Great Choral Classics

Overview

The ‘great choral classics’ are large scale works for choir and orchestra. They are made up from a number of varied movements, some of which are for the whole choir and others which are just for one or two soloists. Such works have been written from the Baroque period to the present day. A few famous examples are:

  • Messiah by Handel (Baroque)
  • The Creation by Haydn (Classical)
  • Requiem by Verdi (Romantic)
  • Carmina BuranaI by Orff (20th Century)

Performing Forces

In a choral classic the choir is usually made up of sopranos, altos, tenors and basses. They may be unaccompanied (a capella) for short sections but are more often accompanied by an orchestra or an organ.

The soloists may have different vocal ranges to those we just mentioned (for example there might be a mezzo soprano or baritone soloist).

Sometimes a boys’ choir might be added to a movement of a work – a small choir of trebles to offer a contrasting tone.

The different voices you might come across are given here:

Female 
Soprano
High
Female
Mezzo Soprano 
Medium
Female
Alto
Low
Male
Treble
A boys high voice - equivalent to a soprano 
Male 
Countertenor
A male alto
Male 
Tenor
High
Male 
Baritone 
Medium 
Male 
Bass 
Low 


Structure and Form

One of the most common structures is the oratorio. This is a large scale work for vocal soloists, mixed choir (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) and orchestra. It will contain a number of movements including:

  • Aria: A movement for the soloist(s) accompanied by the orchestra 
  • Recitative: A short section for a soloist accompanied by just a few instruments. The singing often sounds more like speech than song.
  • Chorus: A movement for the choir and orchestra.

Oratorios have been written since the Baroque period to the present day. They are usually set to a religious text and are often performed in churches and cathedrals as well as in concert halls.

Key Features

The performing forces – is it a movement for the whole choir or just a soloist? What types of voice can you hear? Which instruments are they accompanied by?

The texture – choral works display a varied range of textures.

The interaction between the different vocal parts in the choir – you can often find examples of short canons and fugues in choral music.

The relationship between the choir and orchestra – is the orchestra accompanying the choir with independent material or doubling it? (The orchestra often doubles the vocal lines to make it easier for the singers to pitch their notes). Is the orchestra in dialogue with the choir?

Text setting and word painting – is the vocal writing syllabic or melismatic? Does the composer use word painting (where the music attempts to illustrate a word or phrase in the text)? 

For example:

  • A rising phrase for the word ‘ascending’.
  • Held notes for words that suggest stillness or calm.
  • Major chords to suggest triumph and happiness.
  • Falling chromatic lines for words than depict suffering and pain.

 

Test Yourself

  • In a piece for choir and orchestra how might a composer use the orchestra to help singers to pitch their notes?
  • Give two examples of large-scale choral works and their composers.
  • Name three of the different types of movement you will find in an oratorio or opera, and state who will perform them.
  • Put these voices in the correct order (from highest to lowest):
    • Alto
    • Bass
    • Mezzo soprano
    • Soprano
    • Tenor


Additional Links

BBC Bitesize - Music for Voices


'Hallelujah' from Messiah by Handel

Listen out for:

  • The performing forces a choir made up of sopranos, altos, tenors and basses accompanied by a large orchestra.
  • The variety of textures used for example:
    • Homophonic at 0:08 (‘Hallelujah’).
    • Monophonic at 0:26 (‘for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth’).
    • Contrapuntal at 0:50 (the above two phrases combined).
    • Fugal at 1:38 (‘And he shall reign forever and ever’).
  • Terraced dynamics (e.g. from 1:17-1:50).
  • The tonic and dominant pedal notes in the soprano and alto parts from 2:02 (‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords’).
  • The way the strings are used throughout most of the piece but the trumpets and timpani are added to reinforce loud passages (e.g. 2:57 to the end).

Acti‘Dies Irae’ from Requiem by Verdi

Listen out for:

  • The performing forces a choir made up of sopranos, altos, tenors and basses accompanied by a large orchestra.
  • The orchestra adding drama to the music in the opening section with rapid scales loud drum strokes and brass chords and syncopated rhythms that drive the music forwards.
  • The first entry by the tenors and basses at 0:04 – a bar-and-a-half later they are joined by sopranos and altos who come in with a pedal note.
  • The orchestra doubling the vocal lines – as the music is quite chromatic this is important in helping the choir to pitch their notes.
  • The largely homophonic texture of the vocal parts.
  • The dramatic drop in dynamic at 1:30 – here the choir are singing lower in their ranges and the orchestra has a light accompaniment of tremolo strings and short woodwind phrases.