Academic literature on the topic 'Choral writing for Samba'

La casa di peste drum [At the House across the Road] is, perhaps, Tudor Jarda`s most emblematic choral work, being the first composition of the 10 carols for mixed choir included in the volume Coruri [Choral Works] (1981). Dedicated to Maestro Dorin Pop and the Cappella Transylvanica choir, this work has been part of the ensemble`s repertoire since the publication of the collection, being also found in the repertoire of the most important Cluj and Transylvanian choirs. This paper aims to detail aspects of musical grammar in the choral work La casa di peste drum, highlighting the close connection between the text and music and its implications in the choral interpretation. The morphological and syntactic analysis also highlights certain characteristics of Tudor Jarda`s choral writing.

This article appeared in the July 1963 issue of Musical Times, whose regular choral music supplement of that month was Christopher Shaw's anthem for chorus and organ A Lesson from Ecclesiastes. It was the first writing of substance to appear about this composer, and very nearly the last to date.

The purpose of the article is to focus on the features of theUkrainian choral miniature genre and to identify the main aspects of theirimplementation in choral works by V. Stetsenko. The article deals with thestyle of writing of choral miniatures of the composer, influenced by thetraditions coming from M. Lysenko, K. Stetsenko, M. Leontovich. Themethods of the research are based on historical-typological, genre,stylistic and functional methods of analysis. The structurally analytical investigative method have had weighty significance into process theregularization of scientific material and improvement of the conclusions.The comparative method was applied by author for profound formation ofthe results concerning the scientific studying of series compositions inreference to the choir miniature genre. The performing analysis of choralmasterpieces is also employed by writer in the process of the researchwork. The scientific novelty of the article is the circulation and analysis ofchoral works by V. Stetsenko, which are first studied in musicology; inrevealing the specifics of linguistic means, compositional features and theformation of choral miniatures. Conclusions. Proceeding from thepeculiarities of the figurative content of texts used in miniatures as theprimary source, V. Stetsenko uses a whole complex of intonations thatreproduce the musical-intonational populist basis. One of the ways ofconstructing works is a combination of harmonic and polyphonic tools inthe choral text. The verse is complemented by the introduction and thecode. The analysis of choral miniatures of folk type by V. Stetsenkoshowed their interconnection with the traditions of Ukrainian folk-danceculture.In this case, the composer does not seek to use genuine folkmelodies, but uses the method of stylization of song folklore, taking as itsbasis the basic intonational, fashion, texture features.

The purpose of the article is to study the creative aspects of the performance interpretation of the choral work “Lux Aurumque” by the modern American composer E. Whitacre in the perspective of comparative analysis of performance versions. The research methodology includes classical musicological methods – analytical, interpretive and comparative methods. The concept of the article was created in the process of developing the ideas of I. Polusmyak and K. Timofeyeva. The scientific novelty is based on the fact of virtualization of choral singing that has not become the subject of a separate scientific study yet. The overriding task of the study is to clarify the specifics of the communicative conditions for the coexistence of national and cultural traditions of American and Ukrainian choral cultures. The influence of the semantics of the poetic source and the peculiarities of the composer’s choral writing are considered. The ways and possibilities of choral performance in the synthesis of traditional conditions and tendencies of cultural communication of modern society in the global network Internet are investigated. The specifics of the communicative conditions of coexistence of national and cultural traditions of American and Ukrainian choral culture are clarified. Comparative methods in this study include the analysis of several performance varieties – Virtual Choir 1.0., singing of the choir Eric Whitacre Singers under the direction of the author and the performance of the Student Choir of Kharkiv I. P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts. In the process of studying the cognitive possibilities of comparative analysis of performing interpretations of the selected composition, common and different features dui to various physical conditions and vocal-technological approaches were revealed. Conclusions. Consideration of the features of performance drama in the process of creation virtual and real choral work versions has revealed that the selected performance versions can be divided into two types: correspondence (the first two author’s options) and adaptation (Student Choir). This topic provides a perspective area for further research and will have an exceptional scientific result in case of cooperation of specialists in several spheres – musicology, sound design, acoustics and sociology.

