How cold is too cold to sing?

I think the answer to this question was realized last night when I was forced to make a decision on whether or not to cancel my chamber choir rehearsal.

The air temperature settled in at around -30 c last night (-22 f), and with the wind chill it felt like -46 c (-50 f). Today the air temperature was below -40 (both c and f) again, but at least the wind has slowed down. However, the ice fog made the visibility near nil. Most things in the northern metropolis continue as usual in any winter weather - we are well seasoned here, and bundling up in this weather to take on the elements gives us all a sense of pride, and helps us laugh at the places south of us that shut down when a half-inch drift of snow passes over them. "Wimps" we say to them.

However, far be it from me to make a chorister drive in these conditions and risk being stuck "out in the cold" after rehearsal. Let's not be fooled here, this weather can KILL people if exposed to it for a length of time. Tow trucks and service vehicles are so backed up, that if you did get stuck, you might find yourself stuck in your car, wherever you are for up to four hours.

So, the decision was made, that for the first time in my history with the choir, we canceled as a result of the weather. With only three weeks left until the concert, this is a little unsettling for me, but I still think we'll be in fine shape. There is one empty weekend left between the next two rehearsals, so if I feel we must - we can rehearse on the Saturday morning.

Sending you all warm thoughts on this most miserable of miserable cold days.

Happy Birthday W. A. Mozart

The title of my post really has nothing to do with the content, so I'm sorry if Google took you here looking for all sorts of details on the life of the classical prodigy. However, it is his birthday today, so I thought I should at least acknowledge it!

It's been a great musical weekend. Today I sang with the city's professional choir in a concert centered around the theme of "night", a popular topic of the romantic poet, mostly as a metaphor for other things like - lost love and death, and sometime even happy things. Anyhow, the repertoire was GREAT, and stretched from German Romantic masters such as Reinberger, Brahms and his lesser known contemporary Herzogenberg (what a great candidacy topic that would have been), and through the English 20th century, starting with Elgar through Sir Michael Tippett. I was also called on to the be the rooster crow in Ligeti's "Morning". Not exactly a solo career highlight - but pretty fun nonetheless.

The only problem was the weather. It was -40 with the wind chill today (for you on the Fahrenheit scale, that is ... -40. Yes, -40 is where Celcius and Farenhiet meet. Don't ask me why, I don't understand, and really don't need to. Basically, it was COLD - and still is, and will be for the foreseeable future). It was also snowing - not hard, but with the wind you'd think it was snowing eight times as hard as it was. So the hall, which holds nearly 1,850, was a little sparse. But they all seemed to enjoy it, and I know the choir enjoyed it too.

With my schedule the way it is, I really don't get a chance to sing with this choir that much anymore. I was a core member on and off (mostly on) for the last ten years, but the last two years I've had to cut back considerably, and the forecast for next year isn't much better. I do get to do one more concert this year, Rachmaninoff's All Night Vigil, and after having conducted it last year, I am very much looking forward to singing it this year. It is a great piece of music!

Making this concert all that much more special was that this concert was conducted by my graduate supervisor - a friend, and mentor - who, coincidentally, shares Mozart's Birthday. I can't think of a better way to celebrate it, as he did today.

Post-concert? A warm furnace, a bottle of Californian Zinfandel, my wonderful wife, two warm cats and some low-hitting, yet mildly entertaining all-star hockey. Makes for a nice evening in from the cold.

Tomorrow - shoveling, and a little praying that my car will start, and one more evening with Bach and Handel.

Life of the freelance musician

I'm not sure if any of you read Jason Heath's blog Art's Addict found on the network of musician's blogs on Adaptistration.com, however I highly recommend it. Jason has done a 4 part series (so far) of experiences as a freelance musician (double bass) and the trials and tribulations of the sometimes lonely life of a musician with no "home" as it were, and instead relies on a job here, a job there, teaching here and there, and trying balance that life with a family life and social life. The posts are very cleverly written, and are sometimes fall on the floor funny. Be sure to go back and read the posts in order - they are worth the read.

