Female voices singing SAB arrangements

[nolinesbarred]

Is it possibe for music arranged for SA and either T or B (a three-part work) to be sung by just female voices? If so, which female voice should sing the male voice part, given that it will probably have to be sung an octave higher than written? Or would it be better not to try this?

The above question results from our small, informal SATB ensemble going into recess temporarily, but four of the female singers wanting to continue to meet informally to feed our singing habit until the male voices and two more female voices rejoin us next year.

[Cdalitz]

In general, it does not produce a good result when the bottom voice is sung an octave higher. The technical reason for this is the Problem of the Fourth: a fourth between the bottom voice and an upper voice needs to be treated as a dissonance, while it is a consononace between the upper voices. You will therefore need to make arrangements of the music to avoid this problem. Or the ladies singing the tenor part must do so in the lower octave.

I wonder however, why you do not simply sing music directly written for female voices? A nice source are 16th century collections of Bicinia, like this one (part book facsimiles):

http://www.kb.dk/da/nb/samling/ma/digmu ... isius.html

Or if you prefer romantic music, here is something "Mendelssohn-like":

http://music.dalitio.de/choir/dalitz/ky ... hor-harfe/

Hope this helps,

Chris

[nolinesbarred]

Chris.... Thanks so much for that information. I think we just hoped that we might be able to sing some SAB pieces when we do have a male voice and continue to sing the same when said male voice is absent (substituting with a female voice), but I agree it seems best to find some all-female voiced arrangements, keeping those SATB and SAB works for when we do have the males with us. I'll look at those links you provided after breakfast!

I really appreciate the trouble you more knowledgeable CPDL people go to in helping us less-informed (but probably no less enthusiastic) singers.

Thanks again,

K

[choralia]

I think we just hoped that we might be able to sing some SAB pieces when we do have a male voice and continue to sing the same when said male voice is absent (substituting with a female voice)

A work allowing something like that (but don't tell it to the author ) is Monteverdi's Ave Maria:

http://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Ave_ ... teverdi%29

It is scored for SAT, however the range of the tenor part is from F to D, so it can be sung by basses (a little bit high-pitched, but feasible by anybody) or by altos in the original octave (a little bit bass-pitched, but feasible again by any altos).

Max

[nolinesbarred]

Oooh.... Thanks Max. I promise not to tell Monteverdi.

K