Latest Blog Posts
Saturday Respite: Halloween Weekend
A little Halloween weekend nuttiness . . .
GUEST BLOG: “Effect or Meaning” by Edward Palmer
"Effect or Meaning" ~ by Edward Palmer Does music that is composed for “effect” stimulate the natural use of the voice, or does it require an artificial vocal sound that is commonly called, “straight?” Straight vocalizationis limited in its dynamic capability, particularly messa di voce, which is the most effective tool for expression. ”Straight” […]
GuestBlog on Stravinsky’s Mass
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. […]
Saturday Respite: Darth Vader Conducts
Conducting + Star Wars + LEGOS? Seriously!? That’s a trifecta from my perspective! Come to think of it, a light saber might come in handy in a rehearsal. Hmmmm . . .
Stick Time: Large Need NOT Be Lumbering
There is no doubt that an honor choir is a wonderful experience for the students involved. The opportunity to study in an intensive environment with other select and highly-motivated singers under the baton of a master teacher can be life changing. (Truly, many of us in the choral profession can trace our “light-bulb” moment to […]
CJ Replay: Josquin’s “Illibata Dei virgo nutrix”
(From the Choral Journal article “Dating Josquin’s Enigmatic Motet Illibata Dei virgo nutrix” by Leslie Clutterham [scroll to p.9]) Most modern analyses of Josquin’s miniature masterpiece Illibata Dei virgo nutrix have focused on the text and music of only the first part of the motet. The secunda pars, difficult toclassifY stylistically, has been […]
CJ Replay: U.S Choirs Viewed from England
(From the Choral Journal article “An Englishman’s View of North American Youth and Children’s Choirs” by Malcolm Goldring) The first thing I would say is that, to a foreigner, you take your choral singing seriously. You may think that this is a strange thing to say, considering our vaunted cathedral choral schools, but […]