I occasionally look at my own schedule and wonder if it's all "worth it", and why it is that even though my wife and I have a comfortable sense of financially security, why I just can't seem to say "no" to just about any gig that I'm offered, as long as it pays reasonably well (and that's not even always the case). Take today for instance. I'm about 30 minutes away from getting in my car to drive, in what can always be a potentially dangerous highway in the best of conditions, in the middle of winter for an hour and a half one way, for a job that will take about an hour, and then turn around and drive for another hour and a half back to make it in time for Church Choir.
On top of this, I have a concert this weekend with the Professional Choir which has had me in rehearsal on every evening that I would normally have "off" (don't get me wrong here - this is going to be a great concert - with absolutely fantastic music - so I'm looking forward to it a great deal). Generally speaking, I see my wife for about an hour in the morning (when I'm conscious) and maybe for one to two hours in the evening when we are not rehearsing in the same choir together. We make up for this with numerous emails, and a few "check up" phone calls through the day, and have learned to savour the wonderful dinner moments together, and the odd weekend afternoon that I'm not rehearsing somewhere.

I suppose my biggest fear of saying "no" to a gig, is that I'll never be asked again. And maybe, down the road, it will be that gig that allows us to go out for dinner, rent a movie, or buy the "Above $10 bottle of Melbac" when we next have a night off. Or maybe it's just a habit for me to take the phone call, look in my calendar and see "you have nothing on that Sunday afternoon" and just say "yes" in spite of the idea that at one point, that afternoon was free.

I better get my suit and tie on and start warming up the car. At least it's not snowing, so the drive should be no trouble.

Bach Cantata # 4 "Christ lag in Todes Banden" - the TEXT

Continuing my very short series on the translations of the two major works I am presenting with my Chamber Choir next month - this post is dedicated to the text of J. S. Bach's cantata #4 "Christ lag in Todes Banden" (The final two words of the title appear in the literature as either "Todes Banden" or "Todesbanden", either are considered correct. I'll use the former in this post, following Neumann 1974).

The cantata, which is cataloged as his 4th of this Genre was actually likely the first. It is thought that the work was composed as an audition piece for the organist position at the Bonifaciuskirche in Mühlhausen in the 1707, likely first performed on Easter in 1707. It differs greatly from his other two Easters cantatas (BWV 31 and 249) with its very dark and austere setting. Both 31 and 249 are orchestrated for a festive Baroque orchestra, including trumpets and timpani. This cantata however is orchestrated for strings only, with double violas (which again is why it is paired so nicely against Handel’s “Dixit”, as we are doing in February). The structure is also very ancient – echoing the early Cantatas of Buxtehude, Telemann, even Schütz – in a style known as omnes versus which is a chorale cantata style in which all verses are set one after the other, i.e. there are seven stanzas in the Lutheran chorale, represented in seven different choral or solo movements. There are actually eight movements in the Cantata if you count the opening orchestral sinfonia.

I’ll talk more about the musical setting of the work in another post, as well as Handel’s “Dixit Dominus” as promised in my last post. But first, the text of Cantata #4 “Christ Lag in Todes Banden”. I’ll provide below a “literal” translation of the text, along with some explanation of the text where the literal translation appears to be confusing. Again, my eternal gratitude to Ron Jeffers and Gordon Paine for the translations, taken from “Translations and Annotation of Choral Repertoire, Volume II: German Texts” (Copyright 2000 by earthsongs; reprinted here by permission). Also, thanks to the native German tongues in my choir for assistance where the meaning becomes less clear.

Verse 1

Christ lag in Todes Banden

Christ Lay in death’s bonds

Für unsre Sünd gegeben,

for our sins given.

Er ist wieder erstanden

He has again risen

Und hat uns bracht das Leben;

and has brought life;

Des wir sollen fröhlich sein,

for this we shall joyful be,

Gott loben und ihm dankbar sein

God praise, and to him thankful be,

Und singen halleluja,

and sing Hallelujah* (Bach sets the word “Hallelujah” after each following verse, although it is not present in the Luther’s chorale).

Verse 2

Den Tod niemand zwingen kunnt

Death no one subue could

Bei allen Menschenkindern,

among all humans

Das macht' alles unsre Sünd,

This does all our sin;

Kein Unschuld war zu finden.

no innocence was to be found.

