I am already familiar with the works of Mykola Leontovych and a few folk songs.

Can you suggest beautiful SATB pieces (both secular and sacred) for an amateur choir?

Thank you!

Hi all! I am putting together a playlist of choral music for Halloween, but I need some help.

I am looking for pieces that instill a sense of fear and/or discomfort (think of a choral equivalent of A Night on Bald Mountain) and maybe a few lighter-hearted (but still creepy) pieces to balance the playlist out.

I searched a few other posts and this is what I have so far:

St. John’s Night on Bald Mountain - Modest Mussorgsky

Ave Satani - Jerry Goldsmith

Curse Upon Iron - Veljo Tormis

Double, Double Toil and Trouble - Jaakko Mäntyjärvi

Les Djinns - Gabriel Fauré

Die traurige Krönung - Eduard Mörike

Dies Irae - Alfred Schnittke

Dulce et decorum est - Ethan Soledad

My range is G3 to F5 but my best voice sits around G4 to E5.

The alto part ranges from G3 to E5 but mainly sticks around A3 to A4.

The soprano goes from A3 to A5.

Am I better to do alto where I can hit all the notes but not necessarily in the best part of my voice, or soprano where most of the notes are in the best part of my voice but I would have to mime the top few notes.

I assume alto is best?

Listen at the 2:00 mark on this song Georgia by OMD. Would love to figure out what it comes from. Thanks in advance.

What does a choir director mean when they call you a high baritone? I can't really find a reliable definition

They said just want me to sing it in tune so they can see if i can have a sense of pitch

It's a community choir

Any idea who composed this hymn?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRHFjUnCGtw

I have a CD reissue, but the booklet doesn't mention composers.

i'm a hobbyist singer with no formal voice training. i have no professional or collegiate ambitions in voice/music. i sing in an auditioned SATB community choir.

my church also has an auditioned SATB amateur choir. finally last week i asked the music director if the choir was looking for new members. he said i could join provided i could pass a simple audition.

the music director told me the audition would consist of running through a range test and then singing silent night. which sounds easier than the audition i passed at the community choir. he didn't give me a score or indicate a key i should prepare in.

but obviously i'm familiar with silent night overall. if i could choose any key, i'd probably choose F. possibly E if i want to sound lullabic. i think these are the keys where i sound the best, my voice sounds the fullest, and they're also the most comfortable.

yesterday i happened to find silent night in our hymnal. despite being arranged for a congregation of untrained voices, it's in the key of B, leading to a range of B3-E5 (or B2-E4). it's taken me a LOT of practice and learning technique to be able to sing E5 reliably, in a coordinated head voice, and without sounding strangled lol. i'm amazed that untrained voices could sing E5 at all, never mind easily. even now, E5 is my highest note with a decent tone (i can sing up to A5, but the tone isn't good). and B2 is my lowest usable note. (my range is B2-A5, but the tone deteriorates outside of D3-D5 and these are my most comfortable notes honestly)

so the key of B doesn't allow me to put my best foot forward for this audition. i'd much rather do it in the key of F. the music director didn't specify a key, didn't give me a score, and didn't tell me to use the version in the hymnal, so...? can i do it in the key of F?

Hey everyone! I’m a new music teacher who is still in school getting my certification. I just booked a job for high school choir and band, but my expertise is in band. I’m looking for music to perform for an SATB choir. I want to make sure they’re learning diverse music as well as popular songs as well. Anyone have any suggestions? They’re not the most advanced group so I’m aiming for pieces that would be appropriate for like a freshman level. Thanks!

I’m moving and have found tons of old sheet music from the past that I was holding onto for nostalgic reasons. I’m ready to let it go.

With the wide availability of music on the internet now, I’m wondering if I should just recycle what I have. Or should I try to donate any of this to a local church/school? I just have one copy of each piece.

Hi, I’m choosing music for my SSA choir and looking for suggestions. Needs to be secular but can be any genre. We sing lots of pop but I’m mostly looking for inspo for jazz/theatre/folk/classical. Especially anything upbeat or a bit funky.

Things that have gone down well before include holding out for a hero, Chattanooga choo choo, Edge of Glory. So clearly we love a bit of cheese - but would love something a bit different too.

Any help much appreciated!

