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The life and influence of Dr. Lynn Bielefelt

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The life and influence of Dr. Lynn Bielefelt

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Content THE LIFE AND INFLUENCE OF DR. LYNN BIELEFELT
by
Joseph Gerald Modica
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC THORNTON SCHOOL OF MUSIC
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS
(CHORAL MUSIC)

December 2010
Copyright 2010 Joseph Gerald Modica
EPIGRAPH
i thank you god for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes
(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun’s birthday; this is the birth
day of life and love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)
how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any--lifted from the no
of all nothing—human merely being
doubt unimaginable you?
(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)
—e. e. cummings, “i thank you god for this most amazing day”
ii
DEDICATION
To my best friend – my loving wife, Tiffany.
iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This project would not have been possible without the complete support of Dr.
Bielefelt’s family. Her mother Connie and brother Ronald have been tremendously
helpful, patient, and open with me. I am grateful for their willingness to allow me into
their lives, so that I may share about Lynn.
I would like to acknowledge the members of my dissertation committee for their
effort in preparing this document: Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe, Dr. Nick Strimple, and Dr.
Sheila Woodward. I am grateful for their help, advice, and the countless hours of read-
ing. When I came to the University of Southern California (USC), I had the opportunity
to work with three professors who are no longer on faculty: Dr. William Dehning, Dr.
Magen Solomon, and Dr. David Wilson. The knowledge and skills I acquired from these
fine educators will carry on throughout my career because they believed in me, pushed
me to improve, and gave me so many valuable tools.
Many people contributed to this study and aided in my research, including Judith
Bell, Kristie French, Dr. Jonathan Talberg, and Dr. Leland Vail from California State
University, Long Beach (CSULB); Claude Zachary, University Archivist at USC; and
several dozen people who knew Lynn and took time out of their busy lives to talk to me
about her. I cannot begin to express my gratification in words, and I know they did this
because they loved Lynn and recognized her great impact in the choral music profession.
My family has been an unending source of support and encouragement for the
past four years as I have been working toward the completion of this degree. I could not
iv
have done this without them. This degree belongs as much to my wife and my two
beautiful children as it does to me.
Finally, I owe my greatest debt of gratitude to my teacher, friend, and mentor,
Dr. Lynn Bielefelt, who continues to inspire me each and every day. She would not have
wanted the attention that a project like this may bring, but she deserves it. I hope this
makes you proud, Dr. B.
v
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EPIGRAPH ii
DEDICATION iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iv
LIST OF TABLES viii
LIST OF FIGURES xix
ABSTRACT xi
PREFACE xii
Chapter 1: EARLY LIFE AND FAMILY 1
Junior High School 1962–1964 5
Senior High School 1964–1967 7
Chapter 2: COLLEGE EDUCATION 10
Undergraduate Degree, 1967–1972 11
Graduate School, 1978–1989 13
Los Cancioneros Master Chorale 15
Graduate Assistantship 19
Orchestral Conducting 23
Comprehensive Examinations 25
Doctoral Treatise 27
Chapter 3: COLLEGIATE TEACHING CAREER 30
California State University, Long Beach 30
University of Southern California 35
Courses Taught 37
Chapter 4: THE FINAL YEARS 45
A Courageous Struggle with Cancer 45
Tribute Concert, June 3, 2001 50
Idyllwild Arts Academy: A Brief History of the Summer Program 51
Mozart’s Requiem, August, 2001 54
Her Last Days: August 21–September 1, 2001 57
vi
Chapter 5: REHEARSAL TECHNIQUES AND PEDAGOGY 59
Rehearsal Technique 60
Pedagogy: Emphasizing Vocal and Conducting Methods 62
Breath Management 65
Initiation of Tone 67
Articulation and Resonance 70
Registration 76
Vocal Flexibility 81
Singing within the Imagination 81
Chapter 6: INFLUENCE AND LEGACY 87
Chapter 7: CONCLUSION 98
BIBLIOGRAPHY 100
Appendices
Appendix A: INTERVIEWS 104
Appendix B: CONCERT PROGRAMS FROM GRADUATE
SCHOOL 109
Appendix C: MATERIALS FROM LOS CANCIONEROS, 1981–1984 120
Appendix D: LETTERS IN SUPPORT OF DR. LYNN BIELEFELT 153
Appendix E: MARION COOPER’S VOCAL EXERCISES 157
Appendix F: REPERTOIRE PERFORMED WHILE ON FACULTY
AT CSULB 168
Appendix G: SELECTED SYLLABI FROM COURSES TAUGHT
BY DR. LYNN BIELEFELT AT CSULB 175
Appendix H: TRIBUTE CONCERT: JUNE 3, 2001 190
vii
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Bielefelt Family Residences 5
Table 2: Repertoire Studied by Lynn Bielefelt under Daniel Lewis 24
Table 3: Repertoire Performed by Lynn Bielefelt with the California State
University, Long Beach, Symphony Orchestra, 1992–1994 33
Table 4: Repertoire for Demonstration Choir at the 1998 Convention of
the American Choral Directors’ Association, Western Division
Convention, Reno, Nevada 47
Table 5: Conductors of the Idyllwild Festival Choir, Idyllwild, California 52
Table 6: Lynn Bielefelt’s Repertoire Performed While on Campus at
California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) 168
viii
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Breath management: Example 1 68
Figure 2: Breath management: Example 2 68
Figure 3: Initiation of tone: Example 1 68
Figure 4: Initiation of tone: Example 2 69
Figure 5: Initiation of tone: Example 3 69
Figure 6: Vowel formation 71
Figure 7: Resonance: Example 1 72
Figure 8: Resonance: Example 2 72
Figure 9: Resonance: Example 3 72
Figure 10: Resonance: Example 4 73
Figure 11: Resonance: Example 5 73
Figure 12: Resonance and articulation 74
Figure 13: Articulation: Example 1 76
Figure 14: Articulation: Example 2 76
Figure 15: Registration: Example 1 78
Figure 16: Registration: Example 2 78
Figure 17: Registration: Example 3 78
Figure 18: Registration: Example 4 79
Figure 19: Registration: Example 5 79
Figure 20: Messa di voce utilizing count singing 80
ix
Figure 21: Messa di voce utilizing alternating vowels 80
Figure 22: Messa di voce utilizing one vowel 80
Figure 23: Vocal flexibility: Example 1 82
Figure 24: Vocal flexibility: Example 2 82
Figure 25: Vocal flexibility: Example 3 82
x
ABSTRACT
Dr. Lynn Bielefelt had a strong impact on her students. Throughout her thirteen-
year career at California State University, Long Beach, and the University of Southern
California, she had a tremendous affect on the people with whom she worked. Her
legacy exists in the generation of educators now working in various levels of choral
music programs around the United States who have studied under her and have chosen
to emulate her teaching practices and style.
It is the purpose of this study to provide a biography of Dr. Bielefelt, revealing
her legacy through highlighting her pedagogical approaches, rehearsal techniques, and
vocal pedagogy. In addition, this study seeks to investigate her promotion of choral
music education through professional service, her passion for bringing out individuality
in her students, her nurturing manner that aided her students in reaching their full poten-
tial, and her uplifting and steadfast human spirit that surpassed her health issues.
xi
PREFACE
Background
Dr. Lynn Bielefelt exemplifies the characteristics of those outstanding educators
who have had a positive impact on their students. Throughout her career, she had a
profound effect on the people with whom she worked. Her legacy exists in the genera-
tion of educators now working in various levels of choral music programs around the
United States, who have studied under her and have chosen to emulate her teaching
practices and style. Bielefelt was known as a gifted musician, efficient conductor,
experienced singer, and a kind and generous woman.
Need for the Study
There is no existing autobiography or biography of Lynn Bielefelt. Considering
the legacy that she created through her various capacities as a choral performer, conduc-
tor, and educator, it seems fitting that a substantial record be created to document her
achievements.
Purpose Statement
This study was conducted in order to investigate the life of Lynn Bielefelt, par-
ticularly as it pertained to her teaching pedagogies and her lasting influence on the
music educators with whom she worked.
xii
Methodology
This historical investigation was achieved primarily through interviews with
family, friends, colleagues, and students of Bielefelt and through viewing multimedia
documents such as archival collections at CSULB, and personal collections of the
researcher, the family, and students.
Regarding interviews, each category of persons was assigned a different se-
quence of questions. Throughout the conversations, however, further questioning took
place depending on the information provided by the individual and his or her unique
perspectives. Anecdotal information, though useful in gaining insight to Bielefelt’s
personality traits and relationships, was not the focus of the questioning. Instead, the
questions were focused on learning about Bielefelt’s personal history, her influences,
insight into her pedagogy, and the impact that she had on each interviewee.
1
Chapter Outline
The first chapter will highlight important events in Bielefelt’s early life, includ-
ing her childhood and family, early musical development and study, and her early
teaching career. Her collegiate career, including her major influences and training in
conducting and vocal pedagogy, will be the subject of chapter 2. Chapter 3 will high-
light important events during her career, focusing on her work at CSULB and USC.
See appendix A for the questions asked of three groups of persons: family,
1
students, and colleagues.
xiii
Bielefelt’s final years of life were particularly poignant due to her failing health.
In chapter 4, this difficult time in her life will be shared, including her courageous and
long struggle with cancer, a concert held in her honor at CSULB, and her performance
in August 2001 of Mozart’s Requiem, which concluded her career as a choral conductor.
Bielefelt lost her third fight with cancer less than two weeks following this emotional
performance.
Chapter 5 is an analysis of Bielefelt’s rehearsal technique, vocal pedagogy, and
methods of teaching conducting. Bielefelt’s legacy is in the success of her students. She
gave freely to the educational process and found joy in witnessing her students’ achieve-
ments. The final chapter will highlight the success of her students, including a list of
former students, where they are presently teaching, and their various accomplishments.
These stories will truly carry on Bielefelt’s life, legacy, and love for people through her
loyalty and passion for teaching.
xiv
CHAPTER 1
EARLY LIFE AND FAMILY
Lynn Dee Bielefelt was born October 8, 1949 in Santa Monica, California, to
Robert Bielefelt and Connie Lois Bielefelt. Her father, Robert Bielefelt, was a chef until
approximately 1956, after which he began working for Douglas Aircraft in food service.
Lynn’s mother, Connie, raised her children at home and became known as an accom-
plished seamstress. Lynn had four siblings. Her oldest brother Ronald was born in 1946
and currently resides in the Los Angeles area. He is the Chief Marketing Officer of a
financial institution in Los Angeles. Her youngest brother Daniel was born in 1952 and
passed away in May of 2000. Lynn also had a stepsister Barbara, who was born in 1938
and died of ovarian cancer at age 50, and a stepbrother Bruce, born in 1940, who died of
cancer in 2006.
The entire family had various artistic abilities. Lynn’s brothers were gifted in
fine arts; her sister Barbara also loved drawing; and Ronald enjoys playing the mandolin
and drawing. Lynn’s mother Connie had the ability to “draw clothes and fashion design,
and then replicate that using a sewing machine.” Lynn realized her artistic ability
1
through music at a very young age. Her brother Ronald recalls:
I think the interesting thing is that her interest in music really goes back to day
one. We were a large family, and of moderate means. We didn’t have dishwash-
ers, so after the evening meal, often a single pot meal, a stew, soup, or what
Lynn referred to as beans ala boomba, . . . the kid’s job was to clear the table and
Ronald Bielefelt, telephone interview with author, May 5, 2010.
1
1
do the dishes. In that process we actually did a lot of singing . . . songs in rounds,
individual singing, and Lynn would, at a very young age, be a leading participant
in that. That’s one of my fondest memories of growing up in a big family.
2
The family endured many hardships and illnesses. Robert Bielefelt was an alco-
holic and struggled with a gambling addiction. Connie has multiple sclerosis; Barbara
suffered from alcoholism and passed away from a long battle with ovarian cancer. Bruce
died of a combination of melanoma and lymphoma. Daniel died from complications
associated with AIDS. Currently, Ronald is in treatment for prostate cancer, and Lynn
Bielefelt fought breast cancer three times.
Having endured so many serious illnesses in one family can be overwhelming
and often creates bitterness and negativism. Although these were enormous challenges
for the family, they each chose to look at life in a positive way and not dwell on their
own ailments.
As we interacted with people on a daily basis, our problems were never the issue.
The issue was to live a way that was extraordinary, and I think that’s one of the
things we just did as a family. We supported each other through it. There was no
reason to drag other people down with what’s going on with you. All that does is
create a model in society that is ridiculous.
3
Lynn Bielefelt also possessed this healthy and positive attitude throughout her life,
choosing to spread joy and happiness in whatever situation she found herself.
As a child, Lynn enjoyed watching the “Lawrence Welk Show.” The accordion
player on the show, Myron Floren, was a friend of Lynn’s father and would periodically
Ibid.
2
Ibid.
3
2
visit their home. He would occasionally play the accordion for various family events,
and Lynn always enjoyed hearing him. As a result, Lynn began to learn the accordion at
age ten. She received no formal training in singing or in any other instruments as a child,
and her accordion lessons were rather informal. Her father would ask her to play for
family events, and one of her signature songs was “Lady of Spain.” She commented to
her brother several years later that, although she enjoyed learning how to play the accor-
dion, “if she had violin or piano lessons as a child, it would have set her up to be much
stronger in her musical career.” Her friend Judith Warren said, “Lynn took accordion
4
lessons, and forever after she mourned that she had wasted her time.”
5
Lynn, as a child, is described by her mother as “very determined.” Her brother
6
Ronald described her as:
stubborn as a goat, real tenacious, pretty argumentative. But those qualities
meant that she really stuck to things. She would work at something and master it
. . . she was going to accomplish whatever she set her mind to no matter what.
Nothing was going to stand in her way. But at the same time she was very caring.
She took on the charismatic qualities of our father.
7
Although this determined type of personality can be challenging, he continued, “You
always knew where you stood with Lynn. It was truly one of the fine qualities that she
had.”
8
Ibid.
4
Judith Warren, telephone interview with author, 13 May 2010.
5
Connie Bielefelt, telephone interview with author, April 26, 2010.
6
Ronald Bielefelt, telephone interview.
7
Ibid.
8
3
Lynn had a great love for performing at a very young age. Her accordion teacher
would periodically present the class in recital, and Lynn would always work very hard to
perfect her pieces. Although she was “reserved around people whom she did not know
well, she relished being on stage.” Ronald Bielefelt commented that “she enjoyed the
9
applause and recognition when she had done something well. That’s something that she
had gotten at an early age, that may have fed her to continue with it. I’m not sure what
the reward was in her own head, but she seemed to enjoy the accolades.”
10
The family moved to various communities throughout her elementary school
years (see table 1). As a student, from elementary school through high school, Lynn was
always high achieving and motivated. According to her mother, Lynn loved books and
music and began reading in kindergarten. Her love of teaching was evident at a young
11
age. When Lynn was in third grade, her teacher experienced a sudden loss in her family
and needed to leave for the day. Lynn took the initiative to lead the class for the day in
the teachers’ absence and began assigning reading passages and math problems to the
class.
12
Ibid.
9
Ibid.
10
Connie Bielefelt, interview.
11
Ibid.
12
4
Table 1. Bielefelt Family Residences
Years Location
1949–1951 Santa Monica, CA
1951–1959 Hollywood Riviera, CA
1959–1961 Big Bear, CA
1961–1962 Santa Monica, CA
1962–1967 Westchester, CA
Junior High School 1962–1964
Lynn Bielefelt attended Orville Wright Junior High School in Los Angeles from
1962 to 1964. The school included grades seven through nine, but Lynn began in eighth
grade. Her family had just moved back to Westchester from Big Bear. Lynn was shy and
reserved, and as her friend Judith Warren recollects, “She was very quiet. She looked
kind of scared and unhappy. I figured she was new because everyone else was greeting
each other. It was our history class, and I knew another girl was new and she and I
started talking, then I guess we just kind of incorporated Lynn into the conversation.”
13
Judith became one of her best friends, and they remained close until the end of her life.
In eighth grade, both Lynn and Judith joined the debate team. Lynn was not very
enthusiastic about this venture, but Judith convinced her to join. The topic of the year
14
was whether Red China should be admitted to the United Nations, a subject of high
Warren, telephone interview.
13
Ibid.
14
5
emotion and varying opinions in the 1960s. Music classes at the junior high school were
limited at the time, but Lynn did participate in the Girls’ Glee Chorus. She also contin-
ued studying the accordion.
Although they became very close friends, Lynn and Judith’s relationship devel-
oped slowly, primarily because Lynn was a very private person. Judith attributes this to
the fact that Lynn had much more serious conditions at home than most of the other
students. Lynn’s mother Connie was very ill with multiple sclerosis. During this time,
Lynn had more responsibilities than her peers, such as doing house work, in addition to
worrying about the welfare of her mother.
15
As a student, in junior high school as well as high school, Lynn was very suc-
cessful and always earned high grades. “She was a great student. She was always com-
petitive in academics and music. She didn’t know how to do it any other way.” Judith
16
described her as being
always terribly nervous as a student. She was always in a flutter about failing.
Not because she was unintelligent by any means, but because that’s just the way
she was; she was always anxious. She was smarter than she thought she was. She
didn’t trust herself to be quick. She needed to be careful about things, but she did
very well in school.
17
Judith continued, “At the same time, she was the most maturely compassionate person I
had ever known. There was one time when our ninth-grade science teacher, Mrs. Sund-
strom, had a choking fit in class and everybody just sat there. Lynn was the only one that
Ibid.
15
Ronald Bielefelt, telephone interview.
16
Warren, telephone interview.
17
6
got up and started patting her on the back and went to get her a glass of water.” This
18
display of leadership, initiative, kindness, and generosity were at the forefront of the
person of Lynn Bielefelt, as revealed in her early adolescent years.
Senior High School 1964–1967
From 1964 to 1967, Lynn was a student at Westchester High School in Los
Angeles. She began singing in the choir beginning in eleventh grade. Lynn’s choir direc-
tor was Robert Wood, an extremely accomplished educator with a highly successful
choral program. The choir won many competitions and participated in choral festivals
throughout southern California. Wood had a reputation for being very discipline minded
and serious about his profession, but at the same time he had an ability to balance this
aspect of his personality with levity and humor. “He was adored by everyone in the
19
music program.” Ron Bielefelt commented:
20
There were some incredible musicians that came out of Westchester High, and I
think he played a major role in that. At any school you’ve got forty to fifty teach-
ers, and two or three are extraordinary. I’d definitely put him in that class. He
was one of those teachers who could really get the kids to reach their potential.
In many ways he was probably the foundation for moving [Lynn] on to the next
level.
21
Ibid.
18
Ronald Bielefelt, telephone interview.
19
Ibid.
20
Ibid.
21
7
He took a special interest in Lynn and helped her to develop her musicianship skills. In
twelfth grade, she enrolled in Wood’s harmony class. He was very encouraging to her,
and they had a very good relationship.
22
Although Lynn was never very athletic, she did participate in softball with the
Girls’ Athletic Association while in high school. Judith commented, “We were the two
lousiest people on the team. We learned at an early age that if you weren’t good, you
needed to take a companion with you, and then put one of you on each team. That way
the teams were even. She was never an athlete.”
23
In the spring semester of 1967, Lynn’s senior year in high school, her choral
director, Robert Wood, went on sabbatical. Although a temporary teacher did substitute
for him, Wood asked Lynn to be the student director of the choir. She was responsible
for warming up the choir and helping to teach when needed. Judith Warren said:
I remember particularly that many of us participated in a program for Easter at
the Methodist Church in Westchester and Lynn conducted us in Holy Radiant
Light [by Alexander Gretchaninoff]. That was the first time she conducted on her
own, and how beautiful she was. She was completely assured and as graceful as
anyone I had ever seen. She looked completely at home and comfortable.
24
Although Lynn was naturally shy and reserved, she was very engaging and had
no trouble taking leadership roles. “She was not shy when she was doing something
musically. [Lynn] was completely in charge, not aggressively in charge, but she knew
Warren, telephone interview.
22
Ibid.
23
Ibid.
24
8
what she was doing. I think as she became more accomplished and successful, it im-
pacted her shyness to the rest of the world also.”
25
Ibid.
25
9
CHAPTER 2
COLLEGE EDUCATION
Education was highly valued in the Bielefelt family. Although Robert and
Connie never attended college, they instilled in their children an appreciation of higher
education at a very young age. Ronald Bielefelt emphasized, “The biggest gift our
parents gave us was the real desire for us to gain higher education, and as a result, all of
the children earned advanced degrees.” Lynn’s stepsister, Barbara Smothers (Bielefelt),
1
earned a master’s degree in special education. She completed her undergraduate studies
at the University of California, Berkeley. Barbara taught in the area of special education.
Lynn’s brother Bruce was an accountant. He later became an elected official and was the
County Controller in Nevada County, California, from 2001 to 2005. Lynn’s youngest
brother Daniel graduated from the Art Institute in San Francisco and earned a second
degree from the University of San Francisco. Ronald graduated with a bachelor’s degree
from USC and earned a master’s degree in psychology from the University of the Pa-
cific. Lynn Bielefelt graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Cali-
2
fornia, Los Angeles (UCLA), and a master’s degree and Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA)
degree from USC. “The educational accomplishments were a very high honor to our
family.”
3
Ronald Bielefelt, telephone interview.
1
Ronald Bielefelt, email to the author, May 7, 2010.
2
Ronald Bielefelt, telephone interview.
3
10
Undergraduate Degree, 1967–1972
In the fall of 1967, Lynn began her studies at UCLA. She always had a passion
for helping people and even considered studying to become a doctor. She entered UCLA
with the intention of studying medicine but realized that her passion was music, so she
decided to major in music education. She also considered becoming a music therapist in
order to combine her passion for music with her desire to help people. Nevertheless,
4
she studied music education and graduated on June 13, 1972, with a Bachelor of Arts
(B.A.) degree in Music, cum laude.
While a student at UCLA, Lynn sang in the Madrigal Singers, the most select
choral ensemble at the time, under the direction of Donn Weiss. Peter Rutenberg, a peer
of Lynn’s in the music education program said, “She had a charismatic presence even in
those early student days. She was one of those persons that immediately caught your
eye, and you had to know more about her. That was my earliest memory of Lynn.” Her
5
appealing personality was evident not only in social arenas, but also while she was per-
forming. As mentioned earlier, Lynn appeared to be a natural-born performer, and this
became evident to her peers through various performances with the UCLA Madrigal
Singers. She also possessed an innate leadership quality that was unusual for a student in
this period of development.
I always appreciated Lynn’s stage presence when she was in the Madrigal Sing-
ers. There was a sense of mastery about what she was doing. She was very calm
Warren, telephone interview.
4
Peter Rutenberg, telephone interview with author, May 26, 2010.
5
11
and very steady. I always got the sense that she was a solid rock in an ensemble
where there were people who weren’t quite up to that standard. People depended
on her for that solid backing. She always had a pleasant smile on her face. The
only other time I’ve seen that kind of smile was when I met the Dalai Lama a
few years ago.
6
Steve Fraider, her colleague at both UCLA and USC, commented that “Lynn
was always a model student. She was highly intelligent and always well prepared. She
always did her reading and research, and was highly motivated to gain new knowl-
edge.” Lynn’s work ethic earned her the respect and admiration of her peers. Peter
7
Rutenberg said, “She attracted people like a magnet. You wanted to be around her. She
was so nice, and sweet, and yet so well mannered, well practiced, disciplined and seri-
ous in what she did. I don’t think she had a very high tolerance for the riffraff, the
pretenders, or the dilettantes.”
8
Bielefelt studied conducting with Donn Weiss, at a time when equal rights for
