Choral

Song of (re)Imagining: Modesta Bor

March 23, 2022 by Shannon Marie Gravelle Leave a Comment

I was first introduced to Modesta Bor (1926–1998) by my friend, Dr. Nicholas Miguel. I was looking for public domain works that were written by women for treble or equal voices and that would fit the educational goals and skill level of the ensemble I was programming for.

Modesta Bor was born in Venezuela, and studied in both Caracas and the Moscow Tchaikovsky Museum (a place I did some research when I was working on my dissertation). She returned to Venezuela and worked as the head of the music department at the Central University of Venezuela, composing, teaching, and conducting choirs. Her oeuvre includes music for orchestra, chamber groups, solo piano, piano and voice, incidental music, and choral music for mixed and equal voicings. Her music incorporates a Venezuelan folk style as well as traits she learned in her formal studies of Western European classical music. Her music, moreover, “elevates the llanero, the common rural laborer, and comments on the social issues of her people,” writes Dr. Miguel in his dissertation (v). In fact, her music was strongly influenced by her political beliefs, and she often chose topics and poetry that coincided with her beliefs in equality and social justice.

You can find her most completed catalog here: https://fundacionmodestabor.wordpress.com/catalogo/. This includes a catalog of her choral works. The music is published through Ediciones ARE, and you can find her published music here. If you would like to perform something you find, I recommend contacting Ediciones ARE (and the editor, Armando Nones). When it came to cost, the company shared it at no cost (although, it does have a link to a donations page that you should consider if you use music from them, which is a new and needed addition to the website). I began by exploring the music in the Obra coral Original de Modesta Bor. There are a variety of pieces for both mixed and equal voices, but all were possible for my college choir. Many of these pieces would be suitable for high school, and even middle school depending on your access to rehearsal time.

Some links to sample music for you to listen to:

Coral Nacional Juvenil Simón Bolívar de Venezuela

VI Seminario Internacional Intensivo de Dirección Coral, Costa Rica 2022

A Una Niña Meredith College 2021

Enjoy the exploration of this composer! I found the most difficult part of looking through her music is that I didn’t know the content of the text, since there are no available translations. Since I always consider the text in addition to the music performance concepts, not having translations made the music selection process significantly longer. Still, this music is worth the time and effort it takes.

Songs of (Re)imagining: The Border CrosSing series

January 26, 2022 by Shannon Marie Gravelle Leave a Comment

Dr. Ahmed Anzaldúa founded Border CrosSing in 2017, a Minnesota-based organization that “envisions fundamental change in classical music culture, so that every concert, every audience, and the artists on stage truly reflect the cultural reality in which we live.” For more about Dr. Anzaldúa and the beginnings of Border CrosSing, read this 2019 interview with Dr. Anzaldúa by the Minneapolis Interview Project. I chatted with Dr. Anzaldúa in early Fall 2021 about ADEIB, and you can find that post here. Also, if you have 40 minutes, take a listen to Dr. Anzaldúa on The Choral Commons podcast. I wanted to provide a few resources of his incredible work; he’s been sharing his voice and knowledge, and every bit of it is worth your time.

The Border CrosSing series is distributed by Graphite Publishing, and is relatively new (publishing started in October 2020). The Graphite website lists 10 pieces (as of 1/21/22), with some options for different voicings. The music spans from the 1500s to current composers, in Spanish or one of Latin America’s indigenous languages, and preliminary contextual information is provided on each octavo (enough context to ground and begin the conductor’s own research). The earlier music is provided in performing editions, not urtext, including score markings that will aid in performance today, so that the music will be accessible to those who aren’t early-music specialists. “Xicochi” (link is SATB, but SSA and SA is also available) might be a piece for a developing vocal ensemble (or, of course, a developed ensemble that has not yet sung a villancico) with flexible instrumentation.

Listen to “Amo” here:

“>

“Amo” was composed by Nico Gutierrez, a composer based in Chicago, IL, with text by the composer’s grandfather, Mariano Melendro Serna (1984–1989). For full text and translation, as well as access to a perusal copy, click on this link here (“Amo”). SATB (with divisi) and unaccompanied, “Amo” presents plenty of opportunities for emotional exploration through dynamic and tempo nuance in conjunction with text analysis. While the text is short, it leaves a lot to discuss and apply, including the three potential meanings of the final line (I love them/I love you/I love everyone).

