Vocalist.org archive


From:  "MC Silon" <mc_silon@h...>
Date:  Wed Sep 20, 2000  12:54 pm
Subject:  Re: [vocalist-temporary] Digest Number 269


19/09/2000
From: Marie-Claire Silon – mc_silon@h...
Re: Singer wannabe

To Pat Smith dgcsorcmgr@j...


My experience as a voice teacher (about 25 years) and as a choir conductor
(about 5 years) showed me that there is a big difference between singing as
a soloist and in a choir. I always say to my students that singing in a
choir is – in a certain way – must more difficult than singing as a soloist.
As a soloist, you – or your teacher – choose an appropriated repertoire for
your voice. In a choir, you have to adapt yourself (your voice) to the
repertoire chosen by the conductor. The conductor’s considerations about
choosing repertoire are not precisely according to your individually voice
ability or capacity. This is one of the reasons your voice has to be very
well prepared to sing in a choir. The more your voice is developed, better
you will be able to deal with this activity.
Please I don’t want you to understand me in a wrong way: being a soloist
demands an excellent voice preparation. But, when you are a student, your
teacher can choose the pieces for you to sing at the moment, and you will be
able to do it pretty good because he knows your capacity.
I heard and read a lot about the “eternal conflict” between the voice
teacher and the choir conductor: there are voice teachers who don’t allow
their students of singing in a choir. Their pretext is that the choir spoils
their voices: the technique is different and the repertoire is generally too
difficult. On the other side, conductors don’t enable working with a voice
teacher (may be for this reason).
I think that if both of them (conductor and voice teacher) are good
professionals, it can be wonderful to work together.
1 – The experience of singing in a choir is indispensable to a good
musician: it develops the hearing, and completes our musical education and
instruction. You see, the choir repertoire is too fabulously big, rich and
important to be ignored. Sometimes, it can also improve our singing. It can
help to overpower excess of timidity, and to be ready to future performances
as a soloist.
2 – A good voice teacher will be very useful to a choir conductor, if he
really knows the difference between the two techniques. The conductor must
understand that the more the voices are developed even as soloists ones, he
will get better musical results. The teacher’s duty is to prepare his
students to the best with their voices: different kinds of sound,
articulations, dynamics, etc. In addition to that, the conductor can “use”
the teacher to solve technical problems in his choir. For many years, I used
to be present at the rehearsal of the choir I worked with as a voice
teacher, and the conductor asked me to stop them if I heard some technical
problems, and to try to solve them using exercises. It was a very fructify
kind of working for the choir and for the conductor, and it helped me to
“understand” this beautiful kind of activity and to appreciate it more and
more. It even helped me to give a better orientation to my students who were
singing in that choir.
About your singing in the choir, I think it will better for you to speak
with your teacher and to ask him for help. I don’t suggest you to criticize
him or the choir you are singing in (even if you fill a little like that),
but to ask him for technical help.
My small and modest suggestion for you is to be, first of all, aware of your
voice capacity. It means, not to sing higher, lower, stronger or quieter
than you can. Don’t forget you are not alone, you are not the only singer in
your voice: allow the others to do it, and enjoy the music. If you have
breathing problems, don’t worry about that: you can do it gently in the
middle of a phrase because you are not alone in your voice. Probably others
also do the same.
I hope it helped a little, even with my “strange” English.
Good luck
Marie-Claire