women were just beginning to be demanded. The profession of conducting was domi-
nated by men, and it was difficult for women to become successful and respected in the
field. Weiss encouraged Bielefelt, enabling her to develop her natural talents an abilities
and thus aiding in the maturity of her conducting skills. This was a pivotal time in the
conducting profession; and because of the support given to Bielefelt from Weiss and her
other professors at UCLA, she was empowered to become an important figure in choral
music and a role model to other women conductors.
Ibid.
6
Steve Fraider, telephone interview with the author, March 25, 2010.
7
Rutenberg, interview.
8
12
Graduate School, 1978–1989
In 1976, Bielefelt attended a concert by the USC Chamber Choir, conducted by
Rodney Eichenberger. She was very impressed with the quality of the performance and
afterwards spoke with Eichenberger about coming to USC to pursue graduate studies.
9
Bielefelt attended USC for both her masters and doctoral degrees. She earned a Master
of Music degree in Choral Music in 1981 and completed the DMA degree in Choral
Music in December of 1989. The faculty in the Choral and Sacred Music Department at
the time consisted of James Vail, David Wilson, and Rodney Eichenberger.
Bielefelt was an exemplary student. She earned high grades and always came to
her classes well prepared. Eichenberger said, “She was always thirsting for knowledge.
She was open to any idea that came her way.” Bielefelt studied choral literature and
10
took sacred music classes from Dr. David Wilson. “She was always vivacious, a won-
derful student. She had a great, inquiring mind, very intellectually curious, and just a
tremendous personality. She was certainly a dream of a student to have. Her work was
always excellent.” According to Jerry Blackstone, Director of Choral Activities at the
11
University of Michigan and an alumnus of USC, her peers “had a great respect for her as
a musician and performer, and someone of high integrity and kindness.” Blackstone
12
began his graduate work at USC one year after Bielefelt completed her master’s degree.
Rodney Eichenberger, telephone interview with author, February 15, 2010.
9
Ibid.
10
David Wilson, telephone interview with author, February 16, 2010.
11
Jerry Blackstone, telephone interview with author, February 16, 2010.
12
13
Steve Fraider commented, “She was always one of the best conductors in the class—
always well prepared.”
13
Rodney Eichenberger was Bielefelt’s principle conducting teacher while at USC.
Bielefelt made an immediate impression on her instructors and her peers while she was
studying there. Many of her colleagues commented on how much they valued her
because of her immense knowledge and her ability to inspire singers to achieve a very
high level of music making. Steve Fraider, who sang in recitals that Lynn conducted,
said, “Lynn was naturally musical, and was technically capable. She had a really good
and well-thought-out rehearsal plan . . . she compelled you to sing the music the way she
wanted it done. She could stand in front of the choir, and the choir would sound
better.” He continued, “[Lynn] had an innate ability . . . the way she talked to you and
14
the way she rehearsed. She knew exactly what she was doing . . . and she had a real
concept of what she wanted to get out of the piece.” Ron Kean commented about the
15
first time he saw Bielefelt conduct in conducting class:
Lynn had an incredible connection to the text. I learned a lot of my love for text
from her. I can remember one day in conducting class, we were conducting
Randall Thompson’s Glory to God in the Highest. I was new to the program, and
I learned that piece from another conductor, so I conducted it pretty much the
way I learned it. And then Lynn conducted it, and it was a whole different piece
than I thought it was. When we got to the middle section about peace, it looked
Fraider, telephone interview.
13
Ibid.
14
Ibid.
15
14
and sounded like peace. It wasn’t just piano—it was peace. That was one of the
first times I was ever taken aback by her insights into life and words.
16
In essence, Lynn’s gesture emulated the text, thus creating a sound reflective of the
meaning of the words, taking the dynamic marking in the score and painting it with a
motion that truly communicated the desire of the poet and composer.
Los Cancioneros Master Chorale
From 1981 to 1984, Bielefelt was conductor of Los Cancioneros (now known as
Los Cancioneros Master Chorale), a community choral organization based in the South
Bay area of Los Angeles. Los Cancioneros is one of the oldest community choirs in
California, having been in existence for sixty years. Founded by Barbara Mabin in 1949,
the choir has been led by more than twelve conductors including Jack Gittings, Roy
Rollins, Dave Chrysler, Lynn Bielefelt, Lisa Mellor Fitzpatrick, and is currently con-
ducted by Johanna Nachef. There are approximately fifty auditioned members of the
choir. Los Cancioneros Master Chorale performs four concerts each season. Programs
include sacred music, large choral and orchestral works, as well as musical theatre and
popular music presentations. Los Cancioneros Master Chorale has toured Europe twice,
traveled to Canada, and performed in Carnegie Hall in New York City on three separate
occasions—most recently in May, 2010. The Chorale is a nonproift organization,
Ron Kean, telephone interview with the author, February 15, 2010.
16
15
dependent upon concert revenue and membership dues, and has been awarding scholar-
ships to local students since 1960.
17
Lynn Bielefelt began her tenure as Music Director of Los Cancioneros in Sep-
tember, 1981. She was immediately respected by choir members for her personality,
warmth, and high standards. Judy Cook, a member of the choir for over thirty years
18
said, “She was very popular. I remember when she came in and people were pleased
with her. We were expecting quality and we got it.”
19
Bielefelt had the ability to work with people from various backgrounds and
ability levels and to form a cohesive unit. This is an essential quality for any conductor,
but particularly for one working with a community choral organization. Bielefelt real-
ized that the members of the choir participated in the organization because of their love
of music and their desire to learn and improve. She respected the singers and treated
them in a professional manner.
20
Bielefelt conducted twelve concerts in her three seasons with the choir. Copies
of most of the programs are included in appendix B. Performances were held at various
locations throughout the South Bay area of Los Angeles, including the Norris Com-
munity Theatre, Marymount Palos Verdes College, the South Bay Center for the
Los Cancioneros Master Chorale, “Los Cancioneros—A Brief History” (Tor-
17
rance, CA: Los Cancioneros Master Chorale), http://www.lcmasterchorale.com/
AboutLC.html (accessed July 9, 2010).
Judy Cook, telephone interview with the author, July 9, 2010.
18
Ibid.
19
Ibid.
20
16
Performing Arts, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Rancho Palos Verdes, Trinity United
Methodist Church in Lakewood, CSULB, and St. John’s Presbyterian Church in West
Los Angeles.
Bielefelt had many goals for Los Cancioneros, including changing the name of
the choir to Los Cancioneros Master Chorale. She discussed changing the name with the
board of directors and insisted that if the name changed to include “master chorale,” the
choir must achieve a higher level of music making in order to justify that change. She
21
also wanted to increase the number of sponsors and subscription members. Under her
leadership, season memberships of Los Cancioneros increased from forty-seven to sixty-
two.
Bielefelt was diagnosed with breast cancer for the first time in 1983, her final
season with Los Cancioneros. She resigned from her position with the choir in June of
1984 due to health reasons and “self-preservation.” In a letter written to the choir dated
22
November 14, 1984, Bielefelt expressed her gratitude to the singers and gave her rea-
sons for resigning (the complete letter is included on the last page of appendix C):
My friends, we’ve worked together for three valuable years. During that time
we’ve gotten to know each other quite well. We learned to challenge each other,
to argue, to laugh, to love, and ultimately to grow through our music. I cannot
bid farewell without engraving in your minds and hearts how grateful I am for
having known you; for having been your conductor. You know it’s not my way
to whitewash or ignore problems. I was honest with you and sometimes hard on
you, and sometimes you were hard on me. But dear choir, we never ran away
from each other. We always talked it out, and sometimes yelled it out, and I for
Ibid.
21
Ibid.
22
17
one feel richer for all of it; the good times and the tough times. We sang a lot of
beautiful music beautifully. I will never forget you.
23
Bielefelt had expenses related to her health care that were beyond her means.
She had medical insurance, but it was not adequate to cover all of her expenses. The
members of Los Cancioneros were aware of her financial burden and collected money to
help offset her medical expenses. In the same letter, Bielefelt said, “I want you to know
your generous gift last Christmas was a saving grace. The money you gave to me made
it possible for me to pay the necessary down payment for admission to the hospital. It
was such a blessing. I thank you and love you for it, and for the love it expressed.”
24
Lynn Bielefelt had a tremendous effect on the singers involved in Los Can-
cioneros while she was their conductor. Judy Cook said:
Lynn was able to create a strong rapport with the choir. She was such a wonder-
ful, professional conductor. I think we all grew and improved under her direc-
tion. . . . She knew what she was doing, and we trusted her expertise, and we just
wanted to please her and see that smile when we got it right. . . . Over the years
we’ve been blessed some very talented conductors, and she was among the best
of these people.
25
This period in Bielefelt’s life and development as a conductor was very impor-
tant. She began to establish a reputation for excellence and for having a high standard,
and she started to become well known in southern California. In her personal life, Lynn
was told by her doctors that she was in good health and that the cancer had gone into
Lynn Bielefelt, to Los Cancioneros Master Chorale, November 14, 1984, 1.
23
Ibid.
24
Cook, telephone interview.
25
18
remission; consequently, she decided to pursue her DMA degree in Choral Music at
USC.
Graduate Assistantship
As part of her duties as a graduate student, Bielefelt team-taught choral conduct-
ing with Rodney Eichenberger and taught the course herself while he was on sabbatical.
She also conducted the Men’s Chorale and Women’s Chorale for two academic years,
fall 1985 to spring 1987, while James Vail and David Wilson were on sabbatical leave.
For this period of time, she was hired as a visiting instructor. During her two-year
26
tenure, “membership almost doubled in the first year and the morale of the groups had
never been higher.” More specifically, membership in the Men’s Chorale increased
27
from seventeen members in the fall of 1985 to thirty-one members in the fall of 1986.
One possible reason that membership grew so drastically in this period of time may be
due to Bielefelt’s tremendous skill in motivating singers. For example, in her doctoral
treatise, Bielefelt stated:
There are many enjoyable ways to guide and encourage the students into appro-
priate facial/emotional expression. I believe the conductor must make this a
primary thread that runs through every rehearsal. Besides the marvelous affect it
James Vail, memorandum to William Thomson, May 8, 1985. See appendix D
26
for the complete memo.
Rodney Eichenberger, letter of recommendation to USC Educational
27
Placement Office, April 6, 1987. See appendix D for the complete letter.
19
will have on the singing tone, it will perpetuate a positive, receptive environment
which is key to any successful rehearsal.
28
Through positive reinforcement and solid technique, Bielefelt was able to create a re-
hearsal environment where students were engaged and enthusiastic, thereby motivating
the students to achieve greater musical success.
Beverly Patton, Bielefelt’s assistant with the Men’s Chorale in from 1985 to
1986, said, “The Men’s Chorale, at the time, was a potpourri of music majors, but not
necessarily voice majors. They were wonderful musicians, but they were not singers.
She took that challenge and just ran with it. She knew she had good people—she just
had to make them sing.” William Dehning commented: “She was very effective
29
vocally and in getting a good sound out of young people.” In the opinion of David
30
Wilson,
She was a teacher. She could take the beginning singer and take them through
the whole process. I heard her women’s chorale and they were just phenomenal.
It was amazing what she could do. And you know the talent there is pretty mod-
erate and she galvanized people, gave them a sense of how important what they
were doing was, and then exuded passion. . . . If she had great voices fine, if she
had mediocre voices, she taught.
31
In her doctoral treatise, “The Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to
Vocal Development in the Choral Rehearsal,” Bielefelt wrote:
Lynn Bielefelt, “The Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to Vocal
28
Development in the Choral Rehearsal” (DMA treatise, University of Southern Califor-
nia, 1989), 172.
Beverly Patton, telephone interview with author, April 15, 2010.
29
William Dehning, email to author, June 8, 2010.
30
Ibid.
31
20
Perhaps the single greatest challenge facing any choral director is finding a
means to bridge the inevitable disparities in the vocal abilities of the participants
in most choirs. . . . The spectrum of vocal development is often enormous, and
certainly in the nonauditioned ensembles, the variance of real skills is even more
vast and problematic.
32
The premise of her treatise is that many choral singers will often receive only
vocal instruction from their current choral conductor. To this end, choral conductors
must gain complete knowledge in vocal function in order to provide singers with a solid
foundation in proper singing technique.
33
Bielefelt was known as a great singer and a scholar in aspects of vocal peda-
gogy. She studied voice for a number of years with Marion Cooper, a voice teacher for
34
over forty years, with a direct lineage to Giovanni Battista Lamperti. Bielefelt spent
much of her choral rehearsals teaching solid vocal technique. “The vocalizes . . . were
aimed at getting the best quality sound in the vocalize, and then she would transplant
that sound into the repertoire. She would base the exercises on the material, rather than
having just a standard series.” This technique would then help focus the voice on
35
specific areas of the repertoire being studied. Through the careful planning and execu-
tion of vocalizes appropriate to the repertoire, Bielefelt’s rehearsals became more
effective and efficient.
Lynn Bielefelt, “Classical Italian,” 2.
32
Ibid., 5.
33
Iris Levine, telephone interview with author, February 8, 2010.
34
Beverly Patton, telephone interview.
35
21
In a letter of recommendation dated February 7, 1983, Eichenberger commented
on the quality of her work as the conductor of the Women’s and Men’s Chorales and as
a teaching assistant:
She has progressed in our program so that she is one of the finest conductors to
study at USC since I arrived here in 1976. While she served as a teaching assis-
tant with our Women’s Chorus, we had the best group I have heard since the
inception of women’s and men’s groups at USC. As a teaching assistant for the
USC Chamber Singers, she was not only effective but impressive in her ability to
serve the varied responsibilities of the position. Her abilities were so impressive
that I agreed to release her two-year obligation to the USC Chamber Singers so
that she could teach our undergraduate choral conducting students where she
immediately achieved remarkable success.
36
In a letter to Larry Livingston, the Dean of the School of Music, Beverly Patton
wrote:
Lynn’s keen musical insight, knowledge of literature and technique and sincere
interest in her students turned the chorales into a rich musical experience for all
involved. In my capacity as Teaching Assistant for the Men’s and Women’s
Chorale in 1985–1986 I watched Lynn performing a myriad of organizational
duties with confidence and skill. She is firm but fair with her students and be-
cause of this has gained the respect of students and professional colleagues. Her
dedication and focus to make the chorales their musical best has been unbending.
Lynn is an asset to USC and to the Los Angeles musical community.
Teachers with her unique talents are in short supply these days: the best of them
deserve to be encouraged.
37
Rodney Eichenberger, to Bessie Swanson, February 7, 1983. (See appendix D
36
for the complete letter.)
Beverly Patton, to Larry Livingston, April 29, 1987. (See appendix D for the
37
complete letter.)
22
Orchestral Conducting
Bielefelt was known as a fine choral conductor, but she was equally skilled at
conducting orchestral music. In her studies at USC, she was one of only a few choral
music majors to be selected to study with Daniel Lewis, the conductor of the USC
Symphony Orchestra from 1976 to 1995. Most of the students in Daniel Lewis’s class
were master’s degree students in the orchestral conducting area. The standard period of
study was one academic year. Ron Kean, Director of Choral Activities at Bakersfield
38
College and a colleague of Bielefelt’s, was also selected for this program. “She and I
were two choral conductors who got into Daniel Lewis’s instrumental conducting
program. He would only take four people per year, and the only two choral people he
took for years were Lynn and me.” Table 2 contains a list of the repertoire that Biele-
39
felt studied under the guidance of Daniel Lewis.
“She was very committed to becoming a consummate conductor, not just a
choral conductor.” As part of her graduate work, she studied the Mass in C by Ludwig
40
von Beethoven with David Wilson and conducted a performance with the Marymount
Palos Verdes Symphony Orchestra and Los Cancioneros on March 28, 1982. In addition
to the Mass in C, the concert included the Coriolan Overture, op. 62, also by
Beethoven.
41
Ronald Kean, email to author, May 15, 2010.
38
Kean, telephone interview.
39
Ibid.
40
See appendix B for the concert program.
41
23
Table 2. Repertoire Studied by Lynn Bielefelt under Daniel Lewis
Composer Title
Igor Stravinsky Danses Concertantes
Joseph Haydn Symphony No. 88
Antonin Dvorak Serenade for Winds
Ernst Bloch Concerto Symphonique
W. A. Mozart Serenade for Wind Instruments
Edward Elgar Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85
Richard Strauss Concerto for Horn, Op. 11
Joseph Hayden Cello Concerto in D Major
James Hopkins Concerto for Contrabass
Bielefelt had a strong impact on her student peers at USC. She was known as
being extremely supportive, encouraging, and collegial. David Wilson said, “She had
such a vivacious personality, she was so supportive, she was a wonderful colleague, and
supported her fellow students.” Lynn was constantly in the pursuit of greater knowl-
42
edge. She valued her peers because she wanted to learn from them by singing in gradu-
ate recitals. “She sang in everybody’s conducting recitals. She’d make all the rehearsals
and was very dedicated.” Eichenberger commented, “She was beloved by her peers.
43
Lynn was everybody’s best friend.” Ron Kean appreciated Lynn as a colleague
44
Wilson, telephone interview.
42
Ibid.
43
Eichenberger, telephone interview, February 15, 2010.
44
24
“because of her incredible insight into music, text . . . and the incredible thankfulness
that she was living day to day.”
45
Lynn was also helpful to prospective students of the choral program at USC. As
one example, in 1986, Iris Levine, current Department Chair and Professor of Music at
California State Polytechnic University in Pomona and Artistic Director of Vox Femina,
was visiting USC as one of four schools that she was considering for her doctoral
studies. Rodney Eichenberger introduced her to Lynn, and she talked with Iris for over
an hour about the program. “I made my decision to come to USC, and some of that
decision was based on that conversation I had with her. She really played a huge part in
my coming to USC. Once I got here . . . she really acted like a mentor to me.”
46
Comprehensive Examinations
Upon completion of the course work for her master’s degree in 1981, Lynn
passed her comprehensive oral examinations. As part of the preparation for this culmi-
nating examination, students were asked to propose a series of topics for discussion.
Following are the topics proposed by Bielefelt to her committee:
1. Handel’s oratorios: why they are outstanding in the development of the genre
2. Rhythmic interpretation in the Baroque: some of the variables that guide the
performer in this area of controversy.
3. The six late masses of Haydn: salient characteristics.
Kean, telephone interview.
45
Levine, telephone interview.
46
25
4. Importance of and approach to building concepts of vocal technique in the
choral ensemble.
5. The relationship of conducting gesture to tone.
6. A comparative discussion of the “Dies Irae” of Verdi’s Requiem and the
“Dies Irae” of Britten’s War Requiem: form, structure, innovation, conduct-
ing and performance problems.
7. The St. John Passion of J. S. Bach: historical context, structure, test, per-
forming forces, challenges to the conductor.
8. The volunteer church choir: selection of music to fulfill the gamut of
“needs”; dealing with personality problems that threaten group morale.
9. Performance of music composed pre-1750: how to identify and/or prepare
scholarly performing editions.
10. The rehearsal process: preparation, organization, pacing and psychology.
47
These topics are diverse in scope, displaying Bielefelt’s wide range of knowl-
edge. The questions also foreshadowed her area of focus and primary concern as a
choral conductor: effective rehearsal techniques and gesture as it relates to choral tone.
Four of the questions relate to some aspect of the choral rehearsal, lending evidence to
what Bielefelt thought was the most important aspects of becoming a conductor. In
regard to rehearsal technique and vocal pedagogy, the focus of question 4 is how to in-
corporate the teaching of vocal technique in a choral rehearsal, and question 5 centers on
how gesture relates to the development of tone. Question 8 is focused on the conductor’s
human responsibilities; question 10 narrows down the rehearsal process, including the
psychology of the rehearsal. Because four of the ten questions submitted to her
Information provided by Rodney Eichenberger, Chair, USC Choral and Sacred
47
Music.
26
committee included these practical elements of being a choral conductor, they consti-
tuted further evidence of Bielefelt’s strong desire to have an impact on people beyond
simply teaching them to be better singers and musicians. These issues became the focus
of Bielefelt’s approach to conducting pedagogy and are evidenced in her doctoral
treatise.
Doctoral Treatise
On September 7, 1989, Bielefelt received final approval on her treatise, “The
Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to the Vocal Development in the Choral
Rehearsal.” David Wilson was her treatise advisor, and James Vail and Rodney Eichen-
berger served on her committee.
The document is organized into three chapters. Chapter 1, “Historical Back-
ground,” includes three subtopics: Bel Canto, Castrati, and A Brief History of Laryn-
gology up to c. 1850. Chapter 2 is the lengthiest in the document. Titled “Teachings of
the Italian School,” this section includes six subtopics: Breath Management, Initiation of
the Tone, Articulation and Resonance, Registration, Vocal Flexibility, and Singing
within the Imagination. Various concepts and terms, such as voce di petto (chest voice)
and voce mista (mixed voice) are defined from a physiological perspective. Bielefelt’s
primary sources for this section of the document include Richard Miller’s The Structure
of Singing and Techniques of Singing, William Vennard’s Singing the Mechanism and
the Technic, Johan Sundberg’s The Science of the Singing Voice, as well as treatises by
Francesco Lamperti and Giulio Caccini.
27
Bielefelt includes several exercises for the application of the techniques dis-
cussed. Many of these exercises were introduced to Bielefelt from her teacher, Marion
Cooper, to whom the document is dedicated. For example, in the subtopic “Registra-
tion,” Bielefelt includes eight exercises that she learned from Cooper. Amber Alarcon, a
former student of Bielefelt who also studied with Marion Cooper for ten years, has
provided to this author a packet of exercises that Cooper used in her teaching. In com-
paring the exercises to those in Bielefelt’s treatise, it is evident that Cooper had a tre-
mendous influence on her vocal technique and pedagogy.
48
The final chapter of her treatise, “Application,” includes several exercises of the
Italian Singing School, including the application of these exercises to the choral re-
hearsal. Some of these techniques are admittedly borrowed or adapted from choral con-
ductors with whom Bielefelt had worked; others are from her own experience from
rehearsals, honor choirs, and workshops. Bielefelt encourages conductors to be open-
49
minded and spontaneous in rehearsal by simply responding to the situation in any given
rehearsal:
Some of the most effective teaching devices tend to surprise us, unplanned,
simply evolving out of our responsiveness to the energy of the rehearsal. Com-
mand of our technique, excellent musical preparation, and a keen sense of orga-
nization are essentials to our profession, but without an openness to spontaneity
See exercises in appendix E. Note the similarity in Cooper’s vocalizes as
48
compared to Bielefelt’s exercises cited in chapter 5 of this document. Cooper had an
obvious influence on Bielefelt’s approach to vocal pedagogy.
Lynn Bielefelt, “Classical Italian,” 175.
49
28
. . . we can end up technically correct, but musically and pedagogically unin-
spired and uninspiring.
50
Lynn Bielefelt was highly respected as a student by her colleagues, as well as her
professors. She achieved a high level of success as a student, while pursuing her bache-
lor’s degree at UCLA, as well as her advanced degrees at USC. She was afforded a great
opportunity for musical growth because of the potential she showed and her incredibly
high work ethic. In these formidable years, Bielefelt began to establish herself as some-
one who would be significant in the field of choral music.
Ibid.
50
29
CHAPTER 3
COLLEGIATE TEACHING CAREER
Lynn Bielefelt’s career spanned the course of almost three decades. She worked
in various settings including the Marlborough School in Los Angeles (1972–1975),
Pierce College (1980–1988), St. John’s Presbyterian Church of Los Angeles (1978–
