About Juanita M. Harris Expertise I can answer most questions on Theory, give suggestions for songwriting and verse, I`m a professional singer and would offer free advice for improving tone for voice, I also arrange and compose, play the violin, viola, piano, bass (electric) and guitar and could help you with some questions on those subjects as well.
Experience Graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of music (1981-1985)
Berklee College of Music Graduate (1996-1998)
Organizations The Choral Project (www.choralproject.org) Jack Conway Trio (www.jackconwaytrio.com)
Publications Currently waitng for approval of publication with Colorado Jazz Press
"Sweet in the Morning" arrangement for octet by Bobby McFerrin
Awards and Honors National Association of Jazz Educators Award for Best Musicianship 1995 (?)...it's been a while.
Expert: Juanita M. Harris Date: 6/2/2008 Subject: Choir & String Orchestra Arrangement book
Question Could you please recommend me a book about arranging a String orchestra for a choir? It's not something big. I have children choir and I have about 20 some young musicians ranging from 7 to 18 years old. I bought the Choral Arranging by Hawley Ades but I am looking for something more specific about choir & string orchestra. Please advise. Thanks.
Answer Han,
If you have a choral arranging book, then arranging from an orchestral score should be simple. However, Berlioz's book "The Art of Orchestration" discusses instrumentation as well as a chapter on voices. It's been a while since I read this book, so there may be other books out there that I haven't seen yet. Since you are trying to orchestrate for voices this book might help. Arranging for choir from a string orchestra pretty much entails replacing the 1st violin with your sopranos, 2nds with mezzos and/or altos, violas with altos and/or tenor, and cellos and bass with baritone and/or bass voices. The only thing I see being problematic is the musical range difference between the voices and the instruments. You will have to make concessions for this in your arrangement, but this would be the easiest way to make this happen.