>From: vocalist-temporary@egroups.com
>Reply-To: vocalist-temporary@egroups.com
>To: vocalist-temporary@egroups.com
>Subject: [vocalist-temporary] Digest Number 269
>Date: 18 Sep 2000 09:50:44 -0000
>
>
>
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>There are 9 messages in this issue.
>
>Topics in this digest:
>
> 1. Re: Practice Perfect
> From: singersuki@a...
> 2. Re: What is this piece?
> From: Margaret Harrison <peggyh@i...>
> 3. Re: OFF: Vegetarianism and Allergies
> From: "Elizabeth Finkler" <mightymezzo@h...>
> 4. Re: What is this piece?
> From: Kate Reid <radishes@r...>
> 5. OFF: Re: Gov screwing us again/probable hoax
> From: Michael Eckford <michaelb@i...>
> 6. Re: OFF: Re: Gov screwing us again/probable hoax
> From: Oberon603@a...
> 7. Re: OFF: Vegetarianism and Allergies
> From: Mezzoid@a...
> 8. Re: l'amico Fritz soprano aria---insert
> From: "Leo Morgan" <leomor@g...>
> 9. Re: Singer wannabe [long]
> From: Patricia M Smith <dgcsorcmgr@j...>
>
>
>________________________________________________________________________
>________________________________________________________________________
>
>Message: 1
> Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2000 12:52:30 EDT
> From: singersuki@a...
>Subject: Re: Practice Perfect
>
>I used their CD's to learn Rosina, and found it very useful. Yes, the
>tempos
>can be a problem. And no recits. But, I would definitely use it again.
>
>Suki T
>
>
>________________________________________________________________________
>________________________________________________________________________
>
>Message: 2
> Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2000 13:51:48 -0400
> From: Margaret Harrison <peggyh@i...>
>Subject: Re: What is this piece?
>
>radishes@r... wrote:
>
> I really adore this piece of music and would love to
> > learn to sing it. Unfortunately, I don't even know who wrote it!
> > The title of the piece is "Mesi&#269;ku na neb&igrave;
> > hlubok&eacute;m." Anyone know
> > where it comes from or who wrote it? I feel really idiotic!
>
>Kate, would you write again the title of the piece without the HTML or
>diacritical marks
>or whatever? As you can see, it came across on my mail software as
>gibberish, which makes
>it a little hard to sort out what it might be. Also any other information
>you can provide
>about the style of the piece would also be helpful.
>
>Peggy
>
>--
>Margaret Harrison, Alexandria, Virginia, USA
>"Music for a While Shall All Your Cares Beguile"
>mailto:peggyh@i...
>
>
>________________________________________________________________________
>________________________________________________________________________
>
>Message: 3
> Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 11:10:36 PDT
> From: "Elizabeth Finkler" <mightymezzo@h...>
>Subject: Re: OFF: Vegetarianism and Allergies
>
> >From: Mezzoid@a...
>
> >
> >In a message dated 09/14/2000 10:16:46 PM Central Daylight Time,
> >RALUCOB@a... writes:
> >
> ><< i am sure you never get a craving for your cat, just as i, a
> >vegetarian,
> >never get cravings for hemlock. >>
> >
> >
> >Here, kitty, kitty, kitty..............
> >
> >Christine Thomas, Mezzo Soprano
> >Wauwatosa, WI
> >
>
>The really USEFUL plant poisons are oleander and foxglove. Cause a heart
>attack, which makes them particularly useful for bumping off older men with
>unhealthy lifestyles (heh, heh, heh).
>
>Don't have a cat, although there are several in the neighborhood. I just
>wish they wouldn't use my garden as a rest room! :-P
>
>Years ago, I heard a comedian do a routine suggesting that we decide which
>animals we eat on the basis of their intelligence. The neighborhood cats
>scoot right over the fence when I approach. And the chickens raised by the
>people in back stopped coming in the yard after I threatened to tell
>Colonel
>Sanders where they lived.
>
>Christine and I probably both saw the same "South Park" episode, about the
>New Age lady who said that Kyle's kidney disease could be treated with
>herbs
>and purgatives. There's no talking to us!
>
>And, to get this back to singing, I just discovered that Marilyn Horne has
>cancelled her appearance at the San Jose Symphony season-opener tomorrow
>night due to a cold. (&$#@!! I was hoping for a chance to touch the hem of
>her garment.) How do you suppose she ever had a career when she can be
>laid
>low by a mere virus? Surely she knows the importance of traveling in a
>hermetically sealed bubble with her own air purifier and supply of
>de-ionized room-temperature water and raw organic veggies!
>
>And why on earth didn't the SJ Symphony think of calling ***ME*** to fill
>in? ;-)
>
>Elizabeth Finkler
>HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESSYE NORMAN!
>http://home.earthlink.net/~mightymezzo/
>mightymezzo@h...
>
>"Virtue is triumphant only in theatrical productions." --The Mikado
>
>"Quitters never win. Winners never quit. But those who never win and
>never
>quit are just plain stupid." --anonymousse
