A Hybrid Choir

In between trying to put a 2.5 month old down for naps- the kid is so curious, he'd rather stay up all day and look at everything than sleep even when he is CLEARLY sleepy.  When do they start develop reasoning again?... what was I saying?

Oh yes, in between trying to get him to nap, I have started to look at music.  I've eliminated some pieces, but I have kept many out.  I have no idea yet as to the numbers of singers in my choirs and I have no idea what to expect as far as how to program... yet.  I am keeping out a variety of difficulty levels.  I have plans to do some research into the catalogue of some composers (like Schütz).  I love this.

I have been faced with an interesting dilemma (although I have a solution).  The person who was in my position before did not voice the women into sopranos/altos, but rather divided them up into parts (I, II, III), and had them rotate what part they sang each piece.  Now, I understand why she did this.  Developmentally, at some levels, it makes sense.  I like the idea.  However, by doing it that way, I wouldn't get to shape the color of each section and overall, the choir.  So, I was left with the choice: Continue on the tradition and have an even sound across the choir (which would likely not work for many pieces) or voice them into soprano/alto.

My solution is a bit of a hybrid.  I want to shape the sound and the color of the choir.  So I will voice them into soprano/alto.  This is necessary.  And for the students who are being given voice lessons, by the time they enter their sophomore year, they will start to have some distinct colors and sounds that will direct them into a certain voice part.  However, I understand the value of letting most of the voices sing both the alto and soprano parts.  So, the pieces that dictate a more "even" color across the color, I will assign them numbers and we will rotate.  I'm not sure if I'll like doing this (plus it makes a whole HECK of a lot of work for me), but I'm happy to try it.

By this hybrid solution, I'm looking for these outcomes: 1) A choir that still carries distinct colors as it traverses the pitch spectrum, 2) The singers to really dig into their sound and not be afraid to sing, 3) giving singers the opportunity to sing throughout the entirety of their range.

It's rarely about range.  Most singers can sing most vocal lines.  But it is about color.  And yes, I know that is a tricky term to define.  I'm not looking to define it.  Within the idea of "color" lies not just quality of sound, but also dynamics, ease of production, timbre, etc.

I'm excited about this.  We will see how it works out!