Pedagogical Notes
petrichor
This song allows for the singer to overcome harmonic complexity in a gentle manner by gradually introducing modal mixture and chromaticism. Some tips include:
(mm. 11) When approaching the first non-diatonic tone, listen for the piano to provide the initial A flat to assist in intonation. As the tone moves away from and returns to the A flat, the piano continues to reiterate it until measure 13. Upon this measure, the tone should have been repeated substantially to allow the singer to remember its rightful destination.
(mm. 26) To approach the C sharp in measure 26, utilize the knowledge of Solfège (Do Re Mi…) to address the Do-Mi skip. A helpful exercise would be to isolate this excerpt and vocalize on Solfège syllables “Do-Mi-Do” with A natural as “Do” to solidify the C sharp.
(mm. 31) To accurately intonate the B natural in mm. 31, one can first anticipate the non-diatonic tone by isolating the melody in measures 29-32 with G natural as “Sol.” Then the singer may vocalize A natural as “La,” B natural as “Ti,” and C natural as “Do.”
(mm. 43) One can properly land on F sharp in measure 43 by approaching the melody in measures 42 and 43 as Solfège syllables “Me-Re-Do-Ti” and, once more, isolating the excerpt from the song’s overall context.
Dressed Up
This work helps the singer build their breath endurance. A few helpful exercises to approach sustaining the full phrases in this song include the following:
Breathing exercise: Set a metronome to 60-92 beats per minute. Breathe in on an [u] vowel for 4 beats, then breathe out on an [s] consonant for 8 beats, then increasing gradually by increments of 2-4 beats. Repeat your maximum count to conclude the exercise.
Support exercise: Utilize an S.O.V.T. (Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract) phoneme (e.g., lip trill, tongue trill, [z], [v], or “zh”) to sustain the melody throughout the phrase before returning to the text.
Sustained tones: Vocalize a single tone on one syllable (e.g., “vi”, “na”, or “lu”) starting at a mezzo-piano dynamic. Gradually crescendo to forte or fortissimo. Gradually decrescendo back to mezzo-piano.
softly
This piece also gradually introduces chromaticism gently by instructing the singer to move their tones via half-step. Some exercises for accomplishing this work are:
(mm. 11 & 33) Approach by first warming up with chromatic scales (Do-Di-Re-Ri…).
(mm. 19) To intonate the G natural successfully, utilize an isolated excerpt of “Do-Ti-La” with A flat as “Do.”
(mm. 23) To land on the G flat after overcoming the G natural of measure 19, listen for the piano melody in measure 22 as it plays A flat, C natural, E flat, G flat, A flat, and B flat in succession.
Currency
This song assists the singer in ensuring proper legato, or line, which translates to consistency of breath support. Emphasizing the initial consonants on each syllable will help propel the breath through each phrase and maintain momentum and supply of air. One may:
(mm. 6, 25, & 46) For the word “blesses,” ensure that your larynx remains relaxed and free for easy and flexible movement across the series of eighth notes.
(mm. 17) For the initial verse’s “always,” use a well supported glottal to increase accuracy of intonation.
(mm. 28) For each verse, emphasize the word on the downbeat to help support the melodic ascent to the C natural. This will make sustaining the C natural much easier and more comfortable.
Stressing the syllables on the downbeats of each sung measure will help to maintain consistency of support across each phrase.
i look to the sky
This song alternates between dotted eighth and quarter note rhythms to assist the singer in beginning to accomplish rhythmic minutia in strophic art song literature. One can successfully sing through this work by subdividing the eighth notes across each measure, as eighth notes are the smallest rhythmic unit in the song. Additionally:
(mm. 6 & 18) For the word, “birds,” the singer can open their vowel from the D natural to the F natural to better resonate the higher tone. The singer should also be mindful to refrain from closing their instrument to the following consonants until the last moment, instead using the aspirate consonant of “s” to propel their breath support into the remainder of the phrase.
(mm. 15) For the word, “can’t,” the singer can employ the vowel [ε] (“eh”) to properly resonate through the higher tone.
(mm. 22) To ensure the tone does not fall flat on the word, “clouds,” ensure that the vowel [a] is prolonged until the last moment before closing the instrument to [ʊdz].
Lost
This piece facilitates the singer’s development of the lower end of their range. To sing the lower phrases in the verses of the song, be sure to utilize a substantial degree of chest resonance while maintaining a low laryngeal position. To avoid a breathy sound, ensure proper vocal fold closure by supplying adequate support. However, be sure to avoid vocalizing at a dynamic level higher than comfortable. Repeat the lower phrases at a comfortable dynamic and gradually increase over time and practice.
Incorporate slow and gentle movement of the upper body (e.g., arms) during the lengthier phrases to help maintain support and intonation. When the support tires, take a break from practicing in order to keep from straining the laryngeal muscles.
red river room
This work grants the singer the opportunity to utilize a higher portion of their range by lightly raising both the tessitura and the highest tone of the song. With the original key proposing an A flat (4 or 5) as the highest tone, the singer is encouraged to summon the result of their previous training in breath support, registration, and resonance to permit free and comfortable vocalization throughout the tone and encompassing phrase.
