Pinsonneault, Albert. A Conductor’s Guide to Selected Choral Works of F. Melius Christiansen (1871-1955). Doctor of Musical Arts dissertation. University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, 2009. F. Melius Christiansen (1871-1955) created a pioneering American a cappella choral ensemble, the St. Olaf Choir, which influenced an entire philosophical school of choral performance within the United […]
It’s About the Phrase: The Effect of Tempo (part 2)
CJ Replay: Use of French Latin
(From the Choral Journal article “The Use of French Latin for Choral Music,” by Anthony R. Reeves) An area not fully integrated into the general practices of most choral conductors, however, concerns the use of colloquial Latin pronunciations for choral music. Some conductors feel it is simply too time consuming to work out complex […]
CJ Replay: Choral Music of Dvořák
(From the Choral Journal article, “The Choral Music of Antonín Dvořák: A Sesquincentennial Review,” by John Guthmiller) Antonín Dvořák once described himself as a “simple Czech musician.” This may seem an unduly humble self-characterization. However, Dvořák was in many ways quite simple. He was a man with an elemental faith and unpretentious habits, a […]
CJ Replay: War Requiem
(From the Choral Journal article “A Prayer for Peace Now: Britten’s War Requiem Revisited, by Charles Matoni. A performance of the War Requiem will be a special feature of the 2013 ACDA National Conference.) The War Requiem is obviously [Britten’s ] profoundest work. It is the most dramatic and unnerving setting of the Requiem […]
Choral Caffeine: Dealing with Boys
NEWS FLASH: There is a difference between boys and girls. Despite the efforts of those who would seek to androgenize the species, no amount of PC babble is going to change certain things. Face it: we boys can be a little squirrely (and some of us never quite outgrow that). Rather than try to […]