Parts

My singing is not the most renowned, but I struggle with the tenor parts and Harmonica Monday gets it pretty right on the night. HM is a modest group, practicing mornings and performing for friends and relatives and taking on the most satisfying on repertoires. This concert covered the waterfront for choral eras, from mediaeval through to modern, extant, Canberra compositions: de Victoria, Bennet, Handel, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Faure, Barber and Canberran international choral master, Stephen Leek. His piece was a quirky song from the northern Australian islands, Monkey and turtle. Fabulous fun. There were some seriously interesting harmonies and considered parts displayed. Nice one.

Harmonia Monday (choir) is directed by Sheila Thompson and Oliver Raymond (conductors) with accompanist Jenny Kain (piano).

Right on the night, again

"She'll be right on the night" is a favourite line of mine. It's jazzers' wisdom but it's recognised by all manner of musos and I find it's usually right. Harmonia Monday proved it right again just a few days ago; as it did at a previous gig. HM meets weekly and performs, as noted by our secretary at the gig, as an open day rather than a concert, but concert it was with audience and some little nerves and a need to get it right this time. Mostly we did and it was a pleasure. HM is an SATB choir (although occasionally doubling some parts), heavy on altos and light on tenors (common enough). We sing all manner of music. This gig had several movements of a Palestrina mass and the Mozart Requiem, a Bach fugue, Reger and Pinsuti for the florid dynamics and Copland for the earthy Americanism and the fun (although I personally had some considerable difficulty with one line in the song "I bought me a cat": he also "...bought me a wife"; very questionable). Otherwise, the harmonies, energy, intervals weren't all perfect but presentable and way better than even the warmup. It's amazing what the gig can do.

Harmonia Monday (SATB choir) performed under Oliver Raymond and Sheila Thompson (conductors) with accompaniment by Lucus Allerton (piano)

Tremenda, sometimes lacrimosa

It's that time of year when the final concerts happen. I have two orchestral concerts coming over two weekends, but this was our choir, Harmonia Monday, presenting its open day session. HM is called a choral study group. That's about right, because the music is great and a challenge for us. It's led by two stallwarts of the local choral scene: Oliver Raymond and Sheila Thompson. This session included three pieces from Mozart Requiem under Oliver (Dires irae, Rex tremendae and Lacrimosa) and two from Mendelssohn Elijah under Sheila (He that shall endure to the end and Oh come every one that thirsteth). As well as Ascendit Deus (mid C16th, from Peter Philips), an earthy, perhaps suggestive, piece of Victoriana from Ciro Pinsuti (Goodnight, goodnight, beloved) , a lovely Shaker song called Simple gifts and a gospel piece, Deep river. Also Faure and another. It's all a challenge, I am too ill-prepared, but it's glorious the times the harmonies sit nicely. An enjoyable outing.

Oliver Raymond and Sheila Thompson led the Harmonia Monday choral studies group for its open day concert.

Thanks to MozartForum and Wikicommons for the Mozart autograph pic, Requiem dies

Monday's harmonies

Monday's harmonies aren't always perfect and sometimes the quicker lines can get bogged down (the semi-quavers in Handel can be a doozy) but when it works it's wonderfully pleasurable for the singers and hopefully for the audience, too. This is Harmonia Monday, my weekly choir, led by two unreasonably good leaders who are seen commonly enough around town in choral circles, Sheila Thompson and Oliver Raymond. And we are singing some seriously satisfying music. This time it was several from each of Handel and JS Bach (from his B Minor mass, no less) and Elgar and several lesser-known others. I'm getting more certain on intervals and the count with more experience, but slips remain too easy. I notice the confidence that comes when someone from a section takes a lead. I'm pleasantly surprised that we hold pitch without piano when we go piano-less. Going free of piano seems to be a worthy challenge in choral circles. The concert wasn't perfect but the development is satisfying and I was surprised when I attempted some jazz harmonies on a gig and my voice responded decently in pitch and with volume and a satisfying firmness. It's amazing what some practice will do! Much enjoyed and thanks to the choir and leaders and see you all after the break for the next batch of songs to learn.

Harmonia Monday choir performed Handel, Elgar, Eriskay love lilt, JS Bach (from the B minor mass), Verdi, Knipper, Wood and Hatton at St Mark's Red Hill under Sheila Thompson (conductor) and Oliver Raymond (conductor).

Thanks to WikiCommons for the pic of some JS Bach B minor mass manuscript

Right on the night

She'll be right on the night. It's so often the case that I've come to accept it. Despite a horrid practice the week before, we done reasonably good. Not perfect, of course. As our MC said, we are a Choral Study group, so expect students. The audience of family and friends expected that and that's what they got. Some pieces worked well; some of the longer pieces got bogged down as we followed complex counterpoint or confusing canon. I'm new, so the feel of a baroque bar still tricks me (the 1s aren't where I expect them), and finding the starting note and harmony, and also the bigger intervals remains problematic. But students learn, and I drool over the clear harmonies when they sit neatly and the complex interplay of parts and the baroque canon writing and the beauty of Mendelssohn and the modern romantic voice (no bar lines) of Eric Whitacre. (What wife could resist This marriage as a wedding gift? Have a listen to Ingenium Ensemble singing it on YouTube). Congratulations to the choir, and thanks to our guides in all this, conductors Sheila Thompson and Oliver Raymond and wonderful accompaniment from pianist Jenny Kain. We're on leave for a few months then there's tons to learn in the NY.

Harmonia Monday choir performed Palestrina, Byrd, Charpentier, Handel, Mendelssohn, Stanford, Clausen, Whitacre and Durante attrib. Pergolesi at All Saints under Sheila Thompson (conductor) and Oliver Raymond (conductor) with accompaniment by Jenny Kain (piano).