low moments on the director scene (funny)
  • mmeladirectress
    Posts: 1,100
    Our little adult choir was looking at a simple old hymn I'd found in a drawer, "Jesus Christ the King of Ages",
    in which there's a line "Be supreme, O Christ, and reign"

    I took care to point out how carefully we should enunciate supreme, O Christ, so as not to sing 'supremo', like a pizza, and they did well with it.
    As one they all chorused, "Be supreme, O Christ, an' drain."

    maybe you have one of these to contribute?
    Thanked by 1JulieColl
  • Andrew_Malton
    Posts: 1,187
    Cue sacred Mondegreens.

    Gladly, the Cross-Eyed Bear
    All Because Of The Bloody Shed
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,980
    Mine was not in the choir loft but related. We have a large hymn board - I mean large, around 50 pounds, and over 6 feet high - to the side of the sanctuary. Many of my folks can't handle it, so I change it and lift it up over my head and hang it on the wall every Sunday. I was moving back and forth, putting numbers on the board, checking the numbers against my music listing, and flipping it up in the air and catching it low enough on the board so I could get it onto the hangers. I am not a tall person. Anyway, I went back to the loft and noticed my fly had been unzipped the entire time. I never aspired to be a Chippendale dancer nor strip on a stage, so I wasn't pleased with providing entertainment for the congregation. However, I hope they enjoyed themselves.
    Thanked by 1Salieri
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    The hymn for modernity:

    My God, I love thee not,
    because I hope for heaven thereby.

    Where's Lynn Truss when you need her!?
  • MaryAnn Carr WilsonMaryAnn Carr Wilson
    Posts: 1,738
    Back when I didn't know any better (but had a suspicion) and sang with a life teen band, I tried in vain to get folks to enunciate, "let it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ear". With the emotionally charged suspension and rhythm, it never failed to sound like, "let it be a sweet, sweet sound. In yourrrrear". I do not miss that one bit.

    Charles W, LOL!!
    Thanked by 1CharlesW
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,415
    Speaking of dropping syllables or running things together, I have yet to hear a choir of any repute, high, low, in between, pronounce all the syllables of 'magnificat' in Bach's ecstatic setting thereof. Every choir will inevitably sing 'magni-cat' with the 'fi' audible hardly, if at all. Sometimes there is the hint of an 'f', but no 'fi'. And, of course, that 'fi' following a dot is crucially important to the energetic rhythm that Bach wrote!

    Some of the above examples illustrate the great difficulty of the good, clean, distinct pronunciation of final and initial consonants, especially if they are identical. This leads to many linguistic malapropisms. I have even encountered choirmasters who should know better, even choral directors of high repute, who directed that such words be run together. No choir of mine will ever get off so lightly.
    Thanked by 1a_f_hawkins
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,216
    Here is a performance from around 1990, with some 'fi's. Whether it is hi-fi or lo-fi I leave to you. :-)
    magnificat-opening.mp3
    643K
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,415
    Hmmm, nice try, but...
    I'd say it's rather 'lo-fi' -
    yes, if you listen carefully you can detect those 'fis'.
    Thanked by 1chonak
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    Charles - Been there, done that. Many times. I now make a point of checking my zip before I put the hymns up. Just remember: Semper ubi sub ubi. (My High School Latin Teacher had a tee-shirt with this on it that he wore to school on "dress-down day" every so often.)
    Thanked by 1CharlesW
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,510
    We had a double choir planned for the Sunday Corpus Christi Mass and procession. 30 children, 20 adults, robes, an outdoor altar.

    -Monday evening, adult choir rehearsal with walk through
    -Wednesday afternoon, youth schola rehearsal with walkthrough.

    Thursday was my day off. Friday at about noon I walked into the loft to find that a full industrial scaffold had been set up in the loft in order to replace the ceiling light fixtures over the following weeks.
    Thanked by 1mmeladirectress
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