Naomi Gurt Lind wrote:
> My theory (which works better for amateur choruses than professional > choruses) is that untrained or ill-trained choral singers may have > vibratos that distort the pitch (too wide, too fast, too slow, > whatever) and that instead of dealing with the specific issues of > helping each singer find a vibrato that sounds in tune, the conductor > is more likely to ask everyone to cut their vibrato. You must admit > that in voices that are not operating at their technical best, pitch > is much clearer when vibrato is absent.
Having just returned from a chorus rehearsal, what made the choir sound the best was a clear sense of vowel. A problem with a section was worked on, and was not getting better, until the director identified the vowel as the culprit and insisted that the section in question focus on a good vowel sound - /a/ in the diphthon "ou" in this case. And EVERYTHING bad about the note was instantly corrected: pitch, vibrato, volume, clarity. The difference between the "before" and "after" was striking - the difference in tone between amateur and professional (this with a choir of 100% non-auditioned amateurs). My director (in other contexts) explains it this way: The vowel is how the brain tells the larynx what to do. If the larynx doesn't get a clear message from the brain, it will be confused and the sound will not be good, so a good vowel thought takes the singer a long way towards a good singing tone. I think most choral directors come from a keyboard rather than a vocal background, so many don't know how to say things that will elicit optimum vocal technique from untrained singers.
Peggy
-- Margaret Harrison, Alexandria, Virginia, USA "Music for a While Shall All Your Cares Beguile" mailto:peggyh@i...
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