1989), Los Cancioneros (1981–1984), First United Methodist Church of Glendale
(1990–1996), CSULB (1988–1999), and USC (1999–2001). This chapter focuses on
Bielefelt’s impact and influence on music educators and centers on important events and
activities during her collegiate teaching career at CSULB and USC.
California State University, Long Beach
In 1988, Bielefelt was hired at CSULB on a one-year contract as a Visiting
Lecturer and Assistant Director of Choral Studies. At the time, Gregory Lyne was
Director of Choral Studies, and Lynn worked collaboratively with him. During the
1988–1989 academic year, she conducted the University Chorus and taught choral con-
ducting. Dr. Leland Vail recalls Bielefelt’s first performance with the University Cho-
rus: “She did a performance of the Liebeslieder Waltzes by Brahms that was one of the
most musical experiences I had ever witnessed. It was incredible, and of course the
students loved her.” She applied for the tenure-track position of Assistant Director of
1
Choral Studies in 1989 and was hired for that position. Gregory Lyne accepted a
Leland Vail, telephone interview with author, May 25, 2010.
1
30
position at Arizona State University and left CSULB in the fall of 1993. Bielefelt was
appointed Acting Director of Choral Studies for the 1993–1994 academic year. This was
the first year that she conducted the CSULB Chamber Singers. Dr. William Belan was
hired as a temporary replacement for Dr. Lyne and conducted the University Chorus and
also taught various other courses in the choral area, including undergraduate and gradu-
ate conducting and choral literature. During the 1993–1994 academic year, a search was
2
conducted to hire a tenure-track faculty member as Director of Choral Studies, and both
Bielefelt and Belan applied for that position. However, as the search drew to a close, the
Dean, Dr. Wade Hobgood elected to cancel the search because he felt that the finalists
had not achieved enough national and international recognition. As a result, Bielefelt
3
was appointed Director of Choral Studies in the fall of 1994 by the Music Department
chairperson, Donald J. Para. She was concurrently granted tenure and promoted to the
rank of Associate Professor of Music, which was the highest rank that she achieved at
CSULB. The Music Department conducted a search for an Assistant Director of Choral
Studies, and Leland Vail, who was already on the faculty, was hired for this position.
During Bielefelt’s tenure, she taught courses in graduate and undergraduate choral con-
ducting vocal pedagogy, choral literature, seminar in choral music, conducting master
classes, applied conducting lessons, and applied voice. She also conducted
Ibid.
2
Ibid.
3
31
ensembles including the Chamber Singers, the Forty-Niner Chorus, the Women’s
Chorus, and the Symphony Orchestra (see appendix F).
Lynn was very passionate about preparing music education majors for a career in
teaching. “Lynn’s strength was her absolute commitment to being a teacher. She loved
teaching; she loved being there; and she certainly loved teaching future teachers as
well.” At CSULB, Bielefelt was the advisor to the student chapter of the American
4
Choral Director’s Association (ACDA) beginning in 1994. She often attended meetings,
even though it was not required of her, and she lent insight and knowledge to prepare
the students. She arranged for guest speakers to attend the meetings and for the organi-
zation to participate in conferences and workshops. In 1993, the group received national
recognition as the Outstanding Student Chapter of ACDA.
In 1992, the position of Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra became available.
Bielefelt requested to be named to this position in the interim and to be given an oppor-
tunity to include this ensemble as part of her duties. She conducted the CSULB Sym-
phony Orchestra for two academic years, from 1992 to 1994. Table 3 contains a
complete list of the repertoire performed during this time. Although it is unusual for a
professor of choral music to be appointed the conductor of an orchestra while maintain-
ing a choral program, the Music Department had an urgent need to fill the position.
Bielefelt was the logical choice, given her training with Daniel Lewis. David Wilson
5
Patton, telephone interview.
4
Leland Vail, telephone interview.
5
32
Table 3. Repertoire Performed by Lynn Bielefelt with the California State University,
Long Beach, Symphony Orchestra, 1992–1994
Date Composer Title
10/25/92 Mendelssohn Symphony no. 4 in A
10/25/92 Prokofiev Lieutenant Kije, Suite Symphonique
10/25/92 Shostakovich Festive Overture, op. 96
5/17/92 Beethoven Symphony no. 8in F
5/17/92 Bernstein Candide Overture
5/17/92 Copland Appalachian Spring
12/13/92 J. S. Bach Brandengerg Concerto no. 4 in G
12/13/92 Dvorak Carnival Overture, op. 92
12/13/92 Haydn Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in D
12/13/92 Ravel Má Mere L’oye (Mother Goose Suite)
2/27/93 Weber Orberon Overture
3/14/93 C. P. E. Bach Concerto for Flute in D minor: Allegro
3/14/93 Beethoven Concerto no. 1 in C for piano: Allegro
3/14/93 Berlioz Les Nuits d’Eté—“L’ile inconnue”
3/14/93 George Concerto for Bass Trombone
3/14/93 Puccini Vissi d’1arte, from “Tosca”
3/14/93 Tchaikovsky Concerto in D for Violin
5/16/93 Hanson Symphony no. 2
5/16/93 Miller Festive Sounds
5/16/93 Mozart Symphony no. 38 in D
5/16/93 Sibelius Finlandia, op. 26
10/22/93 Haydn Symphony no. 103 in E=
10/22/93 Pergolesi-Stravinsky Pulcinella Suite
10/22/93 Schubert Symphony no. 8 in B minor
12/10/93 Grieg Holberg Suite, op. 40
12/10/93 Mihaud Creation du Monde
12/10/93 Shotakovich Symphony no. 9, op. 70
12/10/93 R. Strauss Serenade in E=, op. 7
3/20/94 Bartok Concerto no. 2 for Piano
3/20/94 Charpentier Depuis le jour, from “Louise”
3/20/94 Cilea E la solita storia del pastore, from “L’arlesiana”
3/20/94 Creston Concertino for Marimba and Orchestra
3/20/94 Mozart Concerto in A for Clarinet
3/20/94 Saint-Saens Concerto no. 3 for Violin and Orchestra
3/20/94 Williams Concerto in F Minor for Bass Tuba
5/7/94 Beethoven Symphony no. 9 in D Minor, op. 125
33
said, “[Bielefelt] saw herself as a total conductor . . . with the skills to step in front of a
symphony orchestra and rehearse and conduct. She had done a wonderful job with the
orchestra. I went to the Beethoven [Symphony no. 9] performance, and it was really a
triumph for her.” After this performance however, the administration decided that in
6
order to build the orchestral program as well as continue the excellent choral tradition at
CSULB, a permanent conductor for the Symphony Orchestra needed to be hired.
Under her direction, the CSULB Chamber Singers became known as an out-
standing collegiate choral ensemble, garnering a reputation for musicality and beautiful
tone. The choir was chosen to perform at the 1997 California Music Educators Associa-
tion Conference, and in 1999 they performed at the International Federation of Choral
Music World Symposium in Rotterdam, Netherlands as a demonstration choir for a
conducting master class led by Rodney Eichenberger. This prestigious event was part of
7
a tour for the CSULB Chamber Singers to Germany, Belgium, and The Netherlands.
The choir sang several concerts while on tour, but one of the more memorable experi-
ences was a performance at the Benedictine Abbey of St. Hildegard in Rüdesheim,
Germany. According to Vivian Turner, the choir sang a vespers service attended by the
nuns and monks who live at the Abbey. At one point, the monks began to sing chant and
invited the choir to join them. Zanadida Robles recollects, “The setting was so beautiful
8
Wilson, telephone interview.
6
California State University, Long Beach, Bob Cole Conservatory of Music,
7
“Choral, Vocal, and Opera Ensembles” (Long Beach: CSULB, Bob Cole Conservatory
of Music, 2010), http://www.csulb.edu/~music/cvo/choirs.html (accessed May 8, 2010).
Vivian Turner, telephone interview with author, June 2, 2010.
8
34
. . . the acoustics, the visual aesthetic, and everything about it was just perfect. [Biele-
felt] had a connection to Germany, and her desire to go there was really apparent. This
was very significant for her.” Unbeknownst to her students, Bielefelt was contemplat-
9
ing leaving CSULB to pursue another teaching position. At this point, she was diag-
nosed with cancer for the third time, and this combination of circumstances was perhaps
the reason that she decided to organize the trip to Germany and create memorable expe-
riences for students and herself. Robles continued, “I got the sense this was a special
time in her life, because she was pulling out all the stops. I wasn’t aware of everything,
but she had been living some turbulent times . . . and it was definitely personal. She was
living life to the ultimate fullest.”
10
University of Southern California
Bielefelt resigned from her position at CSULB after the spring semester of 1999
and was hired at USC as an Associate Professor of Choral and Sacred Music, a position
she held until her passing in 2001. Her duties at USC included conducting the USC
Thornton Concert Choir, teaching undergraduate conducting, supervising graduate con-
ducting recitals, and teaching seminar in choral music. Dr. William Dehning, chair of
the Choral and Sacred Music Department at the time, noted, “In her brief time at the
USC Thornton School of Music, she made an immediate, indelible impression.”
11
Zanaida Robles, telephone interview with author, May 28, 2010.
9
Ibid.
10
Claude Zachary, email to author, May 26, 2010, quoting Dr. William Dehning.
11
35
Bielefelt conducted the USC Thornton Concert Choir in performance for the first
time on October 24, 1999, at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Palos Verdes Estates,
California. Aaron Roethe, a student of Bielefelt’s at USC, commented that “when she
came in and took over the ensemble, there was a marked improvement in the sound, and
everything about that first performance really impressed people.” William Dehning
12
recalled his favorite memory of his time working with Bielefelt at USC was “watching
her inspire the Concert Choir in her first few rehearsals with them; I remember their
smiles.” Bielefelt collaborated with her colleagues, David Wilson and William Deh-
13
ning, to prepare several other works, including Honegger’s King David and Haydn’s
Lord Nelson Mass. Her final performance at USC was on April 25, 2001, at the United
14
University Church on the USC campus. The program, titled “Choral Classics and Soon-
tobe Classics,” featured works by Brahms, Boulanger, James Hopkins, and Morten
Lauridsen.
Throughout her education and career, Bielefelt was recognized as an excellent
colleague. While an undergraduate student at UCLA, she was well respected, liked, and
was a natural leader. While in graduate school at USC, Rodney Eichenberger com-
15
mented that “she was loved by her peers; she was everyone’s best friend.” Leland Vail
16
Aaron Roethe, interview with author, May 31, 2010.
12
Dehning, email to author,
13
Wilson, telephone interview.
14
Rutenberg, telephone interview.
15
Eichenberger, telephone interview, February 15, 2010.
16
36
commented that at CSULB, “she was an excellent colleague. She was a team player, a
collaborator, and a team worker.” David Wilson said that “it was such a wonderful
17
collaboration with Bill [Dehning], Jim [Vail], Lynn and me. I felt like we had the best
possible program in the country . . . We loved the chemistry of having such a strong
woman on the faculty.”
18
Courses Taught
Several syllabi from courses taught by Bielefelt while she was a faculty member
at CSULB were obtained by this researcher: MUS 421, Choral Conducting; MUS 422/
522, Choral Conducting; MUS 100D/300D500D, Women’s Chorus; MUS 100E/300E/
500E, Forty-niner Chorus; MUS 100G/300G/500G, Chamber Singers; MUS 100J/300J/
500J, Symphony Orchestra; MUS 575, Seminar in Choral Music; and MUS 426/ 526,
Vocal Development. The full syllabi are included in appendix G.
Bielefelt was very gifted at teaching conducting. In regard to her own conducting
technique, Bielefelt was known as an extremely expressive conductor. Dr. Iris Levine
commented that “she was like watching a work of art, to see her hands and her gesture
truly guide her singers through the music making.” However, she was not interested in
19
having her students impersonate her style and technique; instead, she was interested in
bringing out the various abilities of each student so all of them could discover their own
Leland Vail, telephone interview.
17
Wilson, telephone interview.
18
Levine, telephone interview.
19
37
strengths and weaknesses. She had the ability to teach very basic concepts to the
20
novice conductor, as well as very advanced techniques to the more experienced students.
Students of various backgrounds, ability levels, and majors were required to take
Bielefelt’s conducting classes. In order to make the class applicable to all students, she
focused on several areas including gesture, rehearsal technique, and score study, thereby
making the material relevant to each student’s degree program. She realized that vocal
performance majors and composition majors in her classes would not necessarily enroll
in her class to become conductors; therefore, she designed the curriculum to suit their
specific needs. Aaron Roethe, who graduated from USC in 2000 with a degree in com-
position said:
I was finishing my degree and doing a study program in film and television
music which included conducting ensembles at the Paramount Studios scoring
stage. I was in a hurry to improve my conducting skills, and if I hadn’t had her
class, this project would have been much more difficult. I was able to learn a
good amount from her very quickly.
21
In order to address aspects of her teaching that were important to the develop-
ment of her students, selected course syllabi are discussed below. In the course syllabus
from MUS 421 at CSULB in the fall semester of 1992, Bielefelt states several course
objectives:
To introduce the student to the functions of a conductor, and to basic conducting
techniques and vocabulary. To develop, through the use of exercises and choral
repertoire, the student’s proficiency in the following areas:
Turner, telephone interview.
20
Roethe, telephone interview.
21
38
1. Beat patterns
a. Regular and irregular
b. Long and short
c. Changing patterns
2. Preparatory beats and breaths
3. Cutoffs
4. Cueing
5. Fermatas
6. Independence of hands
7. Gestures for affecting dynamics, articulation, phrasing, tempo, text, vocal
tone, etc.
8. Score analysis and preparation
9. Effective rehearsal techniques
10. Basic principles of healthy vocalization
22
Although these course objectives are fairly standard, they are extremely compre-
hensive and somewhat ambitious for an introductory course in conducting. It is evident
through these objectives that Bielefelt held a high standard and expected a significant
amount of work from her students. Dawn Brooks, who was a vocal performance major
at CSULB when she enrolled in this course, commented:
[Bielefelt] expanded the course beyond gesture so it could really apply to people
no matter what their focus was. I remember her instruction about the fundamen-
tals of conducting being very clear, and she allowed people to do those basic
things in their own way. . . . She was trying to take the approach of how to lead
people, and we often discussed the various roles of a conductor . . . She was
trying to make the point that when you are a leader of an organization, there’s a
wide range of things you have to be in control of.
23
Lynn Bielefelt, course syllabus for MUS 421, Choral Conducting, CSULB, Fall
22
1992 (see appendix G for complete syllabus).
Dawn Brooks, telephone interview with author, May 5, 2010.
23
39
These skills not only are essential for being a conductor but also are applicable to many
other professions. Bielefelt had an impact on students of various career paths due to her
desire to impart her experience, and she possessed exceptional leadership skills.
In addition to daily conducting practice, conducting assignments, and reading
requirements, students were required to complete several written assignments including
two reviews of choral rehearsals, a written mid-term examination on concepts presented
in class and assigned readings, and an analysis of a piece to be rehearsed as the final
examination.
24
At CSULB, the second level of choral conducting, MUS 422/522, included
similar written assignments, but the course was focused on providing the tools necessary
for students to achieve a higher level of conducting ability. The course objectives were
the following:
1. Review and refine skills and concepts developed in Choral Conducting 421
2. To learn to solve special conducting problems
a. Changing beat patterns
b. Tempo relationships
c. Recitatives
3. To gain familiarity with choral performance practices relative to historical
context and style
4. To develop choral rehearsal techniques, with special emphasis on rehearsal
planning, leadership and diagnostic skills
5. To develop a greater understanding of the choral instrument and how to
affect choral sound through work on breathing, diction, balance, “blend,”
and phrasing
Bielefelt, MUS 421 syllabus. (See appendix G for the complete syllabus.)
24
40
6. To learn techniques for developing musical skills and musical responsive
ness of a choir
25
It is clear that this course is focused more on the specific needs of choral music
education majors and graduate students studying choral conducting. Objective 5 is to
develop a greater understanding of the voice and how to improve vocalism in the choral
rehearsal. This was a key component of Bielefelt’s approach to teaching conducting.
The gestures that she taught, the rehearsal techniques that she introduced, and the
demeanor that she modeled had the goal of improving the vocal quality of her singers.
Further information on Bielefelt’s approach to vocal pedagogy and its application to
gesture is discussed in chapter 5 of this dissertation.
Bielefelt wanted her conducting students to gain an understanding of how to
analyze a score so that gestures employed in rehearsal were true to the intentions of the
composer. Bielefelt’s conducting seminar at CSULB (master class) gave her student
conductors the opportunity to rehearse and conduct their peers in a nonthreatening
environment so that they could perfect rehearsal and conducting technique. Students
were encouraged to provide constructive feedback to one aother, and she often discussed
various broad topics including score study and analysis, the role of the conductor, re-
hearsal methods, and technical issues of conducting. As one example, in reviewing a
video recording of a conducting master class from the fall semester of 1996, Bielefelt
discussed the importance of the conductor to perfect the ability to show the full
Lynn Bielefelt, course syllabus for MUS422/522 (Choral Conducting),
25
CSULB, Fall 1996.
41
spectrum of dynamic contrast. She illustrated this point in several ways: performance
practice considerations, technical matters, and through affect. In reference to Veni
creator Spiritus by Mathias, Bielefelt said, “Really be attentive to the dynamics. The
further we get into the twentieth century, composers become more specific with nota-
tion. I think we need to really use the architectural scope he’s given us here. Start piano
and crescendo only to mezzo piano.” In correcting the technical aspect of a diminuendo
26
gesture, Bielefelt said, “To show diminuendo, continually move into your body, and
leave the left hand under your right hand. Play more with the dynamic spectrum through
size. As a singer, I want more variation in terms of dynamic size.” Finally, she illus-
27
trated the point from the perspective of affect: “This is something I really believe, when
we change from forte to piano, it’s not just about loud and soft, it’s about a different
character.”
28
Bielefelt taught MUS 575, Seminar in Choral Music, in the spring semester of
1995 at CSULB. According to Leland Vail, this is the only time that the course was
offered. The textbook used was Choral Conducting, a Symposium by Harold Decker
29
and Julius Herford. The course content included the following topics:
30
Lynn Bielefelt, Conducting Master Class and Lessons, VHS, private collection,
26
1996.
Ibid.
27
Ibid.
28
Leland Vail, telephone interview.
29
Harold Decker and Julius Herford, eds., Choral Conducting, a Symposium
30
(New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1973).
42
1. The Choral Instrument: Choral Tone, Voice Building
2. The Choir: Recruitment, Auditions, Seating, Formations, Repertoire
3. The Conductor: Care and Feeding
4. Rehearsal Techniques
5. Performance Practice
6. Score Preparation and Marking
7. Working with Instrumentalists
8. Developing Resources and Professional Development
9. Administrative Skills
10. Job Searching
31
The course was designed for graduate students studying choral music to address practi-
cal issues associated with teaching. The course was organized into a seminar format, and
students were required to do oral presentations.
Bielefelt also taught MUS 426/526, Vocal Development, at CSULB. Using
Richard Miller’s text, The Structure of Singing, the course was designed as “an intensive
introduction to the complex art/science of singing.” Topics covered in the course
32
mirror those included in her doctoral treatise:
1. Historical Background
2. Breath Management
3. Vocal Onset and Release
4. Articulation and Resonance
5. Registration
6. Vocal Agility
7. Vocalizes
8. Singing and the Imagination
Lynn Bielefelt, course syllabus for MUS 575 (Seminar in Choral Music),
31
CSULB, Spring 1995.
Lynn Bielefelt, course syllabus for MUS 426/526 (Vocal Development),
32
CSULB, Fall 1996. See Richard Miller, The Structure of Singing: System and Art of
Vocal Technique (New York: Schirmer, 1986).
43
9. Vocal Health and Hygiene
10. Professional Organizations, Conferences and Workshops
33
The close relationship to the content in this course to that of her treatise demonstrates
Bielefelt’s commitment to the vocal concepts of the Italian School of Singing. This
course was taught several years after the completion of the treatise, yet Bielefelt used
her document as a guide for the curriculum. Certainly the research she completed in
writing her treatise contributed to her teaching methods, yet she did not choose to cite
her own work as part of this course.
Lynn Bielefelt’s collegiate career at CSULB and USC spanned thirteen years:
1988–2001. In this time, though brief, she established herself as a leading educator in
the field of choral music in higher education. Her overall goal was to inspire her stu-
dents each day to achieve their highest potential, and she was unrelenting in the pursuit
of high-quality music making. Larry Livingston, Dean of the Thornton School of Music
when Bielefelt was on faculty, said, “I deeply admired Lynn and thought she was coura-
geous, musically sensitive, and a fine person. Certainly her odyssey of love and determi-
nation was an inspiration to many, including myself.” William Dehning described her
34
as “a missionary for music.” Her work ethic was diligent, and despite her health issues
35
and personal challenges, she became an influential teacher and mentor.
Ibid.
33
Larry Livingston, email to author, May 18, 2010.
34
William Dehning, email.
35
44
CHAPTER 4
THE FINAL YEARS
A Courageous Struggle with Cancer
Lynn Bielefelt was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1984. With extensive
chemotherapy and radiation, she fought the disease and the cancer went into remission
for more than ten years. She was diagnosed for the second time in 1995 while she was
teaching in Long Beach. At the time, her teaching load was incredibly strenuous, but she
rarely took a day off to rest. Chemotherapy treatment caused her to lose all of her hair,
forcing her to wear a wig. Dawn Brooks, a graduate student in voice at the time, recol-
lects a Chamber Singers rehearsal when Lynn openly showed her frustrations with the
disease:
I remember one rehearsal in particular where she was really frustrated and just
ripped her wig off. She was completely bald underneath. She wasn’t frustrated
with us—she was just uncomfortable. So she ripped the wig off in front of the
whole class and threw it across the room. Then she said, “I’m not going to let
this disease beat me and I’m going to move on. I’m not going to let my vanity
get in the way.”
1
Although the choir was understandably shocked by this action, Bielefelt characteristi-
cally turned this moment into a positive one by reassuring the students and encouraging
them to be open with her about their feelings and emotions. She did not want her illness
to get in the way of the learning process. Lisa Edwards, Bielefelt’s accompanist at
2
Brooks, telephone interview.
1
Ibid.
2
45
CSULB said, “She was really open with her students about what she was going through
. . . but she was always prepared [for rehearsal]. It didn’t keep her from doing her job
just as magnificently as she always did.”
3
The CSULB Chamber Singers regularly performed at collegiate festivals
throughout southern California. In February of 1997, the choir sang at the Chapman
University Invitational Chamber Choir Festival in the Chapman University Memorial
Auditorium in Orange. The performance by the CSULB Chamber Singers that night has
become known to choral conductors in the area as an extraordinary moment. Ron Kean
describes the performance as follows:
She did If Music Be the Food of Love by Jean Belmont. There’s a couple of
experiences where you can say, “Oh my, this is the face of God” . . . and that was
what that performance with Lynn was like that night. It was transcended music—
transcended all of our differences—and you stop listening objectively and think-
ing about what she was doing with gesture. You stopped everything and abso-
lutely focused in on the choir, the text, and a phenomenal performance: That was
Lynn.
4
Unbeknownst to the audience, Lynn had undergone an intense session of chemotherapy
just hours prior to the festival. Bielefelt’s commitment to her students and to her profes-
sion and unwavering sense of determination despite her personal battles were evidenced
through this performance.
As part of her service to her profession, Bielefelt served the ACDA’s Western
Division as Youth and Student Activities Chair. In 1998, the ACDA Western Division
Lisa Edwards, interview with author, May 7, 2010.
3
Kean, telephone interview.
4
46
convention was held in Reno, Nevada. Bielefelt had the responsibility of organizing a
conducting master class, with Rodney Eichenberger as the clinician and the San Jose
State Choraliers, under the direction of Charlene Archibeque, as the demonstration
choir. Table 4 contains the repertoire chosen for this event.
5
Table 4. Repertoire for Demonstration Choir at the 1998 Convention of
the American Choral Directors’ Association, Western Division Conven-
tion, Reno, Nevada
Title Composer
Death Came Knocking Carlisle Floyd
Psalm 43 Felix Mendelssohn
I Have Longed for Thy Saving Health William Byrd
I’m Gonna Sing Moses Hogan
Resonet in Laudibus Z. Randall Stroope
Hodie, Christus natus est Healey Willan
There Is No Rose Gary Garcia
Colling Shadows Charlene Archibeque
Gaudete, Gaudete arr. Hawley Ades
