Conductors
Hear, See & Learn!
Imagine having more rehearsal time for the music instead of drilling pronunciation. Imagine choristers practicing the language at home, on their own time. Imagine giving your choristers the tools they need to succeed in your rehearsals.
Time is always an issue for a conductor. Attaining consistent diction throughout an ensemble can take up valuable rehearsal time, but contributes greatly to accurate tuning, good vocal health, and a unified sound. When choristers use SingersBabel materials at home before and during the rehearsal period, they develop a cohesive understanding of the sound and flow of the language. They become genuinely comfortable with the text and come to rehearsals with a greater level of confidence, preparation and ability to receive your detailed instructions and insights into the works.
An
ensemble subscription is available to groups with 20 or more singers. Any work or works available in the
SingersBabel library may be selected and a custom page will be created for the ensemble. In addition to tools for text preparation, each singer will have access to sounds sets, and an instructional video on effective preparation. For ensembles of 20 or more members, these customized pages are available for the nominal price of $1.50 per member per month.
See a sample Ensemble Page
Preparation Tools
BabelGuides™
BabelGuides™ help singers improve their pronunciation and understanding of texts in foreign languages. Each BabelGuide™ contains an MP4 video, in which singers hear a native speaker reciting the original text while seeing the text, a word-for-word translation and phonetic guide. Singers also receive a printable PDF of the Translation & Phonetic Guide. They can choose to hear the text recited poetically, slowly, and in some cases, alternating speed line by line.
Get the BabelGuide™!
· Learn and teach the meaning & pronunciation of texts in several languages
· Prepare for your rehearsals & performances
· Deepen your understanding of the text
Repertoire
SingersBabel has a large focus on German choral repertoire, including the major choral-orchestral works such as Beethoven‘s Ninth Symphony, Brahms‘s Ein deutsches Requiem, and Haydn‘s Die Schöpfung, to name a few. Works such as the Bach Cantatas, Brahms‘s Liebeslieder Walzer and other small works are also represented. The number of BabelGuides for choral works in French, Latin, and Church Slavonic repertoire is rapidly increasing. Fauré - Cantique de Jean Racine, Lauridsen - Les Chansons des roses, the Latin Mass Ordinary, Requiem Mass (Ecclesiastical Latin), and Rachmaninoff - All-Night Vigil, op. 37 are now available.
Sound Sets
Every language has a unique set of sounds. With SingersBabel Sound Sets, the sounds of each language are identified by listing the IPA symbol, giving two examples with IPA transcription and English translation. Singers can choose to hear the examples demonstrated by a male or female speaker.