David P. DeVenney

Review: Intended for beginning conductors, this volume offers a conceptual approach to conducting rather than an imitative one. Students begin by building right-hand and then left-hand gestures and are provided with exercises designed to increase independence and expressiveness. Approaches to repertory and programming are also introduced, as are score marking, rehearsal strategies and preparation, and singing technique. In total, it is a concise guide that offers a wealth of practical information and stands alone as a resource for even part-time choir directors.

Songlist: Exposition, Development, The Right Hand, Two Hands, Expressing Ideas, Repertory and Programming, The Score and the Rehearsal, Singers and Choirs, Recapulation

Review: The third volume of "Conducting Choirs" is written for the working conductor. One chapter addresses the concerns of those who wish to broaden their knowledge about conducting instrumentalists. Another focuses on conducting musicals and opera. Yet other chapters are directed at those conductors who wish to delve more deeply into the stylistic aspects of various performance practices, who wish to incorporate movement into the rehearsal process, or who are interested in commissioning new music for their ensembles, but who may be unsure of how to proceed.

Songlist: An Introduction to Performance Practice, Working with an Orchestra, Conducting Dramatic Music, Rehearsal Strategies - Beyond the Fundamentals, Using Movement in the Choral Rehearsal, Commissioning New Music

Review: The second volume of the series provides a vast selection of repertoire, from plainchant to present-day works that will allow students to build a gestural technique that is responsive to the expressive needs and nuances of a wide range of choral music. Each of the more than thirty selections is accompanied by a brief note about the composer and the work, a translation of the text, and a short discussion of its conducting issues. To further enhance practice and study, a recording of each title is provided on the included CDs.

Songlist: Preface, Chant and Unison Music- General Characteristics, Chant and Unison Music - No. 1 Tantum ergo, Chant and Unison Music - No. 2 Veni Creator Spiritus, Chant and Unison Music - No. 3 Shenandoah, Chant and Unison Music - No. 4 I'm Goin' Away, Chant and Unison Music - No. 5 Alleluia, Renaissance Music - General Characteristics, Renaissance Music - No. 6 Tu pauperum refugium, Renaissance Music - No. 7 O magnum mysterium, Renaissance Music - No. 8 Regina caeli, Renaissance Music - No. 9 Adoramus te, Renaissance Music - No. 10 Il bianco e dolce cigno, Renaissance Music - No. 11 Sing We and Chant It, Baroque Music - General Characteristics, Baroque Music - No. 12 Ich dank' dir schon durch deinen Sohn, Baroque Music - No. 13 O Haupt voll Blut un Wunden, Baroque Music - No. 14 Sing, Sing, Ye Muses (Movement 1), Baroque Music - No. 15 /And the Glory of the Lord, from Messiah, Baroque Music - No. 16 Scene from Messiah, Baroque Music - No. 17 Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich (BWV 150), Classical and Romantic Music - General Characteristics, Classical and Romantic Music - No. 18 A Virgin Unspotted, from The Singing Master's Assistant, Classical and Romantic Music - No. 19 Ave verum corpus, Classical and Romantic Music - No. 20 Lacrimosa, from Requiem, Classical and Romantic Music - No. 21 Kyrie, from Missa St. Joannis de Deo, Classical and Romantic Music - No. 22 Sancti Dei, Classical and Romantic Music - No. 23 Ach, arme Welt, Classical and Romantic Music - No. 24 Auf dem See, Classical and Romantic Music - No. 25 He, Watching over Israel, from Elijah, Classical and Romantic Music - No. 26 O salutaris hostia, Classical and Romantic Music - No. 27 Introit and Kyrie, from Requiem, Contemporary Music - General Characteristics, Contemporary Music - No. 28 Sussex Carol, Contemporary Music - No. 29 Salve Regina, Contemporary Music - No. 30 Sweet Reminders, Contemporary Music - No. 31 Stitching Chorus I, from Quilt Panels, Contemporary Music - No. 32 Black Is the Color, Contemporary Music - No. 33 Shenandoah, About the Author