More Sacerd Harp Singing

The clip I put up in the last post was intended to show that the power of this style lies in the singing, not necessarily in the polished sound. But my friend Jean on Facebook took issue with that logic, pointing out that as a writer on classical music, I should be taking pains to show this vital American tradition in its best light.

With that in mind, here's a video clip of a Sacred Harp Singing Convention where the singing is of a little bit better quality. Still it hopefully gives a clear example of the power of what is essentially an amateur, participatory style.

Notice there is no audience apart from the singers themselves! This is no rehearsal. They aren't training for some future goal or opportunity. This is the complete experience. A bunch of people in a room singing together. That's it.



And here is a professional choir singing a tune by early American Sacred Harp composer William Billings. The difference in performance quality is clear and the music is revealed as even more beautiful, if less visceral.



--C.
www.theandofone.blogspot.com
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Sacred Harp Recording

As promised in Sunday's Music Notes column in the Asbury Park Press, here's an mp3 file of three live versions of the song "Jordan" from the Sacred Harp songbook. The first is a large amateur group singing in solfeggio--also known as the fasola system. The second is the same group singing the same song but with the actual words instead of the "singing school" syllables. The last is a quartet. Pete Brady, a member of the quartet, called the D-Major Singers, created this mp3 and sent it to me. He writes: "The first two are from a tape called 'Showers of Blessings,' from the 1995 Garden State Sacred Harp Singing Convention. The last is from one of the D-Major Singers CDs."

In the quartet especially you can hear how the tenor line--the high male voice--has the melody, while the bass and the upper voices add harmonies.

--C.
www.theandofone.blogspot.com
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Opera On Screen at Axelrod

Watch opera performances at Axelrod Performing Arts Center in Deal beginning 3 p.m. this afternoon. The first showing is a performance from Milan's La Scala of Verdi's Aida, with Chailly conducting, Violeta Umana in the lead and Roberto Alagna as Radames. Tickets are $20. The film will be shown again as a 1 p.m. matinee Wednesday. For more information visit the Axelrod Performances Arts Center website.

--C.
www.theandofone.blogspot.com
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Jarvi to Lead Swiss Orchestra

Speaking of the NJSO, conductor laureate Neeme Jarvi has been named to a new post as artistic director of Switzerland's Suisse Romande Orchestra, replacing departing Polish conductor Marek Janowski. Jarvi takes over the Geneva-based ensemble in January and assumes the mantle of chief conductor in 2012. The NJSO posted this article from Reuters regarding the appointment to its Facebook page just an hour ago.

--C.
www.theandofone.blogspot.com
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NJSO Performs Oct. 28-31

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra on Oct. 28 will begin performing its program "Russian Tales," including Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5 and Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, with Dudana Mazmanishvili as soloist. Also on the program is a suite from "Black Maskers" by Roger Sessions, the late Princeton University composer and professor.
The Sessions is part of the NJSO's newly initiated "New Jersey Roots" project, exploring the wealth of material by composers connected to the Garden State. The NJ Roots project is one of the most exciting initiatives undertaken by the group's new director, Jacques Lacombe and I'm eager to see and hear how it plays out.

Performances are 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28, and 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29, at New Jersey Performing Arts Center, One Center Street, Newark, with following performances 8 p.m. Saturday at the State Theater New Brunswick and 3 p.m. Sunday at the Community Theater in Morristown. For more information, visit the group's website, www.njsymphony.org.

--C.
www.theandofone.blogspot.com
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