Early this Week

It's hard to gauge to whom I am writing because I get few comments (I'm not complaining).  Anyway, I'll keep being me and hope you are enjoying reading my adventures!

Monday was a relaxing day. We had class in the morning, where we reviewed our experiences at Oxford.  Some of the comments were about how the students were not high brow and snooty like we had stereotyped Oxford students to be, but rather they were humble and friendly.  Their commitment to their choirs was completely voluntary, and since evensong audiences are pretty scanty they sang because they loved it.  Why do choirs like this keep going? Tradition is a very important part of choral culture.  We sing because that's how it's always been.  Choirs have been around since the beginning of time, and there is countless history, religion, and culture intertwined into every music note.  Monday night we observed the Bach Choir, who are famous for singing film scores such as the new Robin Hood, Shrek 3, and the Chronicles of Narnia: Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Neat, huh!  The 200 singers, conducted by David Hill, had a wonderful sound.  We have been comparing masses lately so we paid close attention to the Bach mass in B minor.

Tuesday we didn't have class so we got to sleep in. That was divine. We watched two BBC Singers choir rehearsals at St. Mark's Cathedral.   I actually wasn't a huge fan of their sound, even though they are a renowned choir.  The vibratos of the sopranos and tenors clashed and they seemed to be outsinging each other. With all of the listening I have been doing here in England, I have become a bit picky. My favorite piece they sang was "Under the Willow Tree," seemingly useless text until later on in Cambridege we got to experience being under a willow tree.  More on that later.  Monica, Karen, Christiana and I found a posh restaurant/bar to eat dinner.  I ordered butternut squash ravioli, a favorite I haven't had in a couple years.  Tuesday night we returned to Westminster Abbey to hear the choir again.

They sang Vivaldi's Gloria, which was a blast from the past.  Our high school district put on a performance of the entire piece, and I was one of the soloists for the "Laudamus Te."  If you are looking for a new classical music piece to listen to, I highly recommend Handel's Dixit Dominus.  When Handel went to Italy, he was keen to learn the Italian style, which was more melodic and ebullient.  His trademark (if you aren't familiar with the Messiah) are repetitions of little melodic themes, called sequences or motifs.  It is much more exciting to listen to than most cantatas.  The link I made actually is the CD of the Sixteen singing it.  Excellent choir, I would know. ;) Heck, I might buy it myself.

Wednesday we sat in on a Holst Singers Rehearsal.  

They sang the Bach motets.  I can't believe how many incredible choirs there are here.