>OK--as long as we're OT, does anyone have any information about low f's for >choral altos? I noticed that Webern takes them down there (twice in the 6th >movement of Cantata #2, opus 31), and also that Verdi has them bottom out at >the g. In which cases is the f practical?
I think in pretty much any chorus, it's a safe bet that at least some of the altos can make some noise there. It's not like F is a note no women can reach. Female pop singers go down there all the time (with microphones). The real question is what sort of tone you'll get from a chorus. If you're lucky you might have one of those wonderful deep contraltos who can give that plummy alto sound you want. More likely you won't, and you'll settle for about half the section disappearing and the other half making a generic weak chorus sound that doesn't project much. So the real question is what is your dynamic and what are you balancing against. I wouldn't count on more than mf, I wouldn't expect it to balance well with the rest of the chorus in normal ranges, and I wouldn't expect to hear it if there is very much going on in the accompaniment. But if none of those are the case, sure, go ahead and write the low F. It should be OK. mdl _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
