ChoralTracks.com is a project of Matthew Curtis and its purpose is to provide tutorials on part singing for music used in liturgy, with a mostly Catholic bent. He has a specialty is producing videos that help singers learn their part, and yet it is clear from the samples that this is not only about singing the right note in the right place. He is offering some beautiful examples of pronunciation and interpretation as well. His list of completed projects for mixed voices is long and so is the list of forthcoming ones. We wish him every success here.
Let me add that Curtis’s skill is…beyond belief really. This is one man, one voice. Check it out:
Jubilate Deo – Balanced – Giovanni Gabrieli from Matthew Curtis on Vimeo.
Yes, what Matthew does is wonderful, and needed. But let me play devil's advocate here. Do we produce educational tapes for priests who are illiterate and can't read the Missal, even in English? (I'll admit here that Latin might be a special case.) No; we expect them to read; indeed they could never complete their studies without reading. So why is it that the Church that invented musical notation can't find enough singers who know how to use it? Why are we employing stopgaps instead of striking the root?
Thank you so much for posting my website! It is an honor to be a part of the ChantCafe. ChoralTracks is for every choral singer. I am starting with sacred music as it is what I know best, but I hope to have much variety over the next year in addition to Gregorian chant. I work with over 5000 students a year in masterclasses and choral festivals. Most choirs spend their rehearsal time learning the notes on the page and singing them without actually making music. I agree, jeffreyquick, that all singers should know sight reading and ear training techniques. The reality is that there just isn't enough time in a rehearsal to get everything done for most choirs and many choir directors don't know how to bring music alive off the page. I hope that ChoralTracks.com will challenge singers to think BEYOND simply showing up and singing solfege and counting rhythms.
$400 a year for a choir to subscribe. You can't fault the ambition or the optimism, but at that price the choir I direct would never be able to afford the subscription, and would in any case probably hesitate to consider it good value. Good luck, though: the site looks excellent.
Copernicus. You are right. It is too expensive. I just lowered the price. Do you have a price in mind that might make it worth it for the average choir/schola?
$400 per year per choir, if it can reduce the amount of time per new motet to one rehearsal, would be a phenomenal ROI.
I wonder if it might make sense to open up your current 30 pieces for free so choirs can test the results (and justify the line item to their pastors), solicit donations to help pay your expenses, and use the time to build up a bigger repertoire (another 90 pieces) behind a $400/year paywall.
I would gladly donate $400 if you choose to go that route.
I agree. This is such a new idea for most. What I did is added a free 7 DAY trial and made available singles downloads for .99 each. If anyone reading this thinks their choir might need more than 7 days, I can set it up. Is that a good compromise?
Keep checking back because there will be a TON more content up in the next couple months such as Gregorian chant, sheet music of all public domain works, and performance notes.
Thanks!