After the convention, Bielefelt became very ill with influenza and bronchitis. In
an email to Rodney Eichenberger in March of 1998, Bielefelt wrote:
This author had the honor of being one of several conductors selected for this
5
master class. I was teaching high school at the time, and when Dr. Bielefelt called to
offer the opportunity to me, she informed me that she had been diagnosed with cancer
again. She simply said, “I’ve beat it before and I’ll beat it again.” Lynn was incredibly
organized and thorough in preparing me for this experience, so that I could benefit from
Eichenberger’s instructions. Although preparing an event like this can be very stressful,
she handled it with grace and ease despite going through intensive chemotherapy at the
time.
47
Please forgive me for not communicating with you since Reno. Being with you
at the convention was so wonderful. I am still receiving comments and phone
messages from all sorts of folks raving about your master classes and your key-
note address. Your presence made this the most successful and meaningful con-
vention we’ve had in a long time. I am so grateful for the generosity with which
you share your gifts. . . . How do I thank someone who has empowered me to do
my life’s work?
Despite the great energy and uplift I’ve been experiencing in the past five
weeks, since my return to teaching and since the convention, I managed to come
down with a very serious case of respiratory flu which has turned into bronchitis.
It’s really limited my energy both physically and mentally and so I’ve fallen
behind. . . . I actually had to cancel a clinic in Utah today because my doctor is
concerned about pneumonia. I am so frustrated by this. It’s the second time since
November that I’ve been ill. As you know, I’ve rarely been one to get sick
enough to stay home with the common bugs, but since my chemo, I’ve had
trouble getting my immune system back to where it should be. Of course in the
great scheme of things, it’s no big deal, but I’m impatient and want to be back to
the old 100% of myself. Life is so exquisite that I don’t want to miss a moment.
By God, I am learning patience with myself, but it’s much harder than being
patient with others.
6
In 1999, Lynn was invited to teach at the International Workshops in Glasgow,
Scotland. Held at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, this two-week
workshop included sessions in choral conducting, orchestral conducting, piano, strings,
and general music. Workshop participants in the choral conducting area received in-
struction in score study, gesture, warm-up techniques, rehearsal techniques, and reper-
toire selection. Rodney Eichenberger was the choral clinician, and Lynn served as his
assistant. As part of her duties, she taught a variety of classes and workshops and
Lynn Bielefelt, email to Rodney Eichenberger, March 7, 1998.
6
48
assisted Eichenberger in conducting lessons and master classes. The workshop culmi-
7
nated in a performance conducted by the workshop participants.
Shortly after arriving in Glasgow, Bielefelt began to notice some problems with
her eyesight. Although she felt well, she was concerned that something may be wrong
because she would periodically see strange colors. Lynn telephoned her friend, Judith
Warren, to ask for advice. “She called me and explained that she was seeing rainbows
and didn’t know whether she should stay or go home. She said she felt fine, but it’s so
mysterious not being able to see things properly, and she had about two weeks left in her
trip. I told her that I thought she should stay, but she didn’t. She came back.” After only
8
a few days, she elected to come home to see her doctors and find the source of the
issues. The workshop administration was very understanding of her situation. In a letter
dated August 27, 1999, written by Dr. Gerald Fischbach, the workshop director said,
“All participants thoroughly enjoyed the one session you did give; your glowing evalua-
tions are testimony to that.”
9
Upon her return to southern California, Lynn saw her doctors at USC and at
Tower Hematology. Although she felt that there was something seriously wrong, the
10
doctors dismissed the symptoms. “She finally was given a bone scan and a brain scan,
and the results were either misplaced or didn’t come from the specialist, and the doctors
Eichenberger, telephone interview, May 19, 2010.
7
Warren, telephone interview.
8
Gerald Fischbach, to Lynn Bielefelt, August 27, 1999.
9
Judith Warren, email to author, May 18, 2010.
10
49
didn’t ask for them. It was more than three weeks later before she was informed that she
had multiple small brain tumors and that the cancer had spread to her breastbone.” Iris
11
Levine was with her the day she was told about this third diagnosis:
She came over for dinner. We ate and then, all of a sudden, you knew something
was wrong. She said, “I need to talk with you,” and we talked it out, and she just
wept and wept. On the outside she could say to people that “the best day of my
life was the day I found out I had breast cancer.” She actually said those very
words, and she said it because it made her realize how important each and every
day was. She believed that, but she also wept.
12
Tribute Concert, June 3, 2001
It became apparent that Lynn might lose her battle with breast cancer. A group of
her former students, led by Kendra Wohlert and including Graeme Langanger, Jeffe
Huls, Vivian Turner, Todd J. Harper, Soyun Kang, Paul Hondorp, Megan Eddy, and
Erin Crowe, organized a concert in tribute to Bielefelt. The concert was held at Grace
United Methodist Church in Long Beach on Sunday, June 3, 2001, to a capacity audi-
ence, including her colleagues from USC; former colleagues from CSULB; members of
the congregation from her church; and many friends and family members, including her
mother Connie. The choir numbered 101 singers. Included in the choir were such nota-
ble conductors in the field of choral music as Edith Copley, Stephen Coker, Ron Kean,
and Iris Levine. The choir rehearsed on Friday evening and all day Saturday in prepara-
tion for the concert, with each of the ten conductors sharing rehearsal time. Bielefelt was
not present at the rehearsals (see appendix H).
Ibid.
11
Levine, telephone interview.
12
50
The performance was an emotional experience for all participants. At the conclu-
sion of the concert, Bielefelt was asked to conduct Dirait-on by Morten Laurisden.
13
Bielefelt and her students from CSULB had a special connection to this piece, having
performed it many times on concert tours. Bielefelt was especially fond of the text, and
she recited it to the audience that night. Her reading was inspirational and spirited. After
the performance of this piece, Bielefelt characteristically held her hands up until the
sound had faded completely. When she finally lowered her hands, the audience and
choir erupted into applause for almost five minutes.
Idyllwild Arts Academy: A Brief History of the Summer Program
In 1950, the first students enrolled in the Idyllwild Arts Summer Program.
Today, this program features workshops and classes in the visual and performing arts for
students of all abilities, ages five to adult. Each summer, approximately 1,700 students
attend this unique program in order to study with professional artists/teachers and to
seek inspiration from the idyllic mountain environment. Workshops are designed to
enrich, excite, and motivate students in their continuing artistic pursuits. The Idyllwild
Arts Summer Program offers more than 90 intensive, hands-on workshops for students
of all ages and abilities, including families, in dance, music, theatre, visual arts, creative
writing, and Native American arts.
14
Morten Lauridsen, Dirait-on from Les Chansons des Roses (New York:
13
PeerMusic, 1994.
Steve Fraider, email to author, April 1, 2010.
14
51
The Idyllwild Arts Summer Festival Choir has a rich tradition of excellence
dating back to the 1950s when Robert Holmes founded it and became the first conduc-
tor. Since its inception, only eight conductors have led this prestigious choral organiza-
tion (see table 5).
Table 5. Conductors of the Idyllwild Festival Choir,
Idyllwild, California
Dates Conductor
Late 1950s-1976 Robert Holmes
1977–1980 Robert Hasty
1981–1984 Rodney Eichenberger
1985–1992 Tom Somerville
1999–2001 Lynn Bielefelt
2002 Ronald Kean
2003–2007 Grant Gershon
2008–present Joseph Modica
Lynn Bielefelt began her association with Idyllwild Arts in 1981, working with
Rodney Eichenberger as a section leader for the choir. She held this position for the
length of Eichenberger’s tenure, from 1981 to 1984. Her duties included leading section
rehearsals, teaching voice lessons, and conducting the junior high school choir. Rodney
Eichenberger said, “When I needed new life in the junior high school choral program at
Idyllwild, I called on Lynn and she again proved herself by not only winning the hearts
of the students and faculty, but under very difficult odds, produced outstanding results
52
which enhanced and strengthened the Idyllwild program in this area.” Also included on
15
the choral staff were Don Brinegar, Jayne Campbell, Ron Kean, and Jim Shepherd, each
of whom continued on to successful careers of their own.
Toward the end of the 1980s, the Festival Choir program began to decrease in
enrollment, and each year fewer students participated. Eventually, not enough students
were enrolled in order to financially sustain the program, and the Festival Choir was not
offered from 1993 to 1998. During this time, Larry Livingston, conducting instructor at
USC and former Dean of the Thornton School of Music, was hired to revitalize the in-
strumental program, and the administration decided to focus its resources in that area
instead of the choral area. In an interview with the author, Steve Fraider, current Direc-
tor of the Idyllwild Arts Summer Program, said:
Lynn would call once a year and we talked about reviving the choir, because she
knew there was no choir there. We talked, and I was enthusiastic to have Lynn
do it, but I just didn’t think we could afford it and support it the way it needed to
be supported—the way it’s supported now. So I told Lynn to just hang on, and in
a few years I think we’ll be a little more stable financially, and maybe we’ll be
able to do this.
16
In 1999, Lynn was hired as the conductor of the Festival Choir. She quickly
improved the choral program along with a staff of talented young conductors including
Graeme Langanger, Kendra Wohlert, and Lisa Friedrichs. The choir started with
approximately forty-five to fifty students but grew rapidly in the three years that she led
Eichenberger to Swanson, February 7, 1983.
15
Fraider, telephone interview.
16
53
the choir. In her third summer, the choir nearly doubled, numbering almost ninety
singers.
17
Mozart’s Requiem, August, 2001
In August 2001, the students in the Idyllwild Festival Choir embarked on a
memorable experience with Lynn Bielefelt. This choir was to become the last choir she
would conduct. Bielefelt was in her final stages of cancer, which had infected her bones
and brain. She had a brain tumor that periodically caused her to fall, and her eyesight
was rapidly deteriorating. Her breathing was aided by an oxygen tank, which she used
18
continuously. Although she was gravely ill and dealing with the final stages of her fight
with cancer, Bielefelt remained upbeat and positive. She continued to work hard, as
though nothing were different. She attended every full rehearsal of the Festival Choir,
despite having a full staff who could have led rehearsal for her. In rehearsal, she was
tremendously energized by the students and the music-making process—so much so that
“it seemed as if nothing was wrong.” Aside from taking occasional moments to catch
19
her breath, Dr. Bielefelt was in complete command of the rehearsals, was extremely well
prepared, used humor, and continued to push the students to achieve a high level of
music making. According to Steve Fraider, “She was clearly going on adrenaline and
20
Ibid.
17
Warren, telephone interview.
18
Fraider, telephone interview.
19
Ibid.
20
54
excitement. She actually appeared to improve and get stronger during those two weeks.
She was clearly charged up for this.”
21
Her experience in Idyllwild culminated in a performance of Mozart’s Requiem,
performed on August 20, 2001, with a choir of approximately ninety singers and cham-
ber orchestra. At the time, Dr. Bielefelt’s health was extremely poor, as she was forced
to sit and use oxygen during the performance. Nevertheless, she was able to unearth the
energy to conduct the performance with her characteristic zeal and technical precision.
Steve Fraider said, “It wasn’t that she was just beating through it—she was totally on
top of it, and did a performance that anyone who was there would never forget.” A
22
student in the choir, Paul Sobosky, had this to say about the performance:
The poignancy of singing the Mozart Requiem, . . . with her being so close to
death, brought a whole different layer to it. I remember the “Lacrymosa,” and
even now when I hear it, I think of her and I try not to cry. Every time I hear it, I
see her on stage, conducting it and getting all the emotion out of it. With her, it
was like angels crying.
23
Ron Kean said, “It was a transformational experience to everyone who heard it. It was
like she was conducting her own requiem.”
24
At the conclusion of the concert, several members of the choir lined up to thank
Lynn for all she had done for them. She took a few moments with each singer and
25
Ibid.
21
Fraider, telephone interview.
22
Paul Sobosky, interview with author, May 25, 2010.
23
Kean, telephone interview.
24
Ronald Kean, email to Rodney Eichenberger, October 6, 2001.
25
55
returned her thanks by sharing some kind words and embracing many of them. Her
26
friend Ron Kean recalls these moments: “Before I could hug her, she whispered to me
‘Was my interpretation a valid one?’ She wanted to learn right up to the end. I was
speechless not only for having just experienced a once in a lifetime performance, but by
her question to me. I put my hand on my heart and hugged her.” This incredible desire
27
to constantly improve is what made Bielefelt a true artist and consummate conductor.
Although she was terribly fatigued following the performance, Lynn felt it
important to support other programs in the festival, so she remained to watch the Festi-
val Orchestra performance. “After the concert, we had a short break and then the orches-
tra played. Lynn stayed and watched that performance, just because she wanted to hear
it. The inner strength she showed had everyone amazed. It was quite inspiring.”
28
Bielefelt had a tremendous impact on the students who sang under her in Idyll-
wild, not only in this final year but also throughout her three years as the conductor of
the Festival Choir. Courtney Lemmon, a student in the Festival Choir in 1999, said,
“She was a beautiful person, and she affected all of us.” Through her genuine concern
29
for each student, her unending passion for high-quality music making, her understanding
of and connection to text, and her unique way of relating and communicating to people,
Fraider, interview.
26
Kean, email to Eichenberger.
27
Fraider, telephone interview.
28
Courtney Lemmon, telephone interview with author, February 11, 2010.
29
56
she inspired people to achieve their personal best and to constantly strive to reach their
full potential.
Her Last Days: August 21–September 1, 2001
Upon returning to her apartment in Long Beach following an emotional time in
Idyllwild, Bielefelt was put under hospice care. She was constantly surrounded by
family and friends who attended to her every need. Included in this group of caretakers
were her friends Virginia Stevens, Iris Levine, Gail Oliver, Nancy Sulahian, and former
students Graeme Langanger, Kendra Wohlert, and Marian Bodnar, among others. Lynn
slept most of the time but would occasionally awake, and each person present would say
his/her name so that she would know who was there. Iris Levine recalled that sometimes
Lynn would sing or hum softly to herself and, in more lucid moments, even tell jokes.
30
Shortly before she passed away, Lynn was speaking to her mother on the phone, and the
only words she could utter were, “I love you, I love you, I love you.” Lynn died peace-
fully at her home on September 1, 2001.
A memorial service was held in her honor at First United Methodist Church in
Glendale, California on Sunday, October 7, 2001. Included in the service were several
speakers including Virginia Stevens, who read e.e. cumming’s poem, i thank you god
for most this amazing day; her friends Judith Warren and Stephen Coker; Larry Living-
ston and David Wilson, Lynn’s colleagues from USC; and Kendra Wohlert, her former
student. A tribute choir was formed, including friends, colleagues, and many former
Levine, telephone interview.
30
57
singers from CSULB, USC, the First United Methodist Church Cathedral Choir, and the
Idyllwild Arts Festival Choir. The choir sang Dirait-on by Morten Lauridsen, How
Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place by Johannes Brahms, “Pie Jesu” from Gabriel Fauré’s
Requiem, and Irish Blessing composed by Graeme Langanger. Irish Blessing, written in
1999, is dedicated to Lynn Bielefelt and her mother Connie.
58
CHAPTER 5
REHEARSAL TECHNIQUES AND PEDAGOGY
Lynn Bielefelt’s musical and teaching legacy is evident through her combina-
tion of concepts of vocal pedagogy and conducting technique. This is demonstrated
through educators who studied under her and have chosen to emulate her methods and
approaches. In order to understand Bielefelt’s pedagogy, this portion of the study exam-
ines vocal exercises drawn from her treatise, interviews with former students and col-
leagues, and written transcripts of videos of conducting master classes held by her.
Bielefelt believed that gesture greatly influences the sound of a choir. Through
her study of voice with Marion Cooper, vocal pedagogy with Dr. Tom Cleveland, and
conducting with Rodney Eichenberger, she gained a thorough understanding of the
voice and how gesture may have an impact on vocal development and choral sound. In
her own classroom, this philosophy was at the center of her approach to teaching con-
ducting technique. Bielefelt was passionate about teaching her students to utilize ges-
tures that promoted healthy singing. It was her belief that healthy singing was funda-
mental to creating a choral sound that was resonant and beautiful. She challenged her
students to be clear and precise, using accurate technique to portray musical ideas. She
approached her students with a positive attitude,and met them at their ability level,
constantly pushing them to improve their skill. Through thorough score study, Bielefelt
challenged her students to be a conduit of the music and text, recreating the full inten-
tions of the composer and poet. In her approach to the pedagogy of conducting, Bielefelt
59
demanded that students always be well prepared, have a thorough knowledge of the
score, use gesture to emulate the music and the text, and use the music to have a greater
effect on people’s lives.
It is the conductor’s craft to communicate with non-verbal gestures. In a sense
the conductor is a wonderful mime, depicting and eliciting myriad specific re-
sponses in complex combinations of pitch and time, dynamic, weight, nuances of
artistic tension and release. Who better than he/she to demonstrate with the body,
face, and emotion the necessary, shapes, sounds, movements and expressions of
vocal technique. . . . Remembering that there are as many systems of perceiving
and learning information as there are singers in any given choir, we should
tirelessly explore new (but technically consistent) ways to stimulate understand-
ing of vocal production.
1
Lynn Bielefelt had the type of personality that was giving, nurturing, and self-
sacrificing, enabling her students to gain richly from her, through gaining necessary
skills, to become successful educators themselves. She gave of herself, often to the point
of exhaustion. While she was undergoing chemotherapy, she continued attending re-
hearsals and classes because she had such a strong desire to share her knowledge with
her students. Lynn chose to continue teaching despite the difficulties associated with her
health problems. “She wanted to live each day to the fullest, as if it were her last.”
2
Rehearsal Technique
One of the more influential aspects of Bielefelt’s teaching approach was her
rehearsal technique. Along with her vocal and conducting pedagogical methods, Biele-
felt had a unique gift of engaging her students in the learning process. She created an
Bielefelt, “Classical Italian,” 171.
1
Levine, telephone interview.
2
60
environment with a healthy and positive morale. Through her passion for programming
excellent repertoire, she was able to motivate students to achieve outstanding results.
People were drawn to Lynn Bielefelt. She was honest and demanded that her
students give their best effort, but she also exemplified warmth and kindness. She was
thoughtful in her choice of words because she felt responsibility to build people up, not
to create negativism. In reviewing a video of a conducting master class that Bielefelt
held at CSULB, the student conductor who was rehearsing the ensemble commented
that the choir’s performance was “not too bad.” Bielefelt commented to that conductor:
There’s a very subtle difference between “not too bad” and “pretty good.” The
power of language is incredible. Some people are naïve enough to say you don’t
change the direction of humanity but through a word, but a lot has been changed
through a word. We have to decide to be honest, with positive reinforcement.
We can keep a dynamic in a group in subtle ways by the words we choose. We
remember the positive reinforcement, inspiration, honest feedback, and negative
experiences.
3
This conscientiousness in regard to her choice of words made a dramatic impact
on the rehearsal environment. Bielefelt created an environment in which students felt
vulnerable and open enough to become connected to the music through her conducting.
She encouraged her students to ask questions, to challenge her and one another, and to
be involved in the learning process. In a conducting lesson with the author, Bielefelt
spoke about methods of introducing a piece to a choir. One of her methods was to have
the choir sing through the piece and then ask them their opinion about it, begin a dia-
logue about the text, or even ask them to draw a picture as to how the piece affected
Lynn Bielefelt, Conducting Lessons, VHS, private collection, 1997.
3
61
them. This openness to her students allowed her choirs to experience meaningful
4
musical moments that fostered musical growth. “She infused in [her singers] the desire
to make a performance that transcends the page—that moves people.” It is through
5
these “musical moments” that singers come to realize the power of music and words.
Pedagogy: Emphasizing Vocal and Conducting Methods
Bielefelt exemplified a great vocal pedagogue. She understood the physiology of
vocal function, making it possible for her to identify vocal problems quickly and to
suggest a solution. Bielefelt studied voice privately, even with a busy teaching career, so
that her own technique was maintained. These studies enabled her to continue expand-
6
ing on her knowledge of vocal pedagogy through gaining insight into new scholarship of
the physiology of the voice and pedagogical techniques. Continuing her own learning
allowed her to pass on to her students revitalized approaches to vocal function. In her
doctoral treatise, Bielefelt stated the following:
As conductors, we must own our own voices. We must have conquered our own
individual vocal problems, weaknesses or insecurities, and we must love to sing!
This is not to suggest that every choral conductor has to possess a gorgeous, solo
voice . . . but it does suggest that we must each be fluent, facile and expressive
with our voices. Further, we must possess not just an empirical sense of how to
sing, but we must also possess uptodate knowledge in anatomy and physiology
of the voice, musical acoustics and psychology.
7
Joseph Modica, Conducting Lesson with Lynn Bielefelt, VHS, private collec-
4
tion, 1997.
Kean, telephone interview.
5
Levine, interview.
6
Bielefelt, “Classical Italian,” 5.
7
62
Bielefelt also stated that “it becomes apparent that an essential and vital facet of
a choral conductor’s skills and knowledge must be in the area of vocal pedagogy. This is
surely an area where the lack of consistent, intensive training requisite for choral con-
ductors is bewildering, if not appalling.” Through these statements, it is evident that
8
Bielefelt’s passion for the study of voice and her sincere belief that choral conductors
should be educated about vocal function were imperative in serving the needs of their
students and choir members. It is for this purpose that she was so driven to give her
students a full understanding of the voice and its function through engaging and mean-
ingful vocalizes and programming excellent repertoire.
Bielefelt began each rehearsal with a series of warm-up exercises. She regularly
used a lengthy series of vocalizes in order to teach proper technique and also to help the
singers focus on rehearsal. David Wilson commented, “I can remember many of her
vocal warm-ups. They were always vocal and physical. I always felt that the rehearsal
was like a voice lesson for everybody in the choir.” Each exercise was explained to the
9
choir so that the singers would know exactly what the exercise was designed to
achieve. Her explanations helped the singers to understand applicable vocal function.
10
Dawn Brooks, a student of Bielefelt’s at CSULB, said, “I liked that her exercises had a
specific purpose—concentrating on a particular sound or vocal problem such as loosen-
ing the jaw. Sometimes with warm-ups, if they seem vague, people may perform them
Ibid., 4.
8
Wilson, telephone interview.
9
Brooks, telephone interview.
10
63
wrong and they can become counterproductive, much like lifting weights.” She would
11
immediately transfer the exercises into the repertoire being rehearsed in that particular
rehearsal. Lisa Edwards, Bielefelt’s accompanist at CSULB for eight years said, “She
would do a fairly lengthy and detailed vocal warm-up, and she would always discuss
how the exercises were going to be applicable to the repertoire we were going to be
doing that day. It was always different.” This technique made the exercises less mun-
12
dane and more meaningful and therefore produced amazing musical results, with dem-
onstration, transmission, and application used as key tools to solidify the learning
process.
The final chapter of Bielefelt’s doctoral treatise includes several examples of
vocalizes applicable to the choral rehearsal, emphasizing various aspects of vocal tech-
nique according to the Italian School of singing from the seventeenth century. This type
of technique, which became known as bel canto in the nineteenth century, was centered
in the classical Italian singing schools of Florence, Rome, Naples, Bologna, and Milan