>
>_________________________________________________________________________
>
>
>
>
>________________________________________________________________________
>________________________________________________________________________
>
>Message: 4
> Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2000 11:16:36 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Kate Reid <radishes@r...>
>Subject: Re: What is this piece?
>
>Hi there,
>The piece is "Mesicku na nebi hlubokem," and I have been
>informed that it is Rusalka's song to the moon, known in
>English as 'O Silver Moon' (from Rusalka by Dvorak). I'm
>going to order the music from Classical Vocal Rep tomorrow
>bright and early :) I found a translation through the aria
>database, although I'm now grappling with prnounciation.
>I'd really like to sing the piece in the original language.
>
>Thanks for replying :)
>
>---Kate
>
>
>--- Margaret Harrison <peggyh@i...> wrote:
> > radishes@r... wrote:
> >
> > I really adore this piece of music and would love to
> > > learn to sing it. Unfortunately, I don't even know who
> > wrote it!
> > > The title of the piece is "Mesičku na neb&igrave;
> > > hlubok&eacute;m." Anyone know
> > > where it comes from or who wrote it? I feel really
> > idiotic!
> >
> > Kate, would you write again the title of the piece
> > without the HTML or diacritical marks
> > or whatever? As you can see, it came across on my mail
> > software as gibberish, which makes
> > it a little hard to sort out what it might be. Also any
> > other information you can provide
> > about the style of the piece would also be helpful.
> >
> > Peggy
> >
> > --
> > Margaret Harrison, Alexandria, Virginia, USA
> > "Music for a While Shall All Your Cares Beguile"
> > mailto:peggyh@i...
> >
>
>
>__________________________________________________
>
>
>________________________________________________________________________
>________________________________________________________________________
>
>Message: 5
> Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2000 13:43:55 -0700
> From: Michael Eckford <michaelb@i...>
>Subject: OFF: Re: Gov screwing us again/probable hoax
>
>Because a very similar story circulated in here Canada just a few months
>ago, I
>strongly suspect this original message is a hoax, as the Canadian version
>very
>quickly proved to be. On one hand, like many of us I am sure, I find such
>hoaxes to be quite annoying and wasteful. On the other hand, the little
>bit of
>truth and mindfulness they can invoke may ultimately be a good thing...
>
>Cheers.
>
>Michael
>
>Michael Eckford <michaelb@i...>
>Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
>http://www.angelfire.com/me/interdependence/
>
>Oberon603@a... wrote:
>
> > From: charles.knapp@g...
> > To: "pw" <pw@g...>
> >
> > I guess the warnings were true. Federal Bill
> > 602P 5-cents per E-mail Sent. It figures! No more free
> > E-mail! We knew this was coming!! Bill 602P will
> > permit the Federal Government to charge a 5-cent
> > charge on every delivered E-mail.
> >
> > Please read the following carefully if you
> > intend to stay online, and continue using E-mail. The
> > last few months have revealed an alarming trend in the
> > Government of the United States attempting to quietly
> > push through legislation that will affect our use of
> > the Internet.
> >
> > Under proposed legislation, the US Postal
> > Service will be attempting to bill E-mail users out of
> > alternative postage fees." Bill 602P will permit the
> > Federal Government to charge a 5-cent surcharge on
> > every E-mail delivered, by billing Internet Service
> > Providers at source. The consumer would then be billed
> > in turn by the ISP.
> >
> > Washington, DC lawyer Richard Stepp is
> > working without pay to prevent this legislation from
> > becoming law. The US Postal Service is claiming lost
> > revenue, due to the proliferation of E-mail, is
> > costing nearly $230,000,000 in revenue per year. You
> > may have noticed their recent ad campaign: "There is
> > nothing like a letter."
> >
> > Since the average person received about 10
> > pieces of E-mail per day in 1998, the cost of the
> > typical individual would be an additional 50 cents a
> > day -- or over $180 per year -- above and beyond their
> > regular Internet costs. Note that this would be money
> > paid directly to the US Postal Service for a service
> > they do not even provide. The whole point of the
> > Internet is democracy and noninterference. You are
> > already paying an exorbitant price for snail mail
> > because of bureaucratic efficiency. It currently takes
> > up to 6 days for a letter to be delivered from coast
> > to coast. If the US Postal Service is allowed to
> > tinker with E-mail, it will mark the end of the "free"
> > Internet in the United States. Our congressional
> > representative, Tony Schnell (R) has even suggested a
> > 20-$40 per month surcharge on all Internet service"
