music in a not-so-great space

Jan 09, 2006 13:16

Ok, so our next concert (this week) is to be performed in a cathedral. You'd think this would be an ideal setting for a piece like Haydn's "Creation", but the way I've experienced most large, resonant church acoustics to be, the performance needs to be toned down a little to account for the added "ring" you get performing it in such a live space. Obviously, where I'm going with this is that this isn't being done with us. I can count the number of "sotto voce" (soft) passages this conductor is asking for on one hand (3 fingers to be exact, maybe 4 if I give him the benefit of the doubt). The rest of the piece is loud, loud, and more loud. Personally, I'm not a fan of belting, so this doesn't work well for me. I'm hoping that once we start rehearsals in the cathedral tonight the dynamics will change.

Since this is sort of becoming my vocal diary anyway, I might as well continue the theme and say that I've been reading this very technical book by Vennard, and it's definitely taught me a thing or two about singing and the voice in general. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who wants to sing and keep their voice for many years to come.

On a side note, my parents got me an unexpected gift for Christmas, an iPod. I wasn't too keen on the thing at first, but the more I learn about it, the cooler it becomes. Ha, who'da thunk?
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