and focused on the teaching of Francesco Lamperti. It is essential to this study to exam-
ine the exercises that Bielefelt cited in order to gain further insight into her vocal peda-
gogy. Bielefelt used these vocalizes regularly in rehearsal and modified them when
appropriate, depending on the specific needs of the singer’s vocal development and the
specific elements of the repertoire being learned. Bielefelt stated that “vocalizing is a
Ibid.
11
Edwards, telephone interview.
12
64
tool of voice-building which can develop coordination of the vocal mechanism and all
of its supporting parts. In addition, through vocalizing one can develop vocal, physical
and mental stamina, thus cultivating confidence in one’s ability to sing freely and beauti-
fully.” The exercises contained in her treatise became fundamental to her approach of
13
teaching voice in the choral rehearsal.
This chapter of Bielfelt’s treatise is divided into six sections: Breath Manage-
ment, Initiation of Tone, Articulation and Resonance, Registration, Vocal Flexibility,
and Singing within the Imagination. Drawing upon her own experience as a conductor,
as well as her vocal training with Marion Cooper, and by referencing vocal pedagogues
such as Richard Miller and William Vennard, Bielefelt suggested various vocalizes in
order to aid choral conductors to be more effective in vocal training in rehearsals, which
will be discussed further in the following section.
Breath Management
Each of the six exercises in the section on breath management has a focus on
muscle relaxation in order to gain freedom in the vocal tract. “Physical vitality and
feeling at ease with one’s own body are closely related to vocal vitality and vocal
freedom. It is essential to utilize a variety of stretching and relaxation exercises before
and during vocalizing, and periodically during rehearsal.” Bielefelt’s exercises are
14
based on the appoggio technique of the Italian School. Appoggio comes from the Italian
Bielefelt, “Classical Italian,” 125.
13
Ibid., 129.
14
65
word appoggiare, which means to support or to rest. Bielefelt describes the technique as
“a system of integrating and balancing the organs and muscles of the head, neck, shoul-
ders, torso, and pelvis in relationship of the resonators, so that the function of any one
part does not disturb the efficient, effective function of the whole. It is a system which
combines intercostals and diaphragmatic breathing.” Another important aspect of the
15
appoggio technique is silent inhalation. “The breath should be taken through the mouth,
or the mouth and the nose, with the throat open, and with an expression of pleasant
surprise.” When a singer achieves appoggio, the singer has correct body alignment and
16
balance and gains control of the intercostal muscles and diaphragm.
Bielefelt provides six “prephonatory exercises, aimed at developing inspiratory-
expiratory control, which is the key to breath support.” The first four of these exercises
17
are aimed at achieving freedom and relaxation, balance, posture, and consistency of
breath. This is achieved through unpitched exercises, utilizing hissing, sibilant conso-
nants, stretching, and panting. Bielefelt considered the ability of each singer to control
“the intensity and flow of the airstream” to be the fundamental aspect of proper vocal
18
technique. Zanaida Robles, a private voice student of Bielefelt’s at CSULB, said, “She
always worked on achieving a steady stream of air, and I still use that today with my
Ibid., 40.
15
Ibid.
16
Ibid., 138.
17
Ibid., 137.
18
66
own students. Maintaining a steady stream of air, lift in the tone, and good posture are
what she was trying to reveal to her students.”
19
Exercises 1 and 2 (see figs. 1 and 2) are the only two exercises utilizing that are
categorized under the subheading Breath Management Exercises. “These exercises are
intended to develop the ability to relax the glottis, maintain optimal singing posture, and
avoid ‘overcrowding’ of the lungs, regardless of the speed of inhalation, or the capacity
of the lungs.” Bielefelt explains that the exercises should be sung at a slow tempo on
20
any vowel. The breaths indicated between eighth notes are partial breaths, or lüftpause.
21
Initiation of Tone
In the next section, Bielefelt discusses the initiation of tone, or vocal onset. She
describes initiation of the tone as “the concern for balanced, natural function of the
vocal organ, utilizing neither the hard attack nor the aspirated attack.” Examples 3, 4,
22
and 5 (see figs. 3-5) illustrate a progression of exercises that increase in difficulty.
Bielefelt suggests using only forward vowels (i.e., [i] and [e]) to begin, but eventually
the singer should be able to perform the exercises on all vowels.
23
Robles, telephone interview.
19
Bielefelt, “Classical Italian,”138.
20
Singing the exercises on a closed vowel, (i.e., [i] or [e]) may be easiest for the
21
singer at first. The teachings of the Italian School, however, indicate that [a] is best for
achieving an open throat and fullness of breath.
Bielefelt, “Classical Italian,” 139.
22
Ibid.
23
67
Figure 1. Breath management: Example 1. Source: Taken from Lynn Biele-
felt, “The Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to the Choral Re-
hearsal” (DMA treatise, University of Southern California, 1989), 138.
Figure 2. Breath management: Example 2. Source: Taken from Lynn Biele-
felt, “The Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to the Choral Re-
hearsal” (DMA treatise, University of Southern California, 1989), 139.
Figure 3. Initiation of tone: Example 1. Source: Taken from Lynn Bielefelt,
“The Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to the Choral Rehearsal”
(DMA treatise, University of Southern California, 1989), 140.
68
Upon mastering these exercises, the tempo of the exercise may increase and the
conductor may devise a series of related exercises using a pitch sequence, such as
descending or ascending fifths. Bielefelt believed that demonstration is the most effec-
tive and efficient means of relaying the concept of coordinated onset to the singers.
24
Instead of verbal instruction, through the use of demonstration, most students will be
able to recognize the difference between a hard attack and an aspirated attack, and this
method uses much less time. It is also useful to ask the choir to initiate tone using both a
Figure 4. Initiation of tone: Example 2. Source: Taken from Lynn Bielefelt,
“The Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to the Choral Rehearsal”
(DMA treatise, University of Southern California, 1989), 140.
Figure 5. Initiation of tone: Example 3. Source: Taken from Lynn Bielefelt,
“The Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to the Choral Rehearsal”
(DMA treatise, University of Southern California, 1989), 140.
Ibid.,143.
24
69
hard and an aspirated attack so that they can experience what those onsets feel like.
Bielefelt continues with a discussion of vocal release, as it is related to onset:
If the release is considered part of the onsetrelease cycle, there will be a consis-
tency of tone, laryngeal posture, and dynamic level. A “soft release” might occur
if toward the end of pitch, the glottis is gradually opened, thus causing an imbal-
ance of breath stream and subglottic pressure, resulting in a breathy tone. This is
an inefficient, imprecise release, especially unsuited to choral precision. [This]
makes it very difficult to create a clean, balanced attack on the following onset.
The “hard release” is characterized by a sudden increase of vocal fold ap-
proximation and subglottic pressure at the moment of releasing the sound. . . . It
inevitably results in a hard glottal attack because it is difficult to recover from
the hyperfunction which is its nature, to produce a free adjustment of the “attaco
della voce” (attack of the voice).
25
Because the functions of onset and release are the same, the exercises illustrated in figs.
3, 4, and 5 are useful for both actions.
Articulation and Resonance
In this section, Bielefelt provides nineteen exercises, designed to teach vowel
differentiation, resonance, jaw relaxation, and articulation. She reiterates the importance
of modeling and demonstration several times as a key element of successful voice
training. Bielefelt also recommends that in order for the individual singers to achieve
proper vowel formation, the use of mirrors can be very beneficial so that the singers can
see the formation of the mouth and lips.
In the following exercise (see fig. 6), the “singers can hear the different sounds
that result from visible movements of the mouth, jaw, tongue and soft palate,” while
Ibid.,144–45.
25
70
moving from one vowel to another on only one pitch. Bielefelt suggests speaking the
26
vowels first, focusing on the natural formation of each vowel shape and being careful
not to over exaggerate vowel formation.
In the exercises illustrated in figures 7 and 8, an alternation of closed and open
vowels is utilized in order for the singer to learn to maintain consistent vowel resonance
as the formants changes. Bielefelt suggests that the exercise in figure 8 is also useful for
extending the head voice.
27
Bielefelt also suggests the use of nasal continuants (i.e., [m], [n], [], []) in
improving resonance. Humming may also aid in the development of a resonant tone by
28
allowing the singer to feel the sensation of the vibrations required in order to have a
vibrant and ringing tone quality. The exercises illustrated in figures 9 and 10 should be
performed with the lips lightly touching, creating a buzzing sensation on the consonant,
Figure 6. Vowel formation. Source: Taken from Lynn Bielefelt, “The Classi-
cal Italian Vocal School: Its Application to the Choral Rehearsal” (DMA
treatise, University of Southern California, 1989), 146.
Ibid.,146.
26
Ibid.,148.
27
Ibid.,149.
28
71
Figure 7. Resonance: Example 1. Source: Taken from Lynn Bielefelt, “The
Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to the Choral Rehearsal”
(DMA treatise, University of Southern California, 1989), 147.
Figure 8. Resonance: Example 2. Source: Taken from Lynn Bielefelt, “The
Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to the Choral Rehearsal”
(DMA treatise, University of Southern California, 1989), 148.
Figure 9. Resonance: Example 3. Source: Taken from Lynn Bielefelt, “The
Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to the Choral Rehearsal”
(DMA treatise, University of Southern California, 1989), 149.
72
and then opening to the vowel. Notice the alternation of closed and open vowels, as in
figures 9 and 10. This allows for the transfer of information from one exercise to the
next, creating a sequential approach to vocal development. To illustrate this point
further, the exercises in figures 9, 10, and 11 are in logical progression, gradually adding
concepts in each vocalize. First, the choir is asked to sing the consonants and vowels
separately, and then, in Exercise 10, sing the consonants and vowels combined into one
unit. The example in figure 11 adds the element of alternating descending thirds, thus
aiding the choir in learning to sing this problematic interval with improved intonation.
Each nasal continuant should be used, not solely [m], because of the tendency of the
various consonants to resonate in different areas of the vocal tract. For example, [m]
resonates in the oral cavity, while [] resonates in the pharynx and sinuses.
Figure 10. Resonance: Example 4. Source: Taken from Lynn Bielefelt,
“The Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to the Choral Re-
hearsal” (DMA treatise, University of Southern California, 1989), 150.
Figure 11. Resonance: Example 5. Source: Taken from Lynn
Bielefelt, “The Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to
the Choral Rehearsal” (DMA treatise, University of Southern
California, 1989), 150.
73
Another exercise to incorporate a forward resonance and vitality in tone is found
in the exercise in figure 12. This exercise is also useful in maintaining buoyancy as well
as articulation. Bielefelt suggests adding physical movement to this exercise: “Choirs
enjoy this vocalize and will often spontaneously add physical movements to it. Take
advantage of the fun approach by suggesting hand, feet, elbow, or head motions that
reinforce the sense of rhythmic vitality and clean diction.”
29
A key component of the Italian School style of singing is the concept of gola
aperta, or open throat. Teachers of this approach do not encourage the use of yawning in
order to achieve a more open resonance, because the result of a yawn is the depression
of the larynx and distension of the pharynx. In order to achieve gola aperta, there must
be no distortion of the resonators, and the breath should be taken as if there is a pleasant
surprise or “as though one were inhaling a beautiful fragrance.” Zanaida Robles, a
30
private voice student of Bielefelt’s at CSULB, commented that
Figure 12. Resonance and articulation. Source: Taken from Lynn Bielefelt, “The
Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to the Choral Rehearsal” (DMA
treatise, University of Southern California, 1989), 156.
Ibid.,156.
29
Ibid., 61.
30
74
she was able to get me to tap into the lower range of my voice. She encouraged
me to sing with an open throat, and that’s when I first became familiar with the
concept of golla aperta. That was the link to the lower end of my range, and I
was able to gain consistency through registers. It also helped me feel a true sense
of openness and resonance.
31
In her approach to conducting, Bielefelt believed that modeling proper vocal
technique is essential. It is often the case that conductors overexaggerate facial expres-
sion in order to evoke a response from their singers. However, overexaggeration can be
detrimental to vocal quality, creating tension in the jaw and throat that results in poor
tone quality. Additionally, in a conducting master class, Bielefelt said, “Exaggerating is
the first step to losing leadership. When we exaggerate, we’re giving in, so we don’t do
that.”
32
Bielefelt concludes the section on resonance and articulation by including sev-
eral exercises to focus on the various types of consonants. For example, the vocalizes
illustrated in figures 13 and 14 are designed to teach proper pronunciation of the voiced
and unvoiced plosives, [d] and [t], as well as the voiced fricative [v]. Additionally, these
exercises are helpful in releasing jaw tension, instilling rhythmic accuracy, extending
range. Whenever possible, Bielefelt worked to use vocalizes for a variety of purposes, in
order to be efficient and to combine vocal concepts.
Robles, telephone interview.
31
Lynn Bielefelt, Conducting Master Class and Lessons, VHS, private collection,
32
1997.
75
Registration
Bielefelt discusses vocal register shifts at length in her treatise and supplies
many vocalizes to facilitate the singer in changing register with more ease. She noted
that “the Italian School recognizes three registers and two passaggi. This school ac-
knowledges that the registers are a result of laryngeal changes that occur at certain
points in the range, but they assert that one must not alter the manner of singing in
response to the mechanistic changes at the larynx.” In other words, the singer should
33
work to achieve uniformity between register changes so that the shifts are imperceptible.
Figure 13. Articulation: Example 1. Source: Taken from Lynn Bielefelt, “The
Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to the Choral Rehearsal”
(DMA treatise, University of Southern California, 1989), 157.
Figure 14. Articulation: Example 2. Source: Taken from Lynn Bielefelt, “The
Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to the Choral Rehearsal”
(DMA treatise, University of Southern California, 1989), 158.
Bielefelt, “Classical Italian,” 159.
33
76
The teachers of the Italian School referred to this as chiaroscuro, or darklight timbre—
uniting all registers.
It has been said that all problems of register transition can be solved by “unifor-
mity of breathing, of ‘singing position,’ of resonance, [and] the last is the most impor-
tant.” Therefore, Bielefelt’s earlier vocalizes support this notion through teaching
34
proper breath support, posture, and resonance, thereby enabling the singer to achieve
appoggio, or the coordination of the various functions of the vocal tract.
Bielefelt provides several examples, as shown in figures 15–19, which aid the
singer in register transitions. The vocalizes should be sung at various starting pitches in
order to work on the passaggi for each voice type and may even be sung using parallel
thirds, instead of in unison. The exercises in figures 15–19 are valuable in blending
35
vocal registers; however, it is also useful to incorporate vocalizes that begin in an upper
register and descend, especially when working with younger voices. All of the examples
in this area are ascending but can easily be modified by inverting the vocalize. This way,
the singer learns to approach register changes from above and below.
To continue with the discussion on blending registers, Bielefelt suggests using
messa di voce exercises. “Messa di voce has been described as the key to the mastery of
breath management and unification of vowel timbre throughout the range of the voice,
Herman Klein, The Bel Canto (London: Oxford Press, 1923), 289.
34
Bielefelt, “Classical Italian,” 160.
35
77
Figure 15. Registration: Example 1. Source: Taken from Lynn Bielefelt, “The
Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to the Choral Rehearsal” (DMA
treatise, University of Southern California, 1989), 161,
Figure 16. Registration: Example 2. Source: Taken from Lynn
Bielefelt, “The Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to
the Choral Rehearsal” (DMA treatise, University of Southern Cali-
fornia, 1989), 161.
Figure 17. Registration: Example 3. Source: Taken from Lynn Bielefelt, “The
Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to the Choral Rehearsal” (DMA
treatise, University of Southern California, 1989), 163,
78
two hallmarks of the Italian School. [Messa di voce] should not be introduced until the
choir has developed a solid foundation of the coordination of the fundamentals of good
vocal technique.” Therefore, the exercises should not be used until the aforementioned
36
techniques have been mastered. The technique of singing messa di voce is not usually
associated with register shifts; instead, it may be used for working on breath management
or resonance. Bielefelt describes its usage in avoiding “breaks,” because in order to sing a
Figure 18. Registration: Example 4. Source: Taken from Lynn
Bielefelt, “The Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to
the Choral Rehearsal” (DMA treatise, University of Southern
California, 1989), 163.
Figure 19. Registration: Example 5. Source: Taken from Lynn Bielefelt,
“The Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to the Choral Re-
hearsal” (DMA treatise, University of Southern California, 1989), 164.
Ibid.,165.
36
79
messa di voce correctly, “there must be no change in the laryngeal adjustments.” Figures
37
20–22 provide examples of exercises appropriate for teaching this concept.
Figure 20. Messa di voce utilizing count singing. Source: Taken from Lynn
Bielefelt, “The Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to the Choral
Rehearsal” (DMA treatise, University of Southern California, 1989), 166.
Figure 21. Messa di voce utilizing alternating vowels. Source: Taken from
Lynn Bielefelt, “The Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to the
Choral Rehearsal” (DMA treatise, University of Southern California, 1989),
167.
Figure 22. Messa di voce utilizing one vowel. Source: Taken from Lynn
Bielefelt, “The Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to the Choral
Rehearsal” (DMA treatise, University of Southern California, 1989), 167.
Ibid.,166.
37
80
Vocal Flexibility
Vocal agility is perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of vocal production. The
voice becomes facile only through mastering other fundamental techniques of singing.
The portion of Bielefelt’s treatise on vocal flexibility, though brief, includes a powerful
rationale for using the exercises presented with a choir:
At first glance, the choral conductor may be intimidated by “coloratura” vocalizes
and inclined to dismiss them as not applicable to the choral singer. . . . However,
vocalizes designed to cultivate the agility of the voice have boundless rewards for
choirs who learn them. They cultivate the acuity of the ear, coordination of breath
and tone, unification of registers, modification of vowels, rhythmic precision and
vitality, in essence, every aspect of solid vocal technique.
38
Bielefelt suggests that the [a] vowel should be used with the exercises shown in
figures 23–25, citing teachers of the bel canto technique such as Lamperti, Miller, and
Vennard. She also indicates that the consonant [v] should be used at the beginning of each
pattern in the exercises for ease of learning and rhythmic accuracy. Once the exercises are
learned, the consonant may be dropped.
39
Singing within the Imagination
The use of imagery can be an effective tool in vocal development. For example,
through visualizing the difference between a forward and backward placement or the tone
beginning in the mask, top of the head, throat, or chest, the singer will produce different
tone qualities. These images of sensation and placement can greatly affect the quality of
Ibid., 168.
38
Ibid.,169.
39
81
Figure 23. Vocal flexibility: Example 1. Source: Taken from Lynn Bielefelt,
“The Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to the Choral Rehearsal”
(DMA treatise, University of Southern California, 1989), 169.
Figure 24. Vocal flexibility: Example 2. Source: Taken from Lynn Bielefelt,
“The Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to the Choral Rehearsal”
(DMA treatise, University of Southern California, 1989), 170.
Figure 25. Vocal flexibility: Example 3. Source: Taken from Lynn Bielefelt,
“The Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to the Choral Rehearsal”
(DMA treatise, University of Southern California, 1989), 170.
82
tone produced, as well as pitch and timbre. “Lynn would use exercises that would have to
do with creating imagery about line.” Bielefelt advocates several methods for using
40
imagery in rehearsal, including modeling, accentuation of the text, and movement.
Bielefelt believed that in order for a choir to sing with correct vocal function, the
responsibility lies with the conductor to model good vocal technique. The conductor is to
“demonstrate with body, face and emotion the necessary shapes, sounds, movements, and
expressions of vocal technique. . . . We must also take advantage of the opportunity to
demonstrate correct singing position with every breath we take in front of the choir and
every conducting gesture we use.” Through the use of modeling and demonstration, the
41
singers will respond with positive expression and have more opportunity for success in
improving vocal technique. The conductor is responsible for producing a rehearsal envi-
ronment conducive to learning and for giving the students the freedom to be expressive.
“There are many ways to guide the students into appropriate facial/emotional expression.
I believe the conductor must make this a primary thread that runs through every rehearsal.
Besides the marvelous affect it will have on the singing tone, it will perpetuate a positive,
receptive environment, which is key to any successful rehearsal.”
42
In his well-known book Choral Directing, Wilhelm Ehmann discusses the rela-
tionship to music and dance:
Edwards, telephone interview.
40
Bielefelt, “Classical Italian,” 171.
41
Ibid.,172–73.
42
83
Since the beginning of Occidental culture, music had been conceived of as move-
ment. The Greek thinkers expressed this concept in the adage, “Everything which
sounds also moves. . . . Singing and dancing belong together . . . Artistic choral
singing of the present must be regarded as a late cultural form, and should be
understood, in a sense, as “dancing on the spot.” This concept of an “inner danc-
ing” should continually be kept alive by the director as he directs his choir. He has
a greater advantage over the singer in that he is freer to express the movement of
the music in terms of physical movement.
43
Bielefelt used movement in rehearsal frequently. “She was the first choir director I had
that encouraged everyone to move during the warm-ups. I like the idea that you are
moving to help release tension and engage your whole body in singing.” Leland Vail
44
stated: “A lot of her warm-up exercises used animation to get the singers alive and in-
volved in what they were doing. She often used hand movements that went along with the
vocalizes to keep the body moving and animated.” In her treatise, she describes various
45
types of motion appropriate for choral rehearsal, such as walking in place buoyantly to
increase energy, moving the head quickly on melismatic passages to increase rhythmic
articulation and to release neck tension, and lifting the arms on descending passages to
encourage better intonation.
46
Physical vitality and feeling at ease with one’s own body are closely related to
vocal vitality and vocal freedom . . . The Alexander Technique of movement is
well established as a successful tool for singers in the private studio, and it can be
easily integrated into the choral rehearsal. The practices of yoga and eurhythmics
also provide many useful exercises. It is well worth the conductor’s time to
Wilhelm Ehmann, Choral Directing (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing
43
House, 1968), 78.
Brooks, telephone interview.
44
Leland Vail, telephone interview.
45
Lynn Bielefelt, “Classical Italian,” 174.
46
84
acquire knowledge and personal experience in a variety of movement and physical
exercise techniques.
47
As an example of Bielefelt using eurhythmics effectively in a choral rehearsal,
Courtney Lemmon, a student in Bielefelt’s choir in Idyllwild in 1999 said, “She had us all
move around the room to the beat of the music. It was a silly exercise, but a couple
minutes into it, people were starting to get into it, and the music was really coming alive.
Everybody found a way to really experience it on a level that we had not been able to do
before.” Bielefelt believed that freedom and relaxation in the body were key components
48
to the production of a free vocal quality. “She was constantly talking about how to open
your body up. She was very much into yoga, so she would do a lot of breathing exercises
and body movement to try to open people up so they could produce a more free sound. To
her, double forte meant ‘full and free.’” Zanaida Robles said, “What was evident in
49
[Bielefelt’s] conducting that was connected to her vocal teaching was the release of
tension. She had the most beautiful hands, the beautiful gesture that seemed to be weight-
less.” These are only a few illustrations, but they do lend insight into her use of move-
50
ment as a tool to improve the vocal technique of her singers.
Bielefelt utilized the aforementioned techniques of the Italian School in her
teaching, and this philosophy carried deeply into her rehearsal methods and teaching
Ibid., 129.
