How to make a Four voices choir arrangement? Let’s talk today about a very interesting and useful theme for any music gender: choral singing. When making an arrangement for voices we need to be aware of some vitally important rules.
Voices Extension
The first of these is the extension of the voices. A four-voice choir is usually composed of soprano, tenor, alto, and bass. Each individual has their own extension and some can sing higher notes and others are more comfortable with bass notes. Thus, if it is a professional choir with singers in various extensions, it is possible to explore these variations further, but if it is a choir in which people are not professional, a very complex arrangement will bring difficulties for the group and often will not bring the expected performance result.
The Harmony
The second rule is to be aware of the necessary breath breaks. A close set of long notes without a breathing pause compromises choir performance.
The third rule is to establish the music harmony, in other words, the chords. Harmony can be classical, without many tensions (very common in sacred music) or with variations and tensions which has been used in a modern styles like pop and jazz. If there is an instrument, band or even an orchestra to accompany, tensions can be borne by the instrumental arrangement. Working with tensions notes in voices add additional complexity and the final result is not always what we expect. Simplicity facilitates composition and performance.
Counterpoint
Fourth rule: Use counterpoint theory to choose the notes available for each voice. Thirds, Fifths, Sixths, and octaves. On the other hand, the fourths are considered dissonances, but they have already been considered consonances in the past, so in some cases, it combines well. However, the dissonances that are intervals of seventh, second and any diminished or increased interval should be avoided in the vocal arrangement. Thus, one of the possibilities is to consider one of the voices (usually the melody) as cantus firmus and compose the others based on it. In my opinion, it sounds interesting to base, for example, the alto on the melody that is the soprano’s part, then use the alto as cantus firmus and compose the tenor. However, the bass, it is better to keep the harmony bass. All classic counterpoint rules can be used at this stage and bring good results.
Avoiding voices collision
Fifth rule: Make sure any voice is not colliding the harmony chord or the other voices which creates dissonance. When one listens to a dissonant note, he or she will realize that something is not matching. If this occurs, review the arrangement again and again.
Sixth rule: Avoid sudden movements, ie do not create leaps in the voices. Of course, sometimes we want to create jumps on purpose, but making it a rule all the time may not please the listener. It is important to sing the composition for each voice. Remember that someone will have to sing your composition and the more coherent and easy to memorize it, the better the result. Also, be sure the voices are not crossing each other.
An Example
As an example, we worked on Amazing Grace, originally composed by John Newton in the XVIII century (published in 1779) and recorded by Elvis Presley (see the video). We made a slightly more modern harmony with some strains to be played on the piano and opened in four voices. For this example, we have chosen a very simple arrangement with the same metric for all notes.
In bar 8 we created a pass with a diminished chord to be played on the piano while the voices rest.
Four voices score
From this harmony, we use the melody in the soprano voice and the chords define the bass voice. The alto was created from the soprano using only consonances and the tenor was in turn written from the alto using also consonances. The result is shown in the following figure, and below each note is written the interval used.
In the first measure, we have G and C as melody notes written for the soprano. In the contralto line, we have sixth and third related to the melody note which is E. Thus, the alto sings in the same metric, but sings the same note in the first measure. On the other hand, the tenor sings C and C forming thirds with the note E, taking the Alto as reference. In this case, contralto and tenor make parallel movement in the first measure.
