Female, male, mixed choirs and their composition. Characteristics of the choir. Types of choirs. Quantitative composition of the choir Artistic director and chief choir director

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Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education

"Moscow State Institute of Culture"

Department: Academic choir conducting

Essay

Discipline: “Choral studies and methods of working with the choir”

On the topic: “Choral group. Choir structure. Quantitative and qualitative composition"

Completed by: 3rd year student, group 46

Tarasenko Olga Petrovna

Checked by: professor

Shabalina Olga Ivanovna

Moscow 2015

Introduction

1. Characteristics of the concept of “choral group” and its features

2. Features of the structure of the choral group

3. Quantitative and qualitative composition of the choir

Conclusion

List of used literature

Introduction

Choral singing is one of the most ancient and rich areas of musical art. It obviously existed in primitive communities, as the surviving monuments of that era suggest. Gradually, choral singing not only accompanied labor processes, but also became an important element of folk games, dances, and rituals. Genre varieties of songs with their distinctive features (work, everyday, military, love and other tunes) arose, means of expression were enriched, techniques for alternating solo and choral singing arose, and instruments joined the choir at festivals and during rituals. Early forms of polyphony appeared.

In the system of mass music education, a huge
Various forms of choral art play a role.

Choral studies covers the history, theory and practice of choral performing arts, its place in the spiritual, moral, artistic education of the people, the content of vocal and choral education, the principles of managing artistic groups, specific methodological systems for working with choirs of various types, types, compositions.

In the last few years, interest in choral pedagogy has justifiably increased. Against the backdrop of a saturated choral market, there is a massive formation of choral groups and their equally massive disintegration. A comprehensive study of this phenomenon, conducted at the Academy of Choral Art by G.A. Struve, revealed a number of “bottlenecks” in the functioning of a typical amateur choral group. In particular, it became obvious that one of the main reasons for the self-liquidation of amateur choirs is the low quality of musical, pedagogical and psychological-pedagogical work. That is, factors that have not only educational, but also educational significance.

On the one hand, in a number of amateur groups there is a pronounced lack or insufficiently high quality of educational work designed to increase the vocal, performing and professional (as far as this term is possible in the context of amateur performances) level of the choral group. On the other hand, there is insufficient quality (or even absence) of psychological work aimed at educating team members and creating a special environment for human relations.

The modern repertoire of choral groups covers the largest number of historical eras compared to other types of musical performance.

Purpose This work is a generalization of knowledge about the choir, its structure and composition.

To achieve this goal, a number of solutions were solved in the work tasks:

1. Describe the concept of “choral group”;

2. Reveal the features of the choir structure;

3. Describe the quantitative and qualitative composition of the choir.

1. Characteristics of the concept of “choral group” and its features

A choir is an organized group of singers. This definition covers all kinds of singing groups with a wide variety of qualifications, performing style, repertoire focus, methods of formation and recruitment. In the understanding of the domestic listener, the choir is a creative group, the main goal of whose performing activities is the ideological, artistic and aesthetic education of the masses.

The material for creating any choral group is the human singing voice. Singing voices can be divided into three large groups: male, female, children. These three types of voices will represent the material from which a choir of one composition or another can be organized. Choirs made up of only men, only women or children are called homogeneous choirs, because their composition is truly homogeneous (a choir of only women is female, a choir of only men is male, and a choir of only children is children’s). . The combination of a male choir with a female or children's choir forms a mixed choir.

Thus, the choral group unites different groups of voices. The voices of one group performing their melody in unison are called a choral part. Choral parts are composed of singers with approximately the same range of voices and similar timbre sound.

The classic version of a mixed choir is a group of singers with high and low female and male voices. Low male voices are called basses, low female voices are called altos, high male voices are called tenors, and high female voices are called sopranos.

In the children's choir, similarly to the women's choir, voices are divided into high sopranos and low altos. In the boys' choir, high voices are called trebles. In turn, each party is often divided into two votes - the first and the second. In a mixed choir score there is often a combination of sopranos I and sopranos II, altos I and altos II, tenors I and tenors II, baritones and basses.

The musical notation of the melodies of all parts of the choir is called a choral score. There are two main principles for designing a choral score. The first, most common, is that the melody of each voice is written on a separate line of notes. Parts of choral works of a predominantly polyphonic nature are presented in this way, which allows singers to clearly follow the development of each individual theme, each melodic line.

In choral performance, two styles of singing are distinguished - academic and folk, which are characterized by qualitative differences in the manner of performance.

The academic choir bases its activities on the principles and criteria of musical creativity and performance developed by professional musical culture and the traditions of centuries-old experience in the opera and chamber genres. Academic choirs have a single condition for vocal work - an academic style of singing.

Depending on the profile of their activities, academic choral groups are called chapels, song and dance ensembles, opera choirs, educational choirs, etc.

The choir got its name from the place where the singers and choral group were located. In the Middle Ages, a chapel was a Catholic chapel and a chapel in a church where the choir was located. Initially, the chapels were only vocal, without the participation of instruments. Since then, polyphonic choral singing without instrumental accompaniment, in which the main attention was paid to the melodiousness and independence of voices, to the harmony of the overall sound, began to be called singing a sarella. Currently, some professional as well as amateur choral groups are called a cappella (for example, the St. Petersburg Academic Chapel named after M. Glinka, the Republican Russian Choir Chapel named after A. Yurlov...). Boys' choirs are also called chapels (Nizhny Novgorod boys' choir).

A folk choir is a vocal group that performs folk songs with their inherent characteristics (choral texture, vocal style, phonetics). Folk choirs, as a rule, build their work on the basis of local or regional singing traditions. This determines the variety of compositions and manner of performance of folk choirs. It is necessary to distinguish a folk choir in its natural, everyday form from a specially organized folk choir, professional or amateur, performing both truly folk songs and original compositions in the folk spirit.

Performing a piece at a concert is the final goal and result of all the preliminary work of any musician, in which the selection of the repertoire is the starting point of a long creative path.

Selecting a repertoire for a choir is not a one-time act, but a complex process: on the one hand, it focuses on the musical and aesthetic taste and culture of the choral conductor, on the other hand, the selection of works and the choir’s repertoire is of a pedagogical nature, since it is determined by individual characteristics performers and rehearsal conditions.

