http://www.michaelkaulkin.com/judging-student-composers/ Composer and Teacher Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:12:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.michaelkaulkin.com/judging-student-composers/#comment-210 Bruce Rockwell Mon, 23 Aug 2010 00:38:40 +0000 http://www.aboutthecomposer.com/blog/archives/256#comment-210 I would add one other important criteria to this list: Does the piece demonstrate good "chorustration" (i.e., choral composition technique)? A lot of composers write music that fulfills all of the criterion that you listed extremely well, but the music betrays a lack of awareness of how choruses make sound, how they tune internally, how the different vocal parts function throughout their different ranges, and whether the relative difficulty presented by passages is worth the musical effect and appropriate for the intended ensemble. Many composers apparently reduce the many technical considerations down to merely giving starting pitches. In previous generations/centuries, practically all composers had direct, extensive experience with how choral music works. Sadly, that is no longer true. I would add one other important criteria to this list: Does the piece demonstrate good “chorustration” (i.e., choral composition technique)? A lot of composers write music that fulfills all of the criterion that you listed extremely well, but the music betrays a lack of awareness of how choruses make sound, how they tune internally, how the different vocal parts function throughout their different ranges, and whether the relative difficulty presented by passages is worth the musical effect and appropriate for the intended ensemble. Many composers apparently reduce the many technical considerations down to merely giving starting pitches. In previous generations/centuries, practically all composers had direct, extensive experience with how choral music works. Sadly, that is no longer true.

]]> http://www.michaelkaulkin.com/judging-student-composers/#comment-209 Marvin Sun, 11 May 2008 19:56:17 +0000 http://www.aboutthecomposer.com/blog/archives/256#comment-209 This is a very thorough review.... well done! This is a very thorough review…. well done!

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