Davon kam der Tod so bald

Therefore came death so soon,

Und nahm über uns Gewalt,

and seized over us power,

Hielt uns in seinem Reich gefangen.

held us in his realm captive.

A more poetic translation of verse 2 would be:

No one among all mortals could conquer death. Our sin causes all this; no innocence was to be found. Therefore death came so soon, seized power over us, and held us captive in his realm.

Verse 3

Jesus Christus, Gottes Sohn,

Jesus Christ, God’s son,

An unser Statt ist kommen

in our stead has come

Und hat die Sünde weggetan,
and has sin taken away.

Damit dem Tod genommen
Thereby death taken

All sein Recht und sein Gewalt,

all his privilege and his power.

Da bleibet nichts denn Tods Gestalt,
There remains nothing by death’s image;

Den Stach'l hat er verloren.

the sting has it lost (or – “Death has lost it’s sting”)

Verse 4

Es war ein wunderlicher Krieg,

It was a “strange?” war (a war of “wonder”, or “awesome” war))

Da Tod und Leben rungen,

When death and life wrestled;

Das Leben behielt den Sieg,
life retained the victory;

Es hat den Tod verschlungen.
it has death devoured.

Die Schrift hat verkündigt das,
The scripture has made known this,

Wie ein Tod den andern fraß,
how one death the other consumed; (Meaning, how Christ’s crucifixion has defeated death, and brought us eternal life)

Ein Spott aus dem Tod ist worden.

A mockery of – death has become (Death has become a mockery)

Verse 5

Hier ist das rechte Osterlamm,

Here is the true Paschal Lamb

Davon Gott hat geboten,

of which has god commanded;

Das ist hoch an des Kreuzes Stamm

that has high on the cross’s stem,

In heißer Lieb gebraten,

in hot love roasted (He is high on the stem of the cross, roasted in burning love.)

Das Blut zeichnet unsre Tür,

The blood marks our door,

Das hält der Glaub dem Tode für,

that holds – faith – death before; (His blood marks our door, and faith holds this up before death)

Der Würger kann uns nicht mehr schaden.
the slayer can us no more harm.

Verse 6

So feiern wir das hohe Fest

Therefore celebrate we the high feast

Mit Herzensfreud und Wonne,

with heart’s joy and delight

Das uns der Herre scheinen läßt,

that to us the Lord shine lets.

Er ist selber die Sonne,
He is himself the sun,

Der durch seiner Gnade Glanz
who through his grace’s splendor

Erleuchtet unsre Herzen ganz,
illuminates out hearts wholly;

Der Sünden Nacht ist verschwunden..
the sin’s night has vanished.

Verse 7

Wir essen und leben wohl

We eat and live well

In rechten Osterfladen,

on the true Passover bread;

Der alte Sauerteig nicht soll

the old sourdough not shall

Sein bei dem Wort Gnaden,

exist beside the word of grace. (the old “Leaven bread” shall not exist – Biblically,leavened bread (made with yeast) is full of Malice and Wickedness – whereas unleavened bread is full of “sincerity and truth” – which is the bread used at Passover, and in liturgical churches at the Holy Eucharist)

Christus will die Koste sein
Christ will the food be

Und speisen die Seel allein,

and feed the soul alone;

Der Glaub will keins andern leben.

faith will no other live. (Faith will only live on the food which is made from the body of Christ)

Luther draws from 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 and Mark 16: 1-8 for the text of his chorale. A very powerful account of the meaning behind the crucifixion and resurrection.

So, looking back at the text for Dixit Dominus, a parallel can be made to the two texts - an Old Testament prophesy of the coming of the Messiah, and New Testament scripture revealing the defeat of death through the Messiah’s crucifixion. Take “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool” and “The power to rule is with you on the day of your strength, in the splendor of the holy one” from Dixit Dominus and compared it with verse 4 above.

These last two posts to me mark the extreme importance of fully understanding the text of the works you are conducting. Even if the conductor is agnostic or atheist (and I know quite a few), it must be understood that the composer likely was NOT, and the text meant enough to him to set it appropriately. To not know the meaning of the text would be as silly as conducting an opera with no concept of the libretto.