> > above and beyond the governments proposed E-mail
> > charges
> >
> > Note that most of the major newspapers have
> > ignored the story -- the only exception being the
> > Washingtonian - which called the idea of E-mail
> > Surcharge "a useful concept who's time has come"
> > March 6th, 1999 Editorial).
> >
> > Do not sit by and watch your freedom erode
> > away! Send this to E-mail to EVERYONE on your list,
> > and tell all your friends and relatives write their
> > congressional representative and say "NO" to Bill
> > 602P. It will only take a few moments of your time and
> > could very well be instrumental in killing a bill we
> > do not want.
>
>
>
>________________________________________________________________________
>________________________________________________________________________
>
>Message: 6
> Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2000 17:11:48 EDT
> From: Oberon603@a...
>Subject: Re: OFF: Re: Gov screwing us again/probable hoax
>
>Thanks Mike for the heads up. Someone else already informed me of this.
>I
>guess you shouldn't believe everything you read. Sorry to have bothered
>you
>vocalisters.
>
>Best,
>Ken
>
>
>________________________________________________________________________
>________________________________________________________________________
>
>Message: 7
> Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2000 17:44:14 EDT
> From: Mezzoid@a...
>Subject: Re: OFF: Vegetarianism and Allergies
>
>In a message dated 09/17/2000 1:12:26 PM Central Daylight Time,
>mightymezzo@h... writes:
>
><< Christine and I probably both saw the same "South Park" episode, about
>the
> New Age lady who said that Kyle's kidney disease could be treated with
>herbs
> and purgatives. There's no talking to us! >>
>
>Toxins are our enemy!! :)
>
>Christine Thomas, Mezzo Soprano
>Wauwatosa, WI
>
>"Humility is the acceptance of the possibility that someone else can teach
>you something else you do not know already, especially about yourself.
>Conversely, pride and arrogance close the door of the mind."
>-- Arthur Deikman, The Observing Self
>
>
>________________________________________________________________________
>________________________________________________________________________
>
>Message: 8
> Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2000 01:19:42 +0100
> From: "Leo Morgan" <leomor@g...>
>Subject: Re: l'amico Fritz soprano aria---insert
>
>sorry should have been Hi Phyllis
>
>Leo ----Drogheda
>
>
>[This message contained attachments]
>
>
>
>________________________________________________________________________
>________________________________________________________________________
>
>Message: 9
> Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2000 20:59:15 -0500
> From: Patricia M Smith <dgcsorcmgr@j...>
>Subject: Re: Singer wannabe [long]
>
>Okay, here's a related question. I can sing for a long time in my voice
>range, controlling my own "dynamics" but when I'm in a choral situation
>in which I cannot sing full voice (because I'll outsing most of the
>soprano section) I get sore & tired & lose some pitches in my middle
>range (C-D an octave above middle C usually).
>
>Any comments or suggestions? I haven't really discussed this with my
>voice teacher for a number of reasons (including a strained friendship
>between her & one of the conductors that I sing under!).
>
>Pat Smith
>
>
>On Sat, 16 Sep 2000 21:27:37 -0700 Craig Tompkins
><craigtompkins@t...> writes:
> >
> > > I resumed singing in our church choir about 5 years ago (was a
> > choral tenor
> > > during high school and college years) Started as a bass because at
>the time it
> > seemed less
> > > "exposed". However, it wasn't long before I noticed that after
> > every service,
> > > and choir practice, my throat was a little sore, and my voice
> > seemed "foggy".
> > snip
> >
> > > When I complained about still feeling sore after singing bass (by
> > > now I was in a respectable community choir), she told me I could
> > learn to
> > > sing bass without becoming sore. I found my ear would automatically
>cause me to try to
> > match
> > snip
> >
> >snip
> The director of our
> > community
> > > chorus had already moved me to tenor-2. Finally, it's soooo
> > goooood to
> > > sing, even for hours, and not be sore. This is a bit like reverse
> > puberty!
> > >
> > >
> >snip
> > Don't apologize!!! It sounds like you're in good hands with your
> > current
> > teacher (and conductor). If you are not experiencing a sore throat
> > and vocal
> > fatigue after rehearsals, then you must be on the right track to
> > healthy
> > singing.
> >
>
>________________________________________________________________
>
>
>________________________________________________________________________
>________________________________________________________________________
>
>
>

_________________________________________________________________________




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