Harmony shifts, both subtle and not, pull the listener into an emotional musical experience (or “real feels,” as I would likely say to my singers). The piece requires jumping in head first; between the first two measures, the music already moves from a more controlled emotion of the static first measure to something that feels a little less stable. It’s a beautiful moment, and it fits the application of the text. In measures 21 and 22, the Tenor 1 line cries in descending chromatics, and together with the Tenor 2 line, they do their best to express the pain or the joy of the memories referenced in the poetry (again, important text analysis work here). In measure 54, the brief respite on a D major chord on the word “sonreir” actually feels like a smile. The most obvious shift in harmony is from measures 29 to 30, and provides a clean but not overly pedantic delineation between poetic lines, as well as a shift between the past (memories) and present (crying and smiling in response).

My favorite moment, at least at the moment I am writing this, is measure 44 into 45. All voices are at the higher end of the written registers. The rising bass line adds movement to the already in-progress ascension of all voices. This, in addition to the fortissimo, is very striking and a bit emotionally uncomfortable. I love it.

Lots of good choral work can be done highlighting the moving voice in moments when the other voices are more static. And, of course, the repetitive but intentionally set “amo” at the end of the piece could be a fantastic emotional exercise for the singer: Why is the word “amo” repeated so many times? Are you thinking of a new memory each “amo,” or is the feeling getting more intense as you meditate on the same memory over and over?

Incredible music and rich history are available to the choral profession through the Border CrosSing series. I encourage you to spend time with all the music in the series, and check back later for other releases.

Writing Music People LIKE to Sing with Alan Bullard

January 21, 2022 by Chris Munce Leave a Comment

For this Oxford Press conversation, I was able to speak to composer Alan Bullard about his life, career and approach to choral music. We talked about what it was like to study with Herbert Howells, the need for music for flexible voicings, the contrasting economy of sheet music sales in the US and UK, as well as his approach to “compositional imposter syndrome.” I especially enjoyed his advice to younger composers. It’s ok to promote yourselves! It’s not bragging! It’s how the business works. So, sit back, relax and get to know Alan Bullard.

Support the Show

Other Oxford Conversations

You can listen from the widgets below which will take you to Apple or Castbox to finish listening, or you can find the show on Google Play, Spotify, Youtube or Stitcher!

Alan Bullard was born in 1947, grew up in London, and studied with Herbert Howells and Antony Hopkins at the Royal College of Music, and with Arnold Whittall at Nottingham University.He has been writing music all his life, and frequently undertakes commissions for choral societies, church choirs, orchestral societies and many other ensembles. His choral music, both sacred and secular, has been performed in a wide range of venues in the UK, the USA, and elsewhere.

More Oxford Conversations

Stories of Healing and Reimagining: Commonalities Part 1

December 8, 2021 by Shannon Marie Gravelle Leave a Comment

The next two blogs are going to review some of the common themes from this blog over the past 6+ months. If you’ve been reading regularly, you’ll know that this series has focused on managing music-making during COVID while also addressing ADEIB. In Part 1 of Commonalities, we will review the logistics of music-making in the past 18+ months, and dive into what our colleagues said about the heart of teaching during COVID.

Singing has continued in some form. Many of us became audio/video editors. We’ve had premieres bumped, or conducted a concert before everything was shut down. Many choral colleagues followed the aerosol study guidelines. This study has been instrumental in helping decide what is safer and what carries too much risk. Some colleagues were asked to be more cautious than recommendations (such as not having in-person classes during the 2020-21 school year or not having a choir during a worship service), and some haven’t been allowed to follow all the risk mitigation procedures recommended (such as not being allowed to require masks in rehearsals). Colleagues have used a mix of Zoom and in-person rehearsals. In-person rehearsals have included physical distancing, masks, limiting rehearsal time, vaccine requirements, and/or regular testing. Choral colleagues have been resilient as they look for ways to promote music making, learning, advocacy, and facilitate emotional growth and support for singers.