Next posts – how the texts are treated by the composers.

Dixit Dominus - the TEXT

We seem to be spending a fair amount of time lately in rehearsal discussing the text of both Handel's Dixit Dominus and Bach's Cantata # 4 Christ lag in Todes Banden, and I thought I'd take the next few posts talking about them individually, and perhaps if my faithful few readers would like to comment on them - and shed even more light on them - that would be great!

One of my choristers, who is a PhD music student and theologian has made some interesting connections between the two works, even though the texts were written many hundreds of years apart (the music only a few years apart). The Handel, from the Psalms of David, and the Bach by Martin Luther after the protestant reformation. I'll talk about this in a later post, this evening though, I'll spend some time with Psalm 110 (or 109 if you are looking it up in the Vulgate)

The psalm is one of the five psalms commonly said or sung at the Roman Catholic office of Vespers, and is closely related to Psalm 2 ("Why do the nations so furiously rage together?"), each of them having been interpreted as a Messianic prophecy, however, what I find interesting is the context for which the psalm might have originally been written. There is no doubt that there is prophetical reference towards the birth of Christ - but perhaps it was written originally as a coronation psalm for an old testament time King? In the context of our concert, and in pairing with the Bach, it makes great sense to draw on the Messianic prophecy.
I've put the literal translation under the text in italics for each line, followed by a more "poetic" English translation in bold at the end of each verse. (translations taken from Ron Jeffers "Translations and Annotations of Choral Repertoire, Volume I)

1. Dixit Dominus Domino meo:
Said Lord to Lord my:

Sede a dextris meis
sit at right hand my

Donec ponam inimicos tuos scabellum pedum tuorum
until I shall make eniemies your stool of your feet

1. The Lord said unto my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.

2. Virgam virtutis tuae emittet Dominus ex Sion
Rod of power your shall send forth Lord from Zion;

Dominare in medio inimicorum tuorum
rule in midst of enemies your.

2. The sceptre of your power the Lord shall send forth Zion: Rule thou in the midst of your enemies.

3. Tecum principium in die virtutis tuae
With you power on day of might your,

In splendoribus sanctorum ex utero ante luciferum genui te
in splendor of holy ones; from womb before light-bringer

3. The power to rule is with you on the day of your strength, in the splendor of the holy ones:

4. Juravit Dominus et non paenitebit eum:
Has sworn Lord, and not will repent of it

Tu es sacerdos in aeternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech
You are priest for eternity according to order of Melchizedech.

4. The Lord has sworn an oath and will not repent of it: You are a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedech.

Dominus a dextris tuis confregit in die irae suae reges
Lord at right hand your, destroys on day of wrath his kings.

5. The Lord at your right hand destroys kings on the day of his wrath;

6. Judicabit in nationibus
He shall judge among heathen,

Implebit ruinas, conquassabit capita in terra multorum
he shall pile up ruins; he shall shatter heads on land of many.

6. He shall judge among the heathen; he shall pile up ruins and scatter skulls on many lands.

7. De torrente in via bibet
Of torrent in way he shall drink;

Propterea exaltabit caput
therfore he shall life up head

7. He shall drink of the torrent in his way; therefore he shall life up his head.

Gloria Patri...

(N.B. Handels's setting is in 8 movements including the Gloria, however he divides Verse 4 in to two movements, with the 5th movement starting at "tu es sacerdos in aeternum" and group verse 5 and 6 into one movement).

Very clearly, the Messianic prophesy in this psalm is easy to trace. There is much reference to the "king" sitting at the right hand of God (a line which is quite prominent in all Christian Creeds), and the line "You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech" refers to the ancient "high priest" Melchizedech. Although Melchizedech is in biblical terms a very mysterious individual, he is though to have been the most "Christ-like" character in the time of Abraham, who brought with him to Abraham gifts of bread and wine - which is an unmistakable link to The Last Supper (keep this in mind when we talk about the Bach in a later post). The psalm prophesies "you ain't seen nothing yet" by placing the Messiah in the same league of Melchizedech.