At the same time, there are traditional criteria in accordance with which the concert repertoire of choral groups is compiled:

1) diversity in historical eras, styles, genres, characters, etc.;

2) compliance with a certain performing direction, for example, the repertoire of an academic choir consists of sacred and secular choral works, Western European and Russian classical composers, arrangements and arrangements of folk songs, modern compositions;

3) the presence of a sufficient number of works a sarrella (without accompaniment), the mastery of which allows the most intensive formation of choral skills.

The achievements of Russian choral art have historically been based on the organic connection between composition and choral performance. The huge choral heritage, accumulated as a result of centuries of singing practice in Russia, is a treasury of choral culture, contributing to its further development.

2. Features of the structure of the choir group

The concept of choir composition is ambiguous; it involves various aspects. When characterizing the composition of the choir necessary to perform a given work, the following are taken into account: its structure, the total number of participants (quantitative composition), certain qualitative characteristics (qualitative composition).

As already noted, a creative choral group may differ in its structure. This could be a folk ensemble, a pop song studio, a boys' choir, and so on. But the most practical and realistically achievable is the creation of an academic choir: its repertoire covers a wide range of vocal genres - from works of classical composers, songs of various nations to works of modern authors. choral score singing ensemble

The structure of the choir is determined, first of all, by its type and appearance. The first indicates which choral parts are included in the choir. On this basis, all choirs are divided into homogeneous (children's, women's or men's) and mixed - consisting of women's or children's (or both together) and men's voices (choral parts).

The type of choir indicates the number of choral parts (“voices”) included in its composition. Based on this, choirs can be one-voice, two-voice, three-voice, four-voice, etc.

Each type corresponds to certain types of choir. Homogeneous choirs have two main parts: upper voices (trebles in the children's choir, soprano in the women's choir, tenors in the men's choir) and lower voices (altos in the children's and women's choirs, basses in the men's choir). Consequently, the elementary form of a homogeneous choir is two-voice: D + A (in a children's choir), C + A (in a women's choir), T + B (in a men's choir).

The mixed choir consists of four main parts: sopranos (or trebles), altos, tenors, basses. Its most characteristic type is four-voice: C (D) + A + T + B.

The increase in votes occurs as a result of the division of parties. Separations can be permanent or temporary. With constant separation, each part essentially becomes an independent choral part: CI + CIII + A (three-voice female choir), TI + TIII + BI + BII (four-voice male choir), CI + SII + AI + AII + TI + TIII + BI + BI (eight-voice mixed choir).

With temporary divisions, parties are divided sporadically. The unstable nature of the divisions creates variability in the choral composition. There are often cases when the full composition of the choir actually never sounds simultaneously in the work, and the establishment of the type of choir (number of voices) becomes largely arbitrary. A choir composition without divisions of parties or with divisions of a permanent nature can be called stable, and the composition with divisions such as divisions can be called unstable.

There are 2 main types of choral groups: homogeneous and mixed. This typology is due to the 3-type classification of singing voices: children's, women's, men's.

A variation of the incomplete mixed type are youth choirs, formed from female (soprano and alto) voices and one unison male part. They received the name youth because most often they are composed of boys and girls aged 15-17 years. Due to the limited singing capabilities associated with the active process of mutation, the young men unite into a single choral part and perform the melody in unison.

3. Quantitative and qualitative composition of the choir

Choral groups are traditionally divided into small (chamber), medium and large choirs. Based on the quantitative composition, the size of each choral party is determined. For optimal sound, achieving a clean structure and a coherent ensemble, according to P. Chesnokov’s definition, the number of singers within the choral part should be three. The presence of three people in a party allows you to use chain (continuous) breathing techniques.

Both homogeneous and mixed choirs can be full or incomplete. The full choir includes all choral parts characteristic of this type of choir. An incomplete choir consists of some parts characteristic of a given choir. An incomplete homogeneous choir (that is, when the entire performance is entrusted to only one choral part) is used relatively rarely, an incomplete mixed choir is used much more often; it is most characterized by a combination of parts closely spaced in the range: C+A+T, A+T+ B.

There are also multi-choir compositions, when several choirs (two, three, four or more) participate in the performance simultaneously. Such compositions are especially common in opera music. In concert practice they are used less frequently and, as a rule, include no more than two or three choirs. If the groups participating in the performance have the same structure and number of participants, then such multi-choir compositions are called, respectively, double, triple, etc.

The quantitative composition of the choir is determined by the total number of members of the group required to perform this work. There are the following main varieties in relation to a full mixed choir: small composition or chamber (16-24 people); average composition (24-60 people); large composition (60-80 or more people).

The quality of the choir needed to perform a given work depends on the nature and structure of the music and its complexity.

The nature of the work places demands on the timbre composition of the choir. Chamber images presuppose the predominant use of lyrical timbres. This composition is typical for much of a cappella choral music. In contrast, we can talk about the “dramatic composition of the choir,” which has a completely different sound - dense and strong. Bearing in mind the complexity of the work, which determines the required level of vocal and choral technique of the group (its professional training), we can conditionally distinguish beginner, experienced, amateur and professional choir composition.

The need for a choral part to have three or more singers is also confirmed by acoustic laws. During the performance of unison melodies, the singing of at least three participants prevents sound splitting; the interval of deviation from absolute unison in the singing of the first and second choristers is filled with the sound of the third voice. This creates the effect of sounding a continuous unison. This law also applies to the timbre of voices.

As P. Chesnokov pointed out, the smallest number of singers in a mixed choir, based on the smallest composition of one choral part, is 12 people (3 sopranos + 3 altos + 3 tenors + 3 basses). Similar norms apply to homogeneous choirs. Choirs with such a minimum composition can only perform those works where there is no division of voices in the parts. These groups are most often used in the practice of religious singing, accompanying church services. Currently, a choral group consisting of 12 to 20 people is usually called a vocal ensemble.

The average composition includes such groups where each choral part can be divided (double in number) into two (BI, BII). The number of members of the choir thus increases to 24 people. At P.G. Chesnokov, the average composition of the mixed choir consisted of 27 people, additionally including 3 more bass - octavist.

Currently, groups with a number of singers from 25 to 30 people are called chamber choirs. The range of performing capabilities of this group is quite extensive, but the most interesting in its performance are the subtle and graceful choral acapella miniatures, in the performance of which the choirs achieve high skill and perfection.

