Style guides for choral music?

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EdStauff2
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Post by EdStauff2 » Mon May 29, 2023 1:43 am

I've been searching the web for musical style guides that cover choral music in detail.
So far, I haven't found any. There are lots of style guides for orchestral music, but choral music is glossed over, if mentioned at all.

Does anyone know of any detailed style guides for choral music? By "detailed" I mean things like:

• when to put more than one part on one staff
• how to notate alternative notes for parts that go very high or low
• when to use repeat signs, multiple endings, D.C., D.S., etc
• proper use of rehearsal letters and measure numbers
• how to optimize page turns
• when to provide a keyboard reduction for the choral parts
• how to decide whether to put hand percussion parts parallel with the choral parts, or on their own part(s)
• how to handle an accompaniment that may be played on organ (with pedals) or piano
• special considerations for junior choirs
• how & when to indicate where to breathe
• pros & cons of phonetic spelling for lyrics in a foreign language
• proper use of "divisi" and "tutti"

These are just examples off the top of my head; there are many more. I'm not asking this forum for answers, but rather for sources where I can find authoritative answers.

Thank you,
-- Ed


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David Ward
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Post by David Ward » Mon May 29, 2023 7:02 am

Not exactly what you're looking for, but may be useful: Elaine Gould has at least a dozen consecutive pages on choral notation in her book.
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miker
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Post by miker » Mon May 29, 2023 2:36 pm

Each publisher will have their own guide to notation, which may (or may not) be available to an aspiring composer. Just like with instrumental music, I would suggest you study published scores and see how many answers to your questions you can find.

I don't think there is a "one size fit all" definition for you.
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Bill Stevens
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Post by Bill Stevens » Mon May 29, 2023 10:02 pm

If you are a choral singer I’m sure you know that there is a broad variety of styles for choral engraving, and most singers manage to figure out how to get through the differences. Like Mike said, explore various publishers and see what makes sense to you and what pleases your eye. For church music you might start with Oxford.

If you are a singer, think "what would be clearest and easiest for me to read."

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BuonTempi
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Post by BuonTempi » Tue May 30, 2023 9:46 am

I concur with the recommendation of Elaine Gould's book, Behind Bars, which is a general and comprehensive guide to style and practice in notation.

One thing I would say: Don't bother marking breaths in an edition. They will ignored and changed by most choir directors. Unless this is an edition solely for a choir you direct.

I am a bit puzzled by some of your questions, though: If the material repeats, then that's when you use a repeat. If someone is going to accompany it, then that's when you provide a reduction. If one part splits, then that's when you use divisi.

Ask yourself what the alternatives are, and choose the one that seems most useful/practical/helpful.

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Post by Bill Stevens » Tue May 30, 2023 11:32 am

To follow up on what BuonTempi wrote about breath marks, I agree that they often require discussion and I have found that it saves rehearsal time to notate all breaths as rests. It requires a little extra time on my end but definitely saves time in rehearsal.

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BuonTempi
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Post by BuonTempi » Tue May 30, 2023 12:29 pm

Bill Stevens wrote:
Tue May 30, 2023 11:32 am
To follow up on what BuonTempi wrote about breath marks, I agree that they often require discussion and I have found that it saves rehearsal time to notate all breaths as rests. It requires a little extra time on my end but definitely saves time in rehearsal.
Do you never change your mind...? :lol:

Again, I'd caution against supplying such a score to anyone else.

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