The thing that interests me the most is that this Prophesy, is written in the present tense - which leads me to believe that, although it does have an undeniable reference to Christ, there must be a 2nd person involved here. Another King - in the time of David. Perhaps ... it IS King David? (Oh, it's not Abraham ... he sat at the LEFT hand of God apparently).

The most debated line in the whole psalm is the first line. "The Lord said unto my Lord". Who is the 2nd Lord? I've also seen a translation "The Lord said unto my master" which makes a bit more sense when talking about a King's coronation, for as we know, in the Christian and Jewish faith, there is but ONE Lord (and you shall worship none other etc...) So the translation of "Master" makes a bit more sense. However, the Latin is clear "Dixit Dominus Domino Meo" There are two Lords (capital L, Lords). Then again, maybe this was just a polite form of address of an inferior to a superior ("yes, my Lord") making the second Lord a "lesser" Lord. (The Hebrew, by the way, uses two different words for Lord, both meaning the same, and does not show hierarchy between the two - and besides, I'm not going to go there, as I have no qualifications to go there).

Obviously the text has been embraced by the Christian church for it's Messianic prophecy, being placed in such prominence to be sung at every evening service, and used as an antiphon at the same office. It has been set by numerous composers, including Palestrina, Pergolesi, Scarlatti, Vittoria, Zelenka, Michael Haydn and Mozart to name a few, and not surprising considering the Psalms regular use had strong potential for a repeat performance in the Catholic Church.

Next installment - the Text and the Music - How does Handel set the text?

Thoughts on teaching Choral Conducting

I've been teaching various levels of conducting at the University level now since I began doctoral studies about seven years ago. Since then I have taught everything from the basic introduction courses to 400 level advanced courses in Choral Conducting. This semester I am teaching the Advanced Choral Conducting to a very small, but somewhat enthusiastic class of seven students.

I think I surprise a fair number of students, most of which have only taken the basics of conducting, and some of them under the extreme regime of the new professor who feels they should know everything about the Saito method of conducting. (Don't get me wrong, I am an avid believer of the Saito conducting method, and I also do a few lectures with Saito as a guide - but to do a full three months of it would be a bit tiresome, unless you were being taught by Saito himself I think). So the pressure to do everything technically perfectly, show every cue, keep the left hand from mirroring, and to not lip-sync while conducting is something that is fresh on most of their minds. Most intro courses are based on the principles of conducting large orchestras, and seldom incorporate anything to do with choirs. What's worse, in my opinion, is that few of these instructors require any of the these students to demonstrate MUSICALITY. It's all about "4 inches more this way ... 2 inches that way ... left hand moving 6 degrees that way ..."

So on the first class I look at them all in the eye and say. "You all know how to conduct now - you've proven this in your intro class, so, my goal this term is to get you to show emotion in your conducting - passion for the music - and understanding of the text, and relationship with the music - and how to convey that to a choir".

Ok, so sure - I do spend time fixing loose wrists and bouncy left hands, and make them do complicated hybrid metres, but 80% of their evaluation will be on HOW they transmit the musical elements in their conducting. Not just gesture, but facial expression - EYES - enjoyment, or in some cases, how to convey sadness, the ethos of a character, the passion of a sad lover. So, their first assignment? English madrigals. "Weep o mine eyes and cease not!" (no, not see snot ... cease not!). They will be required to show proper conducting patterns, cues, releases and all that sort of technical clearly, but above all - can they give a performance? Can they Evoke emotion? Is this too much for a 4th year music or Education major to do?

Have I mentioned that I love teaching?

Handel VS Bach - Round 3

We've just finished an in-city weekend retreat on the Bach and Handel program, and I think we are in pretty good shape.

After seven hours of rehearsals in two days, I've managed to tackle all the movements of both the Bach and and Handel. The Bach is in very good shape, just stylistic issues, articulation and clarity of text to perfect. We are not short on German scholars in the choir - which is both a blessing, and a curse, as every time we stop, there is at least one person who will volunteer their expertise by fixing all the diction problems - no matter how trite they might be at this point. I suppose I should be thankful, but sometimes it stops the flow of my rehearsal, and I am very quick to loose my train of thought, and therefore wasting valuable rehearsal time. I'm a very patient conductor, and for the most part these things roll off my back, but I can see the distress on other choristers faces when we get into an argument on things like the word stress of "Hallelujah" in Bach Cantatas.