In modern practice, medium-sized choirs are considered to be groups of 30 to 60 people. A medium-sized team is most widespread in amateur performances. The average composition of the choir is widely represented in the form of educational, women's, men's, youth, mixed professional and amateur choirs. These choirs exist in general education and music schools, secondary specialized and higher educational institutions. The performing capabilities of medium-sized choirs are quite significant. Thanks to their mobility, mobility and flexibility of sound, they can perform choral works of varying degrees of complexity. The repertoire of these groups may include examples of foreign and domestic choral literature, arrangements of folk songs, choral works of various genres and stylistic directions.

In modern conditions, large choral groups include groups of 80 to 100 (120) people. Most professional choirs are like this. The large composition of professional choirs is due to the ability to perform works of large forms, including orchestral accompaniment, as well as complex polyphonic polyphonic acapella choral works of polyphonic presentation.

Further increase in the permanent composition of the choir is inappropriate, since it does not contribute to the improvement of its performing qualities: flexibility, mobility, and rhythmic clarity are lost. The choral ensemble becomes vague and timbrally uninteresting.

However, in choral practice there are cases of the existence of so-called combined choirs, the number of which sometimes reaches several tens of thousands of people. Such groups are organized, as a rule, on special festive occasions. For combined choirs, they usually select works that are not very complex, “catchy” and bright in artistic image, of a solemn, anthemic nature, previously learned by each choir independently.

The successful work of the ensemble is largely ensured by the correct placement of singers during rehearsals and concert performances.

The solution to this issue is confirmed by long-term singing practice. The choir on stage and during rehearsals should be arranged according to choral parts. At the same time, related parts in a mixed choir, as a rule, are combined: high female voices (sopranos) with high male voices (tenors), low female voices (altos) with low male voices (bass). Choirs on stage are most often arranged in a semicircle, providing the best way to concentrate the sound.

Thus, accurate intonation (tuning) and balanced sound (ensemble) in a choir are the main conditions for its professionalism. A well-coordinated choral group is always perceived as a vocal orchestra consisting of human voices, and therefore requires constant and systematic attention from the choirmaster from the moment the choir sings to the concert performance on the stage.

Conclusion

Choir is an extremely capacious concept. It is usually considered as a musical and singing group, whose activity is the creative process of choral music-making (or choral performance). In this context, a choir is a vocal and performing group, united and organized by creative goals and objectives. The principle of collective beginning is mandatory for all choir participants and must be maintained at any stage of the choir’s work.

A choir is a vocal ensemble with a large number of participants, consisting of choral parts. The basic basis of each choral part is unison, which presupposes the complete unity of all vocal-choral components of performance - sound production, intonation, timbre, dynamics, rhythm, diction, in other words, the choir is an ensemble of vocal unisons. Choral performance is expressed in two forms of music making - singing without accompaniment (a cappella) and singing with accompaniment. Depending on the method of intonation - in natural or tempered tuning - the role of intonation increases.

Choral performance organically combines various types of arts - music and literature (poetics). The synthesis of these two types of arts introduces specific features into choral creativity. A logical and meaningful combination of music and words defines the concept of the vocal-choral genre. A good choir is always distinguished by technical and artistic-expressive performance, where, along with the problems of ensemble and structure, the problems of musical and literary interpretation are solved.

None of the properties listed above can exist in isolation. All components are interconnected and in constant harmony.

List of used literature

1. Bogdanova, T.S. Fundamentals of choral studies / T.S. Bogdanov. - M: BSPU, 2009. - 132 p.

2. Kozinskaya, Yu.Yu., Fadeeva M.A. Choral studies and choral arrangement / Yu.Yu. Kozinskaya. M.A. Fadeeva. - Saratov, 2011. - 88 p.

3. Levando, P.P. Choral texture / P.P. Levando. - L: Music, 1984. - 123 p.

4. Pigrov, K.K. Choir leadership / K.K. Pigrov. - Moscow: Music, 1964. - 220 p.

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Artistic Director and Chief Regent

Georgy Safonov was born on July 3, 1964 in Belarus, in the city of Minsk. In 1971, at the age of seven, he entered the Secondary Special Music School at the Belarusian State Conservatory in the class of choral conducting. He sang in the boys' choir under the direction of Honored Artist of Russia I. A. Zhuravlenko.

He graduated from school in 1982. In the same year he entered the Russian Academy of Music. Gnesins in the class of the Honored Artist of Russia, Associate Professor M. A. Bondar (a student of the famous conductor in Russia, the last regent of the Synodal Choir, professor of the Moscow Conservatory N. M. Danilin).

He combined his studies at the Academy with work in two groups - the children's chamber choir of the Moskvorechye Children's House of Culture (artistic director) and the chamber choir "Vivat" of the Musical Society of the Moscow Region (choirmaster). In 1988, at the First All-Russian Conducting Competition in the city of Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod), he became a laureate (II prize). After completing five courses, he entered an assistant-traineeship at the Academy, which he completed in 1991.

During his assistantship, he was a teacher at the Academy's choral conducting department (class of conducting and choral arrangement). In 1990 he became the chief conductor of the Moscow Bach Center choir, and in 1991 the artistic director and chief conductor of the Moscow Ensemble of Soloists “Russian Revival”.

Since 1989, he was invited to serve as a choir singer at the Moscow Novodevichy Convent, where he began to study regency work. Since 1991, he began his singing career at the Danilov Stavropegic Monastery of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow.

Choir soloists

Korogod Alexander Ivanovich. First tenor.

She has been singing in the monastery since November 2012.

Born in Mikhailovka, Volgograd region. Graduated from the Volgograd School of Arts named after P.A. Serebryakov, Academy of Choral Art named after. V.S. Popova. Collaborated with the choir of the Sretensky Monastery. He is the founder, art director and producer of the pop art group “Choir Bravissimo”.

Denisov Denis Nikolaevich. Second tenor.

He has been singing in the monastery since 2002.

He received his musical education at the Orthodox St. Tikhon's Epiphany Institute at the faculty of church singing, and graduated from graduate school at the Russian Academy of Music. Gnesins. From 2003 to 2013, artistic director and chief conductor of the choir of the Church of St. Tikhon of the All-Russian Patriarch in Klin.

Savenkov Dmitry Viktorovich. Tenor-altino.

She has been singing in the monastery since 2011.

