MUS20840

*Note that entry to this module is by AUDITION, and will be permitted only if you have been awarded a choral scholarship by University College Dublin.

Students will study performance practice issues of High Baroque choral performance (Oratorio & Cantata) through the study of Act I. of Georg Friederich Händel's (1685-1759) work 'Israel in Egypt', a selection of which will be the focus of this module.

Collaborative ensemble singing of the High Baroque period requires the study of style and an understanding of performance-practice problems. In this module students explore issues of performance through a study of movements from Händel's work 'Israel in Egypt’, mutually engaging with peers (at-distance via video/recording or in group) to express and develop a collective artistry. Score study and selected performance-practice scholarship will form the backbone of discussions about how High-Baroque choral music might be approached in performance or studio. Accepted performance practices are showcased and approached by the entire group and demonstrated either through a work-in-progress performance, video or recording of selected repertory.

Technology will be used to assist the preparations of repertoire within the context of a blended model of learning that involves at-distance and in-person engagement. Students will work either remotely under supervision or in small-group rehearsal in Memorial Hall, Richview, using a combination of conferencing technology (sectionals and tutti ensemble), audio tracks, video recordings, use of conductor-marked scores and a Choral-Trainer digital application. When working together in small group rehearsal (4-6 singers), students will be given constant feedback as music is made, understood and shaped.

Students will have the opportunity to hear directly from a respected Early-Music specialist in seminar about their approach to performance, to work with members of the Irish Chamber Orchestra in studio, and discuss factors influencing early-music choral performance.