September 22, 1966 Congratulations certainly are in order for the incredibly disciplined and beautiful singing of last Monday night. If any of it gets on the final tape (tens of hours of film will be edited to some fifty minutes of program time) the most knowing among American viewers simply will not believe that this occurred as a first annual rehearsal nearly two years after a performance of the Missa, with a considerable percentage of the chorus for whom'it was hand-thrustin glove at first sight. This experience, together with the last several days of auditions and reauditions prompt the following observations and convictions about the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, our association, and its present and future states. Fact · No. 1 is that this chorus is an enormously responsive and responsible musical instrument. Techniques of rhythmic and enunciative articulation, which in other choruses have to be re-taught with each new score, in the main here are part of a dependable and habitual musical ensemble. These exist, we all must admit, in spite of an average vocal competence which by professional standards is scarcely exemplary. 'While we are extremely fortunate to number among our members some singers of exceptional talent, and indeed, in some sections can muster smaller groups of singers who could challenge or surpass the performance of any II chamber chorus 11. within this country, we are not unanimously of the professional vocal stuff dreams are made of. That we can achieve such performance standards without any loss of enthusiasm, satisfaction, love and morale is our great good fortune and a testimony to our "mean" intelligence and the precious edge that amateurism has over professionalism. Fact No. 2, then, is that this chorus as a whole does indeed have enthusiasm, conviction, commitment and an enjoyment in its work. This is not measurable -any more than are its consequences -- but it would be difficult to over-estimate its value. Our sports-minded English-speaking gamesmanship world is full of edgarguesty cliches about the 11team that won't be beat can't be beat" and the "any Without the team 11 that on a given day "can defeat any other team in the league." competitive connotation that morale factor with respect to the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus simply is true. This chorus is good because it wants to be. It's right because people care. And it almost never sings less than over its head. This is no exceptional cause for self-congratulation -- no more than winter rules or gimmes. We should have a small motto that reads "Over our heads is tolerable ••• Over our heads is bad enough. 11 -So now we have two legs to teeter No. 2, spirit -- care-how.
on:
No. l, intelligence
-- know-how;
Fact No. 3 is the set of conclusions and judgements to be inferred statistics of a decade of auditions and reauditions. There can be no doubt that over the musical qualifications for membership in Year after year for ten years there have and these have been filled from the more audition.
from the
past ten years the individual vocal and the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus have risen. been but relatively few places available, talented small percentage of those who
There are several limits to the size of a symphonic chorus: one is rehearsal and performance space and facilities; another is the optimum musical balance
-2-
between orchestral and vocal forces; and a third is the necessity of maintaining a just sectional balance within the chorus itself (nothing musical is t o be gained by creating a chorus of two hundred women and one hundred men simply because our society is so instituted that women -- in general -- have more available time, energy and interest in "cultural affairs"). Were I looking forward to another ten years here, rather than imminent departure, I would feel committed to the development of the Cleveland Orchestra Choruses. There -certainly should be a. more permanent and persiatent fUI)ction for a CO Chamber Chorus. -And for a Children's Choir. -And for a Youth Chorus. There are occasional duties for separate (but equal) Women's and Men's Choruses; and it is not inconceivable that there could be a second or "training" mixed symphonic chorus. But this is a last year, and since I want to spend as much tim e with each and all of youas is possible (differing and substantial responsibilities prescribe that I cannot look forward to the enjoyment of forming an Atlanta Symphony Chorus next year), our Chamber-Chorus personnel for the~ Minor Mass will double in Beethoven et al as before -- which will demand extra commit ment from th0se nominated, but offer extra rewardse My particular personal and moral concern as of this wrlting (pretty damn long introduction) is that of handing over to Clayton Krehbiel the best possible instrument I -- with your devoted efforts -- can construct. That is to say, recognizing the irreplaceable values of the aforementioned know-how and care-how, if it is time to reassess our several and various personal qualifications it is only fair that this should be my ultimate responsibility -not Clayton's initial one. Without at this moment contemplating denying anyone the musical offerings of this season, but bearing the auditions of this past week in mind, it certainly is in order to warn a few among us -- in private -- that standards have passed th em by -- so that with extra effort they may remain qualified for the increased musical satisfactions of the years ahead. Anyone who can sing right have a home in the COC. Yours - for more reh earsals
notes from the past year's lik e that
of last
repertoire
Monday.