Born in Ukraine in Kharkov. Graduated from the Russian Academy of Sciences. Gnessins, in 2010 he entered the Moscow State Conservatory named after P.I. Tchaikovsky to the department of opera and symphony conducting. He worked as a choirmaster of the State Russian Choir named after A. A. Yurlov under the direction of G. A. Dmitryak, collaborated with the Moscow Chamber Choir of V. N. Minin, the State Academic Russian Choir named after. A. V. Sveshnikov, State Academic Symphony Chapel of V. Polyansky. He served as a choirmaster in many monasteries in Moscow and the Moscow region.

Obukhov Valery Petrovich. Bass.

She has been singing in the monastery since 2011.

Honored Artist of Russia, graduated from the Moscow State Conservatory named after P. I. Tchaikovsky, GITIS named after A. V. Lunacharsky. Soloist of the Moscow State Academic Children's Musical Theater named after N.I. Sats. He has been performing as a member of the Danilov Monastery choir since 1995, and has conducted more than a hundred touring performances in Russia and abroad.

Choir singers

Alexey Zamlely. Tenor.

He graduated from the Stavropol Regional School of Arts, the Rostov State Conservatory named after S.V. Rachmaninov and postgraduate studies in choral conducting. He was a singer and choirmaster of the Don Choir Chapel “Anastasia”, collaborated with the Rostov men’s choir “Svetilen”. Served as regent at the Church of St. Demetrius of Rostov, led the professional mixed choir named after St. Demetrius of Rostov.

Alexander Pronin. Tenor.

He was educated at the Russian Academy of Music. Gnesins. He worked in the Moscow Chamber Choir under the direction of V.N. Minin, and at the same time was a soloist of the Moscow Philharmonic. He has been singing in the choir of the Danilov Monastery since the early 2000s.

Igor Krasnoshchekov. Tenor.

Graduated from the Rostov State Conservatory named after S.V. Rachmaninov, viola class. As a violist, he collaborated with the Radio and Television Orchestra, the large symphony orchestra conducted by V. I. Fedoseev and the Symphony Orchestra of Cinematography. He worked as a singer in the choir named after A. A. Yurlov, as well as in the synthesis choir under G. Shaidulova.

Alexander Kandzyuba. Bass.

Born in Donetsk. Graduate of the Ural State Conservatory named after M. P. Mussorgsky. He worked at the Kemerovo State Institute of Culture as a teacher in the department of choral conducting, and at the same time was the regent of the Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Kemerovo. Organized the 1st festival of church choirs of the Urals and Siberia “Meeting”.

Andrey Ukraintsev. Bass.

Born in Chelyabinsk, where he graduated from a music school and an art institute, he worked as a regent at the Chelyabinsk Cathedral.

He enjoys fishing, picking mushrooms, canning and winemaking, and also knits.

Evgeny Ilyinsky. Bass.

He received his education at the Russian Academy of Music. Gnesins, worked in the chamber choir of the USSR Ministry of Culture. V. Polyansky, in the ensemble "Peresvet". Laureate of the international competition in Los Angeles as part of the “Choral Academy” p/u. A. Sedogo. In the choir of the Danilov Monastery since 1997.

Alexander Bezdenezhnykh. Baritone.

Serves in the choir of the Danilov Monastery for more than 20 years, assistant artistic director both in the choir and beyond. He graduated from the church singing department of the Moscow City Teachers' Seminary, worked with the “Orthodox Singers” choir under G. Smirnov.

Kirill Kislyakov. Baritone.

Born in Bulgaria, Varna. Graduated from the Academy of Choral Art named after V. S. Popov. He collaborated with the World of Art charity foundation under V. M. Teterin in various regions of Russia, and studied music with orphans and the disabled. Organizes concerts.

Alexander Konev. Baritone.

Born in the Komi Republic. Graduate of the Russian Academy of Sciences named after. Gnesins. Regent, organizes concert activities of the Danilov Monastery choir.

Sergey Gerasimov. Bass.

Born in the Urals, he loved folk music since childhood, playing the harmonica and accordion. He studied vocal singing with Professor Helena Bagislavovna Sodovskaya. Singing member of the Danilov Monastery choir since 1998. Successfully combines medical practice as a psychiatrist-narcologist with singing in a church choir.

Ivan Pimenov. Tenor.

Born in Moscow. In 2005 he graduated from the Moscow Orthodox Theological Seminary. Worked in the Architectural Bureau. He speaks Greek, thanks to which he collaborates with the Alexandria Metochion, the Greek Cultural Center, Moscow State University, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She has been singing in the monastery choir since 2006.

He is interested in sports, likes cycling and skiing.

Alexey Yurchenko. Baritone.

Born in Kamchatka. In 2000 he graduated from the Kamchatka Regional Music School and entered the Astrakhan State Conservatory in the class of choral conducting. Since 2004, he served as regent of the Skimen men's choir at the St. John the Baptist Monastery. In 2007 he created the boys’ choir “Resurrection”. From 2009 to 2011 - artistic director of the men's choir at the Astrakhan Philharmonic. She has been singing in the monastery since 2013.

Born and lives in Moscow. He received his musical education first at the Moscow Boys' Chapel, then at the Moscow School at the Moscow Conservatory as a choral conductor. After college, he entered GITIS to study at the musical theater actor department. He worked as a soloist at the Moscow State Academic Children's Musical Theater named after. N. I. Sats. Served as a singer in choirs under the direction of V.K. Polyansky, A. Sedov, V.N. Minin. He was a soloist of the ensembles GSVG (group of Soviet troops in Germany) and “Don Kazaken” (Germany). He has been singing in the choir of the Danilov Monastery since 2010.

Nikolai prefers classical music, jazz and Soviet films.

Peter Fomin. Tenor.

Born in Moscow. In 1988 he graduated from the Moscow Energy Institute. From 1983 to 1989 he sang in the Youth and Students Choir under the direction of B. G. Tevlin, from 1991 to 1993 - in the choir of the Novospassky Monastery. He served in the “Old Russian Chant” choir, as well as in the courtyard of the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery in Moscow (Sretensky Monastery). From 1989 to 1991, and then from 1999 - work in the choir of the Danilov Monastery.

Alexander Kadin. Bass.

Born in the city of Osh, Kyrgyz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1982 he moved to Abkhazia, graduated from school in the city of Tudauta and the music school in the city of Sukhumi. Since 1998, he worked in the choir of the New Athos Monastery and in the Abkhaz choir chapel. Since 2007 he has lived in Moscow. She has been singing at the Danilov Monastery since 2010.

Alexander is married and has 6 children.

Alexander Garkusha. Baritone.

