This comprehensive anthology of rounds and canons, supported by downloadable audio files, draws upon a rich variety of styles and cultures, from simple children’s songs to gospel, with motivational melodies and some excerpts from operas. There are more than one hundred rounds here, presented with varying complexity and in a range of languages.
My first impressions of the book were sound. The editors have provided a clear introduction and foreword, providing guidance on how to get the most out of the book, and information on the types of rounds included. The index is exceptionally detailed and presented as a chart listing the name, origins, language, parts, tonality, pitch range and time signature of each round, alongside comments on the genre and general musical features. As the book itself is quite dense, I found this to be a really useful ‘at a glance’ guide when first navigating the content – it will undoubtedly be a useful reference for any choral conductor or teacher looking to find rounds for their choir.
Although the book’s content can immediately be determined, the target audience is less clear. We might assume that this is a volume aimed at the school music teacher – possibly as a starter element for a Key Stage 2 or 3 class, or a warm-up/musicianship resource when working with choirs (similar to Sing Up or Singing Sherlock resources). The book presents a steady increase in challenge; there are five sections, starting with unison songs and building up to rounds in four or more parts. The rounds are all fully notated, although the intention, as outlined in the preface, is that they are learned aurally, and sung by heart. SingCircle clearly isn’t meant to be used as a linear volume, but this format gives some indication of the level so that you can dip in and out as appropriate to your group. A wealth of linguistic options can be found throughout, although many of the songs are quite lengthy and feature unfamiliar languages, especially in the early sections. It is a shame that each section of the book doesn’t feature a list of the songs, as this would have been useful.
When giving a selection of these rounds a test-drive with one of my choirs, it quickly became apparent that the level of complexity, even in the earlier stages of the book, was quite high. The use of unison songs at the outset is a nice addition to those looking to build confidence with their groups, but it might have been helpful to include some simple round elements in this initial offering. There is, however, a clever twist in this section that allows three of the unison songs to be sung together as a quodlibet – or, as the book puts it, ‘a fifteenth-century mash-up’. This is a fun feature, but note that the pieces used are quite long and there is a complexity in the language, which may make this inaccessible for less experienced musicians (or choir leaders).
Trying some of the material with my own group was an interesting and rewarding experience; they definitely enjoyed the songs and playing with different ways of building the rounds. However, I am aware that my younger and less experienced ensembles would find the material more challenging and time-consuming to learn. I would have liked to see a few more short and inventive rounds that could be used as a quick warm-up at the start of the rehearsal. That aside, with a bit of inventiveness on the part of the conductor, there is a wealth of very strong material to be found here, making this volume a valuable addition to the choir leader’s library.
