On Mon, 18 Nov 2002, Dean FH Macy wrote:
> 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.
Interesting theory. Here's another theory: modern choral singing in Western Europe and the Americas grew out of the Western ecclesiastical choral tradition which, until the 19th century, used boys in the upper voice parts. For whatever reason of physiognomy, prepubescent boys' voices do not have much if any vibrato.
Composers, writing for the choruses available to them, and music directors - and more importantly, audiences - conditioned to hearing the "sexless" voices of prepubescent children singing upper parts in choral music, resulted in a modern choral "style" that is, in fact, a throwback to the days of Bach, Pergolesi, and Palestrina. In some countries, the ecclesiastical choral tradition has continued using boys - Britain most notably. In many others, women have replaced the boys - but the taste for boys' vibratoless voices has not been replaced, and thus the women (and it is really ONLY the women) have been forced to suppress the natural vibrato that enters the healthy post-pubescent voice.
Of course untrained voices have much less evident vibrato than well-trained, healthy Bel Canto voices - but the vibrato is there if the voice is healthy, and suppressing it is, in fact, attempting to make the voice sound less healthy than it really is.
I also do NOT buy Dean Macy's argument about relative pitches creating harmonies, etc. etc. Listen to any good opera chorus, where vibrato is allowed free rein, and you'll hear just what bunk Dr Macy's theory is.
And frankly, I think Mascagni's Easter Chorus from CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA, sung by a full-vibratoed opera chorus, is about as sublime a sacred expression as one will ever hear from ANY chorus.
Karen Mercedes http://www.radix.net/~dalila/index.html ________________________________ That man is the happiest who is most thoroughly deluded. - Erasmus
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