I know you are all thinking, "The Choral Guild's next concert on Sunday, March 6 at 4 pm at the Northside Drive Baptist Church is going to be opera and Broadway music. They even have an interesting title for the program called 'A Chorus Line Up.' But, what does that mean? Why should I come to the concert?"

Well, first of all, several of the singers have brought in arias and solos that they are interested in singing as part of the program, and there are some very talented vocalists in the group who are going to impress you with their versions of favorites by Mozart, Rodgers, Delibes, Verdi and Arlen. Also, I have copied the program notes below from our website to pique your interest in the pieces to be sung by the full chorus.

“Comedy Tonight” Medley - Stephen Sondheim (b.1930), arr. Robert Page
“Comedy Tonight” from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
“The Little Things You Do Together” from Company
“Send in the Clowns” from A Little Night Music
“Old Friends” from Merrily We Roll Along
Stephen Sondheim is widely acknowledged as the most innovative, most influential and most important composer and lyricist in modern Broadway history. Robert Page expertly arranges four familiar Sondheim melodies around the “comedy” theme in this enjoyable collection, including one of Sondheim’s most enduring songs “Send in the Clowns.”

“Chorus of Wedding Guests” from Lucia di Lammermoor - Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
This chorus celebrates the marriage of Lucia to Enrico who tricks her into marrying him instead of her true love, Edgaro. The story is based on the novel written by Sir Walter Scott. This is a high-spirited chorus that offers a moment of brightness before tragedy ensues.

“Habanera” from Carmen - Georges Bizet (1838-1875)
The enticing aria and accompanying chorus is sung by the gypsy Carmen in an effort to seduce the corporal Don José. The story is based on a short novel by Prosper Mérimée. Bizet adapted the descending, chromatic melody from the Spanish song “El Arreglito” by composer Iradier.

“Anvil Chorus” from Il Trovatore - Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Another opera set in Spain, this one is based on a play by Antonio Garcia Guitiérrez. The heavy accents suggest the striking of anvils by the gypsies earning their living as tinkers as they sing about the new day – along with various pleasures including work, wine and women.

“Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves” from Nabucco - Verdi
This is arguably Verdi’s most famous melody and was adapted by the Italians as a song of patriotism shortly after its premier at La Scala opera house in Milan. The words are a paraphrase of Psalm 137, when the Israelites lament the loss of their homeland as part of the story of the Jews living in Babylonian exile in 586 B.C.

“Dido’s Lament and Final Chorus” from Dido and Aeneas - Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Using a ground bass and the interval of a descending fourth as traditional musical features of Italian laments, Purcell recreates the drama of the heartbroken Dido as she mourns the loss of her beloved Aeneas through the trickery of a sorceress.

“Bridal Chorus” from Lohengrin - Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Weddings seem to always attract trouble in opera, and this chorus, ironically used frequently in modern wedding ceremonies, is no exception. The happy couple, Elsa and Lohengrin, is being escorted into their bridal chamber immediately following their nuptials, which represents the most joyous period of their ill-fated marriage.

“Brindisi” from La Traviata - Verdi
The duet between lovers Alfredo and Violetta, along with accompanying chorus, may first appear to be nothing more than a coarse drinking song, but as they pledge their love to each other, the piece develops into a tribute to youth, beauty and pleasure. The story is based on the novel La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas..

“Neighbors’ Chorus” from La Jolie Parfumese - Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880)
In Offenbach's comic opera, the original Neighbors’ Chorus is a raucous morning-after song to a bride and groom. The singing neighbors are waking up the honeymooning couple and teasing the groom about whether or not his bride fulfilled her wifely duty. The English version was deliberately re-written for performance choirs to portray the woman as a prospective girlfriend who breaks a date.

“The Best of All Possible Worlds” from Candide - Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), arr. Robert Page
This excerpt from the musical based on the French satirical novella, Candide or The Optimist by Voltaire, describes a scene where the young man, Candide, is being given a lesson on blind optimism by his instructor, Pangloss. The use of tongue-in-cheek, nonsensical explanations for the hardships of the world was a political commentary of the time. We hear in this portion the over-simplified reasoning that “all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds.”

I know, if you've read this far, you are interested in at least ONE of the pieces above. So, make plans now to join us!

