Bryson Mortensen and Dr. Ronald Staheli, Choral Department, BYU School of Music

There is nothing worse than singing a boring piece. Often, when conductors decide to perform works from periods such as the Renaissance, Baroque, or even Classical periods, they find that it is difficult to make the piece exciting. The choir is quickly frustrated because of the difficulty of a virtuosic Baroque passage or a particularly enigmatic polyphonic Renaissance piece. When the piece is finally coaxed into a performance, the audience quickly loses interest because the choir is so focused on the notes instead of the meaning of the words. As a result of challenging experiences like these, many conductors give up on performing music from earlier periods, deciding that it is simply too difficult. This, however, is not an acceptable solution.

What can be done, then? How can a conductor introduce music from all periods to a choir in a way so that the music is exciting, interesting and accessible to both performer and audience? The solution is to understand and observe the performance practices for each style of music. Jameson Marvin said, “The more we can detect about what a composer wanted and expected to hear, the closer we will come to the true meaning of the music.” It is important to realize that the composers from each period had different ideas of how musicians would perform the music on the page. They had different expectations for things such as articulation, meter, phrasing, dynamics, and tone color. When conductors are unaware of the expectations of the composer, they teach the music according to their own ideas. In these situations, the true meaning of the music is obscured and the music becomes lifeless – little more than an exercise.

Once conductors understand the importance of understanding and applying performance practice in all music, they must then ask themselves, “How can I best train my choir to sing music from different stylistic periods, singing each song in a manner that reflects the stylistic expectations of each period?” This distinction can be achieved by applying many of the principles of rehearsal technique to make clear definitions of the expectations of each stylistic period. The conductor can make use of recordings by reputable choirs to give the singer an aural understanding these ideals. The conductor can then create well-written editions to give the singer a clear visual expression of what the composer expected to hear. Finally, conductors can use the time during warm-ups to train the singer in the vocal technique necessary to sing in diverse styles, as well as make clear comparisons between the aesthetic ideals of each period. By using these techniques to emphasize the basic characteristics of each stylistic period in rehearsal, the choir will be able to distinguish between the demands of each period and will sing each song appropriately and excitingly.

Listening to recordings can help us gain insight into the aspects of performance practice that cannot be described in words. We can hear exactly how to realize certain articulations, or gain insight on how to phrase each portion of the piece. A recording’s greatest use can be to teach us about the tone with which we should sing for each stylistic period. Since the tone with which music was sung has changed over the centuries it is difficult to know how each song was expected to sound. By listening to recordings of these specialized choirs, we gain an aural image of how songs from each period were sung. The conductor, however, must be sure to ask questions and discuss the recordings so as to ensure that the choir does not merely copy the sound they are hearing. This way the choir and conductor are not using the recordings as a crutch, but instead as a resource to better understand how to make a lively and accurate performance of music from earlier periods.

Many aspects of performance in music from earlier periods were not written into the score. In the same way that there are rules that govern pronunciation of the English language, rules of musical articulation were understood by both composer and performer. Conductors must learn the rules of pronunciation for each period of music the choir will sing. Conductors can then create their own edition of the music that reflects their choices and makes the details of performance practice clear and easy to read for each member of the choir.

Although the use of recordings and editions are great ways to introduce and remind the choir of the principles of performance practice, they do not help the choir to assimilate these principles into their own voices. They must have time to practice and experiment with the new styles, to juxtapose one style against another until they feel confident in their own ability to create each sound. This experimentation and education is best accomplished during the warm-up time of each rehearsal. During this time, the conductor must accomplish two things: teach the choir the technique necessary to sing in each style without hurting the vocal mechanism and help them compare and contrast each style of music, so they can move quickly from one to another.

When a conductor is prepared with knowledge of the style inherent in the performance of a specific piece, the most difficult job of teaching a choir appropriate performance practice is done. The conductor must then choose the rehearsal techniques that will best help the choir at hand to learn the piece and its style appropriately and quickly. In applying these principles however, I learned that I can only approximate stylistically appropriate performances. We, as conductor and chorus, had so many demands placed upon us that it is difficult teach any stylistic period completely. Is approximation of performance practice enough to justify the time spent in rehearsal towards this goal?

To answer this question, we must remember the ultimate purpose of studying performance practice, articulated best by Jameson Marvin, “The more we can detect about what a composer wanted and expected to hear, the closer we will come to the true meaning of the music.” If this approximation of performance practice at all helps the student and audience to create a lively interpretation of the music and bring insight to the “true meaning of the music,” then the project is successful and the hours of study and rehearsal are worth the time spent.