19 A point of departure for rehearsal preparation and planning
It’s what we do as conductors; it’s where the composer and the performer search for one another; it’s where our energy, creativity, skill, imagination, knowledge of the score, and understanding of the instrument (the chorus), all come fully into play. In my experience, I have found a rehearsal routine that varies only slightly from one situation to another. It begins with what I do before the first rehearsal.
The conductor’s preparation
Score selection and study
The music I have chosen has to be intensely interesting to me so that I am eager to study it. When I study , I search for the music’s essential features. Identification of these essentials is possible only through score analysis. The analytical procedure follows a hierarchy that starts with an overview (key, meter, voicing, form in the overall sense, text, etc.), goes next to the division of the large form (ABA, through-composed, etc.), the subdivision of each division into smaller sections, the breaking down of the subdivisions into groupings of measures, and, finally, the phrasing. All of these decisions are guided by a clear sense of harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic motion. Score analysis reveals the content of the music and guides me in shaping the rehearsal process.
Early in the preparation of the score, and as I discover phrase lengths, I insert marks to indicate breathing. Where possible, I assign rhythmic values to the breaths. All matters of phrasing are dependent on text, so the translation and correct pronunciation, with elision and International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) symbols, should be inserted. Once I have made these decisions, the singers can transfer markings into their own scores.
Sometimes score study will reveal places in the music where balance problems can be anticipated. Certain sounds can be enhanced or diminished by simply adding or subtracting singers from one part to another. For instance, as a choral singer, my own scores were full of arrows indicating that I should shift up for a few notes to help cover a low soprano line, or down to help ease a high tenor part.
The planning of the actual rehearsal with the chorus is informed by my knowledge of the score. Before the rehearsals begin, I know whether a work can be sung from beginning to end or whether a piece will profit more from being broken down into sections. My inclination is to begin with a portion of a work that I think the singers can read relatively easily. Then I try to work on a more difficult passage, and finally, I try to end the rehearsal on a positive note. This might mean singing the ending and working backwards by sections to the beginning so that the chorus is always connecting back to something familiar. Knowing how a piece breaks down is essential. I have also determined in my study where the most difficult sections of a piece are and how best to approach them. Specific challenging material might be worked out as part of the vocalizing at the beginning of a rehearsal without actually looking at the score (difficult intervals, melismatic material, odd dissonances, etc.). Each conductor has a personal approach, of course, but as rehearsals go along, the process is additive. With each repetition and with continuing analysis, refinements of pitch, rhythm, phrasing, articulation, pronunciation, vocal color, intonation, and vowel unification all combine in pursuit of the composer’s ideas.
The specifics of preparing a score for rehearsal must not be overlooked. This is a process in which we must be engaged if the rehearsals are to be productive and the time is to be spent effectively.
The rehearsal’s beginnings
In the forty-five years that I have been rehearsing choirs, I have learned a lot about how singers learn, how they care for their instruments, and what literature is appropriate and healthy for them to sing. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if singers would come to rehearsal ready to sing well, to execute the pitches, rhythms, and text, and to understand what they are singing about? Of course, that is not the way it usually is. Some preparation for healthy singing is helpful.
Readying the body
At the beginning of the rehearsal, we stretch, reach, bend, run in place, and anything else that will energize the singers, release tension, encourage proper alignment, and help everyone to concentrate on singing well. Because singing is a physical activity, it requires the same kind of stretching of the musculature, warming up, and adjustments to the alignment and breathing that is required of an athlete. This part of the rehearsal is about releasing tension, gathering and focusing mental energy, and enabling the singer to use the voice optimally.
Establishing the unison
Singers sing in octave unison quietly on [nu]. Usually the pitch I choose is an E natural. Next, they sing [nu] [o] [a], still quietly, moving up and down by half steps in the low and middle range of the voice. This encourages the singers to listen, to engage their minds and ears, to focus their attention, and to sing in the “sleeve of the sound,” an expression of Robert Shaw ’s to suggest a core of sound within each section and within the chorus as a whole.
Manipulating the pitch
Next, again singing [nu] in octave unison, a pitch is slowly and incrementally raised by one half step. The singers interrupt the sound on each pulse over sixteen beats. Once the ability to change pitch almost imperceptibly is accomplished, singers are encouraged to monitor their own pitch routinely while singing, in full awareness of their ability to improve the pitch upward or downward by minute degrees at any given time. This exercise assists in developing skills in tuning .
Exploring dynamics
Singers are next asked to crescendo and decrescendo over a specified number of beats. This encourages the awareness of the full spectrum of dynamics available. I often ask singers to brighten the tone in crescendo and darken the tone in decrescendo, for example. The pitches sung are usually octave F-sharps and As. The altos and basses sing the lower pitch and the sopranos and tenors sing the higher one. I also ask the singers to begin the tone at pianissimo , piano , mezzo forte , and forte depending on what the music requires.