In both returning to music making and equity, many interviewees spoke about the importance of relationships and community building. Below, you’ll read some important moments in these conversations discussing community building.

Mr. Remel Derrick: On the other hand, the community was incredible. “We are in this together” was stronger than Remel had ever experienced with his students. There was a tightening of an already close-knit group …students (and teachers) will be managing post traumatic stress. Knowing this, Remel is planning to leave space for his students to share their experiences. “[It can be] hard to talk about it when you are in the middle,” but afterwards, students may want to share, and may need additional support… He is looking for texts addressing collective grief, singing, and community.
Ms. Stephanie Gravelle: Some students are struggling with how to have a discussion or work collaboratively. Technique is very important, but right now they need to come into a room that makes them feel happy, safe, and wanted. Her focus will be what it always is: find the heart of her singers and have their hearts connected.
Ms. Olivia Vestal: As she builds her program, community is one of her priorities… Sometimes community building has looked different than she anticipated… Her approach [is] to try to educate [students] on how to care about individual people in their community, and what that expression of care might look (or sound) like.
Ms. Amanda Stevenson: But really, it was all about the community. And that, she says, is what the singers need the most.
Ms. Jazzmone Sutton: “What we do is community,” Jazzmone said, “We should strive to build relationships within our space.” She did that in her teaching, and it’s how she approaches advocacy.
Dr. Derrick Fox: He knew hybrid learning, masks, and shields would be barriers to connection in Fall 2020, so he created “choir families” for students to build community and process their previous spring.
Alan: Alan was impressed with how resilient students were, especially since he knows students need community. Related, he’s been grateful for the focus on mental health. They’ve always talked about it at some level, but there has been a deeper dive… He also wishes they had more counselors at his school… there simply aren’t enough of them to provide the academic and mental health support to large numbers of students.
Dr. Anne Lyman: Dr. Lyman also pointed out that sometimes less music may be performed because there was a higher need for conversation around the music.
Ms. Maria A Ellis: If we want to keep people singing, we shouldn’t allow anyone to feel bad if they don’t have a certain skill. We, as choral professionals, need to create paths forward.
Dr. Ahmed Anzaldúa: “For any justice work,” Dr. Anzaldúa said, “there has to be relationship work. Without relationship, it’s charity.” When we discuss equity work, it comes down to relationship. What’s the relationship you have with your singers, administrators, community? More importantly, what relationships are missing? Are the systems in place, whether previously designed or created by you, preventing relationships with people in your space and community? What are your relationships and what are the quality of your relationships? Even social justice-minded people can be unsure of how to respond or who to engage when confronted with a social-justice issue. He has seen that happen in organizations as well. A lot of organizations realized they didn’t have a relationship that would allow them to reach out to a community. It’s important to do authentic outreach, and whether this is in an organization or community, it requires establishing relationships.

Stories of Healing and Reimagining with Olivia Vestal

October 27, 2021 by Shannon Marie Gravelle Leave a Comment

In March 2020, spring break was extended. Olivia Vestal, now a first-year choral teacher in Durham, NC, was supposed to go to Regional NATS. Instead of performing live, she recorded a video, and remembers that was the last thing she did without a mask. After they finished, she wiped down the piano and recording equipment, and asked, “Is this good?” (referring to cleaning).

Olivia took the majority of her education courses after COVID had forced classes to change formats. She wasn’t sure how she was going to become the teacher she wanted to become when she wasn’t able to go into schools. Almost all of her courses needed an in person component. She wrote lesson plans she didn’t get to teach and had to give up classroom visits. Instead of observations in schools, she watched people on YouTube. She lost hours of classroom contact.

