排練過程中的音樂性

所有的藝術形式，都是一種為達到音樂狀態的追求。(All art aspires to the condition of music.)華爾特 (Walter Pater) 的這句名言如果稍事修改，也可以為合唱指揮所用：「所有的排練活動，都是一種為表現完美音樂性的追求。」

在合唱音樂的準備及教學上，「達到建立音樂性與維持音樂性的目標」有無與倫比的重要性。強調這一點，究竟對練唱的計畫準備及實際操作有何影響呢？

尋求一個營造音樂性的環境，首先就應該從練唱室開始。練唱的外在條件，如季候、時間的早晚、溫濕度的高低，以及房間的形狀大小等，都是應該考慮到，而且在可能的情況下調整到最佳狀態的因素。所有歌者的手中都應該有打印完好、編排整齊的樂譜；立位或座位的安排，必須使人在視覺和聽覺上都能集中精神。此外，一些練唱過程中的簡單禮節，例如準時開始、準時結束、提供進度表，以及供應鉛筆以備標記之用等，都是幫助歌者集中精神的好方法。

於上述的「外在工作」之外，還需要考量一些更重要的因素，可稱之為「內功」，在合唱團員的排練過程中，內功至關緊要，不可不修。

對指揮而言，這種內在的修為是對作品在音樂價值上的敏感度，以及願意服從這種價值，並進而接受其引導、來決定排練架構和技巧的心態。一個時時以「音樂性」為念的指揮，使用的技巧與步調必會與作品的先天特性相吻合，而不會拿過去慣用的某一種排練模式套用在所有作品上。所謂作品的先天特性，就是音樂的「情緒表達」( Affekt )。

只要對各種不同音樂風格有足夠的經驗和了解，指揮就能根據作品本身的音樂語言，提出一整套的排練機制。我們可以比較一下：一曲文藝復興時期的經文歌、一首巴洛克時期的神劇合唱，準備的方式有何不同？

這兩首曲子都有可能成為合唱團待練的曲目，如果希望表演成功，也都各有獨特的合唱技巧要求。

文藝復興時期的經文歌，強調演唱的圓滑、聲部的獨立及音色的澄澈，樂段在不完全精確的節奏基礎上張弛不定，必須做出音節的輕重修正。巴洛克時期的合唱曲則要求節拍清楚、唱詞乾脆而有說服力、動態對比鮮明，以及一以貫之的音程及調性平衡。指揮排練不同的作品時，根據這些極不相同的音樂要求，使用不同的方式。

美國合唱大師羅伯蕭 (Robert Shaw) 所創的「數細拍唱法」(count singing)，對巴洛克風格所要求的「精準節拍和音程平衡」絕對大有助益，但如果將之用在文藝復興時期的經文歌，則必會與其「線條多出、節奏模糊」的特性相違背。在此情況下，讓團員多用身體動作及「節奏律動的技巧」(eurhythmic techniques)，培養出對樂句及對動態控制的統一性，才會有比較顯著的效果。

在以上的兩個範例中，指揮可以採用不同的節奏技法，營造出獨特的音樂氛圍，如此，不同的作品即可以在不同的氛圍中逐漸成形。

影響排練方式的因素很多，顯著的音樂風格差異當然不是唯一的因素。我們可以用文藝復興時期經文歌的作曲風格為例，在排練計劃裡為「音樂結構」安排一個定位。多半情形下，這類作品都是「一氣呵成」(through-composed)，中間沒有重複樂段，每一個樂句都會被各聲部模仿一次。由曲頭至曲尾，對位旋律線的流動天衣無縫、不受阻礙，其中必有花式長音(melismas)，以及在曲末交疊的終止式(cadence)。

相反地，簡短而和諧的重複樂句，以及主題明顯的動機樂段，即是巴洛克合唱曲的特徵。這類作品都有清楚的終止式和短促的對位樂段。

指揮在計劃排練文藝復興時期經文歌時，若能讓團員站成圓形，並讓歌者自行決定起唱時機和維持音樂的步調，則對排練或許有所幫助。反之，巴洛克合唱曲則可以將每個小樂段分開，以短促而循環反覆的方式排練，在反覆的過程中，也可以逐步對音樂加以修正。

