Thanks, I'm swamped in A Catholic Organist's Book of Hymns chorale preludes that need written right now...I'm sort of challenged by the two part thought right now, will see what happens next!
I'm working on a 5-part SSATB ... How many bases are there anyway? Finally going to use the cool sounds of large major second dyads vs small major second dyads. Of course my pile of work-to-do is threatening to topple over and fill the few remaining free spots on my studio floor, so ...
A different one, written for Baritones and Mezzo Sopranos. I find many choirs unable to sing softly, and like having a couple of pieces in their repertoire that I can use to impress upon them how necessary it is to be able to sing softly, quietly interrupting silence. There's also something lovely about mezzo's singing low pitches softly while baritones sing high d's (for them) softly as well. Thanks for the inspiration to do this, Salieri. Please give your choir my regards and appreciation for singing my music. It was written for them.
Noel, maybe I'm just being thick-headed at the end of the weekend, but when I look at the two versions posted at the beginning of this discussion, it looks like the TB version was transposed down a major 7th, but the key signature did not change. Is my computer doing something strange, or my eyes?
I'd love to blame it on anything but the truth...somehow I did this and failed to catch the problem. Thanks for catching this and I have updated it to the right version!
Francis, sure, if you'll pay me in Mass intentions (for a job, for my son who will start his undergraduate work at a public institution with an abysmal Newman Center this August--he's already planned out how to come home on weekends to assist at the EF, which will be a 4 1/2 hour round trip as home is almost exactly in the center of a line connecting university and parish!, and multitudinous other situations.)
Noel, I've been there, done that! It is a lovely piece and a refuge for those of us with smaller scholae who can do two-part well and SAB on occasion.
Noel, I finally got around to looking at the M/B setting--also a winner, thank you. I see that you think about baritones in the same way as I do, i.e., they really are a flexible middle male voice with notes on both ends of the spectrum. This one will be fun for the young guys in my schola (16, already a young bass with a huge range whose voice has been changing over this past year with the schola; 13, definitely in the cambiata range but a solid part-holding alto; and 13, in the cambiata stage but with more and more low notes appearing daily--he also plays piano, so he 'gets' the directive to 'pick whatever part has the notes that are working today'.)
Thank you for posting this! Yesterday I was thinking about having our schola sing it SA as written, and then also have our men sing what the altos are singing, only an octave lower. (We struggle with polyphony, and perhaps this would 1) allow everyone to sing, 2) give it a more "full" sound, and 3) help the altos and basses/baritones sing better by keeping them together.) Is this a good idea?
I have always noticed that when men and women sing together, the men are almost always "behind". By doing this and have them facing each other it could really help! I am not sure why this happens - it may be something as simple the higher notes being easier to start than lower notes of the men.
Organs can act that way too. Asking the men to lead the altos might help. If you give them the idea you have confidence in their ability to do this, it hight happen.
It's great to hear from someone who has not given up and just puts up with the singers they have singing the way they always have!
Gives me an idea for something to compose for your group!
Wow--I recorded the three parts on my keyboard just now and it sounds absolutely beautiful! Thank you for writing this. It will make our schola so happy to be able to sing a piece that sounds so elevated and mysterious! I can't wait to tell them about this on Sunday evening.
Without getting all technical about it, I am hopeful that this will work to get your men listening more closely to the other parts and coordinating their attacks with them. But, like vegetables, we probably shouldn't tell them this might be good for them!
To participate in the discussions on Catholic church music, sign in or register as a forum member, The forum is a project of the Church Music Association of America.