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.
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> 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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