Atkinson
Atkinson
Atkinson
CHORAL FORMATION
ON THE SINGING VOICE
DEBRA S. ATKINSON
Debra S. Atkinson, DA, is assistant professor of music and director of choral activities at Mis-
sissippi University for Women in Columbus, MS, where she directs the MUW Chorale, the
MUW Chamber Singers, and the vocal jazz group, Encore. She also teaches courses in music
education and supervises student teacher interns in music education datkinson@as.muw.edu.
choral formation and spacing between sing- tails interpretive imagination,” while choral differs from what they are being taught in
ers has on select voices of an ensemble as conductors, on the other hand, continue the private voice studio. These students can
revealed through long-term average spectra to testify to their dedication to nurturing become very confused when they get con-
(LTAS) of the individual singers. The singers healthy singers. In order to eliminate some flicting information about singing from choral
that served as research in this article were in of the conflicts, Edwards suggests that voice conductors and teachers of voice. Robert
an ensemble that was given the opportunity teachers should invite students to spend Garretson avers that voice teachers must
to express their preferences for each of the time in voice lessons on issues concerning understand that some deviation in vocal
choral formations. Therefore, this article their choral repertoire.5 production is necessary in order to achieve
concentrates on the singers’ comments and Sharon Hansen, Axel Theimer, and Leon historical authenticity in the performance
opinions regarding choral formation and Thurman state that most college/university of choral music from different periods of
spacing, and the differences they perceived voice teachers believe there is only one cor- music history.10
between choral and solo singing. rect way to sing: the way one sings Western According to John Weiss, Renaissance
opera.6 Dale Moore is concerned about music can sometimes cause problems for
solo voices in choral situations, especially so- operatically trained singers. The style used
Choral Singing Versus Solo Singing pranos with large voices that have operatic for singing this music is often thought to be
According to Rossing, et al., choral singing potential. He thinks that nothing is more dif- “thin, straight, and lifeless.” However, one
and solo singing are two distinctly different ficult for a singer with a big voice than being must remember that the sixteenth cen-
modes of musical performance. For this made to sing at low dynamic levels or always tury cathedrals provided an acoustic that
reason, some voice teachers are reluctant to having to “hold the voice back.”7 According supported vocal resonance without force.
allow their students to participate in choral to Sten Ternström, demands on choral sing- During the nineteenth century, singers devel-
ensembles.2 The demands of solo singing are ers are different from those placed on solo oped vocal techniques that allowed them to
different from those facing the choral singer; singers. Choral singers are expected to blend meet the demands of being heard over large
however, Royal Stanton believes that these with each other while opera singers do just orchestras in large concert halls.Therefore, it
demands are not necessarily contradictory.3 the opposite. Opera singers have developed may be necessary for some twenty-first cen-
A well-trained voice should be flexible vocal strategies that allow them to be heard tury singers to slightly modify their technique
enough to meet the demands of either over the symphony orchestra.8 Frauke Haas- in order to legitimately perform Renaissance
mode of performance.4 eman believes that trained singers may have music. Unfortunately, many singers and voice
Darryl Edwards suggests that conflicts to reduce the vocal force and vibrato when teachers are unwilling to make any kind
between choral conductors and voice singing in a choir but avers that anyone who of adjustments, fearing that some damage
teachers are not a new phenomenon. He has a good vocal technique should be able to could be done to the voice.11 Daryl Edwards
says “voice teachers complain that choral do this without damaging the voice.9 points out that the singers who think singing
singing promotes vocal constriction, limits Voice students are sometimes advised softly in choir is unhealthy are the same ones
the healthy growth of solo singing, and cur- not to use a singing technique in choir that who think nothing of singing sotto voce in an
art song such as Schubert’s An die Musik. He
indicates that responsible choral conductors
will balance personal ideals of choral tone
with healthy vocal production by each singer
in the ensemble.12
The vocal production disagreements that
are faced by American choral conductors
and teachers of voice are not perceived
the same way in Sweden. Gary Anderson
observed Swedish choral conductors and
voice teachers who seem to understand
and agree that there is a difference between
choral and solo singing and were surprised
to learn that this is such a controversial
matter in America.13 Knowing that there are
differing views, how should we go forward
in order to co-exist as teachers of voice and
directors of choral ensembles? The follow-
ing sections present a description of some
of the methods used by choral conductors
tet plan (placing singers in heterogeneous best if members of the ensemble had a voice Voice Matching
groupings of four singers each; a soprano, an in deciding the placement of voices within Voice matching is a technique developed