He received holy baptism in the South Kazakh city of Turkestan, where many exiled Greeks lived, thanks to whom a strong church community was formed. He acquired the skills of singing in church from his grandmother, who served God in the choir. After graduating from school, he entered the music school in the piano department. From 1973 to 1975 he served in the special forces. In 1983 he graduated from the conducting and choral department of the Alma-Ata State Conservatory, after which he was accepted into the percussion group of the State Symphony Orchestra. Since 1986, he has been working as an instrumental artist in the Kazakh touring and concert association “Kazakhconcert”. Later he worked as an accompanist and piano teacher in children's music schools in the Moscow region. Since 1990, he has served as a singer in the Novodevichy Monastery, after which in 1993 he was accepted into the position of a singing fraternal choir, and then the festive choir of the Danilov Monastery, where he serves to the present day.

Alexander is very interested in Russian sports, loves football and MMA competitions.

Section I

CHORAL

Choral singing is a mass democratic art. It contributes to the musical and aesthetic education of not only the participants in choral performances themselves, but the broad masses of listeners.

A choir is a group of singers organized and united by common goals and objectives, capable of recreating in their performance a choral score of varying difficulty and various musical genres, from the simplest folk song to the most complex works of choral literature.

A choir is an organized group of singing people, in which there must be several different groups of voices, called parties. Parts are grouped according to the nature of their sound and range of voices.

Often each party is divided into two groups, this division is called divisi.

Types of choirs

Depending on the composition of the singing voices, choirs are divided into two types: homogeneous and mixed. Homogeneous choirs include children's, women's, and men's choirs. Mixed choirs are choirs that include female and male voices. A variation of the mixed type is the choir, in which the parts of female voices are performed by children's voices. The type of mixed choirs also includes youth and incomplete mixed choirs.

Children's choir. All children's choirs are divided into three groups according to age: junior choir, middle choir and senior choir.

Junior choir The basis of this choir's repertoire consists of folk songs, children's songs by modern composers, and simple examples of works by Belarusian, Russian and foreign classics. The sound of the junior choir is distinguished by lightness, sonority, and low volume. The range of the choir is limited to the limits of the first and the beginning of the second octave. The voices of younger schoolchildren do not have a distinct individual timbre. There is still no significant difference between the voices of boys and girls.

Middle choir The members of this group have access to a repertoire that is more complex in terms of artistic and expressive means. The program includes two-voice works. Working range of the average choir: up to 1 – re 2, mi 2. The sound of this choir is characterized by greater saturation.

Senior choir The strength of the sound of the senior choir can, if necessary, reach great saturation, dynamic tension and expressiveness. But this should not be used often in order to protect the child’s voice. In boys aged 11-14 years, who have not yet developed signs of the mutation, the voice sounds most vividly, with a chest-like timbre. Girls of the same age begin to develop the timbre of a female voice. The repertoire of this choir includes two-three-voice works with accompaniment and a`cappella. Working range of the soprano part: D 1, E 1 – D 2, F 2; altos: si small – up to 2, re 2.

Women's choir. This is a team with great performing capabilities and a wide range. Operating range of the choir: small G, small A – fa 2, salt 2. The repertoire for such groups in choral literature is extensive, diverse in style, images, and performing manner.

It should be noted that there are no professional academic women's choirs. But there are quite a lot of them in amateur performances and in special music educational institutions.

Men's choirs. The sound of the male choir is characterized by unique shades of timbre colors and a wide range of dynamic nuances. The largest and leading voice load in such a group falls on the tenor part. The working range of the male choir is: E major – F 1, G 1. There are a wide variety of works for male choirs, and operatic literature is also rich in them.

Mixed choirs. They are characterized by the presence of female (sopranos and altos) and male (tenors, basses, baritones) voices. P.G. Chesnokov called this type of choir the most perfect. This group has unique artistic and performing capabilities. Working range: A contract – B 2. Choral literature is rich in works for mixed choirs that are very diverse in content, style, and means of choral expression.

Youth, incomplete mixed choirs. Groups in which senior schoolchildren take part - boys and girls, students in grades 9-11 - are considered. Moreover, in school choirs, all young men often sing in unison (due to physiological age-related changes occurring in their vocal apparatus). If the choir has female voices - sopranos, altos and one male unison part, then such a youth choir can be considered an incomplete mixed choir.

Choirs consisting only of high school girls are called girls' choirs or women's choirs.

By combining a youth group of singers with the children's voices of boys, a unique group is created that is capable of performing a varied and rather complex program intended for mixed choirs.

Choral parts

The core of the group is made up of choral parts, each of which is characterized only by its own inherent timbre features, a certain range, and artistic and performing capabilities.

Children's choir choral parts

Children's voices of younger and middle age groups (7-10 years old), as a rule, are not divided into choral parts according to any timbre or range characteristics. In most cases, the choir is simply divided into two approximately equal halves, with the first group singing in the upper voice and the second in the lower voice.

Choral parts of the senior choir (11-14 years old). The senior school choir often consists of two choral parts - sopranos and altos. The working range of soprano is up to 1, D 1 – E 2, G 2. Girls' voices are light and flexible. Boys are also included in the soprano part, who can easily take on the high sounds of the named range.

Students whose lower register sounds more richly are assigned to the viola part. Their range: A small. – re 2. When recruiting a particular part in a senior choir, it is necessary to carefully check each participant, identify his range, the nature of sound production, timbre coloring, and breathing patterns.

Adult choir choir parts

Soprano part. Working range: E flat 1 – A 2. The soprano part in the choir often has to perform the main melodic voice. The upper register of the soprano sounds bright, rich, expressive. In the middle register, the soprano voice is light and agile, the lower register is more subdued. The soprano part can be divided into two groups (first soprano, second soprano).

The viola part often performs a harmonic function. The working range of the lamp is small. , small salt – up to 2, re 2. Completing an alto choir is a very difficult task, since true low female voices are rare. The alto part includes singers who can perform the lower sounds of the alto range without strain.

Tenors part. Operating range up to small. , mi small. – salt 1, la 1. The extreme sounds of this range are rarely used in choral literature. The upper register of the tenor part sounds bright, expressive, and with great power. A feature that expands the range of the part is the presence of a falsetto in tenors, which allows them to play the upper sounds of the range and the sounds of the middle register with a light sound, coloring them with a special timbre. The tenor part is often assigned the main theme of the work; often the tenors double as the soprano part; There are many examples of tenors performing harmonic accompaniment sounds.