Bit of a long shot but does anyone happen to have a score for the above and would be willing to share it with me? Many thanks!

Hello! I'm a young composer in the process of outlining and choosing texts for a Requiem Mass. I want to combine the Requiem text with poetry that I find goes with the concepts presented in the original Latin and provide variety to the text that's been set to music numerous times.

Is this idea taboo? Does it change the piece from a Requiem Mass to something else? I'm genuinely curious where you all stand. Thanks!

​

EDIT: I notice in my research that War Requiem by Britten does this to a degree, but only in the context of recitative or solo work. Would this idea make sense for the broader ensemble as well?

Hello all!

I am a new choir teacher just starting out my career. I am struggling to find quick, rhythmic pieces for my 8th grade choir. I was very excited to introduce to them "Rhythm of Life" Arr. Richard Barnes - however their previous choir director had them perform it last year!

(link for reference)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fTk0XbUq9o

With that being said, I would love if anyone has recommendations that meet some of the same criteria as "Rhythm of Life" does - those criteria being rhythmic, quick, upbeat". I want the year to start off on a fun note! TYIA and happy singing! :)

Hi all,

Most of my work has been with professional level choirs, but now I find myself taking a children's choir (6-11). They don't read music, some are too shy to make noise, others are more shouting than singing, pitch-matching is difficult for many of them, as is even singing a round. When I do warmups with them they often just find it funny and don't actually do the warmup itself, just laughing instead.

So I was wondering: where do you start? If you have a group of kids who can't currently sing in tune, are too shy to make noise, and find warmups hilarious, what do you do to make progress? And how do you begin the year?

I've no doubt my approach is somewhat wrong - I know what I do works with adults and uni students but it's not right for younger kids. I've tried making it more fun/game based but that tends to lead to mucking around, so any suggestions, techniques, schedules, rehearsal guides, even suitable repertoire you can add would be greatly appreciated. As a singer myself I really want the singing programme to be something to be proud of and reach a high standard, but it's the first bit that instrugglr with!

Many thanks in advance,

I was listening to the incredible performance mentioned in the title. Their tuning is impeccable. I've been listening to this over and over again - it's too short!

Once I paid more attention to the transcription (included in the linked video), I noticed that this piece/arrangement sits considerably lower than pretty much any I've sung in a choir. However, I don't know if this piece is representative of this choir's overall repetoire.

I've sung alto 2 in two different SATB choirs. Both were amateur (but auditioned) community choirs. We (alto 2s) rarely got to sing below middle C; Bs were uncommon, Bbs were rare, and I can recall only two A3s in the choir's entire repetoire. The stated range for alto 2 was G3-D5, but sadly I don't think we sang G or Ab except in warmups. I recently auditioned for another SATB choir and was accepted; here, too, they don't seem to want us singing below middle C. Accordingly, the other treble sections are pushed higher, and the sop 1s were regularly singing G5. Plus, our lines weren't as close as this Bulgarian choir's!

The linked choir is a professional choir, yet our amateur choral arrangements were typically higher. Why is that? I've been curious about this for a few days now. Is it because this Bulgarian choir is SSA and doesn't have to worry about overlapping with the tenors?

I'm the director of music at an Episcopal church, I'm the organist and direct a small choir ... For like the last 13 yrs. I'd like to maybe go back to school for choral conducting. I'm mostly an organist/pianist...less knowledgeable about conducting.

What are some stunning audition pieces that I could get excited about? Thanks!

Hi y’all, I’m currently in undergrad for Music Education. I’m 18 and I REALLY want to get a DMA in choral conducting!! I also enjoy composing choral music on the side for funsies.

I attended a choral conducting program over the summer and I’m so glad I did because I learned so much and I’m getting insanely limited conducting opportunities at school. I don’t even get to take a basic conducting class until my junior year.

Aside from doing as many summer programs as I can afford and have time for, how can I gain conducting experience??? Especially in the winter when I’m on break!!

I’m lucky enough to have had amazing high school choir teachers who offer me as much guest conducting time as I want when I’m home, but does anyone have any other suggestions?

I practice conducting everyday. I do excerises, practice gesture, watch other conductors, etc. I feel like I’m doing everything I can while also feeling like I could be doing so much more.

Any suggestions???

Do you have any suggestions for two part sacral piece for male (rather bass&baritone) duet?