An anthem for Palm Sunday, Hosanna in the Highest. And it is indeed high, for sopranos and altos. I had the choice of losing part of my voice, mouthing quite a bit of it, or singing with the 1st tenors. I went with the tenors. They had some interesting notes. Not particularly high or low (for the men; don’t know about the women in the tenor section, of which there are several regulars), but there were some unusually hard to learn intervals.
I think it turned out well. I love watching the bell players, let alone listening to them. Now on to Easter.
Recorded at Christ Community Church, Carmichael, California on April 2, 2023. Excerpted from youtu.be/e_FEVsj7adk
Thank you! I really do enjoy this time. All was themed for Palm Sunday this week, and Easter is coming right up, two more rehearsals and two services.
I have been posting just the anthems, but we do a full set of hymns each week as well, more music than with any other choir I've belonged to (this is my 6th). Many of us are sight-singers, and there isn't much rehearsal for the service music (the music other than the anthem). Some of us read it, and some go from memory. Us readers sing the right notes, and the others sing whatever they remember.
The livestream recordings make it possible for us to see and hear what we have done. For most of my choir career I only heard my section and possibly the one or two that were adjacent, and all I saw was the sheet music and people at a distance. But I would listen to and collect other recorded choir music.
We had a number of glitches this particular morning, which we took in stride. Two of the choir members are also camera operators, and at the beginning of the run-through they noticed the absence of any operators at the cameras. They went down to see if they could help, but then one operator surfaced that wasn't in the choir, and livestream ran with the other (left) camera fixed.
The funniest thing was when we reached the closing hymn. The director's mind skipped a beat and he appeared to be wanting to proceed with the benediction, but we just stood there with our music open, looking slightly puzzled, ready to sing while he looked even more puzzled. He's a professional jazz pianist, not to mention church organist, but directing choir, bells, and more is relatively new for him. Finally, one of the accompanists, the pianist I think, started playing the intro and he began directing. We sang, and then laughed about it afterwards.
Competing with that was earlier when communion was served and the servers forgot about the choir (we normally would have exited for that and I guess they didn't know we were remaining up). Finally, a couple of them got the idea. It was rather rushed. Things like this make the day more memorable.
Church choirs and traditional music and services are vanishing in these parts (Northern California). I am grateful that we were led to this one.
I didn't realize there was that sort of confusion going on -- the finished product is lovely!
That's funny, when I was a kid, my mom played organ and piano for our Baptist church. When she was young she had played piano and accordion in a trio during the Big Band era. At night she'd play in bars, and during the day funerals and church services.
I have never been in a choir, tried to take choir in middle school but ended up getting my tonsils yanked a month or so in, and that was the end of that! Oh, well! Now I'm Catholic, and the pipe organ covers a multitude of missed notes from the parishioners.
Actually, our choir is amazing, but we don't have very good recording ability for the music. It's so beautiful it frequently moves me to tears of happiness to hear it! It's always such a blessing when musically talented folks share!
The anthem went smoothly. There were some problems with difficult intervals in the harmony parts, at page turns no less, and I was part of the problem, even after spending a couple of hours at home (spaced out) trying to set them in memory, but I wasn't the only one and I didn't notice it in the recording. There is something that happens up there that I can't describe.
Our Easter anthem is Easter Hymn of Praise, arranged by Mary McDonald. The alto part is in the alto range and I will be back with my section, no mouthing needed. We're putting finishing touches on it this week.
I joined my church choir when I was 42, 30 years ago, and _then_ learned to sing, as best I could. I took group lessons at first, and then private lessons. It helped, but I am no soloist. In a regular church choir it doesn't matter as much. Blending is important. Music is the thing.
I'm in awe of the real musicians in this choir. I'm there for "fill". There were too many tenors and not enough altos, because some of the women sing tenor, so I switched to alto to help even it out. It took a few months, but I brought my range up. The other altos go a little higher, and sometimes I do too.
Choir members have to not be moved to tears. When the tears start, the singing stops. It's easier when you have rehearsed it over and over.