The tenor part is usually written in treble clef and sounded an octave lower. Sometimes it is notated in the bass clef and in this case it sounds as it is written.

Bass part. It forms the basis of choral sonority, its “foundation”. The operating range is large. , mi big. – up to 1, re 1. . The bass part sounds most expressive in the middle and high registers.

The bass line is divided into two groups: baritones and basses. Of particular rarity and value for the choir are the singers of the third group of low choral male voices - the octavist. The presence of one or two octavists in the group significantly expands the performing capabilities of the choir.

Types of choirs

The type of choir is determined by the number of independent choral parts. There are different types of choirs:

Choir arrangement

Choirs on stage and at rehearsals are arranged according to choral parts. Related parts in a mixed choir are combined: high female and high male voices - soprano and tenor, low female and low male voices - altos, baritones, basses.

Diagrams of several traditional ways of arranging choirs of various types.

Children's or women's choir:


	Soprano II

	Soprano I

	soprano I	Soprano II

	Soprano II
	Soprano I

The instrument, if the choir performs a repertoire with piano accompaniment, is placed to the left of the conductor.

Male choir:


	Baritones

	Baritones
		Octavists

mixed choir:

The given choir layouts sometimes change depending on the acoustic conditions of the concert hall, rehearsal tasks, and creative search.

Quantitative composition of choirs

According to the number of singers participating in the choir, the groups are Small, Medium and Large. The minimum composition for each choral part is three people. A mixed choir, each part of which has the smallest number of singers (three sopranos, three altos, three tenors, three basses), will consist of 12 people. Such a team, according to Chesnokov P.G. is considered small in composition and can perform works of strict four-voice writing.

Currently, there have been some changes in the practice of choral performance. A choral group of 25 to 35 participants with approximately an equal number of singers in each part is considered a small choir, or chamber choir.

Medium-sized choirs have from 40 to 60 participants; they are most common among children's, youth, women's and mixed amateur choirs.

Choirs with over 60 participants are large.

It is considered inappropriate to create choirs of more than 80–100 people. It is very difficult for a choir of such composition to achieve high artistic and performing flexibility, mobility, rhythmic coherence and ensemble unity.

It’s a different matter for combined choirs, which have functions and creative tasks other than solo groups. Combined choirs are organized for a specific special occasion and can unite in their ranks from 100 to 1 thousand or more participants.

Questions for seminar classes

The choir as a creative team.
Types of choirs and their characteristics.
Choral parts of various types of choirs.
Types of choirs.
Choir arrangement.
Quantitative composition of choral groups.

Literature

Abelyan L., Gembitskaya E. Children's choir of the Institute of Artistic Education of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of the USSR. – M., 1976.
Educational work in an amateur artistic group. – M., 1984.
Dmitrevsky G. Choral studies and choir management. – M., 1948.
Egorov A. Theory and practice of working with the choir. – M., 1954.
Krasnoshchekov V. Questions of choral studies. – M., 1969.
Popov S. Organizational and methodological foundations of the work of an amateur choir. – M., 1957.
Pigrov K. Conducting a choir. – M., 1964.
Bird K. Masters of choral art at the Moscow Conservatory. – M., 1970.
Bird K. Working with a children's choir. – M., 1981.
Sokolov V. Work with an amateur choir. 2nd ed. – M., 1983.
Struve G. School choir. – M., 1981.
Chesnokov P. Choir and management. – M., 1961.

In musical practice, there are other concepts that are similar in meaning to the term “arrangement”: transcription, processing, harmonization, orchestration or orchestral edition.

The choral arrangement has distinctive features. Before starting to arrange any work, the arranger must be sure that the work will sound good with the intended performing composition, that the main and essential aspects regarding the artistic merits of the work will remain. Moreover, this requirement applies to the transfer of a vocal or instrumental work into the choral genre. For example, in romances, the poetic text is often given in the first person, and, therefore, is unacceptable for collective performance. We must not forget that the romance genre requires subtle agogic (tempo) and dynamic shades, which is achieved with great difficulty in choral performance.

Arranging is, first of all, a creative process that requires from the arranger mainly talent and instinct in understanding the measure that should not be crossed so as not to distort the author's intention. The main task in this regard is to preserve the main characteristics of the work, such as musical thematic material, modal structure, harmonic language, rhythm, tempo, and literary text. It is known that transposing a work into a different key changes its overall color. At higher levels the work sounds lighter and lighter, but at lower levels it sounds less expressive.

The main requirement for a choral arrangement is to follow the norms of convenient tessitura. Singing voices must be within the working range and working notes. The working range differs from the full range in that it lacks high and low sounds.

Let's look at general and typical arrangement methods. Sometimes the arrangement may be limited to minimal changes to the original. For example, individual melodic turns are transferred to other choral groups so that the melodic line is performed more vividly, expressively and without excessive stress.

It should be said about the peculiarities of the arrangement of some intervallic consonances. The specificity of choral sound is such that all ingervals, in comfortable registers, usually sound good and noble. This also applies to such intervals as fourth, fifth, octave, which seem to sound empty on the piano. In choral timbres, these consonances have a completely different coloring, so they can be freely used in two-voice scores.

Arrangement of two-voice homogeneous choirs

If a homogeneous choir is represented by its usual composition, that is, a female choir - sopranos and altos, a male choir - tenors and basses, then in the arrangement, as a rule, the tonality of the homogeneous choir is preserved.

If a homogeneous choir consists of two high voices (soprano I and II or tenor I and II), then when transcribed to a mixed choir it is necessary to transpose downward by a convenient interval, usually not exceeding a major third. If a homogeneous choir consists of two low voices, then upward transposition will be required.

In two-voice homogeneous choirs, if they contain elements of three-voice, all three voices are doubled. If divisi into two parts is carried out in the upper voice, then soprano I is doubled by tenors I, soprano II by tenors II, alto-bass. With divisi in the lower voice, the soprano is doubled by tenors, altos I by basses II. There is no need to switch to another key here.

The mixed choir score is formed by doubling all three voices.
The score of a mixed choir is formed by doubling two of the three voices of a homogeneous choir.
The score of a mixed choir is formed by doubling one of the voices of a homogeneous choir.

Method II:

In transcriptions using the second method, the tonality of a homogeneous choir is usually preserved. However, if in a homogeneous choir there is a divisi in the upper voice (soprano or tenor), then a downward transposition will be required, otherwise the altos in a mixed choir will be positioned very high.

