musical musings...

That hosea piece....

Singing a cappella was a great suggestion.

BUT....
1. We should plan a cappella singing before the a cappella singing. Today's one was a last minute suggestion.
2. My personal thoughts is that for a cappella singing, because the voices are SooooooEXPOSED. More care should have gone into the preparation. There should be more care in the diction, phrasing, dynamics, shaping. We were to MONOTONE. And if I'm not wrong, the altos were not there. And I think neither were the basses. We only had strong sopranoes and tenors.
3. When I think of the style and instruments, I shall consider the possibility of good pieces for a cappella singing.

***
Now is it AH-lleluia?
or
'H'all-eluiah?
or
'HA'-lleluiah?
or
alle-LU-iah?

Does anybody know? In my Roger Kamien MUSIC APPRECIATION recording, it is sung, 'HA-lleluiah'.

***
Can we remind people that allelluiah is sung almost non-legato. There should be that very punctuated dry silence at each rest that follows each declamation of allelluiah.

Now, from what I hear, we are ALL over holding to each alleluiah.
So instead of sounding uplifted and NEAT.
Sorry folks, we actually sound very DRAGGY and UNTIDY.

Then again, that is superego's problem hmmm.....?????
*****

Ok now for a more technical analysis of why is this such a GREAT piece of music?
I shall just name 3 today.

No. 1.
The piece is an excellent tapestry of variety of choral textures (huh?)
ok.... plain language:
POLYPHONY: many staggered entries....eg. and he shall reign...and he shall reign...and he shall reign.....
MONOPHONY: the phrase: 'for the lord God omnipotent reighth."
HOMOPHONY: the opening 'Hallelujah'

No. 2
Excellent word painting.
eg. The kingdom of this world......
notice the slow speed and descending scale. Shows the miserable state and the temporal nature of this kingdom.
'is become THE KINGDOM OF OUR LORD x2'
this part gets louder, optimistic, vibrant with trumpets, and it is repeated twice for emphasis and glory!!!!
2 kingdoms with such contrast of colours and mood.
So which kingdom are you swayed to?

No. 3.
Now try not to imagine svdp, with the poor choir tucked away in one corner at the back.
Think of huge, opulent baroque chapels with huge ceilings and choir lofts and REAL pipe organs.
The clever antiphonal play, think.....
KING OF KINGS......forever, and ever, and ever.....
Then the voices switch around.
Now if you are seated in the congregation...ala down below.
With the choirs belting out from above you.....ala....up in the choir lofts.
With piped sounds emerging from behind the alter...
Don't you just feel like you are in HEAVEN????
I think it was a baroque attempt and STEREO effect around the church. You don't even need speakers!

***
The wizard has spoken....

1. I sometimes wonder do the youths understand MINISTRY?
I taught the altos today.
hellooooooo!
Are they mannuiquins or models striking a pose?
Apparently they have mastered the art of singing with NO SOUND.
hmmmm......
I thought last weeks' HIGH LARYNX SINGING drastically shortened the singing lifespan.
Now singing with NO SOUND definitely wins the day.
Total preservation of the voice. Sing with NO SOUND and your voice is guaranteed to last a lifetime.

****
2. Why do they insist that the 2 scores are different?
Well they are different and yet they are not different. Am I making sense here?
The music is by HANDEL.
Now no kacang puteh will dare to alter a note of the GREAT HANDEL!
But, of course these are 2 different editions.
So of course there will be notational differences.
But that is minor.
And yet.....the wizard hears quite a huge hoohah....
Ok, this wizard is ultra-sensitive.