在排練計劃之外，指揮也必須了解到，讓團員親身體會到他們想要追求的音樂特質，也可能對音樂性有所影響。選用某一種特定的音高、聲量和節奏來說話；在指揮動作之外，也用特定的身體語言；以姿勢輔助口頭講解，或者用人聲、樂器實際示範。這些都是營造音樂性氛圍的有效手段。

例如排練文藝復興時期經文歌時，指揮的所有動作都應該平滑、流暢，且要富於曲線。講解時，節奏應該不疾不徐，聲調改變時不能有強迫感，聲量可能也要比平常小些。若想更有效率，還可更進一步，即：指揮在說話時，盡量把每個方向都照顧到，在說明某一個樂句唱法的同時，還可以用人聲或律動教學法裡的動作示範，甚至可以雙管齊下、兩者兼用。排練巴洛克時期合唱曲時，則也許可以用「按照節奏讀詞、或讓所有歌者都唱女高音部及男低音部」的方式，使團員們了解主旋律與和聲之間的彼此關係。

除了根據「作品本身特質」決定排練方式之外，指揮也須決定不同曲目的排練順序、針對當日曲目設計的發聲練習，以及每一節排練的時間長短。在可能的情況下，不論是指揮還是團員們，都應該要有充份的條件和機會去追求─為了表現完美音樂性的追求。

編按：自本期合唱音樂雙月刊試刊號開始，我們邀請到麥克萊瑞〈Edward Maclary〉教授固定於本刊發表專欄，由王充宇先生翻譯。麥克萊瑞教授是一位傑出的合唱指揮教授，目前任教於美國馬里蘭大學。（文／Edward Maclary  譯／王充宇）

Musicality in the Rehearsal
    "All art aspires to the condition of music." Walter Pater's famous dictum might be paraphrases for the purposes of choral conductors to read - "all rehearsals aspire to the condition of musicality." In the preparation and teaching of choral music, the goal of establishing and maintaining musicality in rehearsal must be of paramount importance. How can this emphasis affect the planning and execution of the rehearsal process?

The first place to look for an environment of musicality is the rehearsal room itself. The external circumstance of the rehearsal - season, time of day, temperature and humidity, room configuration - are all factors that must be taken into consideration and made optimal to greatest extent possible. All singers should have properly printed and edited scores and standing/seating arrangements should be made in such a way as to provide the greatest degree of aural and visual concentration. Rehearsal etiquettes, such as beginning and ending on time, posting a rehearsal order, and providing pencils for score marking are simple ways to help focus singers' attention.

Beyond the externals though, lie more important factors to be considered. There is an "inner game" of rehearsing that is vital to an ensemble's music making. For the conductor, this inner game is sensitivity to and a willingness to be led by the musical values of the composition in determining rehearsal structure and technique. Rather than develop a "one size fits all" rehearsal strategy that is applied consistently to every work, the conductor concerned with musicality will devise techniques and pacing to correspond to the nature of the composition, it's Affekt. With experience and knowledge of style, a conductor can use the musical language of a composition to create an entire set of rehearsal protocols for it.

To describe this in general terms, 1et us compare the strategies that would be of use in preparing a Renaissance motet versus that of a chorus from a Baroque oratorio. Both could be part of an upcoming program for a choir. Each work demands specific skill from the choir for a successful performance. The style of the Renaissance motet emphasizes legato singing, independence of voices, purity of tone, and proper syllabic stress coupled with an awareness of rhythmic groupings that are non-metric. The Baroque chorus requires metric clarity, crisp text declamation, vivid dynamic contrasts and consistent homophonic balance and tuning. There contrasting musical demands should alert the conductor immediately to employ differing rehearsal strategies for each work.

For example, the technique of "count singing", as developed by the American choral master Robert Shaw, would be of great utility in achieving the metric clarity and homophonic balance required by the Baroque style. However, the application of that technique to the Renaissance motet would go directly against the linear, non-metered nature of the music. It would be much more useful for instance, for the ensemble to rehearsal using body movement and eurhythmic techniques in order to create a unanimity of phrasing and dynamic control within the ensemble. In each of these instances the conductor, by means of a specific rhythmic approach in the rehearsal process, creates a particular atmosphere of musicality within which each work can then take shape.