III method:

when arranged from a women's choir

when arranged from the male choir

The main method of such transcriptions involves changing the arrangement of voices in a homogeneous choir while maintaining the tonality of the work. In choral practice, it has become most widespread, since when used it does not require any restrictions on the ranges of the voices of a homogeneous choir.

This method is most convenient in cases where the voices of a homogeneous choir are closely spaced. In this case, the arrangement for a mixed choir gives an even distribution of voices in the chord and, thus, its full, unified sound.

With a wide or mixed arrangement of voices of a homogeneous choir in an arrangement, unwanted gaps may form between choral parts, worsening the sound quality of the score. In order to prevent such breaks, it is necessary (if this is possible under the conditions of voice guidance and tessitura) to preserve the intervallic relationships that were in the chords of a homogeneous choir, or to rearrange the middle voices in the chord so that a break does not occur, or to introduce a fifth voice at the place of the break.

When transcribed in this way, the crossing of voices in the chords of a homogeneous choir can also lead to gaps between voices. In such cases, in order to avoid gaps, there is no need to swap the middle voices. It is necessary to maintain the same arrangement that was in the homogeneous choir.

It must be remembered that this method of arrangement is more appropriate for works of a calm, leisurely nature. Expanding the choral range by an octave and changing the position of the voices in this case will not negatively affect the character of the sound.

A different result, just the opposite, can happen if the piece is performed at a fast tempo and is dominated by short durations. In performance, cumbersomeness and heaviness may appear that are alien to the moving tempo. Therefore, for such transcriptions there is no need to take works in which a change in texture will negatively affect the artistic merits of the transcription.

There is another way, but in practice it is rare, since it requires limiting the ranges of the two lower parts of a homogeneous choir.

Arrangement of three-voice homogeneous choirs of a homophonic-harmonic nature for four-voice mixed ones

Unlike the previous type of arrangement, where a mixed choir was formed by octave doubling the voices of a homogeneous choir, this type of arrangement involves the creation of a four-voice score in which each voice will have its own independent melodic line. This method can be applied when a three-voice choir or its individual structures are presented in a homophonic-harmonic manner. You should not take choirs with subvocal development for such transcriptions, since the four-voice harmonic texture can distort the characteristic coloring inherent in the subvocal structure.

If a female choir is transcribed, then the lower voice will sound an octave lower, transmitted to the bass; If you make an arrangement for a male choir, then the top one, transferred to the soprano part, rises an octave higher.

The middle voices of a mixed choir (altos and tenors) are formed by observing the norms of voice guidance based on filling the harmony of a four-voice chord with the missing sounds. In this case, the middle voice of a homogeneous choir does not necessarily have to pass unchanged to one of the middle voices of a mixed choir.

Neither the melodic position of the chord, nor its appearance, nor the harmonic function can be changed. Only the fullness of the harmonic sound and the arrangement of voices in the chord can change. Often in three-voice works the tonic is represented by a sixth chord. In a four-part mixed score, this sixth chord is replaced by the main chord type.

Arrangements of homogeneous choirs with a variable number of voices for mixed choirs

Such transcriptions are made based on a combination of various methods discussed earlier. Single-voice formations, two-voices, as well as two-voices with elements of three-voices will require octave doubling of the voices of a homogeneous choir. In three-voice episodes, two possibilities of arrangement may arise: octave doubling of choral parts or replacement of three-voice chords with a four-voice presentation, in which each of the voices of the mixed choir will have an independent melodic line.

The choice of one method or another will depend on the characteristics of the given construction.

Arrangements of four-voice mixed choirs into four-voice homogeneous ones

A characteristic feature of the arrangement of four-voice mixed choirs for four-voice homogeneous choirs is that from a composition richer in register and timbre-expressive terms, the work is transferred to a choir with more modest means and capabilities. Therefore, not every work written for a mixed choir can be arranged for homogeneous compositions without compromising its artistic content.

The choir is presented in a close arrangement.
The choir is set out in a wide arrangement.
The chorus is presented in a variable arrangement.
The chorus, regardless of its location, is written in a complex, developed form.

In choral literature there are works for mixed choirs with close arrangements from beginning to end. More often these are small constructions in the form of a period. In order to arrange such a mixed choir for a female choir, you need to raise the key by a second or third and transfer the voices according to the following scheme:

Changing gears this way sometimes changes the inversion of the chord. When arranging works written for a mixed choir of the named type for a male choir, the key of the work usually needs to be lowered by a fifth-sext (for a professional male choir), and for an amateur choir up to an octave inclusive.

Such compositions are rarely found in choral literature. Just like works with a constant close arrangement, choirs with a constant wide arrangement of voices are usually presented in the form of choral miniatures. Their arrangement for a homogeneous composition is made by turning a wide arrangement into a close one without changing the key.

The exception is the arrangement for a professional male choir, for which the tonality of the work may be slightly increased. The tonality of the amateur depends on the upper sound of the soprano part. It should not be higher than “F” of the first octave.

Works for mixed choirs with alternating voices are most often found in choral literature. When arranging this kind of score for homogeneous compositions, the question arises about the choice of tonality for the male and female choir.

The fact is that in works that include both a wide and close arrangement and are thus no longer choral miniatures, but works of a larger form, the entire range of the choir can be used, including the extreme registers of the choir or its individual parties, which most often turn out to be impossible to change either upward or downward.

From this it follows that it is preferable to preserve the tonality of the original. However, the preserved tonality constantly leads to a discrepancy between the registers of one choir composition and another. Therefore, when arranging a mixed choir with a variable arrangement of voices for homogeneous compositions in the latter, it is often necessary to reduce the number of voices in the chords, reducing them to three-voice, two-voice, and sometimes to one-voice, making sure only that the filling chord sounds are not located above the upper voice and would not form arbitrary quartersex chords.

It is necessary to especially carefully monitor the smoothness of voice leading, the observance of which is associated with additional difficulties arising from the constant change of close and wide arrangement in the original, each of which requires a restructuring of the arrangement of voices within homogeneous choirs. We constantly have to deviate from the author's voice guidance, then return to it again.

If a work for a mixed choir has the character of a detailed, large-scale canvas, it is usually not possible to arrange such a work for both female and male compositions due to the discrepancy between the capabilities of the specified performing compositions.

