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Commentary Rule 7: Once again, Friderici’s con- much less sing correctly. Also, they are wrong who, when
cern with proper performance of dotted rhythms fi nds they hear that the song goes wrong, immediately stop
a slightly diff erent anticipation in Conrad. For Friderici, singing out of fear and drop out and often make a dis-
the issue is that of making a slight breath impulse on ruption and confusion of the song, when they certainly
the dot (such as beginning students today are sometimes could have let it continue.
taught to do on subdivisions, and which can later prove

to be difficult to eradicate). Conrad’s is the broader issue
of applying breath impulse to subsequent syllables of a Rule 10: In singing, one should also listen to the oth-
text, especially in polysyllabic words, instead of singing er voices, how one may sing with and agree with them.
with one smooth, continuous fl ow. Those are wrong who continually shout and cry for
themselves alone and think it is enough if they consider
only their own voice, the others may do as they please.
Rule 8: In singing, the text must be pronounced and per-
formed as it stands and be carefully observed, so that the
words issuing from a vowel not be spoiled with an “N.” Rule 11: So that each one [jeglicher] can hear how he
Those are wrong and have a great vice when in singing matches with the others, the voices should be properly
make an a into au, or e into æ, or Latin i into Greek η, placed and each [jegen] of the singers stand turned to-
or an o into ou, or u into o, as when they sing aumen gether. For which reason it is a mistake when one turns
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for amen, Aulleloja for Allelujah, spηrηtus or spærætus for his mouth here and another there like Samson’s foxes, 24
spiritus; likewise, nallein Gott for allein Gott, narbeit for Arbeit, or so that the entire group is mixed up and confused, so
nehrlich for ehrlich, nohr for Ohr, and similar things. 20 that one can’t hear who raises his voice or who stops.

Commentary Rule 8: The greatest concerns among
the sources, except for Finck, are proper vowels, diph- Rule 12: When there are diff erent choirs, they should
thongs, and singing through the nose. This latter may be not be placed and arranged alone, but rather with the
related to what seems the particularly strange practice of same voices on each side. Further, the foundation voic-
nasalization of initial vowels by “n,” mentioned by both es should be a little farther from each other, so that the
Friderici and Beyer, all the more interesting because it resonance can come better to the listeners. Such as in
does not appear in Friderici’s 1619 edition. A hint as 8-voice songs: (Figure 2) But this must be understood as
to the nasalization may be suggested in the dialectical the order of a church choir. In other regards the Chorus
phenomenon John Waterman describes. He says that Musicus is to be ordered each at the discretion of its own
the characteristic is widespread in both German and home situation. 25
English, from Old High German to modern midwest-
21
ern American English. In general, the concern seems
to have been simply for correct and clear pronunciation
and not for the implications of differing sound qualities

for aesthetics.

Rule 9: In singing, one must not rush but sing regular
and steady and sing without any apprehension or hesi- Figure 2
tation. For which reason they are wrong who in singing
rush as if they chased a rabbit. If they come to some Commentary Rule 12: The chorus musicus is a some-
fusas or semifusas, [they are] swept away with fear and what shadowy organization that existed in some places
22
haste, so that they don’t receive half the correct value, either in addition to or instead of the chorus symphoni-

CHORAL JOURNAL June/July 2021 Volume 61 Number 11 25