(mm. 5) To approach the E flat skip, lightly dentalize the “k” in, “looking,” and emphasize the “th” in, “the,” so that the tones are well supported by the breath.
(mm. 6) To approach the, “ev’ry friend,” phrase, gently open the vowel on “‘ry” to [r工] (“rih”) and connect the vowel to the initial consonant of the next word, “friend,” to make the sound, “riff.” This approach will help to ensure maintenance of breath support.
(mm. 8 & 16) The duples in these measures indicate straight eighth notes, while those throughout the rest of the song are swung.
(mm. 13) To approach the E flats in this measure, connect the “n” consonant of the word, “one,” to the [a] vowel of the next word, “I,” and open the vowel [u] slightly to [o] in the word “to” so that the tones may be both well supported and well intonated.
(mm. 20) Be sure not to close the instrument on the word ”I” so that the following tone may resonate freely. Maintain the vowel [a] for as long as possible across the quarter note. Additionally, allow for the vowel in the word, “sit,” to be more of a forward [i] to help connect the registration through to the F natural.
(mm. 29) To well intonate the “-sy” in the word, “lousy,” lean towards the more open [工] vowel (as opposed to [i]) to refrain from closing the instrument and allowing the tone to fall flat or become too bright.
These Doors
This piece assesses the singer’s breath control, which is a step beyond establishing proper breath support. Not only must the singer maintain a strong degree of legato in their vocalization, but they must also begin to exhibit ways in which they can manipulate their diaphragmatic articulation.
(mm. 5-6, 11-2) Delay the final consonant of these syllables for as long as possible, connecting them to the initial consonant or vowel of the next word (e.g., connecting the [t] in “but” to the [b] in “blind”) to ease maintaining support through the ascending skip.
(mm. 17-18) Be sure not to stress “to,” but rather solely emphasize its initial consonant, [t], and stress the full word “judge” on the downbeat of the next measure. This approach will eliminate weight in the voice and strain on the laryngeal muscles for the duration off the phrase.
(mm. 19-20) Sing through the phrase without pronouncing the “h” in “hurt” first to ensure maintenance of support. Then add the “h” sound gradually across repetitions. Be sure to linger primarily on the vowel of the syllable for the note’s full value before quickly pronouncing the consonants “r” and “t,” connecting to the initial “s” of the next syllable. Approach pronouncing the “u” in “hurt” with a more opened upper vocal tract to refrain from accumulating weight in the voice. Similar to an anglicized pronunciation, pronounce the “r” in an open manner.
(mm. 27-28) Sing through the phrase on [a], [I], and [u] opening towards the high note as needed before returning to the text to ensure proper support for the melodic ascent.
(mm. 30-31) Delay and pronounce the “l” consonants in “all and “I’ll” as [l] to help maintain support and intonation across the phrase.
empty heart minuet
Similar to i look to the sky, this art song challenges the singer’s skills at subdividing the meter into consistent eighth-note values in order to accurately vocalize each phrase, despite their subtle differences. The singer will benefit from learning the song via one 4-bar excerpt at a time.
(mm. 4, 8, & 20) To sing through the low tone freely, the singer may benefit from a brighter vowel for both words, “I,” and, “and,” such as [a] instead of [α].
(mm. 6, 10, 14, & 18) When approaching the upward leaps, the singer can connect the final consonants to the initial vowel of the next word to ensure consistent breath support. For the verses which end the words preceding the leaps on a vowel, a similar approach is necessary in that vocalizing the vowel does not cease but rather continues into the initial consonant of the following word unless a breath mark (comma) is indicated. Should a breath mark be indicated, undergoing a staccato exercise before working on the musical phrase can help the singer to establish proper initiation of diaphragmatic support.
Come find me
This work challenges the singer to maintain both relaxation in the laryngeal muscles as well as adequate diaphragmatic support in order to sustain a strong, yet free and flexible tone.
(mm. 5-6 & 9-10) To maintain intonation across the initial phrases in each verse, maintain the same amount of space in the upper vocal tract for the G sharp as you do the preceding B natural. It will help to refrain from visualizing up- and downward movement while singing through the phrases as well (keep this in mind for the rest of the song as well!). A helpful exercise for this phrase is to vocalize the melody on vowels [a], [I], and [u] before returning to the text to ensure consistent breath support.
(mm. 7-8, 11-12, 14-15, 19, 22-23, 26, 30-31, & 34) Ensure that your breath support is active before vocalizing the higher notes of each ascending skip in the melody, rather than engaging upon said notes. Of course, one should aim for their support to be engaged throughout the duration of the song, but beginning students often fail to remember that the support both guides and sustains the tone. Preparing one’s support upon the beginning of each phrase will help to maintain its consistency throughout each phrase’s duration.
(mm. 23-24, 28, 32, 36) For each of these vowels, lean towards a more forward and closed position (e.g., [e] for the words “death” and “knell”).
Allow the voiced consonants in the text (e.g., [v] and [z]) to help facilitate maintaining your breath support by emphasizing them during practice. Crisp and clear diction will be an added bonus!