Among the Russian composers of the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries a special position is held by the sacred choral works of Vassily Titov (ca. 1650 — ca. 1715), one of the bright representatives of the polyphonic part singing, in which the originality of the Russian Baroque musical culture. The music of Vassily Titov, an outstanding master of choral writing, is diverse in terms of its genres, it comprises nearly two hundred compositions, many of which predominated in the church music repertoire of Russian churches during the course of the 18th century. A study of Vassily Titov’s choral works has made it possible to disclose the characteristic features of the composer’s polyphonic style. The latter include the multi-choral presentation with its bright spatial effects, the antiphonic juxtapositions of large choral masses, the principles of concertizing based on the succession of solo voices and tutti, on the juxtaposition of the chordal-harmonic and the polyphonic exposition, as well as the skillful mastery of imitational counterpoint, up to polyphonic variation. Features of national originality reveal themselves most vividly in the musical thematicism of the compositions, where along with the ornamental design of the intertwining melodic lines and turns of an instrumental type, use is made of intonations of folk songs, cants and church chants. In his musical oeuvres Vassily Titov revised and reevaluated the basic characteristic traits and forms of Western European Baroque music in correspondence with the particularities of Russian musical culture, thereby preserving and enriching the traditions of the Russian national style.

Background. The substantiation of the logic of stylistic synthesis in the light of the choral component of the dramaturgy of this composition opens up the prospect of studying choral counterpoint of the twentieth century as universals and also helps to identify patterns of artistic thinking. Objectives. The article is devoted to the identification of semantic function of the choral counterpoint in the context of the overall dramaturgy in Canticum Sacrum ad honorem Sancti Marci Nominis by Stravinsky. Methods. The author used hermeneutic, structural-functional, semantic research methods. The performing approach to the studying fragments of Stravinsky’s compositions reflects the specificity of choral art. Results. Choral counterpoint in the context of the overall dramaturgy Canticum sacrum develops into a separate layer, which is more than others, depends on strict norms of counterpoint. Stravinsky, relying on the traditions of the cantata genre, distinguishes the choral component into a peculiar counterpoint, which contrasts with others layers of the dramaturgy (orchestra, organ, soloists). It has been found that the solo parts of the score have a more subjective embodiment, in which there are both an expressive recitation of lyric lines (Song of Solomon 4:16, 5:1) and an emotional appeal to the God (Mark 9:23-24) while the choral layer of dramaturgy represents the main tenets of the Faith: Preaching the Gospel and Three Christian Virtues – Love, Faith and Hope. The counterpoint as a reflection of the idea of “absolute harmony” in the context of the composition is the Divine Word and the main precept with which there is sacrificial Love, Faith and Hope for the salvation. Features of the pitch organization are the result of the composer’s reference to the serialism. The combination of the principles of the classical 12-tone technique with the elements of serialism determines the specific interpretation of melodic material, intervallic structure and voice leading. Conclusions. Analysis of the fragments of Canticum sacrum score set that the choral counterpoint performs the function of objectification to express basic postulate ideas. That is why the norms of poetics of the strict counterpoint are the dominant stylistic components in the choral writing of Stravinsky. They appear in the symmetry or proportionality of the forms, the partial usage of the textural features of the samples of this stylistic direction, as well as the whole apparatus of canonic techniques.