47
Lemmon, telephone interview.
48
Edwards, telephone interview.
49
Robles, telephone interview.
50
85
approaches. In the conclusion of her treatise, Bielefelt stated, “The writing of this paper
has . . . deepened my appreciation for and commitment to this pedagogy as the one most
valuable to beautiful choral singing.” It is evident through this statement that Bielefelt’s
51
pedagogical approach to teaching vocal function was fundamental in her rehearsal tech-
nique and conducting style.
Lynn Bielefelt, “Classical Italian,” 176.
51
86
CHAPTER 6
INFLUENCE AND LEGACY
One of the goals of successful educators is to have a positive impact on their
students. This is achieved through meaningful experience, strong content, a well-paced
learning process, and a successful outcome. Lynn Bielefelt had an enormous effect on
choral musicians, many of whom work to emulate her teaching practice, thus carrying on
her style and creating a legacy of choral music educators that is far reaching. “Lynn was
most interested in changing people’s lives for the good, as are many educators. But,
because of her extremely warm and accepting personality, she had a huge influence on
many of her students.” This accomplishment was achieved through her commitment to
1
music education, dedication to the success of each of her students, outstanding prepara-
tion, an engaging repertoire, tremendous skill at motivation and pacing, and the creation
of positive opportunities through which her students would succeed.
Bielefelt’s commitment to music education was obvious to those who worked
with her. She cared deeply about the educational process and frequently spoke to her
classes about the value of arts education, not only for the sake of preparing excellent
choirs but also by using the arts to create a more productive society. In her own class-
room, she demanded professional demeanor at all times, as evidenced in her syllabi. She
2
Fraider, telephone interview.
1
See appendix G—various syllabi from CSULB are included.
2
87
believed that without excellent preparation and professional behavior, the learning
process could not be successful. Lisa Edwards, Bielefelt’s accompanist, said:
She ran the program in such a professional manner. Her syllabi were incredibly
detailed . . . and included the importance of being on time, prepared, and having
looked at the music before [rehearsal]. She gave very clear instructions in each
rehearsal about what to have prepared the next time. . . . That was part of her
grading process. Everybody knew what to expect. She would talk about what it
was like in the professional world . . . and that’s how the rehearsal started each
time. Anything else was unacceptable.
3
To quote the CSULB Chamber Singers course syllabus from 1997, Bielefelt
wrote:
The success of any performance ensemble rests on the consistent commitment and
enthusiastic participation of each member. CSULB’s auditioned ensembles are
designed to help you develop your skills and artistry to a level that will prepare
you for the professional world. The most basic and essential requirements are:
regular and punctual attendance, preparation of music, and the ability and desire to
contribute to a respectful, productive, and positive rehearsal/performance environ-
ment.
4
Bielefelt’s commitment to creating a learning environment conducive to attaining
high standards was characteristic of her approach. Although she was known as being
somewhat firm and impatient with students who were not utilizing their potential, this
intolerance of mediocrity was only because she cared deeply about their development as
musicians and as human beings.
She was very organic in her teaching in terms of talking with the students about
their whole being. Yes, it was about the music, but it was also about their whole
view of themselves, their communication with others, and how not to get bogged
Edwards, telephone interview.
3
Lynn Bielefelt, course syllabus for MUS 100G/300G/500G (Chamber Singers),
4
California State University, Long Beach, 1997.
88
down into negative self images. She was able to motivate people to go beyond
what they thought they could do. Even though she was really strict and demanded
a lot, it was always very clear to students that she cared about them very much.
For example, at the curtain before going out on stage before every performance,
she would make some sort of positive comment to each singer as they walked out
on stage. She really built community in the choir, from the novice to most ad-
vanced singer. It was awesome.
5
As part of her approach, Bielefelt worked hard to recognize each student’s unique
talents and abilities—solidifying these areas and then offering her expertise in the areas
where each student needed to improve. According to Beverly Patton, “As far as growth
and potential, [Lynn] was always fair, and I think she was exceedingly honest with every-
body she dealt with.” She was excellent in recognizing potential and using a variety of
6
methods to help each student achieve that potential. Rodney Eichenberger said:
She understood where people were, and she accepted that, so she could take them
from where they were to where they could be. A lot of really excellent musicians
are so dissatisfied with the people in front of them, that they can’t understand
where to go, but [Lynn] always understood that. . . . She was always willing to
start wherever people were.
7
As stated earlier, one of the important aspects of a successful educational experi-
ence is strong content. Bielefelt strove to provide her students with a repertoire of the
highest standard. Through a high-quality repertoire, Bielefelt was able to give students a
8
means of expression, knowledge of important composers and their place in music history,
Edwards, telephone interview.
5
Patton, telephone interview.
6
Eichenberger, telephone interview, February 15, 2010.
7
See table F1 in appendix F for the repertoire performed by Bielefelt’s choirs at
8
CSULB.
89
and effective musical moments. In the opinion of Dawn Brooks, “She had a real talent for
programming. [Lynn] chose interesting pieces, and she programmed like it was a compo-
sition.” Leland Vail, Bielefelt’s colleague at CSULB for eleven years, said that one of her
9
greatest strengths as a conductor was “her understanding of the music she was perform-
ing. She had an intimate knowledge of the music . . . which informed how she interpreted
the music, and you learned that from singing for her. She had a deep spirituality in how
she approached repertoire.”
10
One of the objectives of choosing good repertoire is to use it as a tool for voice
training. Bielefelt stated that “many vocal problems can be solved and many skills can
and should be learned through the process of preparing the selected choral literature.
Preparing the music is indeed one rich and essential forum for vocal development.”
11
Beyond this purpose, the repertoire she chose was effective in motivating her students,
improving them as overall musicians and creating exciting experiences for the audience.
Beverly Patton said, “Lynn was able to motivate the men’s chorus [at USC] through the
repertoire. She chose really good material for them. It was challenging and fun, but very
focused on improving them.” Bielefelt was incredibly concerned with the vocal health of
12
her singers. This is one of the reasons that she did a lengthy vocal warm-up before each
rehearsal. She felt the responsibility to train her singers to respect their instrument and,
Brooks, telephone interview.
9
Leland Vail, telephone interview.
10
Bielefelt, “Classical Italian,” 127.
11
Patton, telephone interview.
12
90
even more, to train future teachers to respect the voices of their singers. Zanaida Robles
commented that “she was very conscientious not to inhibit singers with larger voices. . . .
She was interested in having the emotion, and being able to be musical in the context of
what your instrument can do.”
13
As a fervent lover of poetry, text was one of the first considerations when Bielefelt
chose repertoire for her choirs. In rehearsal, she often spoke the text, asked a student to
recite it, or even wrote it on the white board. Her insight into poetry was remarkable.
Leland Vail said, “She was always so inspirational—very much into the text and what
you’re singing about. The importance of expressing the meaning of the words and the
meaning of the poetry . . . was a very large part of her rehearsal style.” Iris Levine com-
14
mented, “She wasn’t afraid of really getting inside the text. There was no hesitancy,
because unless all of the performers really knew the text they couldn’t emote it.” Biele-
15
felt insisted that her singers have a full understanding of the text so that the music making
would be as expressive as the poet and composer intended. Stephen Coker recollects: “At
choral festivals, I remember her reading the text to the pieces they were singing because
the text was not in the program. Lynn just wanted everybody to know what was going on.
. . . She couldn’t resist the opportunity to share the text with everybody.” In 1999, Biele-
16
felt conducted The Last Leviathan by Raymond Egan with the Idyllwild Festival Choir.
Robles, telephone interview.
13
Leland Vail, telephone interview.
14
Levine, telephone interview.
15
Stephen Coker, telephone interview with author, April 15, 2010.
16
91
Courtney Lemmon recalls learning the piece and how Bielefelt was able to capture the
meaning of the text and portray it to her singers:
Lynn got very emotional describing what the song was about. She told us that she
never taught a piece she didn’t feel really strongly about. She gave us background
on each song, and then when she conducted the song, her whole body was in the
song completely. It made us want to be in the moment with her, and do exactly
what she was conducting so that we would be able to convey it as well. She was
so beautiful.
17
In reference to a performance of Samuel Barber’s Sure on This Shining Night by
the CSULB Chamber Singers at a choral festival at Chapman University in February of
1996, Bielefelt said,
The thing that we overlook so much, I feel, is that people are not communicating
text. This is the key to making something special happen: singing the text, not just
articulating and pronouncing the text. I said that text out loud and silently, over
and over in my head a myriad of ways, until I found what seemed to me was the
stress of the text according to the meaning. I then took that and I said, “How does
that play with what Barber set?” And then I think we get the marriage. If text
doesn’t matter, then let’s just be instrumentalists!
18
Although Bielefelt demanded an expressivity from her singers, she was highly
concerned with technical precision and musical accuracy. She had tremendous respect for
composition and was adamant that her students perform as the composer intended. Her
knowledge of performance practice and style was extensive, lending valuable insight to
her singers and especially her conducting students. The combination of expression and
technicality is what made her a truly artistic conductor and effective teacher.
Lemmon, telephone interview.
17
Bielefelt, Conducting Master Class and Lessons, 1996.
18
92
In order to be effective in rehearsal, the conductor must have tremendous skill in
pacing related to the ability level of the singers. When working with singers, it is of para-
mount importance that the conductor understands the limitations of the voice and how to
manage time so that the singers do not become fatigued. Bielefelt was very efficient in
rehearsal; she utilized excellent time management, coupled with thoughtful preparation of
her rehearsal plan. Through this preparation, she was able to get the most out of the time
she had and achieve her goals for a given rehearsal. Zanaida Robles, who sang in the
CSULB Chamber Singers said, “I always felt her rehearsal plan was well paced, and I
really appreciated that. That’s one of the reasons it was so enjoyable to sing her ensem-
bles. . . . She had a pace that was conducive to getting the best result on all the pieces we
were working on.” Beverly Patton commented on one aspect of Bielefelt’s rehearsal
19
approach that influenced her: “Lynn was meticulous. She knew exactly what she was
going to do and what she wanted. Her pace of rehearsal was really good. She could
accomplish a lot . . . just by changing the pace. She could tell when she wasn’t getting
anywhere, and she could also tell when she was on a roll.”
20
One of the vital skills to being a successful educator is the ability to inspire and
understand people. Lynn Bielefelt loved people: “The big difference between Lynn and
some other people is that people came first and music came second.” She put tremen-
21
dous effort into learning about her students: their needs, abilities, and their lives. She put
Robles, telephone interview.
19
Patton, telephone interview.
20
Kean, telephone interview.
21
93
great emphasis on making sure that her students felt that they were important to the
success of the choir. Iris Levine said, “She wanted every single person in the room to
know that they were the most important person there, because the music couldn’t be made
without each and every one of them. From the minute she walked into rehearsal, you
knew she was going to give you her all. It was so genuine and real.” Zanaida Robles
22
commented that one of Bielefelt’s strengths as an educator was her ability to create a
sense of community within her ensembles:
She didn’t try to classify or limit anybody. She was open with everyone who was
in her ensemble and was trying to get everyone on the same page musically, no
matter where you came from technically, or any other background. She was able to
really be inclusive. It was beyond the musicality—it was in multiple dimensions. I
think that was very powerful. You could sense that inclusive spirit, and there was
a sense of making sure everyone was welcome and appreciated. . . . We were all
there to make music together.
23
Many of Bielefelt’s former students and colleagues who were interviewed for this
study stated that they continue to use exercises and rehearsal techniques learned from
Bielefelt. Dawn Brooks, conductor of the Women’s Chorus at California State University,
Fullerton, commented on how effective certain exercises are, especially with women’s
voices: “I still use many of the exercises [Lynn] used with my own choir. Her resonance
exercises are wonderful for bringing the sound forward and having a really focused,
healthy sound.” With respect to conducting technique, Lynn was not interested in
24
Levine, telephone interview.
22
Robles, telephone interview.
23
Brooks, telephone interview.
24
94
creating mimics of her. She was interested in bringing out the various abilities of each
student so that all could discover their own strengths and weaknesses.
Bielefelt also had a strong influence on her colleagues. When asked how she may
have influenced him, Leland Vail, who conducts a nonauditioned ensemble at CSULB,
said, “I still use a lot of her vocalizes, because I think they really work. They are espe-
cially effective with beginning choral singers.” David Wilson commented on how he
25
and Lynn would frequently talk about the voice and vocal function and noted that he
incorporated “a lot of her techniques for warm-ups.”
26
Bielefelt had a tremendous influence, especially for women in the conducting
field. Beginning in her studies at UCLA in the late 1960s and continuing throughout her
career, Lynn showed that women were competent of being successful in leadership roles
in the arts and could be very powerful conductors. At the same time, she was always
gracious, loving, and accepting, therefore representing the ideal personality of an effective
conductor and educator. Iris Levine stated: “I think she was definitely a mentor to many
women, and to show that she was not only as capable, but on many levels, more capable
of handling these positions. She was well respected, and I think that through that respect,
she wound up being a mentor to others.” David Wilson said, “Lynn was, for so many
27
students across the country, an incredible model of women in this field, particularly at the
Vail, telephone interview.
25
Wilson, telephone interview.
26
Levine, telephone interview.
27
95
college level. That’s her legacy right there. She was the ideal model of a conductor,
particularly for women in higher education.”
28
Bielefelt had a passion for the educational process and for preparing future teach-
ers—so much so that she influenced countless numbers of students to go into music
education as their vocation. Lisa Edwards, Bielefelt’s colleague and close friend said: “I
run into students now that studied with her, and they still talk about how Lynn influenced
their teaching. Her positive attitude with a combination of being absolutely professional
and expecting the best preparation—she could demand a lot and people still knew that she
was supportive of them. That combination is just so powerful.”
29
Individuals interviewed for this study were asked their opinion as to what Biele-
felt’s greatest strength was as an educator. Dawn Brooks commented that one of Biele-
felt’s strengths was
inspiring students to go on to be educators. I had no intension of become a teacher,
but she always told me that I should be a teacher. She was really encouraging, and
noticed that I had the natural ability to go into this line of work. I think she would
want to be remembered as someone who cared about music education and created
a network of teachers who went on to be wonderful motivators and educators, who
would, in turn, create their own networks of students. It has a legacy effect that I
think she would be extremely proud of.
30
According to Zanaida Robles, one of Bielefelt’s private voice students and a member of
the Chamber Singers at CSULB:
Wilson, telephone interview.
28
Edwards, telephone interview.
29
Brooks, telephone interview.
30
96
When I was studying with her at CSULB, I never really knew what I had in her as
a teacher, and it wasn’t until later that I realized that she was the fundamental
person that influenced my performing as a choral musician. In terms of conduct-
ing, everything I learned about conducting, before I even took a lesson, came from
her. I didn’t even realize I was getting that from her. That’s how potent her gesture
was and how powerful her nonverbal communication was.
31
According to Steve Fraider, “I think she would most likely want to be known as a great
teacher of teachers, not in an egotistical way, but having the influence of being a good
educator passed on to others who can continue to educate many people, making a real
influence in their lives.” As a result of this outpouring of knowledge and experience,
32
Lynn Bielefelt generated a group of educators who became successful in music education
and carried on many of her methods, pedagogy, and style.
Robles, telephone interview.
31
Fraider, telephone interview.
32
97
CHAPTER 7
CONCLUSION
This study has provided a vivid biography of Lynn Bielefelt, revealing her legacy
of impacting individuals and highlighting her pedagogical approaches, rehearsal tech-
niques, and vocal pedagogy. In addition, this study has revealed her promotion of choral
music education through professional service, her passion for bringing out individuality in
her students, her nurturing manner that aided her students in reaching their full potential,
and her uplifting and steadfast human spirit that surpassed her health issues.
Educators have a remarkable power to impart influence on their students; how-
ever, along with this authority comes great responsibility. This paper illustrates Bielefelt’s
influence on a generation of choral conductors and singers through her work and efforts
with respect to her community, students, colleagues, and family. Lynn Bielefelt personi-
fied the balance necessary to recognize students’ abilities and to encourage the progress of
her students. According to Linda Nason, “[Lynn] was relentless in pushing her students to
aim higher and to absolutely believe in their abilities.” She achieved this balance by
1
making her students a priority, giving as much as she could to the educational process and
enjoying life to the fullest.
Bielefelt passed on due to breast cancer at the age of 51. She fought the disease
courageously three times. First diagnosed in the 1980s, Lynn learned at a young age to
Linda Nason, email to author, June 3, 2010.
1
98
appreciate every day. “She thought of every day as a miracle.” Although she did not live
2
a long life, she created a network of individuals on whom she made a strong impression.
“She loved and served music and people—maybe the other way around.”
3
Lynn’s life was cut short so early, and the mind reels at what she might have ac-
complished. When she was hired by USC, there was such anticipation about her
arrival. . . . This was a much discussed event, and unfortunately we weren’t even
through talking about her arrival when we were talking about her departure. It’s
just so sad. I have no doubt that she would have been one of the leading conduc-
tors in the nation had she lived longer. But while she was here, she had a huge
impact on people.
4
William Dehning commented about Bielefelt’s relationship with her peers: “I
think she was very highly respected . . . and among a coterie of her followers, ‘wor-
shipped’ might be closer. Certainly she was loved.” Rodney Eichenberger said that
5
Bielefelt would want to be remembered in this way: “as a first class musician, but above
all, as a first class person.” Throughout the process of interviewing family, friends,
6
colleagues, and former students, an overwhelming number of people agreed that Lynn
would want to be remembered for her kind spirit and the impact that she had on young
educators. Remaining in the hearts and minds of those she influenced, Bielefelt’s
musicality, passion, and spirit carry on. Although her time was brief, her influence is
enduring.
Kean, telephone interview.
2
Dehning, email.
3
Rutenberg, telephone interview.
4
Dehning, email.
5
Eichenberger, telephone interview, February 15, 2010.
6
99
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Alarcon, Amber. Telephone interview with author, April 12, 2010.
Belan, William. Telephone interview with author, May 28, 2010.
Bielefelt, Connie, to Joseph Modica. April 26, 2010.
Bielefelt, Lynn, to Los Cancioneros Master Chorale, November 14, 1984.
________. “The Classical Italian Vocal School: Its Application to the Choral Rehearsal.”
DMA treatise, University of Southern California, 1989.
________. Course syllabus for MUS 421, Choral Conducting. California State University,
Long Beach, Fall 1992.
________. Course syllabus for MUS 575, Seminar in Choral Music. California State
University, Long Beach, Spring 1995.
________. Conducting Lessons. VHS. Private collection, 1996.
________. Conducting Master Class and Lessons. VHS. Private collection, 1996.
________. Course syllabus for MUS 422/522, Choral Conducting. California State Uni-
versity, Long Beach, Fall 1996.
________. Course syllabus for MUS 426/526, Vocal Development. California State
University, Long Beach, Fall 1996.
________. Course syllabus for MUS 100G/300G/500G, Chamber Singers. California
State University, Long Beach, 1997.
________. Conducting Lessons. VHS. Private collection, 1997.
________. Conducting Master Class and Lessons. VHS. Private collection, 1997.
________. Email to Rodney Eichenberger, March 7, 1998.
________. Email to Rodney Eichenberger, September 6, 1999.
________. Email to Rodney Eichenberger, June 14, 2000.
Bielefelt, Ronald. Telephone interview with author, May 5, 2010.
100
________. Email to author, May 7, 2010.
Blackstone, Jerry. Telephone interview with author, February 16, 2010.
Brooks, Dawn. Telephone interview with author, May 5, 2010.
California State University, Long Beach, Bob Cole Conservatory of Music. “Choral,
Vocal, and Opera Ensembles. Long Beach: CSULB, Bob Cole Conservatory of
Music, 2010. http://www.csulb.edu/~music/cvo/choirs.html (accessed May 8,
2010).
Coker, Stephen. Telephone interview with author, April 15, 2010.
Cook, Judy. Telephone interview with author, July 9, 2010.
cummings, e. e. “i thank you god for this most amazing day.” On Poetry Chaikhana,
2010. http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/C/cummingsee/ithankYouGod.htm
(accessed March 23, 2010).
Decker, Harold, and Julius Herford, eds. Choral Conducting, a Symposium. New York:
Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1973.
Dehning, William. Email to author, June 8, 2010.
Edwards, Lisa. Telephone interview with author, May 7, 2010.
Ehmann, Wilhelm. Choral Directing. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House,
1968.
Eichenberger, Rodney, to Bessie Swanson, February 7, 1983.
________. Telephone interview with author, February 15, 2010.
________. Telephone interview with author, May 19, 2010.
________ . Letter of recommendation to University of Southern California Educational
Placement Office, April 6, 1987.
Fischbach, Gerald, to Lynn Bielefelt, August 27, 1999.
Fraider, Steve. Telephone interview with author, March 25, 2010.
________. Email to author, April 1, 2010.
101
Harper, Todd J. Telephone interview with author, May 29, 2010.
Kean, Ronald. Email to to Rodney Eichenberger, October 6, 2001.
________. Telephone interview with author, February 15, 2010.
________. Email to author, May 15, 2010.
Klein, Herman. The Bel Canto. London: Oxford Press, 1923.
Lauridsen, Lauridsen. Dirait-on. From Les Chansons des Roses. New York: PeerMusic,
1994.
Lemmon, Courtney. Telephone interview with author, February 11, 2010.
Levine, Iris. Telephone interview with author, February 18, 2010.
Los Cancioneros Master Chorale. “Los Cancioneros—A Brief History.” Torrance, CA:
Los Cancioneros Master Chorale. http://www.lcmasterchorale.com/AboutLC
.html (accessed July 9, 2010).
Livingston, Larry. Email to author, May 18, 2010.
Miller, Richard. The Structure of Singing: System and Art of Vocal Technique. New
York: Schirmer, 1986.
Modica, Joseph. Conducting Lesson with Lynn Bielefelt. VHS. Private collection, 1997.
Nason, Linda. Email to author, June 3, 2010.
Patton, Beverly. Telephone interview with author, April 15, 2010.
________, to Larry Livingston, April 29, 1987.
Robles, Zanaida. Telephone interview with author, May 28, 2010.
Roethe, Aaron. Telephone interview with author, May 31, 2010.
Rutenberg, Peter. Telephone interview with author, May 26, 2010.
Sobosky, Paul. Telephone interview with author, May 25, 2010.
Turner, Vivian. Telephone interview with author, June 2, 2010.
102
Vail, James. Memorandum to William Thomson, May 8, 1985.
Vail, Leland. Telephone interview with author, May 25, 2010.
Warren, Judith. Telephone interview with author, May 13, 2010.
________. Email to author, May 18, 2010.
Wilson, David. Telephone interview with author, February 16, 2010.
________. Email to author, June 14, 2010.
Zachary, Claude. Email to author, May 26, 2010.
103
APPENDIX A
INTERVIEWS
Interview Questions: Family Members
7
Thank you for agreeing to participate in this study on the “Life and Influence of Lynn
Bielefelt” and for signing the consent form. I am grateful for your willingness to answer
these questions and to contribute your knowledge and experience of her life and teaching.
