At the end of a recent residential singing weekend I was acutely aware of absence when everyone had left. The silence was almost painful.
It got me thinking about the different kinds of silence in singing.
There are three kinds of silence in all music: before, during and after.
Before
The silence before singing is full of anticipation: anything can happen. What’s coming next?
These silences occur at the very start of a concert; before the next song; immediately before a singer makes a sound; at the start of a workshop or warm-up; in an empty space before a workshop even starts.
During
This is the silence of drama, of holding a moment, of suspension.
During any kind of music-making there are pauses of silence. In singing it is often when a singer takes a breath between phrases, but it can also be a dramatic pause in a song.
It can also be the silence between songs during a concert. The short gap before applause breaks out. Or just before a new song begins, as the audience and singers settle down and begin to focus. There is not quite the same anticipation as before, as everyone has already heard the singers and the kind of songs they’re singing.
After
The silence of memory, of what has just happened, of understanding, reflection and settling of emotions. Of vibrations that are still in the air.
When the last note dies away; after the choir have left the stage; when the audience has left; after the end of a workshop; when the space is once again empty (yet full of the feeling of sounds that have gone before).
The power of silence
Whichever kind of silence it is, it can be just as powerful as the sound of singing. In fact, singing needs the punctuation of silence to really be effective.
Pauses that are built into song arrangements. The absolute stillness and concentration before a song begins. The respect given to the singers when they finish.
Silence and singing are two sides of the same coin. You can’t have one without the other.
You might also like Why silence is important to singers, singing and choir leaders
Chris Rowbury
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