My Thoughts Exactly.

My Thoughts Exactly on Choir

Choir. It’s been around for ages, centuries, ever since man opened his mouth. Singing is a natural way for any person to express themselves or create music, since it’s just so portable. So, once man had grown enough to realise that “Hey! When Bob sings that sound and Ben sings a little higher above it at the same time it sounds pretty cool! And guess what? When Bill sings even higher than Ben it sounds even COOLER.” And thus harmony and choir was born. Basically, an average choir is the Bob-Ben-Bill trio on steroids. Full of harmonies and rhythms and however many people are singing, the end goal for any choir is to sound like one living breathing entity singing the same song.

Really, legitimate choir doesn’t begin until high school. By high school, choir has moved on to a full 4 part and sometimes even 5 part choir. Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass. If the group is big enough, each part might be split into I and II as well. This leads to harmonizing of EPIC proportions. Before that, the closest you get to choir is when on Mothers Day everyone would stand in a blob and sing “Mary Had a Little Lamb” in raucous voices while the mothers (bless them) would clap and cry (though perhaps not because they were overwhelmed with emotion). The choral concerts through elementary school and middle school stay basically slightly more refined versions of the same. 

But anyhow, once you hit high school, the real fun begins. You learn intricate harmonies with dissonance, resolutions, and many a foreign piece in languages you didn’t even know existed. Choir directors seem to love that, singing in obscure languages. Some claim it makes the performance more profound, because you really have to emote without the help of lyrics, but I just think it’s because they want to make use of all the linguistic classes they had to take in college to become certified choral teachers. Actually, jokes aside, I think as long as you know what you’re singing about, singing in a foreign language just proves how emotionally engaging a choir can be. Also, you haven’t actually sang choral music until you’ve done something in Latin, along with a Mozart and a Vivaldi. It’s just not possible.

But the true magic of choral music for me isn’t just the beautiful sounds and chill-inducing harmonies it creates, it’s the symbolic meaning of it all. I know, I know, I sound like I’m making something out of nothing (like overly analyzing English teachers), but in all honesty this is what brings me to tears when I’m singing in a group. It’s the blatant proof and awesome epicness of the result of a group of people working together in unison to create something phenomenal. It’s a consolation that even though people are dying fighting a war over minor differences, racial equality is often nonexistent, and gender bias runs rampant through many a culture, that it is possible for humanity to forget everything and come together as one unit, play their part, and make something absolutely extraordinary. THAT’S what makes choir a home for people. That’s what makes the feeling when a group of 4 or 400 people swell together on the push of a song bring tears to my eyes. It’s the fact that everyone, in that moment, is expressing the same universal idea, be it love, jealousy, anger, devotion etc., through the same notes at the same time no matter who you are or where you’re from.

Even other than that aspect of it, there are pieces that are so beautifully written and composed that they send shivers down your spine. The use of dynamics and harmonies that portray the exact emotion the lyricist is trying to convey through his/her words is brilliant when done well. It is these times that, though I believe strongly that instrumental pieces and compositions are equally expressive in a different way, the combination of similar musical messages and actual words is what sets choral music different from instrumental pieces with the same message. As a choral director of mine once said, choirs put consonants onto the OO’s AH’s and EE’s of classical music. It’s the words, the fluid poetry that is set to a matching melody and harmony meaning-wise that drive home a piece’s theme and make listening to this type of music so comprehensive and engaging.

So there’s my rant on choral music. Choir’s interesting, thought-provoking, emotion-inducing, and just plain old fun to sing anytime. Then again, I’m a tad biased :) That’s why the Bob-Ben-Bill trio has been around for ages and will continue to stay. Because good choral music will always be able to express the universal themes that forever intrigue humanity, through words and music.

Posted 1 month ago

Today is national best friend day. Reblog if you love your best friend.

winniethakidd:

noooo why would i love my best friend? Arent you supposed to hate them?

(Source: glancingaway, via lativa-ykcibilg)

Posted 11 months ago — 183,697 notes

My Thoughts Exactly on A Cappella

For me, as a die-hard chorus nerd/geek I admire the various things that can be done with your natural instrument, the voice. I find it fascinating that by “placing” your voice in just the right way you are able to express two different emotions on the same pitch. I personally am an Alto II. For those of you who do not know the harmony basics, there are the sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses. The sopranos are high girls, altos are low girls, tenors are high boys, and basses are low boys. Within each part there are the “1”s and the “2”s, the 1s being the higher of the two.

These are just the basics. A Cappella groups take this to a completely different level. In intensely amazing a cappella groups there are about 10-12 people. There is a vocal percussionist, and everyone else is on a range of different notes and parts that fuse together in one huge epic harmonizing extravanganza.

A lot of people dont understand the beauty behind A Cappella music. Some claim it isn’t as epic as the original piece because of the lack of instruments and college groups don’t often write originals. However, I would argue that you get a different angle on some of the classics. For example, I have heard Sweet Child O’ Mine countless times but when I listen to Rockapella’s rendition of it I get a completely different feel for such a classic song. Also, its both humourous and interesting to hear a guy imitating the epic guitar in Free Bird or being Pumba from Lion King. I may be biased, but choral people tend to have a very similar sense of humour in such things. It’s hard to describe, but I suppose I’ll try. Ok for example, if the Harvard Din and Tonics were performing “Marry a Woman Uglier Than You”, then its hysterical to see them keep perfectly straight faces, too serious if you know what I mean, as they sing lines such as “so from a logical point of view, marry a woman uglier than you”. Similarly, watching a group sing a song such as “Anything Goes”, which gets me cracking up every time, with solemn faces is quite humourous. A Cappella music is a form of expression that is its own genre similar to rock and roll or jazz. The different musical twists a group might do to a song changes the perception of a song and, to me personally, is awe-inspiring and beautiful to the ears. I think it’s a perfect blend between performance and musicality. You can enjoy it at home or at a concert.

Another appeal A Cappella holds for me as a chorus geek is the intricate harmony and the sheer difficulty and skill required. As an Alto II, I often sing the harmony and appreciate the difficulty and focus required to harmonize at that level. Additionally, as only other chorus geeks would understand, I get a weird sort of pleasure in figuring out the harmonies and thinking of where it would go next. Don’t judge :P

But yes, A cappella music is awesome. If you want to listen to any at all, almost every college has a half decent A Cappella group and Rockapella and Straight No Chaser are very popular nowadays. Look them up!

Happy Listening and enjoy the epic punny names! (Ithicappella, Metrotones, Din and Tonics, Pitchforks etc)

Posted 11 months ago

What if tomorrow when J.K. Rowling’s announcement is suppose to happen, the site unlocks and just says:

chatterboxrose:

“Lol J.K.” 

(via lativa-ykcibilg)

Posted 11 months ago — 4,857 notes