Arrangements of four-voice mixed choirs for three-part homogeneous choirs

Such translations are carried out as follows. The melodic line of the upper voice of a mixed choir is completely preserved and transferred to the upper voice of a homogeneous choir. Only the octave of its sound can change if it is an arrangement for a male choir. The other two voices in a homogeneous choir are formed on the basis of the harmonic sound of the other three voices of the mixed choir, taking into account their new arrangement in the chord.

You cannot set yourself the task of accurately transferring any of the three lower voices of a mixed choir into the score of a homogeneous choir. The desire to keep these voices intact can lead to inferior sounding of chords in a homogeneous choir. In a three-voice score, it is not necessary to preserve the appearance of the chord in comparison with its four-voice presentation. More important in this case is the correct placement of voices in the chord. Cadance turns in the three-voice version allow for a more free approach in terms of arrangement. For example, the final tonic and the dominant preceding it can be represented by their inversions: a tonic sixth chord and a dominant second chord (incomplete). Replacing four-voice chords with three-voice ones, when the fullness of the harmonic sound is lost to some extent, it is therefore desirable to preserve in these chords the leading tone, seventh, none, altered tones, on which the color of the harmony, its specific flavor directly depends.

One of the most important tasks when transcribing this type is the correct choice of interval between the melodic line and the newly formed lower voice. This interval should, as accurately as possible, reproduce the harmonic coloring of the corresponding four-voice chord. For example, a dominant seventh chord (in the third position) with a resolution to a tonic triad, when replaced by a two-part chord, an increased fourth with a resolution to a tonic sixth will sound best:

It should be noted that when replacing the dominant seventh chord and its inversions with a two-voice sound, it is desirable to preserve the most characteristic sound of this chord - the seventh.

The choice of the required interval when transcribed into a two-voice choir largely depends on the melodic position in which the four-voice chord of a mixed choir is located. For example, if there is a dominant second chord in the melodic position of the leading tone, it is best to replace that chord with an augmented fourth:

If you take a dominant second chord in the position of a fifth or root tone, then instead of an augmented fourth, a major sixth (1) or a major second (2) will sound:

When arranging four-voice mixed choirs for two-voice homogeneous ones, the harmonic coloring of triads and their inversions is best conveyed by full-voiced intervals: thirds, sixths, and less often decimes. When replacing the seventh chords of the dominant group with a two-voice sound, the major second, minor seventh, tritones, and less often the sixth and third are widely used.

Empty-sounding intervals (fourth and fifth) in harmonic works are best used on the weak beats of the bar. On a strong beat in the middle of musical constructions, the fourth is more often used in the form of detention. In the final turns, the fourth and fifth are used in their immediate sound. The fourth usually reproduces the harmony of the cadence quartet-sex chord, and the fifth – the cadence dominant, resolved into the final tonic.

Fourths and fifths in combination with other intervals are used in a variety of ways in two-voice performances of Russian folk songs. Here the scope of their use expands significantly. The characteristic coloring of these intervals gives the sound that special, unique flavor that is inherent in the subvocal structure of Russian folk music.

The type of choir is determined depending on which parts make it up. A choir consisting of female voices is called a homogeneous female choir. Similarly, a male choir is called a homogeneous male choir, and a choir consisting of boys and girls is called a children's choir. There is a tradition of performing works written for children's choirs by female members and vice versa. It is possible to determine what type of choir the author intends in this case, if he does not indicate specific types of voices, based on the figurative content of the work.

A choir consisting of male and female voices is called a mixed choir. A variation of it is a choir in which the parts of female voices are performed by boys; it is often called a boys’ choir. As a rule, all Orthodox spiritual hymns written before the beginning of the 20th century were intended to be performed by such a mixed choir.

The type of mixed choirs also includes incomplete mixed choirs. Incomplete mixed choirs are those choirs where any one of the parts is missing. Most often these are basses or tenors, less often – some of the female voices.

Each type of choir corresponds to certain types of choirs. The type of choir indicates the number of choral parts included in its composition; choirs can be one-voice, two-voice, three-voice, four-voice, etc.

Homogeneous choirs usually have two main parts (sopranos + altos or tenors + basses), therefore, the main type of homogeneous choir is two-voice. The mixed choir consists of four main parts, and its most characteristic type is four-voice.

Reducing and increasing the number of actually sounding parts by duplicating or, conversely, dividing can give new types of choir. For example: homogeneous one-voice choir, homogeneous four-voice choir, mixed eight-voice choir, mixed one-voice choir, etc.

Duplications and divisions can be either permanent or temporary. A choral score with an unstable change in the number of voices will have the form called episodic one-, two-, three-, eight-voice, with the obligatory indication of a stable number of voices (for example, a homogeneous two-voice female choir with episodic three-voice). With temporary divisions, sometimes designated by the Italian word divisi, the new voices that arise usually have a subordinate meaning.

In addition to simple choirs, there are also multi-choir compositions, when several choirs, having independent choral parts, simultaneously participate in the performance of works. Such multichoric scores are especially common in opera music. In Orthodox musical practice there is also a tradition of composing so-called antiphonal works, in which two choirs sing, as if answering each other. Such compositions are called accordingly: double, triple, etc.

2. Range and tessitura features of the work

After determining the type and type of choir, it is necessary to find out the range and tessitura features of the choral parts. First of all, the overall range of the choral score is determined. To do this, it is necessary to “measure” the distance between the extreme lower and upper sounds found in a given score. For clarity, you can mark them on the staff as follows:

The concept of range is closely related to the concept of tessitura, the most used part of the range in a given work. To evaluate the tessitura, it is necessary to carefully study the use of register capabilities of voices in all parts, throughout the entire composition. Tessitura, depending on the range and register characteristics of a particular part, can be medium, high or low. For example, the registers of a soprano part would look like this.

Example 20

Similarly, taking into account the characteristics of vocal ranges, registers will be distributed in other choral parts.

A tessitura can be called comfortable if the pitch of the choral part corresponds to the free sound of the voice. If, during the performance, the voice sounds for a long time in an uncomfortable register, tensely, the tessitura is considered uncomfortable. It is difficult to sing for a long time in the upper register. In the low register, the technical and dynamic capabilities of the voice are significantly limited. In most cases, significant parts of choral parts are placed in the middle, most convenient for singing, tessitura.

However, the above does not mean that the use of extreme cases is undesirable and incorrect. Very often, it is in this way that the composer achieves the necessary timbre highlighting of a particular part, creating a certain color.