In Quest of Answers (Part 2)

The Choral Journal archives dates back to May 1959 and contains many wonderful articles, some of which, yes, are out of date; but there are others that still hold importance for choral conductors in the twenty-first century.

In 1974-1976, Carole Glenn published a fascinating series of interviews with seventeen choral conductors on various questions of concern to choral musicians. Over the next couple of weeks, this weekly ChoralNet blog will highlight several of these installments and share some of the answers given. Following is a list of the conductors who were interviewed:

Elaine Brown, Harold Decker, Robert Fountain, Jane Hardester, Iva Dee Hiatt, Robert Holliday, Joseph Huszti, Kenneth Jennings, Allen Lannom, Daniel Moe, Weston Noble, Paul Salamunovich, Leland Sateren, Howard Swan, Roger Wagner, Dale Warland, and Lois Wells.

Installment 2 deals with repertoire selection and program building. You can read Part 1 in last Monday’s post.

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Selecting repertoire is a difficult process for a conductor on any level. He must consider his own predilections, the singers’ vocal, emotional, and intellectual capabilities, and the audience. If he is true to himself, the music chosen is a reflection of his own tastes, creativity, philosophy of life, and daring. Each conductor has his own methods of selecting the vehicle of communication for his particular group. Having chosen the music, he must now determine how to put it together in the most effective manner. This again becomes a difficult but most fascinating process. The following questions were asked of our conductors:

(a) What criteria do you consider when you choose repertoire?

(b) How do you go about building a concert program?

Robert Fountain – University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin

(a) I have worked primarily with college-age singers. For that reason, I think of the younger voices at the undergraduate level when choosing music. I’ve been guided a great deal by this. I haven’t had that ripe field of graduate students where there are more mature voices. I’ve never had the voices that I felt could do justice to Schoenberg’s Friede auf Erden or the Beethoven Ninth Symphony or Missa 8olemnis. We have done Bach and even the Verdi Requiem. These to me are much more singable. I recall a festival on Long Island with high school students in which we did two movements of the Beethoven Mass in C. There was no problem vocally with this; it was still “Haydenesque” enough.

Kenneth Jennings – St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota

(b) I try to be open to all possibilities, but generally build on traditional lines with early music first. In one program, however, we opened with a set of Contemporary pieces, including one with electronic tape, and then sang as a second group Bach’s Jesu Meine Freude. Another possibility is to program in the same group old and new pieces that complement each other musically and that have texts which follow one another logically. Usually I divide the program into four groups with one intermission and very brief breaks between the other groups. This way we can change choir positions if necessary, and the singers seem to last well vocally. I try to place a strong climax two-thirds to three-fourths of the way through a program and then lighten toward the end, or at least move to more familiar ground for the audience. Although there are many ways to build a program, I think it is good to develop a point of view in the program, in order to lead your singers and listeners into a deeper and more imaginative musical experience.

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