Category Archives: singing – other

Advanced Sight-Singing Melodies

I’ve had this booklet by Ida Carroll (dating from the 1950s) on my shelves for a long time. ‘Intended for the use of those studying for class-teaching diplomas… an invaluable aid to anyone wishing to improve their sense of pitch’ … Continue reading

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Some positives

There have been pessimistic reports about the prospects of relaxing lockdown for choirs. Mostly based on anecdotal evidence, so for this post I will put that aside and think about whether there are any benefits in not meeting others to … Continue reading

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grounded over Easter

As I write this I’m listening to Bach’s St John Passion on Radio 3. I always try to hear the BBC National Chorus of Wales when they are broadcast (as they have been quite frequently recently), at least so if … Continue reading

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see you on the other side

Some kind of order is beginning to emerge out of the chaos. Bristol Choral Society has started having online rehearsals. Messages about ‘virtual choir pubs’ and ‘virtual pub choirs’ are dropping into my inbox, and social media is full of … Continue reading

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Ho ho ho ho ho ho

I get to about half of the BCS Come and Sing events (there’s one every year, invariably sold out). I made a point of getting to this year’s, on most of the choruses from Dido and Aeneas. I’ve never performed … Continue reading

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What is orange? The second sopranos are orange….

The nation’s recording engineers in the field of choral music must have been very busy around now, as several different ensembles I know of have all been recording. Bristol Choral Society (with Music Makers of London, Bristol Youth Choir and … Continue reading

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two lots of carols for the Christmas market

It’s a few years since I sang carols at Bath’s Christmas market. This year I had two shots, back to back! Firstly I did some moonlighting by running through a few standard carols with the combined forces of some of … Continue reading

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the Great Service

Long-term readers of this blog will know that Byrd’s Great Service of evening canticles has long been on my wishlist of church music that I’d never sung. In the usual way, after years of waiting, and just as I was … Continue reading

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Come and Sing (2): the Mass in Blue

Six days later, it was a very different though equally challenging take on the Ordinary of the Mass, as Will Todd’s Mass in Blue was the featured work in Bristol Choral Society’s first Come and Sing of 2018. I’d heard … Continue reading

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Come and Sing (1): the Missa Solemnis

I don’t do very many ‘come and sing’ workshop type events, but this spring there are two, six days apart. The first was looking at Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with Gavin Carr (and Gerry Hoddinott on piano). Several dozen of us … Continue reading

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