philip copeland

I’ve gotta say – this looks good:

 

 

A few weeks ago I announced an opportunity to share the "bully pulpit" (i.e. ChoralBlog) with more authors.  It has been extremely successful!  We've had a number of guest bloggers (see here, here, here, & here) and new blogger Joshua Bronfman has already been quite active..  Today, I'm proud to introduce another official new blogger to the ChoralNet space here:  Richard Sparks.

 

I've pointed to Richard's blogs many times over the past several years and you can see his entire personal blog here.

 

Anyway, a little bit about Richard, from his official bio:

 

Richard Sparks is a conductor. He's Professor of Music at the University of North Texas, where he conducts the Chamber Choir and Collegium Singers, and is also Chair of the Division of Conducting and Ensembles. From 1999-2011 he was Artistic Director and Conductor of Pro Coro Canada in Edmonton, Alberta–a professional chamber choir; and a free-lance conductor/clinician working in the US, Canada, and Europe. He spent considerable time working with the Swedish Radio Choir in 2007 and 2008. He's Conductor Emeritus of Choral Arts in Seattle, WA (which he founded and conducted from 1993-2006) and was Director of Choral Activities at Pacific Lutheran University from 1983-2001.

 

Welcome, Richard!

Composer Spotlight: Igor Stravinsky’s Mass
by Brson Mortensen

One of the things that I love most about reading the Choral Journal is the opportunity to see different perspectives on the works of a particular composer. I am energized as I watch a scholar dig deep into a work and show me what they found interesting. I always wished that I had a video or recording of the work to listen to while I was reading the article, though, and this blog series is designed to solve that problem. It will highlight past articles in the Choral Journal and pair them with YouTube videos of those works so that you can read and listen at the same time. Hopefully you will get to know some well-loved works better, and be able to discover some new ones!

Igor Stravinsky’s Mass has always fascinated me. Something about his ability to write something so austere and beautiful at the same time makes it absolutely intriguing. The only work he wrote without a commission, Stravinsky wrote his Mass to be a liturgically appropriate setting that uses music as a means of textual delivery rather than textual expression. Even with such a focus on “cold”, Neo-classic delivery, the work is full of interesting motives and musical techniques that we can study. Below are three articles that highlight three different aspects of Stravinsky’s compositional style in his Mass: Timbre, Pitch, and Text.

Banks, Timothy. “The Use of Timbre in Igor Stravinsky’s Mass.” April 1980, 29 – 36.  Written in 1980, Timothy Banks writes several interesting observations about Stravinsky’s instrumentation choices (a double wind quintet) as well as voicing (Stravinsky suggested that the upper voices be sung by children’s voices). Not only does he talk about possible reasoning for this particular instrumentation, it also discusses the interaction between three wind sections (double reeds, brass, and voices).

Lundergan, Edward. “Modal Symmetry and Textural Symbolism in the Credo of the Stravinsky Mass.” March 2005, 8 – 15. discusses aspects of symmetry in the Stravinsky’s Mass. First he highlights the overall symmetry of the work, identifying the Credo as the axis of the work. He then outlines the symmetry of the pitch collection Stravinsky chose for the movement. Such a study also allows him to show Stravinsky’s method of symbolizing significant moments in the Credo text. He concludes with “The abstract beauty of Stravinsky’s symmetrical pitch organization may leave the impression that he conceived of it primarily as an esoteric mathematical game . . . Nonetheless the intersection between the pitch structure and the Credo text also serves an expressive end.”

Zaresky, Kevin. “Textual Presentation and Representation in Stravinsky’s Choral Works.” October 2009, 8 – 18. Kevin Zaresky focuses his study on the text itself, suggesting that Stravinsky used the syllable as the basic unit for composition and focused on its phonetic character. Zaresky analyzes several of his works, including Les Noces, Oedipus Rex, and his Symphony of Psalms. He concludes by observing his method of setting the text during the Credo of the Mass, identifying the particular way Stravinsky gives equal emphasis to an entire string of words and giving agogic emphasis to the final syllable of the phrase.

Below are links to two great live recordings of the Mass. I personally prefer the live recordings you can find on YouTube, so I hope you enjoy them!

Ensemble Vocal Choeurisma, Serge Medawar conducting.

Chamber Choir and Symphonic Orchestra of Córdoba, Hadrian Avila Arzuza conducting. 

From guest blogger Nick Cummins:

 

This Huffington Post article above deals with the texting issue and the ramifications of media and electronic communication.

 

In recent weeks, I have learned that some large school systems in Mississippi have programs that allow teachers to send mass texts to their students without the ability to reply. However, with the continual evolution of technology can educators and administrators continue to restrict usage?

 

Some of my colleagues in the College of Education discourage any use of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites. They also tell students never to reveal your cell phone number and never to send texts between students.

 

I understand the fears that educators have, but we must at least begin to embrace the things that our students use daily. Email is now going away with the millennial generation and texting or tweeting is the new communication tool. What are your thoughts on the use of media and communication tools…should they be banned or should we consider using alternatives in schools like Google Voice?

 

I look forward to your responses.

 

Nicholaus B. Cummins

Eric Whitacre tweeted this pic last week.  Not sure if he created it but I loved it:

 

 

 

We welcome Joshua Bronfman as a new blogger for the ChoralBlog.

 

Dr. Joshua Bronfman is Associate Professor and Director of Choral Activities at the University of North Dakota, where he directs the UND Concert Choir, Chamber Choir, and Varsity Bards. He also teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in choral conducting, choral literature and choral methods. In addition to his duties at UND, he is the Artistic Director of the Grand Forks Master Chorale, a select chamber choir. In 2005 Joshua was selected as a Conducting Fellow for the Eric Ericson Masterclass in the Netherlands, where he directed the Netherlands Chamber Choir and Netherlands Radio Choir. He is an active clinician in the region, directing honor choir festivals at the middle, high school and collegiate levels. His published articles and presentations on choral music and choral music education have reached state, regional, and national audiences. In 2011-2012, Joshua led the UND Concert Choir in a performance at the North Central American Choral Directors Association Conference, sat on a panel on the teaching of undergraduate conducting at the National Collegiate Choral Association Conference, and judged the Oregon State Choir Competition.

Joshua studied conducting under noted conductors such as Anton Armstrong, Bruce Brown, Rodney Eichenberger, Simon Halsey, and André Thomas. Joshua received his Ph.D. in Choral Music Education and Choral Conducting at Florida State University. Joshua received his Master's degree from Oregon State University, and his Bachelor's degree from Florida State University. Prior to pursuing his graduate degrees, Joshua was a music specialist in Oregon where he taught at the elementary and middle levels. He currently lives in Grand Forks with his wife Niki and children Lucia, Leah, and Desmond.