As mentioned a few days ago, I am reading a book called "Chorus Confidential". Really a great book. In it, the author (Bill Dehning) said that in a choir, the sum is greater than the parts. I have been thinking about this statement a lot the past few days. The timing of this book is perfect in my life- as it is a refresher on so many things as well as still a learning tool.
What makes choirs so special? Well, there are many more reasons than I could list here. More than I will probably ever think of, really. Maybe someday I will attempt to make a list, but I know it will never be exhaustive. I believe choirs are that special. If I didn't, I wouldn't be doing what I am doing. However, I am going to attempt to explain just a small part of the magic of choirs.
I love listening to music of all kinds. Truth be told, I am probably a bad Master of Music student. Most of my "free listening" is spent on groups such as the Avett Brothers or singer/songwriters such as Ingrid Michaelson. Then there is the occasional Backstreet Boys album or Rock of Ages-type musical. Sometimes I want to listen to my favorite classical pieces: Pictures at an Exhibition (the Ravel orchestral version) or Bizet's L'Arlesienne Suite Number 2. I don't listen to tons of choral music, although I do soak up a decent amount of early music, which I love (I think part of the reason I love listening to early music on iTunes is because it records well). The music I listen to the least (other than heavy metal or rap) is probably any sort of aria or art song. It is not that I don't enjoy this, because I do. I like going to recitals and listening to performers of all skill levels. But I am rarely blown away by a single voice and it certainly doesn't transport me to a different place.
But take that single voice, multiply it times 60 and have them sing together. There is a greatness to choirs. With a choir, there is a chance the listener or performer maybe be taken out of their individual barrier and thrown into a transcendent experience. Or at least I know there is that chance, which is what I strive to help shape for the singers and the listeners. Is it the music? Is it the fact we have to be very aware and "in oneness" with our "brothers and sisters" singing with us? Those moments are very personal and spiritual, but yet have a chance to be shared with others in a safe space. It has to be a safe space, otherwise the listener or performer would not be able to get to that spiritual moment, that transcendental moment.
So the performer and listener have to be willing to get out of themselves and be a part of the music. That's tough to do. As I have said before, one cannot "google" choir and how to get that experience. There is no right or wrong answer. In fact, as a singer and conductor, we never GET to the final answer because music is never finished. For a perfectionist like me, that is normally frustrating, but I have gotten used to enjoying the journey. When a person knows there is a right or wrong answer, there is often a way to get there without having to take down any "walls". When the answer is the journey, it is useless if the performer/listener/conductor does not take down the wall. Well, maybe not useless, but it is not a complete experience.
Hmmm, so what is the real priority for a conductor? The ability to encourage and shape that transcendent, communal moment? Or the moment itself? Meaning, do I consider a semester or choral season a success if my singers learn how to open themselves up to that moment but they don't actually get that moment?
I don't have an answer for that right now.
And here I reach the end of my jumbled thought process for the time being. A type of fortspinnung, I guess.
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