alto, a tenor and a bass) appears to be the the ensemble.20 by Weston Noble for use with the Nordic
preferred formation for the performance of According to Lewis Gordon, the forma- Choir at Luther College.The first step in the
four-part homophonic music.19 tion of the choir should be based on several procedure is to find two voices in a section
James Daugherty, one of the pioneers in factors: the number of singers, the balance that have a natural blend. Gradually, singers
choral acoustics, states empirical studies sug- between the parts, the abilities of the sing- are added one by one until all singers in the
gest that mixed formation does not produce ers, contrast between the individual voices, section are in one horizontal line. Noble
a noticeably better sound for the audience. and the structure of the music. He suggests says the blend must be present on both
However, experienced singers may prefer placing strong singers toward the back or sides of the singers and he has learned that
mixed over sectional formations. Daugherty next to weak singers. Soloistic voices should like voices are not always the best choices
also suggests that compatibility placement never be placed on the ends of the rows to stand next to each other. Opposites also
of voices in an ensemble could be beneficial but should be put in the middle of the rows have the potential for blend (differences in
to choirs of all ages because it encourages toward the back. He also encourages try- tone color, vibratos, etc.).25
sensitivity to the ensemble sound and allows ing several formations while rehearsing a Eckholm’s research suggests that ar-
singers to consider their own phonation. He piece: starting in a circle or semi-circle, using ranging singers so that voices are acousti-
adds that perhaps this method would work sectional formation to learn the parts, using cally matched may “enhance blend, dynamic
mixed quartets or circle within a circle to range, phrasing, and overall tone quality.” It
polish, and returning to the original plan for may also benefit vocal production, comfort,
interpretation and staging.21 and satisfaction in choral singing.26 Neil
Woodruff proposes that voice matching
reduces the vocal changes for singers in
Self-to-Other Ratio an ensemble and could possibly begin to
Sten Ternströ m discovered another reduce tensions between choral directors
acoustical phenomenon that affects the and teachers of voice because of perceived
individual singers in an ensemble. He made differences in pedagogical practices.27
several investigations into what he calls Self-
to-Other Ratio (SOR) in choral singing. The
singers in a choir apparently have definite Purpose of This Study
preferences for the balance between self- Research indicates that many factors in-
sound and others-sound.22 If spacing is too fluence choral tone and choral blend. Some
close, there is a masking of the individual of these are vowel uniformity, vibrato, choral
voice by the sound of the surrounding voices formation, strategic placement of singers, and
creating a decreased amount of auditory spacing between singers. Accordingly, this
feedback. In this situation, choristers will author conducted an investigation to deter-
push or force their voices in order to be mine the effects of choral formation (mixed
able to hear themselves. This phenomenon or sectional) and spacing (close or spread)
is described as the “Lombard” effect. The on the voices of four select singers in a select
Lombard effect occurs if the others-sound sixteen-member college ensemble. Addition-
overpowers the self-sound, causing over- ally, all sixteen singers in the ensemble were
singing, intonation problems, and vocal fa- asked questions regarding their preferences
tigue.23 However, Steve Tonkinson found that for singing in each of the four formations.
singers can be taught to resist the “Lombard” The four randomly selected individuals—a
effect with proper training.24 soprano, alto, tenor, and bass—were also
The exact amount of space that is need- asked to describe the differences, if they
ed between singers has not been clearly thought there were any, between solo sing-
determined. Research does support the idea ing and choral singing.
that spacing of twenty-four and thirty-six It was instructive to read the comments
inches provided positive comments from that the singers made about singing in the
singers in the ensemble and from the audi- different formations and about singing in
tor’s who were rating their performances. choral ensembles in general.
The four formations used in the study
Sectional-Close TTTTBBBB
SSSSAAAA
Sectional-Spread T T T T B B B B
S S S S A A A A
Mixed-Close STABSTAB
ABSTABST
Mixed-Spread S T A B S T A B
A B S T A B S T
How do you classify your voice? How many years of private voice instruction?
Do you place or focus your tone while singing in the choir in the same way you do while singing a solo?
Do you use the same dynamic levels of forte or mezzo forte in the choral ensemble that you use in solo singing?
Soprano – (often)
Alto – (never)
Tenor – (seldom)
Bass – (seldom)
Are you asked to sing at dynamic levels that are too soft to be sung in an efficient manner while in a choral ensemble?
Soprano – (often)
Alto – (often) “I feel that sometimes to achieve a smaller, more blended choral sound, I have to use much
less of my voice than would be acceptable in solo singing.”
Tenor – (seldom)
Bass – (often) “At times I have a hard time sustaining soft dynamics above a certain high range in my voice.”