I will ask you a series of questions which will take about 20 minutes to complete. These
questions are a basic starting point of our discussion and may lead to other questions as
relevant. I will be audio recording this conversation. Are you ready to begin?
1. Please state your full name.
2. In what year were you born?
3. What is Lynn’s father’s full name? Is he still living? If not, at what age did he
pass?
4. Does Lynn have any siblings? What are their full names? Age?
5. What are some of your fondest memories of Lynn as a child?
6. What do you remember as some of Lynn’s general personality traits as a child?
7. Did you see her as an outgoing or reserved child?
8. What do you remember as her primary interests as a child?
9. As a child, do you recall Lynn being especially musical?
10. Do you consider yourself or any others members of her immediate family musical?
11. Do you recall what age she began music lessons?
12. What instrument(s) did she study, if any?
13. Was Lynn involved in choir/band/orchestra in grade school?
14. Did Lynn seem to have any particular teachers of whom she was fond? Do you
remember why?
15. What do you think it was about this/these teacher(s) that was influential to Lynn?
16. What type of student do you think she was?
17. Throughout her studies at the undergraduate level, did she speak of any particular
professors who were especially influential to her?
18. What was it about these teachers that inspired or motivated her?
19. What do you remember as Lynn’s favorite aspects of her career? Can you explain
if she seemed to have any frustrations?
20. Would you mind describing your relationship with Lynn. Were you close with her?
What are a few of your best memories of your time together?
21. What were her interests outside of music?
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7
104
22. Who were her closest friends?
23. Lynn was a very successful educator and conductor, having a wide impact on many
people. Beyond her musical success though, what would say are Lynn’s other
successes?
24. Can you recommend any other family members who may wish to participate in this
study?
25. In your opinion, what is one thing for which Lynn would want to be remembered?
26. Would you like to share any other information that may be helpful to this study?
Thank you for your time. I greatly appreciate your willingness to participate, and I may
contact you again if I have any further questions. Should you be cited in the final paper, I
will certainly allow you to examine any paraphrases or quotes before the paper is sub-
mitted. Again, thank you!
Interview Questions: Students
8
Thank you for agreeing to participate in this study on the “Life and Influence of Lynn
Bielefelt” and for signing the consent form. I am grateful for your willingness to answer
these questions and to contribute your knowledge and experience of her life and teaching.
I will ask you a series of questions which will take about 20 minutes to complete. These
questions are a basic starting point of our discussion and may lead to other questions as
relevant. I will be audio recording this conversation. Are you ready to begin?
Please state your full name.
1. How long did know Dr. Bielefelt?
2. In what capacity?
3. Which school did you attend as her student?
4. What year did you graduate?
5. What degree did you earn under Dr. Bielefelt?
6. What classes did you take from her?
7. Do you still have any syllabi, handouts, or papers from any of these classes? If so,
would you mind allowing me to have copies of these materials?
8. Did you study privately with her? Voice? Conducting? Other?
9. Do you have any video or audio recordings of your lessons/classes with Dr. Biele-
felt? If so, may I borrow them for this study and return them when it is completed?
10. What types of pedagogical methods do you remember her using in developing
student musicianship?
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8
105
11. What aspects of your musicianship improved from her instruction?
12. Are there particular aspects of her pedagogy that you now use in your own teach-
ing? If so, what are they and how are they effective in your classroom?
13. What do you remember Dr. Bielefelt doing in order to achieve the highest stan-
dards from her students?
14. How did Dr. Bielefelt influence you as a teacher?
15. What ensemble did you sing with her as the conductor? For how long?
16. Do you recall a particular piece from your time in this ensemble of which you were
especially fond? Why?
17. What did you find most enjoyable about singing under Dr. Bielefelt?
18. What sort of rehearsal methods do you remember Dr. Bielefelt using in rehearsal to
motivate her students?
19. What do you consider her greatest strengths as an educator?
20. What do you consider her weaknesses?
21. Would you say Dr. Bielefelt is one of the most influential teachers you have had?
Why?
22. What is one of your favorite memories of your work with Dr. Bielefelt?
23. In your opinion, what is one thing for which Dr. Bielefelt would want to be re-
membered?
24. Do you have any further information which you feel would be useful to this study?
Thank you for your time. I greatly appreciate your willingness to participate, and I may
contact you again if I have any further questions. Should you be cited in the final paper, I
will certainly allow you to examine any paraphrases or quotes before the paper is submit-
ted. Again, thank you!
Interview Questions: Colleagues
9
Thank you for agreeing to participate in this study on the “Life and Influence of Lynn
Bielefelt” and for signing the consent form. I am grateful for your willingness to answer
these questions and to contribute your knowledge and experience of her life and teaching.
I will ask you a series of questions which will take about 20 minutes to complete. These
questions are a basic starting point of our discussion and may lead to other questions as
relevant. I will be audio recording this conversation. Are you ready to begin?
Please state your full name.
1. How long did know Dr. Bielefelt?
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9
106
2. In what capacity?
3. At which institution were you colleagues?
4. How many years did you work together?
5. How often did you observe her in rehearsal or performance?
6. What classes do you remember her teaching at your institution?
7. Do you have access to any syllabi or other course materials of hers? If so, may I
have copies of them for this study?
8. Do you have any video or audio recordings of performances which Dr. Bielefelt
conducted or in which she sang? If so, may I borrow them for this study and return
them when it is completed?
9. Do you think Dr. Bielefelt was well-respected by her peers? Please explain your
answer?
10. What types of pedagogical and rehearsing methods do you remember her using in
developing musicianship in students?
11. What sort of rehearsal methods do you remember Dr. Bielefelt using to motivate
her students?
12. How would you describe her teaching approaches?
13. What do you remember as her ways of trying to achieve the highest standards from
her students?
14. Is there anything about her teaching methods or style that influenced you as an
educator/singer/conductor?
15. What do you see as her greatest strengths as an educator?
16. What do you see as her weaknesses?
17. What is one of your favorite memories of your work with Dr. Bielefelt?
18. In your opinion, what is one thing for which Dr. Bielefelt would want to be re-
membered?
19. Do you have any further information which you feel would be useful to this study?
Thank you for your time. I greatly appreciate your willingness to participate, and I may
contact you again if I have any further questions. Should you be cited in the final paper, I
will certainly allow you to examine any paraphrases or quotes before the paper is submit-
ted. Again, thank you!
107
Interview Questions: Graduate School Colleagues
10
Thank you for agreeing to participate in this study on the “Life and Influence of Lynn
Bielefelt” and for signing the consent form. I am grateful for your willingness to answer
these questions and to contribute your knowledge and experience of her life and teaching.
I will ask you a series of questions which will take about 20 minutes to complete. These
questions are a basic starting point of our discussion and may lead to other questions as
relevant. I will be audio recording this conversation. Are you ready to begin?
1. Were you in a class(es) together in grad school? Which one(s)?
2. Would you like to describe your relationship with her?
3. Do you still have any syllabi, handouts, or papers from any of these classes? If so,
would you mind allowing me to have copies of these materials?
4. What are your memories of what Dr. Bielefelt was like as a student?
5. What types of things did you learn from her when you were in graduate school
together?
6. Did she speak of any particular teachers of hers that were especially influential to
her? Please explain if she told you why were they influential?
Thank you for your time. I greatly appreciate your willingness to participate, and I may
contact you again if I have any further questions. Should you be cited in the final paper, I
will certainly allow you to examine any paraphrases or quotes before the paper is submit-
ted. Again, thank you!
Prepared by Joseph Gerald Modica.
10
108
APPENDIX B
CONCERT PROGRAMS FROM GRADUATE SCHOOL
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
APPENDIX C
MATERIALS FROM LOS CANCIONEROS, 1981–1984
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
APPENDIX D
LETTERS IN SUPPORT OF DR. LYNN BIELEFELT
153
154
155
156
APPENDIX E
MARION COOPER’S VOCAL EXERCISES
1
Provided by Amber Alarcon, private vocal student of Marion Cooper, Austin,
1
TX. Reprinted with permission.
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
APPENDIX F
REPERTOIRE PERFORMED WHILE ON FACULTY AT CSULB
Table 6. Lynn Bielefelt’s Repertoire Performed While on Campus at California State
University, Long Beach (CSULB)
Date Ensemble Title Composer
11/30/1990 Winterfest-Chamber Singers Gloria in Excelsis Deo Pinkham
11/30/1990 Winterfest-Chamber Singers First Noel arr. Polay
11/30/1990 Winterfest-Chamber Singers Carol of the Bells Wilhousky
11/30/1990 Winterfest-Combined Choirs Ya Ba Born Goldman
11/30/1990 Winterfest-Combined Choirs Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah Handel
11/30/1990 Winterfest-University Choir Tomorrow Shall be My Dancing Day Gardner, arr.
11/30/1990 Winterfest-University Choir A Babe Is Born Mathias
11/30/1990 Winterfest-University Choir Joseph Lieber, Joseph Mein Walther
11/30/1990 Winterfest-Women’s Chorus Wolcum Yole, “Ceremony of Carols” Britten
11/30/1990 Winterfest-Women’s Chorus Confitemini Domini Constantini
11/30/1990 Winterfest-Women’s Chorus Ave Maria Poulenc
3/2/1991 University Choir Cantate Domino Schütz
5/12/1991 University Choir Tenebrae factae sunt Haydn, M.
5/12/1991 University Choir Ain’t Got Time to Die Johnson, H.
5/12/1991 University Choir I Gondolieri Rossini
5/12/1991 University Choir Cantate Domino Schütz
5/12/1991 University Choir She’s Like the Swallow Somers
5/12/1991 University Choir Tantum Ergo Vittoria
5/12/1991 Women’s Chorus We Hasten from Cantata 78 Bach, J. S.
5/12/1991 Women’s Chorus Song from Shakespeare’s 12th Night Brahms
5/12/1991 Women’s Chorus Spring from “Songs of Innocence” Korte
5/12/1991 Women’s Chorus Veni Domine, Op. 39. No. 1 Mendelssohn
5/12/1991 Women’s Chorus In Te O, Eterno Merloni
5/12/1991 Women’s Chorus Maggie and Milly and Molly and May Persichetti
5/12/1991 Women’s Chorus Girl’s Garden from Frostiana Thompson
12/6/1991 Winterfest-Combined Choirs Low, How a Rose E’er Blooming Praetorius
12/6/1991 Winterfest-Combined Choirs Silent Night Sandberg, arr.
12/6/1991 Winterfest-Combined Choirs Angels We Have Heard on High Wagner, R.
12/6/1991 Winterfest-University Choir Riu, Riu, Chiu Greenburg
12/6/1991 Winterfest-University Choir Dixit Maria Hassler
12/6/1991 Winterfest-University Choir Masters in This Hall Parker/Shaw
12/6/1991 Winterfest-University Choir We Three Kings of Orient Area Hopkins/Paul
12/6/1991 Winterfest-Women’s Chorus Maria Wiegenlied Reger
12/6/1991 Winterfest-Women’s Chorus Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day arr. Rutter
12/6/1991 Winterfest-Women’s Chorus Joyfully We Go Now to Bethlehem Schütz
5/9/1992 Combined Choirs Make Our Garden Grove Bernstein
5/9/1992 University Choir Hymnus Beethoven
168
(Table 6 continued)
Date Ensemble Title Composer
5/9/1992 University Choir Im Herbst Brahms
5/9/1992 University Choir O Schöne Nacht Brahms
5/9/1992 University Choir Lie Lightly Gentle Earth Chihara
5/9/1992 University Choir Soon Ah Will Be Done Dawson
5/9/1992 University Choir There Is Baum in Gilead Dawson
5/9/1992 University Choir Shenandoah Erb, arr.
5/9/1992 University Choir Les Deux Cites-Babylon Milhaud
5/9/1992 University Choir Feller from Fortune Somers
5/9/1992 University Choir Exultate, Justi Viadana
5/9/1992 Women’s Chorus Nigre Sum Casals
5/9/1992 Women’s Chorus Laudamus Te Clausen
5/9/1992 Women’s Chorus Zion’s Walls Copland
5/9/1992 Women’s Chorus Salut Printemps Debussy
5/9/1992 Women’s Chorus Fair Phyllis I Saw Farmer
5/9/1992 Women’s Chorus Tantum Ergo Fauré
5/9/1992 Women’s Chorus Where the Music Comes From Holby
5/9/1992 Women’s Chorus Von Dern Rosenbusch Schumann
5/17/1992 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Symphony No. 8 in F Major Beethoven
5/17/1992 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Candide Overture Bernstein
5/17/1992 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Appalachian Spring Copland
10/25/1992 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Symphony No. 4 in A Major, Op. 90 Mendelssohn
10/25/1992 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Lieutenant Kije, Suite Symphonique Prokofiev
11/8/1992 University Choir Liebeslieder Waltzer, Op. 52 Brahms
11/8/1992 University Choir Four Madrigals on Renaissance Text Lauridsen
11/8/1992 University Choir Crucifixus Lotti
11/8/1992 University Choir Venite, Exultemus Domino Sweelinck
12/4/1992 Winterfest-University Choir Hymn to the Virgin Britten
12/4/1992 Winterfest-University Choir Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day Gardner, arr.
12/4/1992 Winterfest-University Choir Welcome Yule Larsen
12/4/1992 Winterfest-Women’s Chorus Lift Thine Eyes to the Mountains Mendelssohn
12/4/1992 Winterfest-Women’s Chorus Bells on Christmas Eve Olson
12/4/1992 Winterfest-Women’s Chorus All Men Draw Near Williams
12/4/1992 Winterfest-Women’s Chorus In the Bleak Mid-Winter Williams
12/13/1992 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G Major Bach, J. S.
12/13/1992 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Carnival Overture, Op. 92 Dvorak
12/13/1992 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in D Haydn
12/13/1992 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Ma Mère L’Oye (Mother Goose Suite) Ravel
2/27/1993 Celeb Mus. 3: Symphony Or. Oberon-Overture Weber
2/27/1993 Celeb. Mus. 3: Univ. Choir Four Madrigals on Renaissance Text Lauridsen
3/12/1993 Chamber Singers Choral Dances from “Gloriana” Britten
3/14/1993 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Concerto for Flute in D Minor: Allegro Bach, C. P. E.
3/14/1993 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Concerto No. 1 in C Major for Piano Beethoven
3/14/1993 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Les Nuits D’Eté-“L’ile inconnue” Berlioz
3/14/1993 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Concerto for Bass Trombone and Orch. Tchaikovsky
3/14/1993 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Vissi d’arte from Tosca Puccini
169
(Table 6 continued)
Date Ensemble Title Composer
3/14/1993 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Oberon-Overture Weber
5/2/1993 University Choir Liebeslieder Waltser, Op. 52 Brahms
5/2/1993 University Choir Os justi meditabitur Brahms
5/2/1993 University Choir Fear in Mid-Winter Edick, Donald
5/2/1993 University Choir Erev Shel Shoshanim Hadar/Kleba
5/2/1993 University Choir Hold On! Hairston, arr.
5/2/1993 University Choir The Lord Is King Hoiby
5/16/1993 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Symphony No. 2 (Romantic) Hanson
5/16/1993 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Festive Sounds Miller, Bruce
Edward
5/16/1993 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Symphony No. 38 in D Major (Prague) Mozart
5/16/1993 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Finlandia, Op. 26 Sibelius
10/3/1993 Rededication of DRH: Choral Dances from Gloriana Britten
Chamber Singers
10/3/1993 Rededication of DRH: Hold On! Hairston, arr.
Chamber Singers
10/3/1993 Rededication of DRH: Six Chansons on Original French Poem Hindemith
Chamber Singers
10/22/1993 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Symphony No. 103 in E= Major Haydn
10/22/1993 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Pulcinella Suite Pergolesi-
Stravinsky
10/22/1993 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Symphony No. 8 in B Minor Schubert
11/7/1993 Chamber Singers Three Quartets, Op. 31: Wechsellied Brahms
zum Tanze
11/7/1993 Chamber Singers Three Quartets, Op. 31: Neckereien Brahms
11/7/1993 Chamber Singers Three Quartets, Op. 31: Der Gang zu Brahms
Liebchen
11/7/1993 Chamber Singers Come to Me, My Love Dello Joio
11/7/1993 Chamber Singers Io Tacero Gesualdo
11/7/1993 Chamber Singers Non t’amo Gesualdo
11/7/1993 Chamber Singers Six Chansons: La Biche (The Doe) Hindemith
11/7/1993 Chamber Singers Six Chansons: Puisque tout passe Hindemith
11/7/1993 Chamber Singers Six Chansons: Printemps (Spring) Hindemith
11/7/1993 Chamber Singers Six Chansons: En Hiver (In Winter) Hindemith
11/7/1993 Chamber Singers Six Chansons: Verger (The Orchard) Hindemith
12/4/1993 Winterfest-Chamber Singers A Babe Is Born Mathias
12/4/1993 Winterfest-Chamber Singers Gloria in Excelsis Deo from Christmas Pinkham
Cantata
12/4/1993 Winterfest-Chamber Singers There Is a Flower Rutter
12/4/1993 Winterfest-Chamber Singers Blessed Son of God Vaughan Wil-
liams
12/4/1993 Winterfest-Combined Choirs Make We Joy Fissinger
12/4/1993 Winterfest-Combined Choirs In Splendoribus sanctorum Gregorian Chant
12/4/1993 Winterfest-Combined Choirs Once in Royal David’s City arr. Wilcox
12/10/1993 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Holberg Suite, Op. 40 Grieg
170
(Table 6 continued)
Date Ensemble Title Composer
12/10/1993 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Creation du Monde Milhaud
12/10/1993 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Symphony No. 9, Op. 70 Shostakovich
12/10/1993 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Serenade in E=, Op. 7 Strauss, R.
3/20/1994 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Concerto No. 2 for Piano and Orchestra Bartok
3/20/1994 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Depuis le Jour from Louise Charpentier
3/20/1994 CSULB Symphony Orchestra E la solita storia del pastorie from Cilea
L’arlesiana
3/20/1994 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra Creston
3/20/1994 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Concerto in A Major for Clarinet Mozart
3/20/1994 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Concerto No. 3 for Violin and Orchestra Saint-Saens
3/20/1994 CSULB Symphony Orchestra Concerto in F Minor for Bass Tuba Williams
4/10/1994 Chamber Singers Under the Willow Tree from Vanessa Barber
4/10/1994 Chamber Singers Mid-Winter Songs Lauridsen
5/7/1994 CSULB Symphony Orchestra, Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125 Beethoven
Chamber Singers
11/6/1994 Chamber Singers Saimo 150 Aguiar
11/6/1994 Chamber Singers Reincarnations, Op. 16: Mary Hines Barber
11/6/1994 Chamber Singers Like as the Hart Howells
11/6/1994 Chamber Singers Les Chansons de Roses: Dirait-On Lauridsen
11/6/1994 Chamber Singers Les Chansons de Roses: La Rose Lauridsen
11/6/1994 Chamber Singers O Vos Omnes Victoria
12/3/1994 Winterfest-Chamber Singers Hodie Christus natus est Poulenc
12/3/1994 Winterfest-Chamber Singers What Sweeter Music Rutter
12/3/1994 Winterfest-Chamber Singers We Wish You a Merry Christmas Warrel, arr.
12/3/1994 Winterfest-Chamber Singers Messiah Handel
3/19/1995 Chamber Singers Neue Liebeslieder Walzer, Op. 65 Brahms
3/19/1995 Chamber Singers Missa Brevis Leighton
3/19/1995 Chamber Singers Three European Folk Tunes: Who Is Wilberg, arr.
Crying?
4/30/1995 Chamber Singers Reincarnations, Op. 16: Mary Hines Barber
4/30/1995 Chamber Singers Neue Liebeslieder Walzer, Op. 65 Brahms
4/30/1995 Chamber Singers Soon Ah Will Be Done Dawson
4/30/1995 Chamber Singers Ain’t Got Time to Die Johnson, H.
4/30/1995 Chamber Singers Les Chansons des Roses Lauridsen
4/30/1995 Chamber Singers Three European Folk Tunes: What Wilberg, arr.
Would You Do If You Married a
Soldier?
4/30/1995 Chamber Singers Three European Folk Tunes:Who Is Wilberg, arr.
Crying?
11/3/1995 Chamber Singers If Music Be the Food of Love Belmont
11/3/1995 Chamber Singers Ziguenerlieder: Brauner Bursche fuhr Brhams
11/3/1995 Chamber Singers Ziguenerlieder: He, Zigeuner, greife in Brahms
die Saiten ein
11/3/1995 Chamber Singers Ziguenerlieder: Horch, der Wind klagt Brahms
11/3/1995 Chamber Singers Ziguenerlieder: Lieber Gott, dui weiss Brahms
171
(Table 6 continued)
Date Ensemble Title Composer
11/3/1995 Chamber Singers Ziguenerlieder: Rote Abendwolken zie Brahms
11/3/1995 Chamber Singers Mata Del Anima Sola Estevez
11/3/1995 Chamber Singers Elijah Rock arr. Hogan
11/3/1995 Chamber Singers Song for St. Cecilia’s Day Kirk
11/3/1995 Chamber Singers Leggiadre Ninfe Marenzio
11/3/1995 Chamber Singers Si ch’io vorrei morire Monteverdi
11/3/1995 Chamber Singers Bright Morning Star arr. Squartrito
11/3/1995 Chamber Singers How Great Is the Pleasure Traditional
12/2/1995 Winterfest-Chamber Singers O Jesu Sweet Haberkorn
12/2/1995 Winterfest-Chamber Singers Estampie Natalis Nelhybel
12/2/1995 Winterfest-Chamber Singers I Saw Three Ships arr. Wilberg
12/2/1995 Winterfest-Chamber Singers Lullay My Liking Holst
12/2/1995 Winterfest-Combined Choirs Gloria, mvt III Rutter
12/2/1995 Winterfest-University Chorus O Magnum Mysterium Lauridsen
and Chamber Singers
2/17/1996 Chamber Singers Five Mystical Songs Williams
5/10/1996 Chamber Singers If Music Be the Food of Love Belmont
5/10/1996 Chamber Singers Zigeunerlieder Brahms
5/10/1996 Chamber Singers Hymn to St. Cecilia Britten
5/10/1996 Chamber Singers Trois Chansons Debussy
5/10/1996 Chamber Singers Mata Del Anima Sola Estevez
5/10/1996 Chamber Singers Elijah Rock arr. Hogan
5/10/1996 Chamber Singers Song for St. Cecilia’s Day Kirk
5/10/1996 Chamber Singers Dirait-on Lauridsen
5/10/1996 Chamber Singers O Magnum Mysterium Lauridsen
5/10/1996 Chamber Singers Leggiadre Ninfe Marenzio
5/10/1996 Chamber Singers Si ch’lo vorrel morire Monteverdi
5/10/1996 Chamber Singers Estampie Natalis Nelhybel
5/10/1996 Chamber Singers Bright Morning Star arr. Squartrito
11/1/1996 Chamber Singers The Lark Copland
11/1/1996 Chamber Singers Night, Sleep, Death, and the Stars Gawthrop
11/1/1996 Chamber Singers Vier Notturnos, Op. 22 Herzogenberg
11/1/1996 Chamber Singers Waltzing Matilda arr. Leek
11/1/1996 Chamber Singers Cantate Domino Schütz
11/1/1996 Chamber Singers Beati Quorum Via Stanford
12/7/1996 Winterfest-Chamber Singers Twelfth Night Barber
12/7/1996 Winterfest-Chamber Singers Answer: The Snow from Riddle Me This Bergsma
12/7/1996 Winterfest-Chamber Singers A Babe Is Born Mathias
12/7/1996 Winterfest-Chamber Singers O Magnum Mysterium Victoria
5/9/1997 Chamber Singers Es dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist Bach, J. S.
5/9/1997 Chamber Singers Zungo arr. Brown, Uzee
5/9/1997 Chamber Singers Shenandoah arr. Erb
5/9/1997 Chamber Singers Mata Del Amima Sola Estevez
5/9/1997 Chamber Singers Vier Notturnos, Op. 22 Herzogenberg
5/9/1997 Chamber Singers Elijah Rock Hogan, arr.
172
(Table 6 continued)
Date Ensemble Title Composer
5/9/1997 Chamber Singers Nightingales Johnson, Cory
5/9/1997 Chamber Singers Kyung Bok King Tah Ruyng Kim, Hee-Jo,
arr.
5/9/1997 Chamber Singers Song for St. Cecelia’s Day Kirk
5/9/1997 Chamber Singers Waltzing Matilda arr. Leek
5/9/1997 Chamber Singers Ejszaka Ligeti
5/9/1997 Chamber Singers Rorate Coeli Palestrina
5/9/1997 Chamber Singers Des Tages Weihe Schubert
5/9/1997 Chamber Singers Beati Quorum Via Stanford
5/9/1997 Chamber Singers Hark All Ye Lovely Saints Weelkes
5/8/1998 Chamber Singers Lark, Part I: Spring Song Bernstein
5/8/1998 Chamber Singers Lark, Part I: Court Song Bernstein
5/8/1998 Chamber Singers Lark, Part I: Soldier’s Song Bernstein
5/8/1998 Chamber Singers Ave Maris Stella Busto
5/8/1998 Chamber Singers Crucifixus Lotti
5/8/1998 Chamber Singers Trois Chansons Bretonnes Badings
5/8/1998 Chamber Singers Mid-Winter Songs Lauridsen
5/8/1998 Chamber Singers Three Mesa Songs Cloud
5/8/1998 Chamber Singers Zion’s Walls Copland
5/8/1998 Chamber Singers Under the Willow Tree from Vanessa Barber
5/8/1998 Chamber Singers I’m Gonna Sing ‘til the Spirit Moves arr. Hogan
5/8/1998 Chamber Singers Red, Red Rose Mulholland
10/30/1998 Chamber Singers Y’susum Midbar arr. Parker
10/30/1998 Chamber Singers Abendlied zu Gott Hayden
10/30/1998 Chamber Singers Christus Factus Est Bruckner
10/30/1998 Chamber Singers Im Herbst Brahms
10/30/1998 Chamber Singers Nachtens, Op. 112, no. 2 Brahms
10/30/1998 Chamber Singers Vita de la mia Vita Hawley
10/30/1998 Chamber Singers Ore Fermate Il Nolo Hawley
10/30/1998 Chamber Singers O Love, Be Fed With Apples Lauridsen
10/30/1998 Chamber Singers Frogs Dinerstein
10/30/1998 Chamber Singers My Lord, What a Mornin’ Burleigh
10/30/1998 Chamber Singers Soon Ah Will Be Done Dawson
10/30/1998 Chamber Singers Bright Morning Star arr. Squartrito
12/5/1998 Winterfest-Chamber Singers Virga Jesse Floruit Johnson, Cory
12/5/1998 Winterfest-Chamber Singers Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day Gardner, arr.
12/5/1998 Winterfest-Chamber Singers Christmas Song Torme/Wells/
Ringwald
5/7/1999 Chamber Singers Super Flumina Babylonis Palestrina
5/7/1999 Chamber Singers Ubi Caritas Duruflé
5/7/1999 Chamber Singers Y’susum Midbar arr. Parker
5/7/1999 Chamber Singers Eyes of All Wait on Thee Berger
5/7/1999 Chamber Singers Soon Ah Will Be Done Dawson
5/7/1999 Chamber Singers My Lord, What a Mornin’ Burleigh
5/7/1999 Chamber Singers Six Madrigals on Italian Text: I, II, III Hawley
173
(Table 6continued)
Date Ensemble Title Composer
5/7/1999 Chamber Singers Vier Notturnos, Op. 22 Herzogenberg
5/7/1999 Chamber Singers Make Our Garden Grow Bernstein/Page
5/7/1999 Chamber Singers Frogs Dinerstein
5/7/1999 Chamber Singers Water Night Whitacre
5/7/1999 Chamber Singers O Love, Be Fed with Apples Lauridsen
5/7/1999 Chamber Singers Lie Lightly Gentle Earth Chihara
5/7/1999 Chamber Singers Porgy and Bess: Selections Geshwin/
Warnick
5/7/1999 Chamber Singers Shenandoah Erb, arr.
Note: DRH = Daniel Recital Hall (CSULB).
174
APPENDIX G
SELECTED SYLLABI FROM COURSES TAUGHT BY
DR. LYNN BIELEFELT AT CSULB
1
Prepared by Lynn Bielefelt, D.M.A.
1
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183
184
185
186
187
188
189
APPENDIX H
TRIBUTE CONCERT: JUNE 3, 2001
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Abstract (if available)

