Virtual choir: between technical and aesthetical
Authors: Fu Xinbin 
Published: October 2023

The relevance of the article. The relevance of the research topic is determined by the extraordinary popularity of the remote form of joint choral performance in contemporary musical culture. The virtual choir is a fairly new, but already very widespread form of music-making, which is gradually acquiring new characteristics and functions compared to those that were inherent in its early days.

The main factors of the development of the virtual choir phenomenon can be divided into “evolutionary” (the digitalization of art; the interest of performers in new forms of music making; active development of art therapy and inclusive art practices) and “revolutionary” (the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian war, which, although more localized than the pandemic, involves a very large number of choirs that have been unable to work as usual).

The latter two factors have led to a quantitative explosion of virtual projects, as well as significant changes in their focus, structure, functions, and composition of performers, etc. that require appropriate scientific understanding.

The purpose of the research is to analyze and systematize existing studies of the virtual choir and to make up a strategy for its comprehensive research.

The methodology. The study of the available scientific literature on the phenomenon of the virtual choir was carried out using the tools of systematic, textual comparative and comprehensive analysis.

The results. The main scientific works on the virtual choir are systematized in four main areas: socio-psychological, technical, didactic and historical. It was found that musicology, choral studies and interpretation aspects have been studied very briefly. Most of the works reveal certain inaccuracies in the presentation of the history of virtual choral performance (except for Сayari), as well as some contradictions in the results of previous studies. In addition, the article raises the question of the conformity of the studied phenomenon with the concept of “virtual choir”.

The scientific novelty. For the first time, the research provides a systematic review of scientific papers about the virtual choir, revealing the current trend towards the study of non-musical aspects.

The practical significance. The materials of the article can be used in practical activities of conductors and choristers, as well as in the educational process of training conductors, choirmasters and vocalists in conditions of remote work.

Conclusions. Scientific comprehension of the phenomenon of the virtual choir is active, but rather limited. Most often, it acts as a certain aesthetic phenomenon that should replace (mostly temporarily) the work of “live” choirs during social cataclysms that limit the possibility of creative communication between people. That is why the most relevant areas of research are socio-psychological and technical. At the same time, many works raise the question of the legality of using the term “virtual choir” for this multimedia activity, which, according to experts, has little in common with both the choir and virtuality. As a matter of fact, the lack of musicological, choral, interpretological investigations, typical for traditional choral activity, revealed within the scope of this study indirectly confirms this idea. The first step on the way to further scientific development of this topic should be a multi-faceted analysis of the current activity of virtual choirs.