If there is a voice that does not seem to blend with the ensemble? How often do you think the voice to be of
someone who has had formal voice lessons?
Soprano – the singer will not change his/her individual vocal style
the singer is not aware that he/she has a problem
Alto – the singer will not change his/her individual vocal style
Tenor – the singer is uncertain about how to sing in choir
Bass - the singer will not change his/her individual vocal style
Soprano - (agree)
Alto - (strongly disagree)
Tenor - (don’t know)
Bass - (agree)
Does singing with a straight tone cause vocal problems for you?
Soprano - (seldom) “I don’t have a heavy vibrato, so it doesn’t really bother me.”
Alto - (often) “I find that because I sing in straight tone so much in choir, this sneaks into my solo singing.”
Tenor - (seldom) “Sometimes it’s difficult to switch between solo singing and choral singing.”
Bass - (seldom) “At times it can wear my voice out a little quicker.”
There is a way to sing a “straight tone” that will not cause vocal problems.
What do you think is the best method that can be used to achieve choral blend?
Soprano - “listening to the people around you and making sure you don’t stick out. Also vowel modification.”
Alto - “placing singers so that they can hear all parts and thereby encourage a beautiful sound”
Tenor - “mezzo piano straight tone”
Bass - “singers who are willing to adjust their voices and listen to each other.”
Briefly comment about how you think singing in choir affects your voice and/or your overall musicianship.
Soprano - “I believe singing in choir has helped me to greatly improve in sight-reading. Choir also makes
me more aware of rhythmic accuracy. Although at times my voice becomes tired from over-singing,
singing in choir has strengthened my voice because I have grown accustomed to using it more often.”
Alto - “Singing in choir benefits my musicianship because I am introduced to new styles and technical
challenges, but it hurts my voice in that holding it straight for an extended period of time seems to
have a tiring effect on my voice.”
Bass - “I think it makes me a better singer because I am able to work and blend with others to achieve
great music.”
dynamic levels that are too soft to be sung not seem to “blend with the ensemble, it is good of a more blended choral sound.’ ”
in an efficient manner in a choral ensemble. often thought to be the voice of someone All the singers except the alto thought
Additionally, they all concurred that private who has had formal voice lessons, because that singing with a “straight tone” did not
voice study improves their ability to sing in these singers can sometimes be ‘unwilling cause problems for them, and that there
the choir, and that if there is a voice that does to relinquish vocal color and beauty for the is a way to sing a “straight tone” that will
not cause vocal problems. All four selected
singers said singing in the choir has had a
positive effect on their musicianship and
sight-reading skills.
University of Kentucky 2010 Summer Choral Workshop
Summary
From the singers’ comments, it appears
that they have experienced differences in the
techniques used while singing in the choir
and those used when singing in the private
voice studio. The comments also suggest
that some singers, for whatever reason, are
sometimes unwilling to modify their singing
style in order to blend with the choral en-
semble. Perhaps acknowledging that choral
singing and solo singing are two different
modes of vocal performance and giving
students “permission” to explore different
June 13–15, 2010 • Lexington, Kentucky singing techniques would help eliminate
some of the problems these students have
experienced with respect to blend.
The members of this ensemble were
accustomed to singing in many different
formations. Therefore, it was easy for them
to consciously think about how they sang in
each of the four formations. This familiarity
would not be as easy for a group that never
changed choral formations. Therefore, the
Guest Clinician, Dr. Ann Howard Jones results of this study cannot be generalized to
Director of Choral Activities choirs who only sing in sectional formation.
Boston University
Host Clinician, Dr. Jefferson Johnson
NOTES
Director of Choral Activities
University of Kentucky 1
Thomas D.Rossing, Johan Sundberg, and Sten
Ternström̈ , “Acoustic Comparison of Voice
Use in Solo and Choir Singing” The Journal
of the Acoustical Society of America 79 (1986):
1975-1981
2
Rossing, et al, 1975– 81.
3
Royal Stanton, The Dynamic Choral Conductor
(Delaware Water Gap, PA: Shawnee Press,
Inc., 1971).
4
Rossing, et al., 1975– 81.
For more information: 5
Darryl Edwards, “Music Makers: Closing the Gr-
email jeff.johnson@uky.edu eat Divide Between Choral Conductors and
Voice Teachers,” Canadian Music Educator 46
(2005): 36–37.
O n e S o n g
one-on-one conducting coaches
• Literature for “real life” situations
• Technology for learning
• Musical literacy
• Administration / Time Management
• Approaching a major work
• Rehearsal strategy
• Networking / Mentoring