Rehearsal strategies should be influenced by more than just large-scale stylistic differences of course. How musical structure can assert itself in a rehearsal plan can be seen if we take the compositional style of the Renaissance motet as an example. It is likely to be "through-composed" without repetitions, with each text phrase receiving its own point of imitation. From the beginning to the end of the work there is a seamless flow of contrapuntal textures characterized by melismas and overlapping cadence points. Short homophonic statements of repeated textual and thematic motives, on the other hand, define the Baroque chorus, with clear cadences and only brief contrapuntal sections. It may be profitable for the conductor to plan a rehearsal of the Renaissance motet where the choir stands in circle and the singers themselves are responsible for starting and maintaining the pulse of the music. This plays into the linear, "pulse from within" nature of the music. Alternatively, the Baroque chorus could be rehearsed as a series of short, repeated iterations of each small section, with additional layers of refinement being added time through.

Beyond the rehearsal planning itself, the conductor must be aware that it is possible to influence the musicality of the rehearsal by projecting to the ensemble the particular quality that is being sought. Choosing a particular pitch, volume and pace of speech; using specific body language beyond just particular conducting gestures; giving instructions either verbally, with gesture, or by vocal or instrumental demonstration; all of these can be effective tools in creating an environment where musicality can flourish. For instance, when rehearsing the Renaissance motet all motions from the conductor should be smooth, flowing, and curvilinear in nature. Instructions should be spoken at a moderate pace, the vocal inflection unforced, the volume perhaps slightly softer than usual. If so inclined, the conductor may be even more effective by dispensing with as much spoken direction as possible and use vocal demonstration or eurhythmic movement, or both(!) to show the way particular lines are to be sung. The Baroque chorus might benefit from speaking the text in rhythm or having all the singers sing the soprano and bass lines in order to understand the melodic and harmonic context of the music.

In addition to the works themselves dictating rehearsal strategies, the musical conductor will determine the order in which works should be place within the rehearsal, the warm-ups and vocalizations that should be used in order to best prepare the ensemble for the music on that day's schedule, and the length of time that each rehearsal segment should take. In all ways possible the conductor and the ensemble should be given the conditions and the opportunities to as much as possible - "aspire to the condition of musicality."

Edward Maclary
作者簡介：
麥克萊瑞教授，是一位傑出的合唱指揮理論教授，具有豐富的學理涵養與實務經驗。曾經擔任知名的指揮大師羅伯蕭(Robert Shaw)、史班諾(Robert Spano)、麥克費林(Bobby McFerrin)等人之助理指揮。並曾任教歐伯林音樂學院(Oberlin College Conservatory of Music)及寶琳坪州立大學(Bowling Green State University)。其所領導的合唱團曾受邀於卡內基音樂廳、克利夫蘭塞佛倫斯音樂廳等地演出。亦曾受邀出席全美合唱指揮協會(American Choral Directors Association)及全美音樂教育學會(Music Educators National Conference)之年會擔任演出。
    現任馬里蘭大學音樂學院教授，主要指導研究所合唱指揮課程。同時擔任馬里蘭大學音樂學院合唱總監，合唱團指揮(馬里蘭合唱團、馬里蘭大學合唱團、馬里蘭大學室內樂合唱團)時常受邀擔任全美各合唱團與合唱藝術節的榮譽(客席)指揮。
    Edward Maclary is the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Maryland School of music. He conducts The Maryland Chorus, University Choral and Chamber Singers, as well as directing graduate studies in choral conducting. He has also held faculty appointments at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and Bowling Green State University. Choirs under his direction have performed at Carnegie Hall, Severance Hall and appeared by invitation at conventions of the American Choral Directors Association and the Music Educators National Conference.

Mr. Maclary has served as chorusmaster for such noted conductors as Robert Shaw, Robert Spano and Bobby McFerrin. Recognized as an outstanding teacher and clinician, he maintains an active schedule as guest conductor for choral festivals and honors choirs around the county.