Lecture notes
Composition for Voice and Choir Notes
- Institution
- CCEA
Composition for Voice and Choir Notes
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Composition for Voice and Choir Notes- Info from King Singer Lockdown Workshops-Text and Composition- Charles Anthony Silvestri
When writing or choosing a text what you need to consider can fit into two sections
Structure Singability
Normal Song Structure (Strophic) i.e. Verse, Chorus, Look for the imbedded music within text.
Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Verse, Chorus.
Ask yourself…
Other forms- Binary AB, Ternary ABA, Sonata A, B, -What is the mood/tone?
Ai, Bi, R, C -What is the setting physical/time?
-Any key ideas/motifs/images that add to
Through composed is not ideal for examination musicality?
-Any musical terms in the poem>
Consider the journey of the text. Where are the Be wary of vowel placement in respect to pitch
transition or turning points? How does this journey and pace. E.g. ah sounds always on high notes
relate to you? Stanza breaks, tone shifts, mood definitely not ‘eeh’ sounds.
shifts can translate into music
Programmatic needs of text. Think Purpose and Textual Metre- Be aware of number of syllables
Audience. So, what is the text for composition for? and where the emphasis of a line falls. Be wary
SATB Church choir or small all-male school choir or too of phrase lengths to ensure balanced regular
something else? Is the piece for examination or a phrasing. Some more modern poetry is less
concert or a religious service? regular so always check.
Consider the length of text- Make sure there is Beware of over chattery consonants
enough content to express and explore everything
you want to.
Rule of 3- Do not repeat the same idea more than Strategies for textual composition
once. Anything more than two hearings is boring to
audiences.
Rule of 4- The 3rd section of a piece is usually the • Chant or apply an established melody to
climax or nadir of the piece. 4th section can resolve text to gain ideas on metre and mood
or reflect then.
Golden Ratio- Beauty usually associated with this in • Memorise the poem too look at it with
art and architecture. Voltas are most effective at new eyes whenever wherever. Write any
golden mean (and music should reflect this) So this ideas in a notebook.
occurs before the end of the last stanza usually the
penultimate stanza.
It is ok to break the norms of the golden ratio for • Read poetry and listen to similar pieces or
example displaying a volta in a different way to what other settings of your chosen texts.
is obvious, but it is usually more effective to reflect
the text and poet’s wishes. This should only be used
for effect.
Beware of textual silences/rests- punctuation leads Links for finding texts
to different types of silence. E.g. exclamation
mark=abrupt, comma=minor rest like a phrase end, • https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem
full stop= close of a sequence of phrases or clear s/browse#page=1&sort_by=recently_add
cadence, Colons=minor rest that leads into next ed&filter_poetry_teens=1
phrase. Rests does not necessarily mean silence it • https://www.poemhunter.com
just means contour closure. Silence in word
painting.
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