Thirty-three Opinionated Ideas About

How to Choose Repertoire for Musical Success

Dr. Betsy Cook Weber University of Houston Moores School of Music

Houston Symphony Chorus California Choral Directors Association

July 2018

First, I believe that selecting the right repertoire is the, or at least one of the

most important decisions we make.

With that in mind, I think most of us don’t spend enough time selecting repertoire.

• Kent Hatteberg (U.Louisville) says that he spends more time selecting the repertoire than he does rehearsing it.

• So, now that we agree that it’s important, let’s get down to how to make the right choices!

I.

We are not trying to please ourselves.

What about Beethoven Missa Solemnis? I LOVED singing that in college!

We need to choose repertoire designed for singers’ success.

Period.

II. Fach

What is your choir’s Fach? 10

It helps to consider What is your personal Fach?

11

III. Plan ahead

Choose repertoire for the entire semester or church year or season before that semester/church year/season begins.

This will take a LOT of time.

IV.

• If you conduct five different choirs, plan on devoting an afternoon to each ensemble.

Do The Math!

5 choirs x 1 afternoon = 5 afternoons = A LOT OF TIME!!!

The Magic of Binders

• Don’t put all your music in a single binder. • Keep a separate binder for each choir. • This will help you “see” that choir’s entire

semester.

• Let the binders marinate for a few days. • Then go back and look at them again.

GUESS WHAT???

You’re going to hate a lot of that repertoire, so…

You go back and look at repertoire again.

Remember when I said…

THIS IS GOING TO TAKE A

LOT OF TIME?

AND YOU WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS A NUMBER OF TIMES…

• NICE VARIETY OF STYLISTIC PERIODS

• SOME EASY PIECES

• SOME CHALLENGING PIECES

• SOME INSTANTLY ACCESSIBLE PIECES

• SOME HARDER-TO-SELL PIECES

• SOME ENGLISH

• SOME FOREIGN LANGUAGE

BUT THERE ARE MANY OTHER THINGS ONE SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR…

V.

Look at the text first. If the text is insipid or meaningless,

pass on that piece.

• Danger Indicator #1 is “Words and Music by by…”

Generally, folks are good composers or good lyricists, but not both.

NB. There are important exceptions to this rule.

VI.

Before going to the music store or sitting down at your computer, make a chart with the realistic tessituras that are available to you.

• Danger Indicator #2, therefore, is a part with lots of notes on ledger lines.

• Notice that this does not require an atomic scientist.

VII.

Look at the tenor line first. Be very careful when the tenor part uses bass clef, which usually happens when tenor and bass parts share a staff.

VIII.

Remember that middle school tenors, and many high school tenors, are really altos with or without the top range.

IX.

Look at the alto line next.

X.

Remember that virtually all girls and women, too, for that matter, are really sopranos.

With this in mind, if the alto part sits below the staff (E), it is not good for girls.

This will eliminate a LOT of repertoire, sadly.

XI.

Look at the bass part next.

XII.

Remember that middle school and many high school “basses” have the same lower range as adult tenors.

If you keep your middle and high school basses singing inside the staff, we will ALL be happy campers.

In my opinionated view, there is no uglier sound than a high school bass section singing a D above middle C.

Notice that this pitch is on a ledger line, isn’t it? (See Danger Indicator #2.)

XIII.

Look at soprano tessitura next.

We don’t want girls singing in the stratosphere, but an occasional really high pitch is not a problem.

XIV.

Black is beautiful!

Beware White Notes

Music that consists primarily of white notes almost always indicates music that moves slowly and smoothly (legato).

Slow, legato singing is the most difficult kind of singing there is.

And composers often “hear” this slow, legato music in a very live acoustic, so…

Don’t select music that requires resonance unless you HAVE resonance in your concert

hall.

XV.

Beware ALTERED PITCHES!

When you see a bunch of sharps and flats in the score (and we’re not talking about the key signature, nor are we talking about a move to the dominant key)…

BEWARE!!!

Altered pitches increase the music’s difficulty a lot.

This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do the piece. It just means that you should consider its tonal and harmonic difficulty very carefully before programming it.

XVI.

Choose “good” repertoire (as opposed to trash.)

XVII.

Easier is better.

If you are using a state list to select repertoire, begin the year with repertoire that is at an easier level than that indicated for your particular choir.

Choosing Repertoire for Convention Performances/Festivals/Contests

XVIII.

If you are going to play the honor choir/festival choir/contest game, play to win.

What does “win” mean?

Winning means giving your singers a wonderful educational and musical

experience.

XIX.

Don’t trust the difficulty-level indicated in contest lists.

XX.

Foreign language is only difficult for the director.

XXI.

Rhythmic complexity is usually only difficult for the director.

Slow, sustained pieces are usually difficulty for

EVERYONE!

(Remember, Black is Beautiful!)

XXII

Choose pieces with beautiful, singing melodies

in ALL parts!

(Singing “ooh” for an entire piece is really not fun.)

XXIII

Always take advantage of the “off-the-list” choice.

IMO, judges and audiences are more critical when listening to a piece they know well.

XXIV

Do NOT use “pop” music unless it is a pop music contest.

XXV.

Do NOT use a piece that you taught at the beginning of the year.

(This one is always controversial.☺ )

Ignore Rule XXV if you LIKE the way your choir sang at the beginning of the year!

XXVISelect possible festival/contest repertoire

during the summer, but do not purchase it. Let it “marinate” in your mind as the year

progresses.

If you are preparing for a convention performance, however, the students should have numerous performances

of that repertoire prior to the convention, so begin teaching that

program in the fall.

XXVII.

See Rule XV

XV is about Altered Pitches!

XXVIII.

No matter what the organizers say, there has never been, and there will never be, a

convention/festival/contest site with resonance. Therefore, see Rule XIII.

Beware pieces that require resonance.

XXIX.

Do NOT wait until after Winter Break to begin looking for spring festival/contest repertoire.

XXX.

When selecting repertoire, be realistic about how many students you will lose to eligibility,

Little League, family weddings, etc.

XXXI.

Contests usually require that you perform three pieces. Begin by working on five pieces.

XXXII.

In the beginning stages of your career, or in the beginning stages of a new position, play it safe. After

you have a few years of success under your belt, make a personal commitment to push the envelope.

XXXIII.

The only thing one really needs to know about musical contests is that

Mozart never won one!

(lifted off the Web.)

THE END!

Questions?

Comments?