Choral Writing for Orchestral Composers

https://daviddas.com -- If you are a composer with an orchestral background wanting to know more about writing for choir, this video is for you. In twelve minutes, I cover all the basics about writing for choir from the perspective of an orchestral composer. Thanks to my colleague, Scottish composer Chris Hutchings, for providing a very helpful and comprehensive guide to singer ranges, which is embedded in this video. Chris can be found at https://hutchingsmusic.co.uk and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/hutchingsmusic. 0:00 Intro 0:49 Intro to ranges 1:26 Parallels between string and choral writing 1:34 Sopranos 2:05 Dynamics in the high range 2:18 Tessitura 3:41 Altos 4:03 Tenors 4:37 Falsetto 5:11 Baritones 5:35 Basses 5:48 Do you have to use all voice parts? 6:52 Different stave configurations 7:42 The importance of breath 8:36 Singer fatigue 9:01 The importance of variety in choral writing 9:33 Clusters and atonality 10:16 Chris Hutchings voice range chart 10:33 Vocal range charts are a 2D solution to a 3D problem 11:06 Conclusions