Developing range
Next, I work for evenness of tone throughout the range. Beginning again on E natural and singing [u], the singers move up a minor third, easing into [a] on the upper pitch. While keeping the lower pitch the same, the interval widens to a major third, perfect fourth, augmented fourth, and so on, until the minor seventh is reached. Then the exercise descends, this time by whole steps, until the major third is sung as the final interval. Singers are asked to sing quietly and to keep both [u] and [a] alike in quality and dynamic so that the [a] is not heard more loudly than [u]. Each pitch receives one beat in duration, with an extra beat between intervals for a breath and for the pianist to sound the next two pitches as appropriate. ( Example 19.1 )
Example 19.1 Developing Range/Evenness of Tone
This exercise can also be sung in triple meter, adding one full beat to the upper pitch with attention to intonation all along ( Example 19.2 ). This allows more time for the singer to improve the intonation of the upper pitch.
Example 19.2 Developing Range/Evenness of Tone, triple meter
Another valuable exercise is the “yawn-sigh.” This exercise begins with the singer properly aligned, thinking about proper breathing, and with the oral space open, as if one is about to yawn. Then the singer sighs easily down from a high note and up from a low, while maintaining the feeling of openness. This can release tension if any has inadvertently crept in, ease the attack on a high note, and give singers the opportunity to focus on the space that the thought of a yawn creates. Throughout the sigh, the singers are able to use breath energy appropriately to explore resonance, encouraging and allowing the tone to fill the areas that the idea of a yawn opens up.
Tongue trills, lip trills and descending scales on the vowels [u] and [i] on a single pitch can also increase the singers’ range and flexibility.
Defining articulations
Singers are encouraged to cultivate a beautiful, legato line as they sing vocal exercises. Therefore, I venture cautiously into the use of the same exercises to emphasize a variety of articulations . For example, while working mainly on legato singing, it is difficult for the singer to think of interrupting the tone and starting it again within a phrase. To help, I use a simple 1–3–5 arpeggio (ascending and descending, three times). I ask them to sing on [hi], quickly and staccato, with no breath between each triad. ( Example 19.3 )
Example 19.3 Defining articulations
To release the tension that can develop, I encourage bending the knees on the top note, reaching up and over the head with the arms at the top of arpeggios, or any other kind of motion to release interfering tension. A range of articulations should be explored including staccato, martellato, tenuto, and legato. If I change the 1–3–5 arpeggio to a scalar passage, remove the consonant in front of each pitch, and increase the tempo, the exercise can be useful in assisting the singer to learn to sing melismatically ( Example 19.4 ).
Example 19.4 Defining articulations, scalar passage
Balancing the chorus
A well-planned seating arrangement with space around each singer will help facilitate good singing because the singers will be better able to monitor their own vocalism . I have found it effective to place each singer’s name on a note card on each chair to indicate the seating plan for that day, that piece, or that balance. If the chorus sits SI, SII, AI, AII, TI, TII, BI and BII (from the conductor’s left to right), the next-lowest or -highest voices can shift easily to the nearest part to ease balance problems. I have enjoyed rehearsing choirs in a circle. Since I am in the middle, each singer is effectively in the front row. I can therefore influence each one as might be necessary.
The majority of the conductor’s work is spent studying and rehearsing. The goal is to arrive at the performance with all the work done, no loose ends left hanging, no uncertainty, and enough insight so that the composer’s ideas are lifted off the page in an appropriate and compelling way. I believe this is why we rehearse.
The elements of the rehearsal
Time
Planning is essential so that the precious minutes are used effectively. Usually a few are needed for “housekeeping” (that is, announcements and instructions). Next is the all-important readying of the body and voices. There are two useful approaches to what could happen next: the conductor can rehearse music that is new; or begin with something familiar.
More subtle considerations of time in rehearsal concern pacing. When has too much time been spent on a difficult passage, or when has all the rehearsing been at the same tempo or dynamic, or in the same style or same key? Awareness of how much time is spent on anything other than singing is also crucial. When speaking, I want to choose words carefully, modulate the pitch and tone of my voice, address problems specifically, and give positive reinforcement as much as possible. Rather than talk over the music making, it is better to stop, address the problem and then move forward.
A rehearsal that is fast-paced and challenging, with everyone occupied most of the time, is more stimulating and interesting than one that is full of gaps and wasted time. A rehearsal plan with specific amounts of time allocated for each task can be helpful.
Order
Consideration must be given to the musical quality and emotional character of a work in determining the order in which pieces are sung. A vocally taxing work needs to be followed by music that gives the singers a bit of relief. Physical or vocal exercises that release tension or reinvigorate the singers can be inserted at appropriate times.
I often overestimate the amount of music that can be covered in a single rehearsal. On the rare occasion that I need something in addition, I always have a category on my rehearsal plan called “If Time.” Then if I need more material or if the plan I have made needs to be changed, I have already figured out what to do next.
