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Undergraduate & Graduate Conducting

A.S.C.A.M. Rehearsal Guide Template
Suggested BEST ORDER: I. IV. II. V. III. & then Final Questions

A.S.C.A.M =
Audiation Decisions
Singing Decisions
Conducting Decisions
Analysis Decisions
Marked Score Decisions

I. Auditation Decisions:
Discography: Summary of important recordings and
performances, with notable comparisons:
Break Forth, Version Version Version Version
O Beauteous 1: Cary 2: 3: The 4: choir
Heavenly High Choir Chancel name not
Light School of the Choir given
Sound Burbank user
First Edward
Jeremy United Czarnecki
Matheis Methodist on
Church YouTube
Roger B.
Lamb
Tempo 92 bpm 80 bpm 64 bpm 70 bpm
Key G major G major G major G major
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Style A A A cappella A cappella
cappella cappella chorale chorale
chorale chorale
Type of soloist N/A N/A N/A N/A
Type of Piano N/A Small N/A
instruments gave orchestra
pitches,
then a
cappella
Solo N/A N/A N/A N/A
ornamentation
Choral Style Mixed Large Smaller Smaller
high mixed adult adult
school adult mixed mixed
choir, choir choir choir
young
sound
Golden Mean m. 12 mm. 13- mm. 13- mm. 13-14
14 14
My Favorite Sound is: full and rich with plenty of support

I will achieve it with pure, rounded vowels

I will achieve it with slightly forward placements to get that ringing brilliance

I will achieve it with breath support and blending rules

I will achieve it with traditional chorale style

Other notes

For older singers, breath support is most important for tone quality. Support in the
lower and higher parts of the register is necessary for achieving a rich sound
throughout. Proper breath markings and crisp, clean cutoffs will help.

II. Singing Decisions

Sound: Breathing at the end of phrases, clearly marked

Placement slightly forward to soften the tone color, but not too
much
Vowels and modifications pure vowels, modification at extremes
of the register
Consonants enunciated clearly
Type of blend blend within sections and across sections
Preferred balance as balanced as possible despite difference in
numbers for T & B sections
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Vibrato a natural vibrato is fine

Interpretative IPA N/A

Decisions: Translations N/A
Word Stress most downbeats correspond to what words get stress
Phrasing and Breathing breathe at ends of 4 measure phrases

Emotional Buzz words light, confidence & joy, praise

Coloration: Placement not too dark, a bit forward to brighten

Soloists: Kind and type N/A

III. Conducting Decisions

What does my Level 1 look like in this piece?

(My kinesthetic set-up, my Laban effort actions feelings)

Relaxed and loose, yet still formal. Feet firmly planted, hips open and able to move
between part to part. Shoulders back, head steady.

What does my Level 2 look like in this piece?

(My somatic facial affect, my emotional connection to the piece and my
facial affect, my mouth shape and my vowel shaping)

Pleasant facial affect, conveying the joy of the text. Raised eyebrows, mouth relaxed and
open. Pure vowels.

What does my Level 3 look like in this piece?

(What are my beat patterns, my cues, my levels, my word stress, my
releases, my size of gesture, my entrances, my melded gestures, my eye
tracking, etc., and how do I execute them?)

Steady 4 pattern. Cues cutoffs, breaths, and entrances. Orange and yellow conducting
levels. Medium-sized gestures while growing with phrasing. Eye tracking of scanning the
choir and remaining connected.

What does my Level 4 look like in this piece?

(When do I move out of the patterns and how, and WHY?)

I dont know that it would be appropriate to move out of the pattern for this particular
choir. Id like to just remain steady and clear, with some expressive phrasing and
dynamic contrast.

Is Movement or Choralography needed, and if so, how do I deliver it?

Not needed.
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IV. Analysis Decisions

Everything you study in order construct and develop an aural image of the
piece and to build a fluid, transparent, informed interpretation of the piece.

Historical Aspects: Composer history and considerations

The words of the poem were written in German originally by Johann Rist in 1641,
with the English translation done by John Troutbeck. Johann Schop composed the
melody, which was harmonized by J.S. Bach.
History of the Piece, date
The original German hymn was first published in 1641. Troutbeck translated it for
an 1885 cantata collection of Bachs, Christmas Oratorio.
Performance Practice elements
The hymn is normally performed in a mixed-voice SATB choir a cappella.
Program Notes
This hymn was originally written in German by Johann Rist for publication in
1641, with melody by Johann Schop. In 1885, John Troutbeck translated the
German into English for a collection of cantatas for the Christmas season by J.S.
Bach, his Christmas Oratorio. This piece shows some of the characteristics of the
chorales performed during Bachs time as it is rhythmically simple and
homophonic, but the harmonies are complex. Bach tended to include chorales in
his cantatas as a means of getting the congregation involved in a musical
experience that was mostly for a choir and soloists.
Theoretical Aspects: Analysis Structural/Phrasal (see Template)
N/A
Analysis Chordal (see Template)
N/A

V. Marked Score Decisions

Score Preparation: Prepared Edition Do I make a prepared edition

for the choir? No

Study Score What is included in my study score?

Breaths, entrance cues, phrasing, potential trouble
spots such as chromatic passages, octave jumps, or
dissonance

Conductors Score What is included in my concert

score? The same as my study score
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~FINAL QUESTIONS~

Do I see my A.S.C.A.M. decisions in my gesture?

Do I hear my A.S.C.A.M. decisions in the sound and

performance of my choir?