Background. Choral work of American composers of the second half of the XX century is characterized by new qualities that have appeared because of not only musical but also non-musical factors generated by the system of cultural, historical and social conditions. Despite of a serious amount of scientific literature on the history of American music, the choral layer of American music remains partially unexplored, especially, in Ukrainian musical science, that bespeaks the science and practical novelty of the research results. The purpose of this study is to discover and to analyze the peculiarities of the historical formation and identity of American choral art of the second half of the twentieth century using the the works of famous American artists as examples. The research methodology is based on theoretical, historical and analytical methods, generalization and specification. Results. The general picture of the development of American composers’ practice in the genre of choral music is characterized by genre and style diversity. In our research we present portraits of iconic figures of American choral music in the period under consideration. So, the choral works of William Dawson (1899–1990), one of the most famous African-American composers, are characterized by the richness of the choral texture, intense sonority and demonstration of his great understanding of the vocal potential of the choir. Dawson was remembered, especially, for the numerous arrangements of spirituals, which do not lose their popularity. Aaron Copland (1899–1990), which was called “the Dean of American Composers”, was one of the founder of American music “classical” style, whose name associated with the America image in music. Despite the fact that the composer tends to atonalism, impressionism, jazz, constantly uses in his choral opuses sharp dissonant sounds and timbre contrasts, his choral works associated with folk traditions, written in a style that the composer himself called “vernacular”, which is characterized by a clearer and more melodic language. Among Copland’s famous choral works are “At The River”, “Four Motets”, “In the Beginning”, “Lark”, “The Promise of Living”; “Stomp Your Foot” (from “The Tender Land”), “Simple Gifts”, “Zion’s Walls” and others. Dominick Argento’s (1927–2019) style is close to the style of an Italian composer G. C. Menotti. Argento’s musical style, first of all, distinguishes the dominance of melody, so he is a leading composer in the genre of lyrical opera. Argento’s choral works are distinguished by a variety of performers’ stuff: from a cappella choral pieces – “A Nation of Cowslips”, “Easter Day” for mixed choir – to large-scale works accompanied by various instruments: “Apollo in Cambridge”, “Odi et Amo”, “Jonah and the Whale”, “Peter Quince at the Clavier”, “Te Deum”, “Tria Carmina Paschalia”, “Walden Pond”. For the choir and percussion, Argento created “Odi et Amo” (“I Hate and I Love”), 1981, based on the texts of the ancient Roman poet Catullus, which testifies to the sophistication of the composer’s literary taste and his skill in reproducing complex psychological states. The most famous from Argento’s spiritual compositions is “Te Deum” (1988), where the Latin text is combined with medieval English folk poetry, was recorded and nominated for a Grammy Award. Among the works of Samuel Barber’s (1910–1981) vocal and choral music were dominating. His cantata “Prayers of Kierkegaard”, based on the lyrics of four prayers by this Danish philosopher and theologian, for solo soprano, mixed choir and symphony orchestra is an example of an eclectic trend. Chapter I “Thou Who art unchangeable” traces the imitation of a traditional Gregorian male choral singing a cappella. Chapter II “Lord Jesus Christ, Who suffered all lifelong” for solo soprano accompanied by oboe solo is an example of minimalism. Chapter III “Father in Heaven, well we know that it is Thou” reflects the traditions of Russian choral writing. William Schumann (1910–1992) stands among the most honorable and prominent American composers. In 1943, he received the first Pulitzer Prize for Music for Cantata No 2 “A Free Song”, based on lyrics from the poems by Walt Whitman. In his choral works, Schumann emphasized the lyrics of American poetry. Norman Luboff (1917–1987), the founder and conductor of one of the leading American choirs in the 1950–1970s, is one of the great American musicians who dared to dedicate most of their lives to the popular media cultures of the time. Holiday albums of Christmas Songs with the Norman Luboff Choir have been bestselling for many years. In 1961, Norman Luboff Choir received the Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Chorus. Luboff’s productive work on folk song arrangements, which helped to preserve these popular melodies from generation to generation, is considered to be his main heritage. The choral work by Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990) – a great musician – composer, pianist, brilliant conductor – is represented by such works as “Chichester Psalms”, “Hashkiveinu”, “Kaddish” Symphony No 3)”,”The Lark (French & Latin Choruses)”, “Make Our Garden Grow (from Candide)”, “Mass”. “Chichester Psalms”, where the choir sings lyrics in Hebrew, became Bernstein’s most famous choral work and one of the most successfully performed choral masterpieces in America. An equally popular composition by Bernstein is “Mass: A Theater Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers”, which was dedicated to the memory of John F. Kennedy, the stage drama written in the style of a musical about American youth in searching of the Lord. More than 200 singers, actors, dancers, musicians of two orchestras, three choirs are involved in the performance of “Mass”: a four-part mixed “street” choir, a four-part mixed academic choir and a two-part boys’ choir. The eclecticism of the music in the “Mass” shows the versatility of the composer’s work. The composer skillfully mixes Latin texts with English poetry, Broadway musical with rock, jazz and avant-garde music. Choral cycles by Conrad Susa (1935–2013), whose entire creative life was focused on vocal and dramatic music, are written along a story line or related thematically. Bright examples of his work are “Landscapes and Silly Songs” and “Hymns for the Amusement of Children”; the last cycle is an fascinating staging of Christopher Smart’s poetry (the18 century). The composer’s music is based on a synthesis of tonal basis, baroque counterpoint, polyphony and many modern techniques and idioms drawn from popular music. The cycle “Songs of Innocence and of Experience”, created by a composer and a pianist William Bolcom (b. 1938) on the similar-titled poems by W. Blake, represents musical styles from romantic to modern, from country to rock. More than 200 vocalists take part in the performance of this work, in academic choruses (mixed, children’s choirs) and as soloists; as well as country, rock and folk singers, and the orchestral musicians. This composition successfully synthesizes an impressive range of musical styles: reggae, classical music, western, rock, opera and other styles. Morten Lauridsen (b. 1943) was named “American Choral Master” by the National Endowment for the Arts (2006). The musical language of Lauridsen’s compositions is very diverse: in his Latin sacred works, such as “Lux Aeterna” and “Motets”, he often refers to Gregorian chant, polyphonic techniques of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and mixes them with modern sound. Lauridsen’s “Lux Aeterna” is a striking example of the organic synthesis of the old and the new traditions, or more precisely, the presentation of the old in a new way. At the same time, his other compositions, such as “Madrigali” and “Cuatro Canciones”, are chromatic or atonal, addressing us to the technique of the Renaissance and the style of postmodernism. Conclusions. Analysis of the choral work of American composers proves the idea of moving the meaningful centers of professional choral music, the gradual disappearance of the contrast, which had previously existed between consumer audiences, the convergence of positions of “third direction” music and professional choral music. In the context of globalization of society and media culture, genre and stylistic content, spiritual meanings of choral works gradually tend to acquire new features such as interaction of ancient and modern musical systems, traditional and new, modified folklore and pop. There is a tendency to use pop instruments or some stylistic components of jazz, such as rhythm and intonation formula, in choral compositions. Innovative processes, metamorphosis and transformations in modern American choral music reveal its integration specificity, which is defined by meta-language, which is formed basing on interaction and dialogue of different types of thinking and musical systems, expansion of the musical sound environment, enrichment of acoustic possibilities of choral music, globalization intentions. Thus, the actualization of new cultural dominants and the synthesis of various stylistic origins determine the specificity of American choral music.