Basic disciplines
Rhythm
Giving singers the responsibility for the internal subdivision is of prime importance. They are asked to divide every beat and sing these divisions on the notated pitches with text, dynamics, or articulations. The level of the division can vary. If the music moves at a fast tempo, a higher division of the beat (for instance, half notes) is often desirable. For eighth-note divisions, the singers should sing 1-and 2-and , etcetera. Sixteenth-note divisions can be sung on 1- ee-and-uh (1-[i]-and-[ə ]), 2-ee-and-uh , etcetera. Triple division is sung 1-and-uh, 2-and-uh, tee-and-uh . (The syllable “tee” is substituted for the more complicated and slower “THRee”). The choice of division that will be most helpful depends on what clarifies the music the most. The counting should be delivered with a rhythmic particularity that is immediately helpful in lining up the music vertically. Robert Shaw called this “singing on the numbers” or “count singing.” 1 One of Shaw ’s basic principles was that “the right note at the wrong time is the wrong note.” The variations on the basic technique are endless. Dynamics can be overlaid and the final consonants before rests can be sounded within the counting. Almost all music can be made more precise using this technique. Music that does not lend itself to this process includes those pieces with syncopations and complicated meters, and music that is non-metric to start with. The technique should not take more time to teach than it is worth. Some reject “count singing” because it seems too mechanistic or stiff. I have rarely found this to be true. As a device for clarifying the rhythm, making it more precise, lining up the text, and rhythmicizing consonants and breathing, it is very effective.
Pitch
Music can be effectively rehearsed without pitch to emphasize the placement of syllables in complicated texts, for example. An exercise I often use is to assign the pitch E to the basses, G-sharp to the tenors, D to the altos and F-sharp to the sopranos. Each voice chants its text in rhythm, but the notated pitches are eliminated. Since pitch often falls more easily into place than rhythm, I begin with the rhythm and use it as a framework for the pitches. Singers often find themselves at the extremes of their range for an extended period of time. Because of this, singers are encouraged to employ octave transposition to protect their voices from strain. Some singers can transpose at the octave easily, while others need to be trained to sing only an occasional note of a phrase up or down an octave.
Text
The conductor must know the correct pronunciation of the words. To assist with intonation and tone quality, the vowels must be unified. Vowels are only one part of the job, however. Robert Shaw said repeatedly that we should sing every sound of every syllable. Diphthongs need audible vanishing vowels, for example, and final consonants with pitch frequently need a short and soft schwa [ə ] for intelligibility. Subtle and sophisticated refinements are important. The ensemble’s ability to rhythmically unify the text’s delivery is often key to communicating clearly and to remedying issues of intonation, tone quality, and projection.
Language-specific issues that need careful attention include: double consonants and dental consonants, final consonants and their durations, the aspiration of initial consonants or glottalization of initial vowels, closed and open vowels, elision or the connection of one word to another (a famous example being the phrase “slumbers not” from “He Watching over Israel ” from Mendelssohn ’s Elijah ). In the end, text is the distinguishing feature of choral music. Delivering it accurately, clearly, and in an imaginative and compelling way is one of our principal charges. 2
A problem is often encountered when shifting from count-singing to text. The pronunciation of the words can interfere with the rhythmic precision that the counting inculcated. Two principles must be constantly reinforced: the core of the vowel must be precisely on the beat, and the consonants must be fast and ahead of the beat. Singers also need to be reminded about voiced and unvoiced consonants.
Rehearsing the text without consonants can encourage a healthy singing tone and a beautiful legato line. No text can be understood, however, without carefully pronounced, projected, and rhythmically delivered consonants.
Articulation
I think of the various articulations as they relate to duration. Referring back to the exercises for the beginning of the rehearsal, I emphasize three specific kinds of articulation in addition to legato: staccato, marcato, and tenuto. It is useful to remember that all can be modified by the words poco or più . I often use marcato e sostenuto to suggest a strong attack followed immediately by sustained singing.
It is particularly useful for a chorus to sing in a highly rhythmic and particularized way in music that combines chorus and instruments. The singing should be more detached in general. A more refined way of thinking of it is that the singer should place the vowel on the beat and then allow it to decay slightly before the consonant or the next vowel ensues. Dotted or tied notes profit from this approach. The tone can even stop for an instant on the value of the dot or on the tie. When singing with instruments, sounds should not be as glued together as they might be when the singing is without accompaniment.
Phrasing
Score analysis gives us the basic information about phrase length and shape. Music making and interpretation are predicated upon a grasp of these structural elements. Phrasing helps with tension and release, with high and low points in the shape and, ultimately, all hinge upon the amount of breath a phrase requires. In rehearsal, cadences, key changes, repetitions, and contrasts can all be pointed out so that the ensemble sings with an informed concept of the piece’s construction. Thematic and accompanimental materials can be identified and contrasted so that melodic material is in the foreground as the music is performed.
Summary
Rehearsing is not only about correct rhythm, pitch, intonation, tone quality, and diction. It is also a matter of musical rhetoric, shape, and relationships between one part and another. I can say two things with certainty: the more I know about the music, the faster and more productive the rehearsal is; and, the more I know about the music, the better teacher I am.
The author acknowledges the work of Christopher M. Walters in the preparation of this chapter.