R
will always
September 29, 1966 Last week's letter nominated our principal assets as know-how and know-why -- the technical and the motivational. That you are all volunteers in this musical venture evidences your good faith, and it certainly is the responsibility of the conducting staff to see that this initial spirit is gratified, fortified and informed by whatever means -fair or fairer. -But the beginning new and review for the so the next few letters for some new in-, hind¡ I take the factors
of each new season obliges us to reveal to the old the basic elements of our choral craft, and ought to major in matters technical -- hoping or over-sight. of choral technique
to be five:
those of -
Pitch Time (Rhythm, meter, etc.) Tone (Color Timbre, etc.) Speech (Enunciation) Dynamics (Amplitude). other,
-and influence Now it is obvious that all these inter-relate but let's approach them individually. First: Pitch.
one an-
Given are four facts: first, that pitches are frequencies of vibration which are related to each other in point of mathematical proportion and acoustical behaviour; second, that the voice is an instrument of limited range, but of practically limitless accommodation within that range; third, that while Western music has developed according to , a quasi-arbitrary system which utilizes only twelve pitches (or their octaves), for almost all of us these twelve pitches are recognizable and reproducible not of themselves, but only in reference to another pitch or other pitches which we accept in reality "on faith" -- for the moment; and fourth (and however), by habitual daily reference to a pitch or pitchtimbre constant (a tuning-fork or a musical instrument) one can indeed develop a pitch-memory which shares some of the recognition abilities of what we call "absolute pitch." I submit for your attention and/or reconsideration, then, the following proposals -- the first concerned with the "relative," the second with the "absolute." It occurs to me that even music which is not formed according to the traditional, and physical_; acoustical relationships (but which utilizes the twelve-note heritage of Western practice), in performance must still relate these pitches according to their acoustical behaviour. That is to say: the function of the octave is 2 to 1 (the octave above a given note has exactly twice the vibrations of its lower cousin); that of the fifth is 3 to 2; the fourth is 4 to 3, etc.; and while a piece of music may be organized without reference to traditional "major" or "minor" "consonance" or "resolution," the pitches - simultaneous or successive
-2must accommodate to physical (and some would say psychological) "laws" or behaviour patterns. Therefore, even in Stravinsky, Schonberg . or Britten we are obliged to think and sing function, not keyboard fancy. In spite of new systems of total tonal organization, minor thirds, octaves, small sevenths and perfect fifths, for example, continue to exist -- in multiple voices simultaneously or in a single voice successively. We are still privileged -- and obliged -- in rehearsal to utilize nature's instincts and phenomena in order to "true up" our pitch relationships. Secondly, concerning the "absolute," for most of us, if not all, that absoluteness is a factor of memory; and, though we may now begin forty days and nights or years too late, let's begin. Your insignia of membership in the COCis a tuning-fork. Flog it ten to thirty times a day; each time attempt to sing before you bong; and each day prescribe for yourself after it is sounded a specific interval to reproduce -differing intervals day after day. They say good habits are as easy to form as bad ones. R
ANNOUNCEMENTS: The following tenors The time is three o'clock
are eligible for Chamber Chorus auditions. Sunday afternoon, October 2.
Tenor I
Tenor II
252 254 255 262 263 264 266 269 270 271 272 274 275
203 206 208 220 224
Donald Shelhorn Larry Dusenbury Kenneth Hybloom Jerry Lackamp William Phillips Howard Ross David DUsing Kenneth Clinton Paul Stegkarnper David Kesler Rocco Gioia Sam Levin Robert Sparks
Tenor sectional Sunday, October 2.
rehearsal
Joh Ferrante John Dell Harry Jones Irving Lacy Clar en Sommer
will b egin, as announced, at 5:00 p .m.,