The Handel is well underway, although there is much work left to do on the last movement. We had some very productive work in sectionals today, and I think another session apart will be necessary. As much as I HATE (and I don't use that word lightly) sectionals, I think it is the only way we are going to get through this repertoire. At least I have a very capable assistant.

An interesting thing about these two works (for those who missed earlier posts, we are doing BWV 4 "Christ Lag in Todes Banden" and Handel's "Dixit Dominus") is that the orchestration is exactly the same. This probably explains why the pairing is so popular. It calls for only strings and continuo. The oddity is that it requires a two separate viola parts. Having never conducted either work before, I took the advice of the orchestra's manager and decided on only two violists, one per part. Last night, after he had a closer look at the score, he is now recommending we add two more violists. Arrggghh. Now I have to ask the board for another $1,100! They are a very agreeable lot though, and I don't think they'll worry about it too much. My hope is that we can "sell off" the soloists through creative corporate sponsorship, which could save us as much as $5,000.

Five more rehearsals to go!

The Perfect Acousitc

You really have to love science! I had to take my undergraduate course in musical acoustics twice because I just couldn't get my head around the math involved to figure out the speed of sound, reflection, harmonics and all that. I mean I understand the concepts, and I trust my ear and instincts when it comes to sound, blend and intonation, but I never think about the math involved. I didn't think I would need a course like this one to further my career in Choral Conducting, and for the most part, I've been right. There really is nothing I can do to change the acoustic in a given concert hall - and I'm not about to go out and design a new concert hall. A golf course, maybe, but not a concert hall.

However, I love to read about scientific research that could reflect in the enjoyment of music. This article on CBC.ca today caught my eye this morning. Imagine - a concert hall, or CHURCH wrapped up in a thin cloak that would remove all outside noises for perfect recording conditions! I wonder if I could convince some choristers to get a concert dress or tux made from the material of this "cloak"?

Another attempt at classical "Reality"

Thanks to Kenneth Woods from A View from the Podium (Edit: his post on this topic has been removed from his blog) for sharing this link from the Guardian about the latest in Music Reality TV.

It seems the majority of the classical music world will likely shun this latest attempt to bring classical music back into the mainstream. I, on the other hand, wish I had a direct satellite feed from Western Canada to the BBC so I could watch every episode of this! I mean, it can't be as bad as NBC's Clash of the Choirs, where celebrity "conductors" worked with "choirs" (I keep both "conductors" and "choirs" in quotations for a reason there - if I could visualize using two fingers on each hand to emphasize the value of the quote sarcasm, I would). I posted about this last reality show earlier, which received the most comments on my blog to date from the half-dozen or so of you who read this regularly.

Here's a few of my observations about the BBC Maestro reality show that will differ significantly from NBC's Clash of the Choirs. First off, it seems that the celebrity conductors are actually going to work with a REAL orchestra, and the winner will conduct at the Proms! They are also going to receive coaching from conductors, or as the Guardian puts it "young conductors" (I wonder how I can apply to be one of the mentors?). Whereas Clash of the Choirs had nothing to do with conductors, or, amazingly enough, Choirs.

The only thing that irks me about the article are the "Reasons" behind the production of this show, which come in the last paragraph:

The BBC insists that both Classical Star and Maestro are vital in their aim of bringing the classical genre to fresh viewers. Of Maestro, a BBC spokesperson said: "This programme is still in the pipeline at present, but if it does go ahead we hope that by following different people's journeys in learning how to conduct, it will succeed in opening up classical music to a completely different audience."

I'm not sure what the obsession is with groups trying to "open up classical music to a completely different audience". There are quite a few great posts about this around, none greater than that of Ron Spieglman's on Sticks and Drones about a month ago. How is a show like this is going to help? If anything, it might put a false sense of reality on what Classical music is all about. Those who watch the show might end up buying tickets to a symphony concert expecting to see a battle on the podium between the second horn and some celebrity conductor, and instead might be treated to a Shostakovitch Symphony - which will no doubt be great, but may not be the thing to bring that person back to another concert. People who enjoy classical music go to concerts. People who don't like classical music, don't go to concerts. It's pretty simple.

