1st combine choir practise

The Singing...
I would have liked to listen more to the choral parts. Together with the instruments we sounded ok.

Boo boos in scores....
The scores were a bit messy. Different choirs had different scores. Logistics could be better improved upon.

Knowing what to do....
I thought cow mummy would be doing what she has always done at the choir practises....direct each section to sing their parts...merge 2 parts at a time...then gradually all the parts...then add the instruments. But cow mummy was extremely low key and we kind of drifted and wasted a lot of time.

Soli Deo Gloria....
Actually I know about the clashing chords. Worked it out with Jackie to listen out to how it would sound. Unfortunately there was that Purist around who wanted things to sound like the CD.

Well...
1. I have not heard the CD
2. I don't think we need to follow CD
3. We are not doing CD arrangement anyway
4. Only NON-MUSICAL people FOLLOW CD

Then again, objectively speaking....
Choral 4-part OR clashing Pipe organ chords with non-harmonised unison singing.
That was the intention of Marty Haughen....
It is always important to study the composer's intent.

The 4-part harmony was to be done accapella....imagine quiet angels singing....the serenity would have been brought out by the harmonies. Observe the lyrics, "All praise for music....." the 4-part harmony was intended for word painting.

The climax at verse 6, which we are not singing has the following lyrics, "A billion voices in one great song....." with clashing dissonant harmonies from the pipe organ.

Can clashing chords work with the 4-part harmony?
It is really a matter of taste. You either like it or you don't.
I really love the musical tension....which obviously made a few people darn uncomfortable.

Do I need to PLEASE that ONE uncomfortable person?
Not really.
He is not the one playing.
The one who wants to complain should just come and play it instead.....
I can jolly well go home.
I'll be quite happy.

Ok Seriously speaking....
Speaking as a PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN.
If you've only encountered grade 8 harmony, yep dissonances don't work well with 4-part harmony.
If you've encountered music that transcends over and above grade 8 harmony, you'd agree with me that dissonances are suppose to be just that, DISSONANCES....its beauty lie in the SHOCK factor.

So, you want beautiful music that is all HARMONISED....also can.
You want beautiful music with that extra EDGE....yep, that was what I was after....you'd throw in the dissonanct chords for that added omph!

I also realise that if you absolutely hate it, you can jolly well LEAVE....which was the reaction that Stravinsky experienced when he introduced jarring dissonant chords to ballet in the Parisan audience....who booed at that inovation. Yet, now with wisdom of hindsight, we all know that Stravinsky's RITE OF SPRING is probably one of the most exciting piece of ballet music if we can just put away our steareotype of beautiful tutus and ballerinas on point.