Latest Blog Posts
CJ Replay: Interpretive Process
(From the Choral Journal article “The Interpretive Process in Choral Music” by John H. Peed) “Interpretation,” as defined by The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, is “a concept of a work of art as expressed by the character and style of its representation or performance. ” In this respect, let’s begin […]
Scholarly Abstractions: Evaluating New Conductors
Dean, Brandon L. A Repertoire Assessment Rubric for Preservice and Beginning Choral Conductors Based on Criteria of Aesthetic and Pedagogical Merit. Doctor of Musical Arts dissertation. University of Cincinnat College-Conservatory of Music, 2011. The foundation of successful choral music education begins with the selection of repertoire that is of artistic and pedagogical merit and […]
Are You on a Song Safari?
For those of us in the choral profession, the search for literature is an almost daily quest. We troll, prowl and lurk, constantly on the hunt for something new for our ensembles. While the middle school and collegiate conductors may be stalking different “prey,” their hunting techniques are the same. For seekers of […]
Stick Time: In the Beginning
Depending on where one spends more of their choral life, there is always a body of work that is out of our reach. The symphonic chorus conductor may get to conduct such works as the Verdi Requiem or Beethoven Missa Solemnes on a regular basis, but how would the philharmonic choir handle a Phil Mattson […]
Stick Time: Tristis
While the bulk of the choral music performed during ACDA conferences tends to issue from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, there are some who paint with the entire brush of choral music history. Here is a performance of “Tristis est Anima Mea” by the South Carolina Governor’s School Cantus Chamber Choir (David Rhyne, conductor) during […]
It’s About the Phrase: The Effect of Tempo (Part 1)
This is the first installment of a new feature called, “It’s About the Phrase.”
CJ Replay: Establishing Musical Value
(From the Choral Journal article “Mozart’s Missa Solemnis K.262: An Overlooked Masterpiece”by Susan C. Welch) Musical value is a difficult thing to establish. Value is often ascribed to a piece based on the appearance of beautiful melodies, pleasing harmonies, dynamic or textural contrasts, or other unusual effects. While all of these elements are […]