Practical Guide to Choral Conducting

<p>Rooted in the experience of a professional choral conductor, this book provides a guide to practical issues facing conductors of choral ensembles at all levels, from youth choruses to university ensembles, church and community choirs, and professional vocal groups. Paired with the discussion of practical challenges is a discussion of over fifty key works from the choral literature, with performance suggestions to aid the choral conductor in directing each piece. </p><p>Dealing with often-overlooked yet vital considerations such as how to work with composers, recording, concert halls, and choral tours, <em>A Practical Guide to Choral Conducting </em>offers a valuable resource for both emerging choral conductors and students of choral conducting at the undergraduate and graduate levels.</p> <p><em>Acknowledgements</em></p><p><strong>Part 1: Leadership, Logistics, and Musical Insights</strong></p><p>1. Responsibilities and Opportunities </p><p>2. Recruiting, Auditioning, and Assessing </p><p>3. Choosing and Learning Repertoire </p><p>4. Common Conductor Problems and How to Avoid or Fix Them </p><p>5. Acquiring a Solid Conducting Technique With No Wasted Motion</p><p>6. Logistics: Arranging your Singers and Placing your Choir </p><p>7. Running Rehearsals</p><p>8. Achieving a Better Choral Sound </p><p>9. Special Choral Concepts and Techniques </p><p>10. Collaborating With Other Performers </p><p>11. Collaborating With and Supporting Composers </p><p>12. Concerts and Venues </p><p>13. The Concert Experience: Directing and Savoring</p><p>14. Choral Tours </p><p>15. Making Recordings </p><p>16. Breaking Rules: When and Why It Is Acceptable</p><p>17. The World of Professional Choristers: An Inside Look at the New York Virtuoso Singers</p><p>18. Performing Modern Music</p><p>19. Final Thoughts</p><p><strong>Part 2: Anthology</strong></p><p>Appendix 1: Interpreting Johann Sebastian Bach’s: <em>Matthäus-Passion (St. Matthew Passion)</em> (Bärenreiter edition) </p><p>Appendix 2: Interpreting Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s <i>Requiem</i></p><p>Appendix 3: Executing Fermatas in Haydn’s <em>Die Schöpfung (The Creation)</em> (Oxford University Press edition)</p><p>Appendix 4: Interpreting Giuseppe Verdi’s <em>Messa da Requiem</em> (Edition Peters Nr. 4250 or Dover Publications).</p><p>Index</p>