Abstract Dr. Lynn Bielefelt had a strong impact on her students. Throughout her thirteen-year career at California State University, Long Beach, and the University of Southern California, she had a tremendous affect on the people with whom she worked. Her legacy exists in the generation of educators now working in various levels of choral music programs around the United States who have studied under her and have chosen to emulate her teaching practices and style.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Modica, Joseph Gerald (author)

Core Title The life and influence of Dr. Lynn Bielefelt

School Thornton School of Music

Degree Doctor of Musical Arts

Degree Program Choral Music

Publication Date 09/14/2010

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag Bielefelt,Choral Music,OAI-PMH Harvest

Place Name California (states), Long Beach (city or populated place), Los Angeles (city or populated place)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Scheibe, Jo-Michael (committee chair), Strimple, Nick (committee member), Woodward, Sheila C. (committee member)

Creator Email jmodica@usc.edu,joe.modica@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-m3446

Unique identifier UC1299259

Identifier etd-Modica-3852 (filename),usctheses-m40 (legacy collection record id),usctheses-c127-392908 (legacy record id),usctheses-m3446 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-Modica-3852.pdf

Dmrecord 392908

Document Type Dissertation

Rights Modica, Joseph Gerald

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Repository Name Libraries, University of Southern California

Repository Location Los Angeles, California

Repository Email cisadmin@lib.usc.edu