Achieving good choral blend requires which of the following?

• A. Uniformity of vowel formation and tone, minimal vibrato, self-monitoring
• B. Increasing vibrato for expressiveness
• C. Emphasizing individual prominence
• D. Focusing on consonants only

Answer: (A)

Sounding as a single unit comes from aligning the way the choir shapes vowels and the overall tone, along with keeping a steady, restrained vibrato and staying attuned to one another. When singers form the same vowels and produce a similar resonance, the ensemble’s sound becomes cohesive rather than a collection of individual voices, so the blend is heard as one voice. A consistent tone across the section—neither too bright nor too dark—and a quiet, controlled vibrato help maintain that unity, since large or irregular vibrato tends to create separations between voices. Self-monitoring—listening to peers, adjusting pitch and vowel shaping, and matching dynamic and color—lets each singer contribute to the common sound rather than standing out.

Raising vibrato for expressiveness can fragment the blend, and emphasizing individual prominence or focusing only on consonants would undermine the vowel shaping and tone that make the choir sound unified.