First published 14 September, 2015
by
Dr. Alfred Calabrese
S CHURCH MUSICIANS,
it seems we are always in preparation mode. From planning music for an
entire season to setting up chairs for rehearsals—and dozens of things
in between—it seems we are always ‘getting ready’ for something.
Fortunate is the musician who, like me, has some fantastic people who
help with many of these tasks. But even then, the catalyst for all of
this and more is the music director.
With all that there is to do, and with so much on our minds, who has
time to prepare for a choir rehearsal? I mean really prepare. Not just
play through each piece once, or give a familiar motet or chant a quick
glance, but really prepare? What does thorough preparation look like
anyway?
Last time I talked about
listening to different choirs to get an idea of what a great choral
sound really is. What I am not advocating is actually learning a piece
of music, or preparing to teach a piece, simply by listening to it over
and over. That leads nowhere. With all that there is to do, it is
important to carve out the time to sit with the music and really learn
it. Only by knowing a piece inside and out can we then teach it
effectively and efficiently.
Here are some of the ways a good conductor (not just a choral conductor) learns a piece of music:
1. Sing every part. Be sure you can sing each part without errors in pitch or rhythm. Sing it with all the dynamics, vowel color, and inflection that you want your choir to have. Master the most difficult parts so that you can demonstrate them to the choir at a moment’s notice.
2. Work at the piano. At the piano, sing one part while playing the rest, working through each part until the piece is almost memorized. Isolate points of dissonance or interesting chords and sing them from the bottom up. Sing in tune!
3. Use your inner ear. In complete silence, try to hear the whole piece in your head. Can you hear two parts at once? Three parts? Listen, in your mind, to the vowels, dynamics, and phrasing. This is an advanced skill but one that everyone should try.
4. Sing and conduct. Imagine the choir in front of you. Conduct your imaginary choir while singing one part. After a few measures switch to another part. Can you easily find the starting note? Are your conducting gestures clear and musical? Is your tempo steady?
5. Mark your music. This can be something as simple as adding in breath marks, reinforcing dynamics, or marking in who sings different verses. It can also mean analyzing every chord, marking phrase structure, and penciling in the overall form of the piece. 1
Learning our music well makes choir rehearsals efficient and
informative. If we know every part fluently, and if we know exactly what
we want to hear, then we can easily recognize errors as they occur and
fix them. We can teach our singers how to sing each phrase because we’ve
sung them ourselves. We can hear balances and bring out important
themes because we’ve already heard them with our inner ear. We will have
the ability to make contact with our singers because, knowing the music
so well, our heads will not be buried in the score.
IN ADDITION TO PREPARING OUR EARS
and our scores, we should prepare our rehearsals. I know in those times
that I have failed to adequately plan a rehearsal, I inevitably spend
too much time on one piece, only to realize that there is no time left
to get to some other important music. As a remedy, each week I create a
rehearsal schedule that is based on the kind that Robert Shaw created
for his rehearsals, especially his orchestra rehearsals. By planning the
rehearsal down to the minute, the schedule keeps me on task and allows
me to rehearse everything that needs to be accomplished that week. If
you do this, try to account for every minute, including non-musical
items such as prayers or announcements. Decide which pieces or sections
of pieces need the most time and which ones can wait for a few weeks. It
can be a bit of a jig-saw puzzle, but this type of planning will also
force you to think about upcoming rehearsals.
If these things can be addressed efficiently, then we have more time
to get to some other really fun stuff. We can spend some time talking
about the theology of the text or the composer’s biography. There might
be a few extra minutes to explain certain aspects of the Mass, talk
about the Collect for the upcoming Sunday, or how the motet we’re
singing is actually based on the Proper text of the day. Both you and
your choir will feel the power of the plan. This kind of detailed
preparation allows one to feel organized and confident. Singers will
appreciate your command of the material, and they will be grateful that
you’re making the most of their valuable time. There is no substitute
for thorough preparation. It is a crucial component in forming and
fashioning a great choir.
Next time: Passion!
Source: http://www.ccwatershed.org/blog/2015/sep/14/getting-most-your-choir-preparation/
No comments:
Post a Comment