A Choral Conductor’s Study, Rehearsal, and Performance Guide to Selected Pieces by Barber, Brahms, Dowland, Rutter, Victoria, Vivaldi, and Whitacre.

This document is intended to serve as a commentary on the research and rehearsal process of the works included in a choral conducting recital. The pieces included in the recital are: Victoria’s Senex puerum portabat, Dowland’s Fine Knacks For Ladies, Vivaldi’s In exitu Israel, Brahms’s Kleine Hochzeitskantate, Barber’s “To Be Sung on the Water,” Rutter’s “Come live with me,” and selections from Whitacre’s Animal Crackers vols. I and II. These pieces were selected to cover the range of musical eras from the Renaissance era to the Modern era. The following focuses will be discussed for each piece: biographical and historical perspective of the composer and piece, formal analysis, conducting considerations and rehearsal process, and review of recordings