Edward Norton wrote:
... "whisky" or "neck-tie" tenors who produce a nasal, whining tone
somewhat akin to a domestic cat with a 200 lb. man
standing on its tail. I worked with one who could out screech a 350
member congregation, 22 voice choir and a 25 rank
North German Baroque pipe organ. Cassette tapes made for shut-ins
sounded like this screeching voice with a back-up
group (the choir and congregation) and accompaniment (the pipe
organ)!...
Oh dear... Now that is funny.. . And at least you have a good since of
humor. My situation is happier in that my fellow soprano out SUNG last
Christmas a 40 member (normally we are much smaller) choir, a small
orchestra (including trumpet), organ, and a congregation on a soprano
descant with a sound like that of an operatic spinto. (She is not
normally that loud.) And it was a nice sound. Blend is not a problem
in such situations either because no ther soprano is heard.
We however are terrible with quiet pieces. Soft ,delicate, etc. we
don't do. <Sigh> I don't even try to take the vibrato out of my voice
anymore. (It's not large.) When I try to sing straight tone I think that
I sound flat. I will pass on the email from Margaret about matching
vowel sounds to my choir director who by the way is not totally against
vibrato. ( Not that he wants his choir to sound like an operatic chorus
either. Many choir members just don't sing have vibratos in their voice
and couldn't even if my director were begging them to.) But the vowel
tip might may help the entire choir.
Having the choir match vowel sounds solution started me thinking again.
Sopranos do sing high enough in pitch that vowel sounds are modified
when sung. Hmm. I bet you that individual choir sopranos are doing
different things with vowel sounds in the higher register. I am not
sure of what vowels could be sung, for I have been trained to sing a
neutral vowel (a schwa sound) on F sharp and higher. Told to do so or
else. And, well, MAYBE that is not what others are doing. <another
sigh.>
Barbara Roberts
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