The Analysis Protocol Not all songs are: created: equal. Choosing the right.song for the right student and occasion becomes almost an art in itself. As an aid for voice teachers and choir directors of beginning and intermediate singers, this study includes an analysis of each of the songs in order. to determine: its " level of difficulty. The analysis protocol takes int values: melodic. contour, phrasing, - la accompaniment, harmonic language, and.dy! values receives a numeric score, as described: bel scores: places the song in one of three’ categ intermediate, and advanced. - ; Melodic Contour Themelodic contourmay be the most significant indicaForeword it ‘ranges make fewer vocal demands than do wideranges. trasasdiunhtlonge thecruent abil wosingueaieasre Shas or frequent leaps, or other awkward melodic contours further stretch basic vocal skills: These observations inform the melodic values thus: _ Forasonig with a small range (an octave or less) 1 +” Fora song with a moderate range (an octave and ahalf or less) 2 + Fora song with a wide.range (more than one and ahalf octave) 3 For high tessitura add | point Phrasing Phrasing places demands on another basic vocal skill: breath management. Most young singers have no difficulty singing four to six second phrases. They experience moderate difficulty in singing phrases of six to ten seconds in length, and only the more advanced singers can manage the breath demands of phrases tasting ten seconds or longer. ‘Some fast songs leave litle time to breathe, thereby adding value to this element. 7 ° Fora song with short phrases (6 seconds or less) 1 * Fora song with moderate phrases (10 seconds or less) 2 ° Fora song with long phrases (more than 10 seconds) 3 * Fora song which leaves little time for breathing add 1 point Rhythm More than metronomic marking 1gS or tempo indications, the rapidity of melodic articulation marks one of the vocal complexities of a song. Melodies of moderate speed, with little or no demands placed upon articulation present no difficulties to a young singer, while melodies ‘requiring cither fast or sustained articulation present: more. challenge, the melodies demanding very fast (including coloratura) or very slow arti- culation of notes being the most difficult. ‘Changing meters, cross rhythms, hemeolas, and other rhythmic devices. add: to the overall Thythmic complexity of a song, * Moderate motion 1 °° Rapid of slow motion 2Foreword * Very fast or very slow motion (including coloratura) . + Rhythmic complexities (syncopation, cross meters, ete.) add 1 point Text Foreign language texts add a level of complexity to the singer’s task, particularly if the singer takes seriously the desire to communicate the fext’s meaning, while texts in the native language do not divide the singer’s concentration. More commonly, failure to absorb the meaning of a foreign text leads to rote memorization of meaningless tone syllables and uninspired performances. © Formative language texts 1 ° For foreign language texts 2 Accompaniment ‘Accompaniment patterns generally fall into three categories: mirror, supportive, and independent. Accompaniments which mirror the melody, either exactly or approximately, simplify the task of singing the melody for the young singer. Patterns which’ support the melodic line without mirroring the melody presume greater musical autonomy of the young singer. Independent—even antagonistic—accompaniments demand the singer's musical self-reliance. + Mirror accompaniments ! 3 Harmonic language ‘The harmonic language of a song—diatonic, chromatic, or atonal — plays an important role in the ability of a young singer to successfully perform a given song. The more complex the harmonic language, the more developed must be the young singer’s musicianship. °.: For traditional, diatonic harmonies : © For chromatic harmonies 2 xiDynamics Ifthe singer is to perform as the composer intended, then dynamics must play apart of the equation. Dynamics become increasingly difficult to manage the more extreme their contrast becomes. + Formoderate dynamics (mp-m/) 1 © For loud or soft dynamics (pf) 2 © For extreme dynamic contrasts (pp-ff or more) 3 Level of Difficulty ‘A song's difficulty grows out of the combination of its several elements. Most critical for the young: singer.are the vocal demands of a song, its melodic contour, range and tessitura, the length.of its phrases, therapidity ofit articulations, and its dynamic contrasts. Musical elements also play a significant role. Foreign or obscure texts, rhythmic complexities, harmonic language, and the accompaniment patterns all influence the overall difficulty of a song. ‘The analysis protocol reviews basic elements in a quick and simple way and might be applied to any song or aria in order to- determine its fora singer’s level of development. ‘The combination of the seven values will indicate a song’s level of difficulty. Elementary level Scores between. 7-11. Intermediate level Scores between 12-16. Advanced level ‘Scores above 17. ‘A song can be simplified by reducing the difficulty of its elements (Gc,, by singing shorter phrases, translating foreign texts, disregarding dynamic values, and, in some cases, singing altemate high or low notes to shrink the range or tessitura). The degree to which’one departs from the desires of the composer must be resolved by each singer-and teacher and xiiForeword may differ for songs studied and songs performed in public. In this study—and in most auditions and competitions—the composers’ wishes will be honored. ‘Teachers and singers should not choose a song primarily because of its level of difficulty. A simple song sung well outshines a difficult song sung poorly. Rather, songs should be chosen to match the development of the singer. As musical and vocal skills improve, more difficult literature may be sung successfully. .Discouragement attends those whose ‘techniques fall short of the demands of a selection, while confidence grows with each success. xiti