Jean Marie Henderson wrote in part:
>Otherwise, how could so many of them think that eliminating vibrato will solve
their choir's intonation problems?
>
I'd like to answer this one. First eliminating vibrato has nothing to do
with intonation. It has to do with the harmony, the uniqueness of a
chorus. My guitarist plays a 12 string instrument. Each of the forth
lower second strings is tuned an octave higher which gives the guitar
the rich sound. To increase the richness one string in each of the six
pairs is slightly detuned. This sets up harmonics out of which the music
played is bigger than life. The richness and harmonics is out of this
world. However, if two 12 string guitarists tune their instruments in
the same way the sound from the double harmonics is gastly, unfit for
listening because the harmonics (we can call this 'vibrato') clash: The
waves interfere with each other.
Likewise in a chorus. The sound of a chorus is unique because most
people in a chorus do not have perfect pitch. If they did, the
resulting sound would be dull/flat sounding. The members in a chorus
sing on pitch and somewhere between the lower edge and upper edge of
pitch. This sound, the 'detuned' chorus, sets up harmonies, call it a
natural vibrato, which yields a rich, full sound. When you throw in
vibrato, much like the two detuned guitars, the waves clash with each
other resulting in a terrible, hideous sound.
This is why choral directors insist on no vibrato.
Dr Dean
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