I always laugh at the marketing strategy where an audience at a concert is "polled" as to why they came to the concert, and what is it that they enjoyed, or didn't enjoy about the concert in an effort to bring more people to the next concert. It's like polling people at a Star Trek convention about why they are at the convention in an effort to bring people who know nothing about, or don't like Star Trek, to the next convention. You're far better off polling the people who DIDN'T go to the concert and find out why they didn't, and what would bring them to the next concert, although, we probably wouldn't like the answer.

The bigger question is - is classical music really in trouble? Have the average numbers in audiences really dropped drastically across the globe in the last hundred years? I actually don't know the answer to this - but if it has dropped, I'm not convinced this type of programing is going to help it any.

I, however, would be setting my PVR nightly to watch it!

Handel VS Bach - Round Two

Quote of the night from last night's rehearsal "Who would have thought that the Bach would be the 'easy' work on the program".

A good observation from one of my more outspoken altos.

The first rehearsal after the new year was a good one. We managed to tackle all of the hard bits in the 6th movement of the Handel, and are starting to make good music on the 5th movement of the Bach. We have a full weekend retreat ahead of us here now, three hours on Friday and four on Saturday. My hope is that by the end of the retreat on Saturday afternoon we should be able to run through all the movements at a fairly good tempo. There is still a long way to go before they become "music" yet, but at least we do have five more Monday rehearsals.

My concern at this point is when will be the time that we "peak" - and will that happen too soon, or not soon enough?

However, if last night's rehearsal was any indication of the focus and determination that the choir possesses to achieve the results we want on this program, then it should be a fun month!

Now ... if only I could shake this nasty cold!

"Singing in Choir can keep you young"

Here's an interesting article someone from my church choir cut out and put on our bulletin board about the benefits of being in choir, and comparing them to general exercise. Who knows, maybe you've already made up for that New Years resolution by joining a new choir?

Here's the link for the article, but I've cut and pasted it below in case it gets archived at a later date:

Singing in a choir can keep you young, researcher says

Benefits found to be similar to those of general exercise

Misty Harris

CanWest News Service

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Though Brahms and Beethoven aren't what Richard Simmons had in mind with Sweatin' to the Oldies, new research suggests the composers' choral work might be just what your body wants.

According to Victoria Meredith, a University of Western Ontario professor who used the school's adult choirs as a "live research lab," participation in choral music leads to increased respiratory function, improved overall health, a heightened immune system and improved brain function.

Meredith also concludes that performing in a choir "can keep you younger and healthier for longer," pointing to similar studies that found people who sing on a regular basis require fewer doctors' visits, are less prone to falls, don't need as much medication, and are less likely to be depressed.

Put simply, group singalongs may offer the benefits of exercise without the humiliation of Spandex.

"Just as in general physical exercise, optimal results are seen when a singer exercises their vocal muscles at least three times a week for at least 20 minutes at a time," says Meredith, who has worked with the Canadian Centre for Aging and Activity.

"A heavy workout one day is usually best followed by either a light workout or vocal rest the following day."

Meredith's research with four choirs, whose members varied in age from 18 to 84, spanned the last two years. Her investigation looked at everything from breath control and vocal range to anecdotal information such as whether or not the choristers felt happier or more aware of their bodies when they performed.

"Individual participant responses included such comments as: 'Singing keeps my mind more agile,' 'Singing increases the amount of joy in my life' (and) 'My breathing is better -- even after lung surgery,'" says Meredith, noting that the observations align closely with those of George Washington University's three-year study on the impact of professionally conducted cultural programs on older adults.

Though Meredith remarks that many of the documented benefits of singing are "of a psychological nature, related to being part of a group with shared goals," researchers have also discovered compelling evidence for physical advantages. The disease-fighting protein (sIg A), for example, was found to increase by 150 per cent during choir rehearsals and 240 per cent during performances.

