Teaching Music through Performance in Choir, Volume 1

Written, researched, and compiled by scholars with a wealth of teaching and conducting experience, Teaching Music through Performance in Choir, Volume 1, is an indispensable resource that enables conductors and educators to move beyond the printed page toward full musical awareness.

This book is an ideal tool for anyone who seeks a deeper understanding of the preeminent music composed for choir and who wishes to learn from some of the seminal voices in the choral profession.

In Part I of the book, noted choral directors and educators Frank Abrahams, Anton E. Armstrong, Joseph Flummerfelt, Graeme Morton, and Weston H. Noble, cover such topics as breath control, stylistic awareness from polyphony through the Classical period, the challenges of modern music, "Performance Practice in the African American Slave Song," and "Meeting the National Standards through Choral Performance."

Part II establishes a new system for grading the difficulty of choral repertoire, and contains nuts-and-bolts analysis of more than 100 of the most significant works for choir composed, Levels 1 through 5. Repertoire Resource Guides include information on the composer and composition, historical background, technical requirements, stylistic considerations, musical elements, suggestions for additional listening, and a guide to selected references. Also included is an in-depth study of Gabriel Faur's Requiem, completed by Bruce Chamberlain, Anthony Reeves, and Matthew Mehaffey. This portion includes, an extended history of the work, graphical analyses, and rehearsal strategies for both choir and orchestra.

Teaching Music through Performance in Choir is an essential resource for choir directors at all levels and a major contribution to the choral field.