A Twenty-First-Century Orchestra of Voices

Résumé fourni par la source

Abstract Choirs and orchestras make useful models for each other: the vast and diverse instrumentarium of the symphony orchestra can be simplified by imagining orchestral instrument families as groups of voices organized by register into soprano, alto, tenor, and bass parts, and the choir’s immense potential for variation in tone color, texture, and effect can be grasped by imagining the choir as an orchestra of voices. In this chapter, we expound upon the metaphor of the choral orchestra. We demonstrate how the prototypical functions of orchestral instrument families (the foundational sonority of strings, the coloristic variation of woodwinds, the climax building of brass, and the rhythmic accentuation of percussion) are all frequently emulated by choral voices. We also demonstrate how orchestral effects (layers, textures, structures) are equally pertinent in choral music. These ideas are substantiated with reference to several examples from the choral repertoire, including analyses of excerpts from pieces by Veljo Tormis, Uģis Prauliņš, Jason Noble, and Bo Holten.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.