Chorus for mixed voices

Submitted by Stephen Raskauskas, Production Dramaturge

The five voice chorus of Handel’s Acis and Galatea , calls for a soprano, three tenors, and a bass.  Though today, SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) choruses are most common, 5 part choruses were very common in Renaissance and baroque music.  Through the baroque period, a general trend shifted towards four voice choruses, with the melody in the soprano, a strong leading bass line, and two lines of harmony sandwiched between. 

Handel’s use of a 5 voice chorus would have sounded like somewhat of a throw back, even to people in 1718, when Acis and Galatea debuted.  In addition to an uncommon scoring, Handel also makes heavy use of polyphonic, church-style counterpoint – usually choruses in baroque opera will sing in unison.  Because Acis and Galatea was performed at a private residence with its own chapel, Handel probably used singers whose main duties were to sing church music, and would have been familiar with this style of singing.  Since in polyphonic choruses, each singer sings different melodic ideas at the same time, the choristers in Acis and Galatea can imbue their line with their own individualized characters, rather than acting simply as a ‘park and bark’ group chorus.

In addition to the use of 5 voice choruses, baroque choruses also differed from modern ones in that they were often all-male, using boy sopranos to sing the upper parts.  The economics of supply-and-demand made boy sopranos a rare commodity, and some choristers were castrated to prevent their voices from developing and to retain their shimmering sopranos.  Nowadays, of course, that practice has been abolished.  In order to reproduce the timbre of a baroque chorus, conductors will often add men to an alto section or women to a tenor section.  Click “Read More” to read Caitlin McKechney’s thoughts on singing tenor in this 5 voice chorus:

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The secret life of librarians

Submitted by Stephen Raskauskas, Production Dramaturge

Though music rehearsals for Acis and Galatea have been in progress, Friday was our first day of staging, and also the first time the whole group had been assembled.  Stage Director Joanie Schulz and Production Designer Chelsea Warren presented their ideas, constructing the whimsical world that the characters inhabit.  Together, the singers explored the lives of librarians to begin discovering their characters’ motivations, mannerisms, and movements.

A sneak peak at Chelsea’s designs

As promised yesterday, here are a few sneak peaks at Production Designer Chelsea Warren’s beautiful work.  The library theme of the Summer Opera’s production not only provides exciting and clever staging opportunities, but also lends itself to striking (and stunning) visual design; most of the costumes, sets, and props are literally made of books.  As such, floors and tables are brimming with books.

But before Chelsea and her crew begin making physical objects, everything is planned on paper after careful consideration.  Once the overall design for the stage has been determined, a scale model of the set is constructed.  Chelsea’s model contains even the tiniest details, from library carts to lamps, and of course, books;

The backdrop, too, starts out as an idea on paper, and then is made into a scale drawing.  A grid helps transfer the scale drawing onto the backdrop.

Check back soon to watch Cheslea’s designs develop (or better yet, come see them at a performance!)

First day of rehearsals

Rehearsals for Acis and Galatea have officially begun at the Cultural Center.  The picture below is a painting from 1709 (a year after Handel first composed music to set the story of Acis and Galatea), titled “The opera rehearsal.”

Today, as in the 18th century, opera rehearsals always begin at the keyboard.  Singers review music with the conductor in initial rehearsals before blocking is added. Because Conductor Francesco Milioto had already been working with the soloists individually, the first group rehearsal in the Cultural Center ran smoothly and efficiently.

In the afternoon, pre-production meetings revealed a gorgeous set model and costume renderings by designer Chelsea Warren.  She’s busy working with her crew building props, sets, and costumes (photos will follow tomorrow).

Opera… in English?

Submitted by Stephen Raskauskas, Production Dramaturge

Handel was quite cosmopolitan and his career as a composer led him all over Europe.  He spent a significant portion of his career in England, and became a naturalized citizen in 1727.  As a result, he has left us with many enduring works with English texts, including The Messiah, Hercules, and of course, Acis and Galatea.

Last week, baritone Brad Jungwirth posted about learning Handel’s challenging but beautiful choruses.  Now that he’s spent a bit more time on the music, he’s learned that one aspect of the music makes it easier to learn – it’s in English.  Below, Brad reflects on opera in English;

Although I’m still in the throws of memorizing this music, at least parts of it are starting to stay in my brain! I’m thankful the music is in English, though, as that does makes things a bit easier.  Not that I have any trouble understanding or memorizing other languages, but since the work is in my native tongue, I don’t have to also worry about memorizing what the words mean.  It has always surprised me that Handel, German by birth, set English text so well.  His English-language works (The Messiah, Semele, etc) really demonstrate a strong knowledge of the natural stress and rhythm of English and the ways he brings the words to life really brings the text to life.  For example, at the end of the “Wretched Lovers” chorus, I have long, florid scales on the word “roars” that traverse the full range of the bass/baritone voice....the relentless, agitated musical lines really sound like roaring and help the drama leap off the page!  This sensitivity to the language coupled with a rather minimal use of text (see my previous post) Brad Jungwirth, brings a wonderful immediacy to the work and makes it understandable to modern audiences.”