A dissertação tem como objetivo apresentar o estudo dos elementos rítmicos do samba e propor uma forma de escrita desse gênero para coro. Apresentamos a análise de sambas de compositores paulistas, a elaboração de arranjos corais para três obras selecionadas e a leitura e apresentação dos arranjos por coros com diversos perfis, domínios musicais e níveis de performance. Os autores representantes do samba paulista selecionados foram: Adoniran Barbosa, Eduardo Gudin e Paulo Vanzolini. Depoimentos, entrevistas e outros meios foram utilizados para contextualizar vida e obra dos compositores durante os processos de análise e de idealização dos arranjos. As análises foram ancoradas no Referencial Silva Ramos de Análise de Obras Corais, método de análise criado por Marco Antonio da Silva Ramos. Os arranjos a quatro ou mais vozes foram elaborados com a utilização das características do gênero samba, procurando clareza estilística para que o chamado \"balanço\" possa acontecer sem a utilização de instrumentos de percussão ou acompanhamento: um samba a capela. Os arranjos foram lidos pelos coros comunitários e de estudantes de música do Comunicantus - Laboratório Coral do Departamento de Música da ECA/USP. As partituras estão apresentadas em um Caderno com dezoito arranjos (quinze deles escritos entre 2016 e 2018). O processo de criação dos três arranjos principais foi documentado em um Diário de bordo, que dialoga com os processos analíticos e os dados da pesquisa no decorrer do trabalho.
The purpose of the masters dissertation is to present the study of the rhythimic elements of samba and to propose a writing way of this genre for choir. We present the analysis of sambas by São Paulo composers, the elaboration of coral arrangements for three selected works and the reading and presentation of the arrangements by choirs with different profiles, musical skills and levels of performance.The selected authors that represent the samba from São Paulo are: Adoniran Barbosa, Eduardo Gudin e Paulo Vanzolini. Interviews, testimonials and other ways were used to contextualize the composers\' life and work during the process of analysis and creation of the arrangements.The analysis procedures were based on Referencial Silva Ramos de Análise de Obras Corais, analysis method created by Marco Antonio da Silva Ramos. The arrangements to four or more voices were elaborated by means of the characteristics of samba genre, seeking stylistic clarity to enable the so called \"balanço\" (swing) can occur without the usage of percussion or instrumental accompaniment: a \"samba a capela\". The arrangements were read by the community choirs and music students choirs from Comunicantus: Laboratório Coral do Departamento de Música da ECA/USP (Choral Laboratory of the Dept. of Music - ECA-USP). The scores are presented in a songbook with eighteen arrangements (most of them wrote between 2016 and 2018).The process of creating the three main arrangements was documented in a logbook that alternates the analytical processes and the research data, throughout the work.

