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Angels We Have Not Heard On High
Oct. 3rd, 2007 09:56 pm::sigh::
I love choir.
I'm a bit nervous there lately, though, because my choir kinda lost most of our powerhouse - and, incidentally, most of our experienced - first sopranos, and I'm getting the feeling that it's just me up there right now. Tonight we practiced Will Ye No Come Back Again and Freedom Trilogy, both gorgeous works I adore, and it felt like I was the only soprano descanting up there. Yes, I just made up a verb. Which, OK, I can do the parts, but...
See, I'm (usually) very accurate. My timing and pitch are generally very good. I spend most of my time looking at our director, not the music. All of these qualities are assets in a first soprano, because unfortunately they are distressingly rare. Also, I've been told I have a lovely voice. Truly beautiful, pure and sweet, like a little angel.
A little, tiny angel. Like, a really really little angel, the kind that sits on your shoulder opposite the little devil, so that only you can hear it. That kind of angel.
My contribution to choir has always involved standing next to the powerhouses and softly singing my lovely, accurate, angelic little songs into their ears, so they can belt them out impressively and wow the audience.
When I try singing loudly? It does not work well. I squeak.
So, the final belted-out high-A in Will Ye No, done entirely by me? Ah, yeah, no, not happening. Final blastissimo six bars of high As in the Freedom Trilogy? Big negatory on that one too.
So, yikes. I really hope our newer sopranos pick up the slack. Because otherwise the descants are gonna be silent, or sound like a mouse scratching its claws across a squeaky whiteboard. Ouch.
On the good front of choir-related news, the men are doing their chicken song again and sang it for us at the end of today's rehearsal and they totally rocked. Very nice barbershop-type sound. We just have to hope that they don't make cluck-cluck-b'CAW! sounds on stage again, and that they don't make little hourglass shapes with their hands and give a little whooOOp!! cry as they sing the words, "She was so fine, so buxom!" during the performance ;)
I love choir.
I'm a bit nervous there lately, though, because my choir kinda lost most of our powerhouse - and, incidentally, most of our experienced - first sopranos, and I'm getting the feeling that it's just me up there right now. Tonight we practiced Will Ye No Come Back Again and Freedom Trilogy, both gorgeous works I adore, and it felt like I was the only soprano descanting up there. Yes, I just made up a verb. Which, OK, I can do the parts, but...
See, I'm (usually) very accurate. My timing and pitch are generally very good. I spend most of my time looking at our director, not the music. All of these qualities are assets in a first soprano, because unfortunately they are distressingly rare. Also, I've been told I have a lovely voice. Truly beautiful, pure and sweet, like a little angel.
A little, tiny angel. Like, a really really little angel, the kind that sits on your shoulder opposite the little devil, so that only you can hear it. That kind of angel.
My contribution to choir has always involved standing next to the powerhouses and softly singing my lovely, accurate, angelic little songs into their ears, so they can belt them out impressively and wow the audience.
When I try singing loudly? It does not work well. I squeak.
So, the final belted-out high-A in Will Ye No, done entirely by me? Ah, yeah, no, not happening. Final blastissimo six bars of high As in the Freedom Trilogy? Big negatory on that one too.
So, yikes. I really hope our newer sopranos pick up the slack. Because otherwise the descants are gonna be silent, or sound like a mouse scratching its claws across a squeaky whiteboard. Ouch.
On the good front of choir-related news, the men are doing their chicken song again and sang it for us at the end of today's rehearsal and they totally rocked. Very nice barbershop-type sound. We just have to hope that they don't make cluck-cluck-b'CAW! sounds on stage again, and that they don't make little hourglass shapes with their hands and give a little whooOOp!! cry as they sing the words, "She was so fine, so buxom!" during the performance ;)
