Text Declamation and Consonants: Means to Expressive Choral Singing

Abstract

The role of text declamation has often been neglected in our search for a means to expressive choral singing. Most often, the focus of a choral rehearsal is on note learning and elements of voice training while scant attention is paid to the text beyond that of pronunciation. This study focusses on text declamation as an essential element in our understanding, interpretation, and communication of the affective elements of a choral composition.