In recent decades, cognitive neuroscience research has increased our understanding of how the brain learns, retains, and recalls information. At the same time, social psychology researchers have developed insights into group dynamics, exploring what motivates individuals in a group to give their full effort, or conversely, what might instead inspire them to become freeloaders. This book explores the idea that choral conductors who better understand how the brain learns, and how individuals within groups function, can lead more efficient, productive, and enjoyable rehearsals. Armed with this knowledge, conductors can create rehearsal techniques which take advantage of certain fundamental brain and social psychology principles. Through such approaches, singers will become increasingly engaged physically and mentally in the rehearsal process. This book draws from a range of scientific studies to suggest and encourage effective, evidence-based techniques, and can help serve to reset and inspire new approaches toward teaching. Each chapter outlines exercises and creative ideas for conductors and music teachers, including the importance of embedding problem solving into rehearsal, the use of multiple entry points for newly acquired information, techniques to encourage an emotional connection to the music, and ways to incorporate writing exercises into rehearsal. Additional topics include brain-compatible teaching strategies to complement thorough score study, the science behind motivation, the role imagination plays in teaching, the psychology of rehearsal, and conducting tips and advice. All of these brain-friendly strategies serve to encourage singers’ active participation in rehearsals, with the goal of motivating beautiful, inspired, and memorable performances.

This book provides a detailed and conceptual analysis of trusts and equity; concentrating on those areas of the subject that are most relevant in the contemporary arena, such as the commercial context. It utilizes expertise in teaching, writing, and researching to enliven the text with helpful analogies and memorable references to extra-legal sources such as history, literature, and film. In this way, the book also stimulates students to engage critically with concepts. This new edition includes coverage of significant recent cases, including decisions of the Supreme Court on the nature of a trust in relation to third parties (Akers v. Samba Financial Group [2017]), the right to recover wealth transferred between parties to an illegal scheme (Patel v. Mirza [2016]) and on the distinction between contractual debt and constructive trust (Bailey v. Angove’s PTY Ltd [2016]). Further reading and discussion of anticipated reforms has been updated throughout in light of the latest legal developments.

