Day 32: Choral Music

The recent craze of a cappella music has been interesting for someone that grew up going to an a cappella church and then sang in many choirs through high school and college. I find the craze good, in that it's created an awareness that a cappella is legit (yes, I just used "legit"), but bad in that what has been presented doesn't even get close to the possibilities of what a good blend of voices has to offer.

Today I had the opportunity to sit in on a choir rehearsal for one of the choirs I was in during college. It was magnificent to hear the pure blends of these voices coming together in clusters and chords.  There is an unexplainable energy released when a high quality choral group performs a piece of good choral literature - and I love it. 

If you are so inclined here are some recordings of pieces I love from composers I enjoy.

• Sleep - Eric Whitacre
• O Magnum Mysterium - Morten Lauridson
• Hear My Prayer, O Lord - Henry Purcell

And... I am in this one. Not a great recording, but it's still cool. 

• Nunc Dimittis

As the my former choral director spoke to the current choir he spoke to them about blend... "Lose your voice in your neighbor's voice."  And what a fantastic thing when a group can do that.

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Also from today... This face: