Philosophy of Choral Tone
Establishing a firm foundation of choral tone with a choir is one of the greatest challenges choral conductors face. Where do we start? What can we physically and mentally do to create good tone? How do we achieve the “appropriate tone” for each individual piece? The list goes on infinitely, yet always circles back to the actual sound or the choir’s tonal qualities.
I believe there are major pillars to creating choral tone, and the stronger a conductor is in their direction, the better the product in performance. To quote Howard Swan, “Choral tone is dictated by (a) the conductor’s knowledge of the singing voice; (b) preference for blend, rhythm, phrasing, balance, dynamics, or pronunciation; (c) interpretation and style; and (d) the conductor’s ability to communicate.”
Generally speaking, the first area criticized after hearing a choir performance is tone. Tone is an all-encompassing term that touches on nearly every vocal decision and technicality a director makes. We can build a foundation of tone with every single thing we do in rehearsal – starting with warmups. “Just like a runner training for a race, those who are not gifted with the kind of deep, rounded vocal folds that naturally produce a beautiful tone can develop them through the right kind of training.” Warmups are not only the exercises we do go get our voices moving, but they are also the building blocks to our technique of singing. If you don’t get the sounds you want out of your choir during warmups and reinforce that in the music, how can you expect them to learn, apply, and repeat? I was always taught that it is not “practice makes perfect”, but rather “perfect practice makes perfect”, and when considering tonal creation, this is no exception.
How can we successfully teach our singers, ensuring that they are capable of physically creating appropriate choral tone on their own? Confidence is key. Once the students learn this skill, they will be able to progress further in their music-making and enjoy the experience on a deeper level. Beginning with the basic understanding of sound production is a great way for conductors to approach choral tone with their singers. The director’s knowledge of vocal anatomy, phonation, placement and the singer’s formant are all extremely important in the development of healthy singing. Do you have an ideal choral sound?
In my experience as a high school choir director, and also as a professional choral singer, it is incumbent upon the director to ensure that the singers actively listen amongst their sections and across the ensemble. Our ears are equally, if not more, important than our voices when creating balance, blend and beautiful tone. The consideration of individual vocal qualities, voicing sections and reinforcing listening skills are vital to a choir’s consistency and excellence – this was extremely evident in LSU A Cappella last year.
An issue that constantly arises in the music realm is that of individual choirs having a tone they are “known for.” To me, this is not as much a compliment as a backwards insult. “As educators, we must bring to our singers all styles of music.” We cannot call ourselves great teachers, conductors and musicians if we are only capable of creating one sound. In my opinion, a great conductor can create a multitude of sounds with their choir(s) and do so authentically. We must explore various time periods, cultures, languages, styles, interpretations and sounds.
Let’s state the obvious: our society has changed immensely in the past few decades, and especially the past few years. We are now in a time where choirs are not only expected to sing with beautiful tone, but also with sounds that are stylistically appropriate and entirely inoffensive to the culture from which the piece was derived. As complicated or frightening as this may seem, these changes could also mean more diversity in programming, allowing us to be more well-rounded and experienced musicians. Navigating the complexity and nuance of challenging repertoire strengthens the need for choral directors to focus tonal execution.
My ideal choral sound is one that is culturally and historically accurate, healthily sustained and pleasant. It is so important to approach a piece of music with respect and appreciation before attempting to introduce it to a choir. The conductor’s research and knowledge are more important now than ever before.