Messiah is discussed in reference to Handel’s operas, other choral works in general, and other oratorios in specific, with focus on the librettos. Additional historic information covers the premiere of Messiah, audience reactions, and subsequent performances, including the beginning of its popularity after performances in the Foundling Hospital Chapel and large-scale and re-orchestrated festival performances in the 1780s. Musical topics address Handel’s compositional process (e.g., speed of writing, parody of previously composed works, and revision of works from performance to performance) and factors of musical organization. Performance practices issues include vocal and instrumental timbre, pitch, vibrato, metric accentuation, rhythmic alteration, recitative, and ornamentation.

After his return from Paris, Carter embarked on a composing career, writing a variety of pieces, most of which he soon discarded. Carter’s remaining early works (“pre-Carter”) reflect the opposed influences of Walter Piston (objectivity, craftsmanship) and the poet Hart Crane (experimentation, rebellion). These contravening tendencies appear in the short choral works of the period, most of them written for college choruses, and more ambitious works like the score for the ballet, Pocahontas, and the Symphony no. 1. Balancing craft and expression proved difficult and Carter was often dismayed to find that works which he had intended to be accessible to performers or audiences were deemed too difficult. The Piano Sonata, completed in 1946, finally showed that Carter could bring together the demands of formal clarity and emotional intensity in a personal way and on a large scale.

This chapter studies Kernis's music in the years 2002–2009. If in the 1990s Kernis's works had been stimulated, to a large degree, by public happenings, those of the first decade of the twenty-first century drew primarily on private experiences—the most important being the birth of his twins and the death of his parents. At the time of his twins' birth, Kernis was in the midst of writing a choral work for the Dale Warland Singers, a three-movement composition, The Wheel of Time, and the Dance. In addition to the personal events that stimulated Kernis's change in direction during this period, he also instituted alterations to his working methods and his artistic representation. While he was composing Garden of Light, Kernis began to use the computer to help him sort through preliminary ideas. However, he found that the computer-generated output could also prove frustrating.

This chapter examines the use of writing as a tool for learning and retention in the choral rehearsal. Writing ensures a level of participation in analytical exercises not guaranteed during discussions, where students can easily disengage without notice. This chapter also notes the opportunity that writing can afford to the more introverted students, or those less likely to speak up to share their insights. The author suggests numerous ways to incorporate writing into various points of a rehearsal, such as during the opening minutes, at midway points, as exit cards at the conclusion, those occasions when singers need to sit out, or as journal entries written during or outside of rehearsal. No matter the type of writing activity, whether reflective, predictive, analytical, or summative, the chapter investigates exercises that keep students mentally engaged, encouraging creative and active participation in rehearsal.

This chapter traces the history of Brazilian music in Los Angeles, covering the journey of the collation of rhythms known as samba into the rest of the Americas, to the emergence of bossa nova as a major cultural force, to the post-bossa Brazilian sound in the United States. It argues that as music moves, it operates according to its own logic. Influences are fluid: a bossa nova rhythm can morph easily into a second line, a two step can slide into a samba, and writing music is, thankfully, a far more interesting way to write history than history writing. But it is undeniable that, since the late 1930s, the language, swing, and palette of Brazilian music have influenced the world and changed music in the city of Los Angeles profoundly, while very few of us noticed.

This chapter specifically aims to find a path that traverses — or a midway point between — both approaches to the study of the Greek world influenced by Actor-Network Theory and more traditional Durkheimian approaches centered on the city. It considers the model of the choros (as it was conceptualized by classical authors) as capable of offering a productive paradigm for understanding the mechanisms of belonging at work within Athenian civic society during the classical period. The choral reference also refers to a certain way of writing history—one inspired by the models of the novel and the choral film— that seems particularly fitting for describing the complex way in which the Athenian social sphere functioned. The article formulates the following hypothesis: a choral approach, at the crossroads between the specifically Greek conception of the chorus and the contemporary conceptualization of the chorus in the field of fiction, makes it possible to stay as close as possible to the ways in which the social sphere was composed, the formation of groups, and the identities at the various levels of community life. This hypothesis to put to the test by examining a unique moment in Athenian history: the years between 404 and 400.