Your choirs/choruses

Mathmaniac · Post by **Mathmaniac** » 15 years ago

Anyone sing in a choir/chorus, either secular or sacred (or both)? What part do you sing? Which songs/pieces do you sing?

At the Catholic Center at my university, we just started a performance choir as a seperate entity from the music ministry. We had our first concert yesterday, singing several songs from the Gather books, but also Prayer of the Children, Sicut Cervus, and Sixteen Tons (only secular piece). I am currently the only Tenor out of 8 in the coed group (2 Sopranos, 2 Altos, 1 Tenor, 3 Baritones/Basses)

We are also starting to prepare for our Christmas concert in 5 weeks (yikes!). Songs like Lo' How a Rose E'er Blooming and Gaudete, along with standards like Hark the Herald and O Come All Ye Faithful (both with the Wilcox arrangements).

Digs · Post by **Digs** » 15 years ago

I would really like to, however I could not carry a tune if my life depended on it

I am much better at listening to others that have the talent. I am afraid that I would just get looks like this,

if I tried to sing anything. Oh well, I do admire those that do have the talent and share it with those of us that do not.
Digs

Urs · Post by **Urs** » 15 years ago

As a boy I was chorister in our school coirs and then in the choir of a convent school. There we supported the High Mass of the monastary. Later on I sung in the Swiss Television Choir.

After years of musical inactivity (no time bacause of business...) I joined a small choir. I sing in the bass register. There are about 4 voices per register.

We have a very mixed repertoire and try to perform one concert per year.

Last concert we sung Missa Papae Marcelli from Palaestrine together with a modern piece from a contemporary Swiss composer Walter Baer.

Just now we are practising Paul Hindemiths "Six Chansons" and "Waltzes for four voices an four hands", about 30 small pieces from Brahms.

We already performed several stiles including Jazz.

I'ts quite fun because its a choir where we are forced to practise at home. So in the rehearsals we can concentrate on making music together and not on surching the tone.

DrewE · Post by **DrewE** » 15 years ago

I'm a part of a choir that's starting to get together at my church, singing tenor. We've been a bit set back lately because the director is recovering from back surgery and isn't permitted to travel by car. We don't do anything too difficult or fancy, so far just four-part hymns or similar sorts of arrangements.

Digs wrote:I would really like to, however I could not carry a tune if my life depended on it :( I am much better at listening to others that have the talent. I am afraid that I would just get looks like this, :shock: if I tried to sing anything. Oh well, I do admire those that do have the talent and share it with those of us that do not.

At least 95% of talent comes from practice. If you can hear the difference between things having the correct pitch and being off, you can learn to carry a tune. (So said a music professor in a theory course I took in college, and it's true. There was a fairly large deaf population at RIT, where I went to school, so there were some people around who were genuinely unable to carry a tune. None happened to be in the same section of the music theory class, though.)

xsakurax · Post by **xsakurax** » 15 years ago

I used to be in the school choir in secondary school, but ever since I have graduated, I'm not part of a choir group anymore.

I kind of missed the days the choir practices together. It is so much fun and helps to de-stress after a long day at school.

I'm a soprano, but I can't really sing high, neither can I sing low. And seriously, I can't really carry a tune either. I usually sings too flat or monotonous and I kind of suspect I'm tone-deaf too. That's really sad.

But all the time, I'll try my best and I really enjoy singing as a group.

I can't remember the songs we sang, some pop songs, quite a few of classics, and disney songs as well. "When you believe" is one of my favourite and "Somewhere over the rainbow".

TEB · Post by **TEB** » 15 years ago

I did sing in school, actually part of a boys quartet until my voice broke. I do have a fairly good alto/tenor voice as long as there are intruments to sing with.
I won't sing with my church's choir though, because, to be honest, they like to sing to pre-recorded music instead of using our extremely talented keyboardist. Plus, their choice of music leaves alot to be desired of. Nothing traditional at all. And certainly nothing to match our boys here.