'Continental'?

[maartendas]

I have heard the term 'continental' used in relation to a certain sound in choral singing. For instance in a comment on this video:

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someone wrote: "St J's at their most "continental"......and what a bass line!!"

I was wondering if someone could explain what the term 'continental' means when used in this respect. I assume it is used to describe a difference between a European sound and a British sound, with Europe being 'the continent' from a British point of view - but I am still curious what makes a choir sound 'continental'. Any explanation would be much appreciated! I'm always glad to learn new things about choirs and choral singing

[Yorkie]

Well, I'm actually getting out of my depth here but I #thought# it was that the English sound was to have a very exact pronunciation so that the different voices blend so well that it is almost as if only one person is singing each part - sort of harmonizing exactly the sound that each person makes so it sounds exactly like the treble/alto/tenor/bass voice next to them.

It's all about making the same vowel sounds to produce a focused sound from a relatively small choir (am I right in thinking that continental (i.e. the rest of Europe) tend to have much larger numbers in their choirs?).

I have heard the choirs of Westminster Cathedral and New College described as sounding Continental too. Maybe in these terms continental means to have the sound of multiple voices singing each part, where as the English sound is to seem to have one voice singing each part (although it is in fact several singers who blend together to sound like one). Just my guess though.

[liberavieve]

George Malcolm, who at the time was in charge of the choir at Westminster Cathedral, was the first choirmaster go earn attention for the 'continental sound.' I believe that the term 'continental' came about not because the sound being produced by his choirs was so similar to the sound being produced by, say, German or French ones, but because it was (as the argument went) better suited to work produced by non-British composers than was the 'hooty' sound being produced by most English choirs— even the best of them, as at King's College. He felt that English trebles were being trained to sing using 'an artificial and quite unnatural sound' that no child would actually produce without being told specifically to do so; and his approach in training choristers involved encouraging putting more pressure behind the breath in an effort to produce a somehow 'bigger' sound.

It's been tried all over the place—even at King's, which is often cited as epitomising the 'English' sound, under George Guest—and, as Yorkie's said, has largely stuck in places like St John's, New College, and Westminster Cathedral. There's no accounting for taste, of course, but if you're a fan of the 'continental' sound, it's usually bright, natural, full, and clear, where the traditional 'English' sound is hooty, forced, thin, and small. If you're not, the 'continental' tone is forced, shouty, nontraditional, and difficult to blend.

There are vowel differences that I've noticed but can't quite articulate, and that I've never seen put very clearly into words. I believe that the lower lines in a 'continental-sounding' choir also tend to produce a fuller, louder sound.

This isn't the best illustration (since it's a solo piece, and no matter what 'sound' the singer is producing, he's going to sound different from the boy next to him, anyway), but I think it will give a fair idea of the difference in the 'English' and the 'continental' tone as far as treble voices go. Both videos use the very famous 'Pie Jesu' from Fauré's Requiem.

First, from the Choir of Westminster Cathedral, a treble with (I believe) a very 'continental' tone:

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And then, from King's, a fairly more 'traditional, English' sound:

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I'm absolutely not an expert, but I once went searching for what it was about New College, Westminster Cathedral, and St John's that made me love the sound sometimes and fairly cringe at others; that was the answer I found!

[Yorkie]

I think Liberavieve's answer is a more refined version of what I was trying to say.

One of these choirs has the continental sound and one the English (the same two as posted above).


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[maartendas]

The first one sounds English to me, the second one continental.

(--edit: after checking out the description of both videos on Youtube, I was proven right in what I heard, as the first one is sung by King's, the second one by Westminster )

Thanks for enlightening me, Yorkie and liberavieve! Now I get to debate with myself which style I like best I think for now it depends on the piece - for instance, from the pieces posted here so far, I like the 'English' Pie Jesu from King's just as much as the 'continental' Pange Lingua from St. John's... And after all, it's not a matter of better or worse, each has its own merits.