Greetings -- see below . . .
----- Original Message -----
From: <RossiniSop@a...>
> Hi all!
>
> I have decided to sing with a local Messiah group here, and have
some
> questions for those of you with very soloistic voices who have tried
this.
<< snip >>
> So, where do they put the stronger singers?
Depends on the director and the "choral style" they use. I've sung
primarily with "Shaw" directors (those who use the techniques of
Robert Shaw), and I usually end up on the "inner" corner on the back
row of the sopranos. In one chorus, this put me right next to the
basses. I loved it!
> And should I try to blend?
There will be folks who disagree with me, but YOU shouldn't do
anything to change your tone/etc. in order to blend. It is the
director's responsibility to 1) select individual voices for the group
with some idea of the overall tone that will result, and 2) to place
these individuals in a physical arrangement to maximize the desired
result. In other words, "blend" is the director's job, not yours.
That said, however, there are some things you need to be able to do,
since choral singing *is* different from solo singing.
> I
> have been holding back a little, and can feel my support going,
which I just
> don't like.
This is one thing you SHOULD NOT do -- support is absolutely critical
in choral singing, especially when you need to regulate volume. The
natural tendency, for me anyway, used to be to "lighten up" the
support, and that's death for me. Instead, I use precisely the same
tone that I use for solo singing, but I bring the volume down a notch
or two from what is written. In other words, if the dynamic is marked
"f," I sing "mf"; if it's "p," I sing "pp," etc.
> They keep telling the sopranos to lighten up when they go up to
> G, A, and Bb, but that's where my voice is big and vibrant. Also,
every time
> the director makes a comment about the sopranos singing loud on high
notes, I
> feel self-conscious. I think he is talking about somebody else,
really,
> because I stopped to listen and heard some not-very-pretty sounds up
there
> and they were loud.
Have you ever sung Liu's aria from Turandot, "Signore, ascolta!"? You
know how you have to sing very high and light (but with FULL support)
on that last "pieta"? THAT's what you'll likely need to keep in mind
while singing Handel choral music up high. Keep it fully supported,
but very "floaty" and light. You'll still have your rich vibrant
tone, but the dynamic will "fit." If you're doing that, and the
director is STILL commenting about lightening up, you can be pretty
sure he's not talking about you. If in doubt, ASK!
> I am very conscious of actually singing the dynamics, which not a
lot of the
> people can do or are doing, but I am not sure if this sort of
situation can
> ever work itself out. Do any of you have experiences like this to
relate?
> Do you think it is just better not to sing with choruses (even if
you love
> the music)? Or should I ignore everything and just sing?
Just sing -- but always with the best technique you can muster, and be
very conscious of regulating your dynamics.
Some background: I've been classified as a "dramatic soprano" by more
than one teacher/coach, and as one teacher put it, I have a voice that
can peel paint on houses three blocks away. I've done some
professional opera solo work with a couple of regional companies, and
a little solo concert work as well. I also **LOVE** choral music, and
try to sing in choruses whenever I can. When I returned to choral
singing (after nearly 20 yrs absence), I auditioned for a large
(150+-voice) chorus in the SF Bay area, and was accepted. This helped
me to work out a choral technique that worked for me. Then, when I
moved to Seattle, I auditioned for several choruses before finding one
that "worked." I now sing in a small (about 45 voices) mixed chorus,
and still use the same technique I used before -- fully supported
sound, but with dynamics below what is marked. This is working out ju
st fine so far. The director is happy, the other sopranos seem to be
happy (chorus sopranos are typically the cattiest of all singers! I
know -- I *AM* one!), and we make wonderful music (we're doing the
Bach "Magnificat" and the Rutter "Gloria" for our Christmas concert
this year).
So, hang in there. Use YOUR voice (don't try to manipulate it), watch
the dynamics, and if you're concerned, talk to the director about it.
Ask him what he thinks about how you're doing.
All the best --
Lana Mountford
(traumatic soprano -- will screech for food)
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