(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article, “Scheduling Choral Programs and Community Relations” by Robert L. Garretson) What choral conductor has not received numerous requests for programs from various groups in the community? Each conductor must determine how many and on what basis these programs should be accepted. Throughout the country a wide […]
Speaking of Voice: “My Go-To Warm-Up” by Ian Yeung
MY GO-TO WARM UP, by Ian Yeung (Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts) PURPOSES I use a warm up for my girls’ choir to build: A sense / accuracy of half-step ascending and descending; Tuning of a chord (or any harmonic structure), especially cluster harmonies, while moving; Referencing of intervals from other vocal parts […]
Name That Choir Tune (No. 7)
CJ Replay: Intuition in Rehearsals
(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article, “Chaos Theory and the Choral Conductor: Learning to Trust Musical Intuition” by Ray Wheeler) How can conductors be more intuitive in rehearsals? 1) Be sensitive to intuitive impulses. Being aware of intuition as a valuable tool in conducting is a good beginning. 2) Try to […]
CJ Replay: Pärt Magnificat
(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article, “Deterministic Techniques in Arvo Pärt’s Magnificat” by Allen H Simon) Estonian composer Arvo Pärt (b. 1935) has gained notoriety in the 1990s for his minimalist works such as Berliner Messe and Passio. Vestiges of the composer’s early experiments with serialism and deterministic techniques, however, still linger […]
CJ Replay: Symphony of Psalms
(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article, “An Examination of Stravinsky’s Fugal Writing in the Second Movement of Symphony of Psalms ” by Robert Taylor) Concerning the origin of his 1930 Symphony a/Psalms, Igor Stravinsky wrote: “My idea was that my symphony should be of great contrapuntal development.” A setting of verses from […]