It’s important for each singer to know where they stand in the musical tapestry at any moment.
I like to talk about three tiers of musical information:
- Foreground – this is what we want our audience to be paying attention to.
- Background – this is essential musical elements that support what’s in the foreground.
- Midground – this is something like a countermelody, descant, or other featured line that supports the foreground but is more significant than the background.
In my experience, just knowing how your part fits into these tiers is enough to sing with appropriate attention to tone, dynamics, etc. to make the piece properly balanced.
Circa 2024, though, there are current terms that fit perfectly with these.
If you have the foreground, sing with Main Character Energy.
If you have the background, sing like you’re an NPC.
If you have the midground, sing with Sidekick energy.