountain: “Not just the desire, but the passion to keep the line going.”
Composer Virgil Thompson: “Is this music just a piece of clockwork, or does it also tell time? . . . have I been moved or merely impressed?”
Richard Sparks says
Joshua Oppenheim says
I support all these sentiments. In my own personal journey on this topic, I’ve come to a different place about expression. None of these statements are absolutes of course, and the following is really only possible when the repertoire is at a level that is appropriate to the musical skills of the ensemble. (appropriate is a whole different topic….)
I’m trying to encourage the singers to consider the expression not as an “additive” but inherent in the composition already. While micro-managing the construction materials (pitch, rhythm, intonation etc.) not only do we miss the music for it’s expressive nature, but we also are less accurate with the materials themselves.
It’s in some ways similar to the approach (and well spotlighted by) the we take to sight-singing. The focus seems to be to sing the actual notes and rhythms without looking for the (natural/expected/logical/common) of the melodic contour, resolution of non-chord tones, metrical stress of the phrase etc. Unless we are sight-singing some random assortment of notes for an exercise – rarely if ever, it makes sense to trust one’s training and make sense of the material for it’s expectation or delayed/inhibited expectation of the notes and rhythms. And even with singing by sight, encouraging the singers to find the musicality as well, leads to further success. And even if it doesn’t – lovely mistakes are so much nicer to hear than ugly mistakes.
Richard Sparks says
Richard Sparks says
Richard Sparks says
Kenneth Owen says
Kitty Babcock says
Benjamin Nichols says