Sure Foundation

Music and lyrics by Mark Hayes

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It’s choir season again. This short piece was quite enjoyable to put together. Dare I say fun? Somebody forgot to bring the choir mics up for the livestream before we started, but oh well. The last verse, with sopranos and tenors singing one set of lyrics at octaves while altos and basses sing a different set, was a surprise to us when we first ran through it, but it just takes a little getting used to.

I had decided to take a break from choir for health reasons after having significant problems at the first two rehearsals (and sitting down, mostly), but something went off in my head the Friday before we sang this piece, and I decided I was not going to be sitting this one out if I could possibly help it. And somehow it all worked out (but was I busy practicing the day before).

A lot of us are not going up and down risers like we used to, and one of the altos recently fell off the bottom step. She’s OK and recovering and was singing with us, but wow. I’m one of the slowest to stand up — balance problems. That’s me on the back row right, 2nd in, last to finish getting up (I’m going to have to work on that), and holding the music close to make it out (and the folder somehow grows heavier year by year). Memorizing doesn’t work so well any more either. This body’s seen better days, but singing helps keep it going.

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Recorded at Christ Community Church, Carmichael, California
September 17, 2023
Excerpted from: youtu.be/tbb0-OiNaaY