Yes. The first time through can sometimes be the most difficult, and this choir can often start cold and make it all the way through, first time (and some of them have done it before). Sometimes the lyrics don't sink in right away. But when we sing in front of the congregation the feeling still comes across. If the anthem is particularly moving, we don't have to be reminded of the dynamics. We feel them, and it affects our singing. As I said, there is something that happens that I can't describe.
That was a lovely rendition, thank you for sharing it!
Easter is so beautiful in the church!
Thank you! I really do enjoy this time. All was themed for Palm Sunday this week, and Easter is coming right up, two more rehearsals and two services.
I have been posting just the anthems, but we do a full set of hymns each week as well, more music than with any other choir I've belonged to (this is my 6th). Many of us are sight-singers, and there isn't much rehearsal for the service music (the music other than the anthem). Some of us read it, and some go from memory. Us readers sing the right notes, and the others sing whatever they remember.
The livestream recordings make it possible for us to see and hear what we have done. For most of my choir career I only heard my section and possibly the one or two that were adjacent, and all I saw was the sheet music and people at a distance. But I would listen to and collect other recorded choir music.
We had a number of glitches this particular morning, which we took in stride. Two of the choir members are also camera operators, and at the beginning of the run-through they noticed the absence of any operators at the cameras. They went down to see if they could help, but then one operator surfaced that wasn't in the choir, and livestream ran with the other (left) camera fixed.
The funniest thing was when we reached the closing hymn. The director's mind skipped a beat and he appeared to be wanting to proceed with the benediction, but we just stood there with our music open, looking slightly puzzled, ready to sing while he looked even more puzzled. He's a professional jazz pianist, not to mention church organist, but directing choir, bells, and more is relatively new for him. Finally, one of the accompanists, the pianist I think, started playing the intro and he began directing. We sang, and then laughed about it afterwards.
Competing with that was earlier when communion was served and the servers forgot about the choir (we normally would have exited for that and I guess they didn't know we were remaining up). Finally, a couple of them got the idea. It was rather rushed. Things like this make the day more memorable.
Church choirs and traditional music and services are vanishing in these parts (Northern California). I am grateful that we were led to this one.
I didn't realize there was that sort of confusion going on -- the finished product is lovely!
That's funny, when I was a kid, my mom played organ and piano for our Baptist church. When she was young she had played piano and accordion in a trio during the Big Band era. At night she'd play in bars, and during the day funerals and church services.
I have never been in a choir, tried to take choir in middle school but ended up getting my tonsils yanked a month or so in, and that was the end of that! Oh, well! Now I'm Catholic, and the pipe organ covers a multitude of missed notes from the parishioners.
Actually, our choir is amazing, but we don't have very good recording ability for the music. It's so beautiful it frequently moves me to tears of happiness to hear it! It's always such a blessing when musically talented folks share!
The anthem went smoothly. There were some problems with difficult intervals in the harmony parts, at page turns no less, and I was part of the problem, even after spending a couple of hours at home (spaced out) trying to set them in memory, but I wasn't the only one and I didn't notice it in the recording. There is something that happens up there that I can't describe.
Our Easter anthem is Easter Hymn of Praise, arranged by Mary McDonald. The alto part is in the alto range and I will be back with my section, no mouthing needed. We're putting finishing touches on it this week.
I joined my church choir when I was 42, 30 years ago, and _then_ learned to sing, as best I could. I took group lessons at first, and then private lessons. It helped, but I am no soloist. In a regular church choir it doesn't matter as much. Blending is important. Music is the thing.
I'm in awe of the real musicians in this choir. I'm there for "fill". There were too many tenors and not enough altos, because some of the women sing tenor, so I switched to alto to help even it out. It took a few months, but I brought my range up. The other altos go a little higher, and sometimes I do too.
Choir members have to not be moved to tears. When the tears start, the singing stops. It's easier when you have rehearsed it over and over.
So you have to get past the emotional response in early practice at home -- makes sense!
Yes. The first time through can sometimes be the most difficult, and this choir can often start cold and make it all the way through, first time (and some of them have done it before). Sometimes the lyrics don't sink in right away. But when we sing in front of the congregation the feeling still comes across. If the anthem is particularly moving, we don't have to be reminded of the dynamics. We feel them, and it affects our singing. As I said, there is something that happens that I can't describe.