Her student teaching practicum in Spring 2021 began fully online. Many of these virtual days consisted of checking in with students, vocal exercises, and singing music on solfege. She would sing or call on a student to lead a passage, and students would sing with her or the student leader. All of this took time, and there were internet issues. In addition, the school mandated that she couldn’t teach for more than 45 minutes. After a couple months, school moved to cohort groups. Students would come for a week, then the next week another group would come in. The group that was not in-person attended online. Then they moved to all in-person, unless the student had chosen Virtual Academy. Until the dress rehearsal, she didn’t hear all the students sing together. As a student teacher, the only time she had to hear, evaluate, and give immediate feedback to the entire choir was during these rehearsals. She learned how to be flexible. She leaned into building community. She encouraged their exploration of music in addition to building their skills. But she missed out on training her ears, because for much of the time, she didn’t have voices in the room.

She continues to field constant change. In her classroom, she implemented risk mitigation measures that she knows will change based on public health. She has envisioned how she would set up her classroom if COVID mitigation strategies were not in place. She also has the normal first-year teacher issues to attend to: obligations that sometimes come to her late or unwritten program expectations, for example. It’s difficult to remember some policy and procedural things. She hasn’t given herself time NOT to work. If something doesn’t go well during the school day, she looks to her own preparedness. She finds herself having a difficult time separating work and being home. She struggles with imposter syndrome, and wonders how COVID affected her preparation to become a teacher– did she get the full experience of a teacher education program and is she really prepared? Despite the newness, her colleagues are supportive and don’t treat her as a novice. She feels a part of the team. She’s also able to connect to her students faster and easier because they’ve shared the online learning experience. Her students will say to her “You get it.”

As she builds her program, community is one of her priorities. Part of community building is learning foundations of music together– sight-reading, vocal technique, identifying features of octavos, aural skills. Sometimes community building has looked different than she anticipated. As an example, she had a student speak about being anti-LGBTQ+. She was taken aback by this, because she had never met a student who felt this way (or at least not a student who has expressed it). Her approach was to try to educate the student on how to care about individual people in their community, and what that expression of care might look (or sound) like.

She’s making a point to learn about each student: Who are they and what do they need? She’s trying to understand all identity points, or at least the ones students share. She’s made it a priority to meet all the counselors so she has access to resources and can learn from them. The students are doing listening journals, and the singers pick the music and create the assignment to go along with it. Some music doesn’t have any text, and some music isn’t in English. It’s been a great chance to learn about what the students value and what they need.

CJ Replay: A Consideration of Marc Blitzstein’s Choral Opera, The Condemned (1932)

May 31, 2021 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

The June/July issue of Choral Journal is online and features an article titled “The Capitalistic Machine Against a Radical Individual” by Richard Robbins. You can read it in its entirety at acda.org/choraljournal. Following is a portion from the introduction.

_______________________

American composer Marc Blitzstein (1905–1964) spent much of 1932 planning and composing The Condemned, an ambitious “choral opera” for four choirs and full orchestra, inspired by the trial and execution of the anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. Almost ninety years later, the project, which Blitzstein considered his “best work” to date, has received little attention and still awaits its fi rst performance.1

The score remains unpublished, despite the enthusiasm of such supporters as Nadia Boulanger, and the composer’s own plans for performances in the Soviet Union and England failed to materialize. Even so, The Condemned occupies a unique position in Blitzstein’s output and in American choral music: it may be the most extensive socially engaged choral work written by an American composer during the Great Depression, and its themes would continue to occupy Blitzstein’s imagination through the end of his life.2

NOTES

1 Marc Blitzstein (MB), letter to Josephine Blitzstein Davis
(JBD), 16 October 1932. This and all letters quoted are
from the Marc Blitzstein Papers collection, housed in the
Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research, part
of the Wisconsin Historical Society Archives in Madison.
Blitzstein used bits of The Condemned as source material for
later works, but the choral opera as originally conceived
has never been performed. All Blitzstein quotations
are reprinted with the permission of the Kurt Weill
Foundation for Music, New York. All rights reserved.

2 Some European works invite comparison, although
Blitzstein’s choral opera precedes them all. Hanns Eisler
would write the Communist-themed oratorio Die Mutter
in 1935, which features substantial music for chorus, and
concern for the Jewish situation in Germany inspired
Michael Tippett’s A Child of Our Time (1939-1941), which
would also use choral music to great eff ect.