John McMillan, an Edmonton musician and choir director, may be living proof of the power of song. Since he began performing choral music 13 years ago, McMillan says he gets sick less often, has more energy, and feels generally happier.

"When (a show) goes well and you feel like you've positively affected other people, it affects you, too," says McMillan, 28.

"I feel rejuvenated after a performance -- kind of like my soul has been revitalized."

© The Edmonton Journal 2008

Handel VS Bach - Round One

I have two scores on my dining room table right now. Bach's Cantata #4 "Christ lag in Todesbanden" and Handel's monumental Psalm setting "Dixit Dominus". My Chamber choir is performing, and therefore I am conducting, these works in early February with our local baroque orchestra. Soloists are mostly local, with the exception of the tenor, who is a former roommate making his living as a tenor and conductor in southern Ontario.

I've been spending a few hours each day prepping the scores, and planning the next six weeks of rehearsals. Normally, I'd say that six weeks of rehearsals would be plenty, and really, it should be enough. The Bach isn't that difficult, the choir is only involved in two contrapuntal choruses, and one chorale, and it sits nicely in the voice. The Handel on the other hand is one of the most difficult choral works from that era. A very young "Italian" inspired Handel was trying to outdo all his teachers and contemporaries with this one. It makes even the toughest choruses in Messiah look like a high school project, and rivals any of the fugue writing in Bach's B Minor Mass or the Motet "Singet Dem Herrn". However, none of this is beyond the ability of the choir.

It's the rehearsal process that makes this one a tough assignment. The Handel is written for SSATB, and the two soprano parts are in the HIGH Italian style, no less than six B-flats in the last movement alone. Baroque pitch is not an option for this show as the Bach would sit far too low for my Altos, and to have the orchestra tune down for the second half only would be a disaster. In typical solo/chorus works, there are no nice quite easy soft parts to rehearse between the more difficult high movements, as all choral movement fall under the later description, and there is only so much Bach we can do between Handel in rehearsal. I've scheduled a few sectionals (sigh - a topic for another day) along the way to ease some of the burden from the sopranos, but this will only work for about the first two weeks.

Any thoughts out there from you blogging choral conductors on how to effectively rehearse this work, or type of work, without draining the resources of my singers, but still managing to accomplish what needs to be done?

I'll keep updating the progress of these rehearsals and let you know how they are progressing. All I know is this - it's a great work, and I can't wait to conduct it - I just hope we are all still alive come the performance.

Holiday Post-Mortem

As the sun begins to rise on the second day of 2008 (I have to admit, I didn't see much of the sun on the first day of 2008) I thought I'd speak about a few of the wonderful things that have happened to me over the holidays.

It was the first year that I've had to do the Christmas services without an assistant organist, and for the most part it went very well. I have to say, I love playing hymnody and liturgy at the church, especially around Christmas. There is something about being able to let loose on a reharmonization of a well known carol. The choir at the Midnight service on Christmas Eve was in fine voice, and pretty much rocked. My wonderful wife helped out at the more quiet services on Christmas Day, and the Sunday between Christmas and New Years by singing a couple of solos, much to the delight of the congregation. I have received word that the funds are now available for me to hire another assistant, so this is a relief, and a happy New Years present for me.

Speaking of New Years - the annual New Years Eve concert was great fun, and with such great people. A huge house of very appreciative and slightly tipsy people made it all the more enjoyable. We serve champagne at intermission - perhaps that's cheating as everyone always says how great the second half of the concert was. Following the concert, my wife and I hosted about thirty people for the New Years Eve party, which went until nearly 4 AM. We didn't do much yesterday, and about half way through the day my wife developed a nasty flu, which we are still nursing this morning. Hopefully it will disappear soon. All in all though, a great couple of weeks.

Best presents of the season:

1. The NHL jersey of our local team
   
2. Alex Ross' Book "The Art of Noise"
3. great evenings with Friends and Family
4. lots of wonderful food and wine
5. quiet time with my wife and our cats
   

Reality will hit next week as my one term break from teaching ends on Monday afternoon, and early New Year concert preparations begin for two of the choirs I'm involved with. Church choir also resumes tomorrow night.

Best wishes to all for a prosperous 2008