4.5 The twentieth century and early twenty-first century  (Page 2/3)

Twentieth-century composers often utilize a number of textures and moods within one work, changing both texture and mood often. Wide variations in tone quality will be necessary to make these changes effective. Although most of the choral music performed is only mildly dissonant, more avant-garde music is finding its way into performance halls. Electronic music is not really new, but music for prepared tape and chorus has only recently been accepted by most choral conductors (and performed by only a modest percentage of those).

Aleatoric (indeterminate or chance) pieces are performed by the more adventurous conductor. Works that are considered avant-garde are likely to require anything from a normal singing tone to whistling, whispering, and other assorted vocal sounds.

More textural possibilities exist today than ever before. The choral conductor may find music for chorus and many instrumental combinations that substantially expand the texture. It is the conductor's responsibility to understand the tonal and textural requirements of each work and to determine whether or not his ensemble can meet these requirements. Not every choir or conductor will be able to successfully meet the performance requirements of each work.

Dynamics

The dynamic range is even wider than that of the Romantic period since it now includes whispering, singing as loud as one can, and even yelling. Sudden changes in dynamics are also more numerous than ever before. Many works even require a dynamic scheme that changes on every count of the measure for several measures. It is quite usual to find different dynamic indications in different parts on the same passage. For example, the composer may wish the tenors and sopranos to be prominent and will mark them forte while the bass is marked mezzoforte and the alto, piano. Although this type of dynamic scheme is not entirely new, it is used more frequently by twentieth-century composers.

Tone quality

Twentieth-century choral music requires many different tone qualities. Less than other periods, no one choral tone will suffice. It can be said that a tone with a minimal vibrato is often used because of the numerous occurrences of small intervals and the overall dissonance of the music. It should be said that a tone without vibrato should be used when specifically requested by the composer. A tone without vibrato use sparingly and momentarily for specific artistic and composer demanded instances is quite accaptable. When a "straight tone" is used indiscriminately the choral tone becomes lifeless and uninteresting. A vibrato in the singing voice is quite natural and creates a buoyancy and virility in the tone otherwise absent.

Specific types of tone quality are occasionally requested by composers. Conductors will find such requests as "with a full, rich tone," "sing with a thin, white tone," or simply "senza vibrato" in scores. This is a result of a composer wishing to achieve a certain sonority usually prompted by the text.

Special requirements of new music

Since the 1950s, composers have incorporated aleatoric aspects into their compositions. Many works are published that combine traditional and non-traditional notation. The problems that face the conductor of much new music are: