Philosophies


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	*Our Philosophies - Vocal Philosophy*	*The Mission Explained*
	*Vocal Philosophy* The most revolutionary way in which Cantus makes music is the way we sing and our vocal ideal. As may be obvious by the way we rehearse and reach our musical decisions, Cantus is all about letting each individual contribute to the whole. This idea is carried over into the way we sing. We believe that the most exciting, honest, healthy, and beautiful sound for our ensemble can only come from each individual singer creating his most exciting, honest, healthy and beautiful sound. Cantus strives to sing in the bel canto tradition which means that if we had to pin our singing down to one overriding principle it would have to be that we strive to sing with engagement. We mean this in every sense of the word - we strive to sing with emotional, mental and physical engagement. At all times we try to sing freely and colorfully in our changed male voices - from the loudest passages to the most intense quiet singing. Many choral groups and choral singers tend to sacrifice the individual singer to the whole of the ensemble for the sake of blend or ensemble clarity etc. I liken this to a violin player in the orchestra. This violinist has spent a good part of his or her life developing technique, the facility to play difficult passages and, most importantly, the ability to play for long periods of time without hurting the body with tendonitis. Just as no orchestral conductor in their right mind would ask the violinist to change technique for the worse for the sake of the orchestra, so should no choral conductor ask the same from his or her singers. In an orchestra, rich palettes of sounds are available to the violin section - all within the context of a good technique. Again, rich palettes of sounds are available to the tenor section of a choir and, again, all should be created within the context of a good, healthy, engaged technique. For the singer especially, sound and technique are inseparable. The best choirs create their sounds in the context of a free, healthy technique and this is the vocal context in which Cantus strives to operate. The Mission Explained by Erick Lichte In many ways, Cantus is an experiment. It is an amalgamation of different ideas about philosophy, esthetics, music making and singing that have never been put together before. Over the last few years our mission statement has evolved into a unique definition for a performing arts organization. While we are proud of this statement, most of the members of Cantus feel that it leaves a lot to the imagination. The goal of this short essay is to explain Cantus' mission statement in greater detail. While doing so, I will give a short philosophical basis for our esthetic choices, give further insight into our collaborative chamber music process, and define our goals for our sound and paradigms for singing. The need for Art All cultures around the world have developed art and even more amazingly they have each separately discovered the same types of art; literature, painting (visual arts), music and dance. Not only does this amazing simultaneous development indicate the fundamentality of the different types of art but also shows that wherever people are, there is a human need for art. What is that need? What does art do for us that ordinary, daily life cannot fulfill? The answer is complicated. Philosophers and estheticians over the ages have spent a good deal of time figuring this out. In a nutshell, I believe art has an ability to bring together complex abstractions, ideas and emotions and allow the viewer, reader or listener to experience them as single, unified concrete. Art has the ability to concentrate a certain view of life into a single, emotionally charged experience. For example, instead of reading a very long self-help book about takin' it easy yet being ready to face the challenges of life, all you need to do is look at Michelangelo's ''David.'' There, embodied in stone, is the ideal man; relaxed yet ready, confident and thoughtful. In one single viewing - in one single emotion, you can feel all of the qualities ''David'' possesses. What's more important, instead of trying to remember a long list of things about how you should feel when your boss says she needed your report yesterday, you can just think of ''David'' and imagine how he looks even when he has to face Goliath. In other words, art fills a cognitive need - it allows people to hold a complex number of concepts and emotions in their head as one single entity like ''David.'' A View of the World Each creative artist has the ability when he or she writes a novel, paints a picture or writes a piece of music to create a certain view of the world in their art. For instance, Michelangelo's ''David'' shows a man who is able to deal with the challenges of the world - he is thoughtful as well as physically ready for whatever may come his way. Edward Munch's ''The Scream'' shows a completely different kind of person. In this famous painting a bald, distorted man (who currently can be found as a punching bag at your local mall!) stands on a bridge screaming at an eerie, menacing landscape while passersby pay him no heed. In this context, Munch shows a man incapable of dealing with the malevolent world around him. Instead of gaining reassurance that you can handle obstacles in life from ''David'', ''The Scream'' leads us to feel trapped in a sickened world we can't control. The view of the world and man in art is determined by the artist's sense of life. A sense of life is the general feeling or emotion a person has toward life - depressing, angry, joyful or triumphant. An artist has the ability to project his sense of life into his art. He also has the unique power and privilege to affect the sense of life of his audience. The goal of every Cantus concert or recording is to exalt the sense of life of the audience. We believe that the music we perform has the power to not only entertain, enlighten and instruct our audience but to also make them feel good about themselves and the world around them in a very fundamental way. Through our concerts, we strive to connect with the audience, present them music which creates beauty and provide them emotional fuel to face all that life has to offer. We strive to present our audience with a positive sense of life. In short, it is our goal to make our audiences feel like better people for having heard Cantus. A chamber ensemble - with voices? Cantus was originally founded by four guys, Brian Arreola, Albert Jordan, Kjell Stenberg and myself at St. Olaf College during our sophomore year. Three out of the four guys were cellists who reveled in playing chamber ensembles - string quartets, cello sonatas etc. As most string players will tell you, chamber groups don't have a leader. There is no conductor, no musical director, and no presupposed hierarchy for the group. When musicians come together in this way, they are left to fend for themselves. Most professional string players find chamber music to be the best treat about being in their profession. It is a profound experience where you can have your own voice, have fruitful dialog (friendly fights?) with other musicians, and truly experience the joy of collaboration and cooperation. Yet very few choral singers ever experience this freedom. Cantus creates its music as a fully collaborative chamber ensemble. This means when you look at our roster you will not find a musical director or conductor. This is a very important aspect of what Cantus is. However, our rehearsals are not just twelve guys turned loose to the music to somehow make it happen. We have, over the years, developed a method of rehearsal which allows for some individual leadership to come from within the group as well as lets the discovery process for musical choices occur with the whole group's input. Here is how it works - The Artistic Director works with the Artistic Co-Directors, a group of three singers chosen by the group on a yearly basis, to determine the direction for concert or CD programs. All members are encouraged to make suggestions to the co-directors about repertoire they are interested in doing. After meeting with the co-directors, the Artistic Director decides on the final program and submits it to the group, listening for concerns and suggestions. The program is then finalized, and rehearsals may begin. The Artistic Director and Artistic Co-Directors then assign a producer to each piece. This producer is, in essence, in charge of the piece - balancing his personal vision for the work while facilitating the input of the rest of the singers. We view the producers as a more efficient means to the collaborative, chamber music process. We have also spelled out a hierarchy of rehearsal objectives, whose goals range from learning the notes and rhythms to discussing tempo and understanding the form of the piece. Though this process is far more time consuming than that of using a musical director or conductor, the benefits on stage are immeasurable. When performing, the singers must create an energy within the ensemble, a high level of focus and a dialog between themselves. I must stress that every night they sing a concert, each piece goes a little differently. Performance decisions are made in the moment based on the audience, the acoustics, how the singers feel, and what they just sang. They strive to adhere to the principles and goals developed in rehearsal yet allow themselves to reach these goals in different ways each night. An individualistic ensemble, or ''what's that sound?'' The most revolutionary way in which Cantus makes music is the way we sing and our vocal ideal. As may be obvious by the way we rehearse and reach our musical decisions, Cantus is all about letting each individual contribute to the whole. This idea is carried over into the way we sing. We believe that the most exciting, honest, healthy, and beautiful sound for our ensemble can only come from each individual singer creating his most exciting, honest, healthy and beautiful sound. Cantus strives to sing in the bel canto tradition which means that if we had to pin our singing down to one, overriding principle it would have to be that we strive to sing with engagement. We mean this in every sense of the word - we strive to sing with emotional, mental and physical engagement. At all times we try to sing freely and colorfully in our changed male voices - from the loudest passages to most intense quiet singing. Many choral groups and choral singers tend to sacrifice the individual singer to the whole of the ensemble for the sake of blend or ensemble clarity etc. I liken this to a violin player in an orchestra. This violinist has spent a good part of his or her life developing technique, the facility to play difficult passages and, most importantly, the ability to play for long periods of time without hurting his body with tendonitis. Just as no orchestral conductor in his right mind would ask the violinist to change technique for the worse for the sake of the orchestra, so should no choral conductor ask the same from his singers. In an orchestra, rich palettes of sounds are available to the violin section - all within the context of a good technique. Again, rich palettes of sounds are available to the tenor section of a choir and, again, all should be created within the context of a good, healthy, engaged technique. For the singer especially, sound and technique are inseparable. The best choirs create their sounds in the context of a free, healthy technique and this is the vocal context in which Cantus strives to operate. Conclusion The experiment which is Cantus continues to yield new results every week. I can speak on behalf of the singers of Cantus and say that this unique laboratory of philosophical ideas, music making process, vocal technique, and fun shared among good friends has been the most rewarding experience of our lives. We all feel very lucky to be able to do what we do. Everyday we create beauty, share our art with other people, and have the chance to touch a person's soul through our singing. We all consider this the highest honor and privilege. Cantus knows it has something very special - something that we wish to share with all who will listen. *Back to top*