[this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]
Many choirs dress identically when they perform. Some have a choir uniform, some choose a particular colour for a particular concert, some have specially made t-shirts. I have had occasional requests from my own choirs for some kind of uniformity when we perform.
Unfortunately for them, I really dislike identically dressed choirs.
For me, wearing the same uniform removes any sense of individuality. I can only assume that is why some choirs do it: they want everyone to look identical so there is an overall sameness and nobody stands out.
Why create such an identity for a choir? I presume that this is to:
On the other hand, what I see is a group of clones, an attempt to wipe out any sense of uniqueness and to promote the (false) impression that everyone is the same.
This also carries over into the sound that such choirs make. There is every attempt to arrive at a perfect ‘blend’ of sound so that no one individual voice stands out. There is no scope for individual expression, there is a conscious suppression of any kind of difference.
For such choirs I imagine that the prospect of actually cloning their best singer would produce their perfect choir!
When I see such choirs performing I wonder why I am there. Why not simply listen to the choir on the radio or on CD? There is nothing to look at: everyone looks and sounds the same, they’re even encouraged to use the same mouth shape and facial expression.
If there is something special about hearing the choir live, then simply hide them behind a backdrop or have them perform in the gallery or from behind the audience. Perhaps there could be some kind of film or video projection or dance performance to watch whilst we’re listening.
To my mind it is very much like watching an orchestra: a sea of identically dressed violinists all bowing at exactly the same time, all focused on their music and paying us no attention whatsoever.
It seems that this is what most people think of when they hear the word ‘choir’. It represents a passive experience sitting for a couple of hours in fixed seats watching nothing much happening and hearing some ‘perfect’ rendition of a particular piece of music.
It doesn’t really compare well with a rock concert or a stage musical or son et lumière or River Dance. So why bother? And in fact many people don’t bother. It’s very old fashioned and rather unexciting. Which is perhaps why the average age of audiences at concerts is quite old.
It’s rather safe and non-threatening. There is a sense of control and order – identical costume, identical voices, no quick movements – no surprises.
Maybe we need a different word for ‘choir’. Maybe we need a different form of performance to bring in younger audiences and audiences who wouldn’t normally go to a ‘choral concert’.
If we do that, however, I don’t think we can get away with static rows of identically dressed singers.
To my mind, aiming for uniformity destroys the humanity inherent in a group of human beings coming together to give voice. I want to hear the individual voices which have chosen to work together as a group, I want to hear the tiny errors and individual accents that make people who they are, I want to experience the rich texture and spine-tingling harmonies that result when a group of people choose to share their voices together.
You might also like following related posts:
Picture this – photographing choirs
Avoiding the ‘C’ word – problems with using the word ‘choir’
What are you looking at? – what is there to look at during a concert?
What do you think? Does your choir have a uniform? Do you get pleasure at a concert when all the singers look identical? What other alternatives are there? Do drop by and leave a comment.
Chris Rowbury
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