Christmas is coming

Well, of course I had big plans to post here about all the pieces we are singing on the Christmas concert. So, here it is, just a few days before, and I am running out of time to talk about all the many interesting facts and tidbits about the music. All I can say is how impressed I continue to be by the singers in the group and their musicality both individually and as an ensemble. This is going to be a fun program and one that will bring the joy of the holidays to all who attend. The concert will be on December 12 at 4 pm at Northside Drive Baptist Church in Atlanta, 30305. Please come and experience all that the music has to share with us. Also, come and find out which carols got the most mentions by audience members and singers alike as we will sing several of those together as part of this special program. See you there!

Dancing Day

I did a little research into one of our carols on the December program which by the blog title you could probably figure out is Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day. Its language suggests that it was written in the 1700's although no one knows when it was penned exactly. The carol actually has eleven stanzas encompassing the entire life of Christ from birth to death with Christ himself referring to his own birth as his "dancing day." You can find the complete carol at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomorrow_Shall_Be_My_Dancing_Day. It is thought by some that the dance imagery is used by the carol author in reference to the old Germanic tradition of dancing around the creche or manger to the music of those carols written in 3/4 time, like "Away in a Manger." The version we are singing is one of the most well-known choral settings of the carol which uses dance rhythms to effectively evoke the meaning of the text. What other setting of this text have you sung?
Speaking of singing, my agenda for the rehearsal tonight includes the above mentioned piece as well as:
Personent Hodie
Silent Night
Out of the Orient
E'en So Lord Jesus
Bogoroditse Devo
Betelehemu
Hear the Bells Ring
See you tonight!
Clair

Holiday Songs for all!

We need your help (whoever is reading this!) to decide which songs are your favorites to sing during the holiday season. The most mentioned carols will be sung by the audience and the Choral Guild at our concert on Sunday, December 12 at 4 pm at Northside Drive Baptist Church in Atlanta. E-mail me or comment with your titles (and other information if necessary) soon! Thanks for your input!

Christmas concert line up

Many of you have been asking, so here is the schedule of music for our Christmas concert on December 12 and each one's country of origin as it is a collection (of sorts) of Christmas Around the World:
Personent Hodie
E'en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come - Manz, USA
Out of the Orient Crystal Skies - Zgodava, Czechoslovakia?
Bogoroditse Devo from Vespers - Rachmaninoff, Russia
Betelehemu - traditional, Nigeria
Infant Holy, Infant Lowly - traditional, Poland
Quem vidistis from Four Motets - Poulenc, France
The Shepherds' Chorus from Amahl and the Night Visitors - Menotti, Italy/USA
Balulalow - Warlock, Scotland
Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day - Gardner, England
Silent Night - traditional, arr. Polay
Hear the Bells Ring - Dave Brubeck
Deck the Halls, arr. McKelvy
See you back at it tonight at rehearsal!

Inspirational!

I can't remember the last time I had such fun at a concert! Usually, the conductor has to worry about entrances, ensemble, tempo, balance and the like and hope a couple of places come together the day of the performance. Don't get me wrong, I had some of those tasks to attend to at the concert last Sunday, but not very many of them during the program. The singers have been working very hard and had the music very well under their singing belts, so to speak. (Dare I say memorized??) It was true pleasure to sit back and allow the music to wash over me as I heard the Choral Guild and my Chancel Choir from St. Luke's Presbyterian Church making glorious music together. The soloists added unique flavor to the spirituals and the Gospel Mass, and I found myself, as did the audience, caught up in the spirit and the excitement. Great job singers and musicians and thanks to all who came and joined us in this unique experience. It is one I will not soon forget - - now, on to Christmas!

Lots of people

It seems that I have been auditioning singers for a month now. Actually, I have, more or less. It began with the initial interest that happens each fall when people are back from summer, back to the routine, and looking for something new or a new thing to begin. Musically speaking, for most non-music professionals, that usually means singing in a choir or chorus. The many and varied interests, backgrounds and jobs people have are always so interesting to me. And, to listen to people explain or talk about what they do (and, really, who they are) is fascinating. This is truly one of the reasons why I do what I do. (Does this fascinate you??) Having the opportunity for one on one contact when I mostly encounter the musicians that I work with in groups at a time is a privilege for me. I get to make additional connections with people who are committing to spending regular time out of their busy lives in one of my musical groups. Just last night, I re-auditioned all current members of the Guild. I had lots of fun remembering things about and hearing opinions from the singers who I have now come to know by name, person and character over the last year or so. There were, of course, things that I had forgotten about each person as well as brand new things that I had never had the chance to know until just yesterday. The way music has the ability to bring people together beyond the music itself is humbling, and it just goes to show how amazingly diverse we all are as people and the universal appeal of music across all boundaries.