/r/choralmusic

Photograph via snooOG

Reddit's original community for choral music makers, enjoyers, composers, arrangers... or others interested in choral music, choruses, vocal ensembles, and other associated topics.

Reddit's original community for choral music makers, enjoyers, composers, arrangers... or others interested in choral music, choruses, vocal ensembles, and other associated topics.

/r/choralmusic

9,094 Subscribers

3

Pieces arranged by Sir Rodolfo Delarmente, Filipino arranger | Philippines

Hello 🤗 does somebody know how to get permissions for Choral pieces arranged by Sir Rodolfo Delarmente? He died year 2020, and we are unable to find any website or any POC. Thank you!

1 Comment
2024/03/08
05:23 UTC

7

MM Choral Conducting Summer Programs?

Help!! I’ve been wanting to go back and get my Masters in Choral Conducting for the last few years but I haven’t felt ready to commit to taking 2 full years off of work. I love my current position and am finally building the program of my dreams! I still want to continue my own education but without having to leave my job behind in order to do so!

What universities offer summer programs for choral conducting? The only one I know of is Michigan State (planning on applying this fall). Are there more that I’m missing? All of my internet searches come up with nothing.

Thank you so so so much!

10 Comments
2024/03/08
02:12 UTC

2

absolutely obsessed with this piece

i am new to choir/chorale, i’m a soprano! and this is a song we’re doing called Dies Irae, excuse the black screen i recorded it on my phone and put it in my pocket lol

0 Comments
2024/03/07
16:58 UTC

3

Still The Same Love by Michael Bussewitz-Quarm

This is my choir, the Indianapolis Women's Choir.

0 Comments
2024/03/06
01:34 UTC

7

Ideas for Adjudicator Gift Bags?

Hello friends. I have been tasked with putting together gift bags for a choral festival staff of adjudicators. What would you like if you were to receive?

20 Comments
2024/03/05
17:16 UTC

1

Anyone know of settings of Go, Lovely Rose for chorus besides Whitacre?

EDIT: Thanks for the suggestions everyone! You've given me some nice music to listen to! :)

6 Comments
2024/03/04
19:01 UTC

15

Help for choral piece for wedding

I have an SATB quartet for my wedding from choral friends. I’m trying to come up with one or two pieces for them to do but I keep on gravitating to 8 part pieces or things that sound better with a big choir.

What is good as an SATB quartet? We have an organ available. Bonus points if has relevance to Mary.

EDIT: What about a Magnificat?!

47 Comments
2024/03/03
17:43 UTC

5

Searching for a song I sung in choir 6 years ago

I've been looking for this song for literal years and only recently has it occurred to me that I could ask reddit for help so here are some lyrics I remember any help is appreciated.

"Yellow beady eyes looking at me, something in the night oh what can it be?"

"Something creeping in the night"

"Does it bite?"

And towards the end there's two screams.

Crossing my fingers someone knows that this is.

3 Comments
2024/03/03
06:17 UTC

48

Should a community choir perform difficult, inaccessible music?

We are an auditioned community choir with a professional director. We have some very good musicians, and some more mediocre. I'm not going to name the piece, so as not to get doxxed. The piece is very long, requires a big, expensive orchestra. It's from the first half of the twentieth century, so it sounds "modern," with lots of dissonant harmonies, frequently changing time signatures. There are not many hum-able melodies. Normally, I like difficult pieces more after I have learned to sing them, but this one is not growing on me. We are not in a big city and our local demographics are not affluent or highly educated. It's hard to know how many people in the audience will enjoy the piece. Meanwhile, the rather large professional orchestra will cost us a pretty penny. Rehearsing and performing this piece is taking up a big chunk of our annual cycle. We get by each year on a combination of donations advertising and tuition, without any surplus.

I don't have an opinion about whether this performance is in our choir's best interest, though obviously I have my doubts. What do you all think?

58 Comments
2024/03/02
22:33 UTC

11

Just recorded the first time my choir has rehearsed the text of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus with all its flaws and imperfections. Any and all constructive criticism welcomed!

8 Comments
2024/03/02
15:39 UTC

2

Auroville Choir 30th Birthday Performance

0 Comments
2024/02/27
10:16 UTC

0

Planning a large public sing-along with several hundred people. Playlist is mainly classic protestant hymns and a few pop standards. Is there a cellphone app that would allow audience to hear their parts? Seems like such an app ought to exist but haven't seen one. Thanks for any help or suggestions.

1 Comment
2024/02/27
04:51 UTC

13

Recently recorded my choir practicing the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel (though we're still practicing in solfege and haven't gotten into the words yet) any advices on where we need to improve? Thanks!

15 Comments
2024/02/27
02:33 UTC

0

Upcoming concert

If you are in the Seattle or surrounding areas, come join us for a fun afternoon! Go to brownpapertickets.com

5 Comments
2024/02/27
01:16 UTC

7

How to sing deeper

24M here. I'm your typical cursed baritone. I get pretty shifted a lot during voice placements in choirs. Currently I'm at Bass 1. I can push the higher end of my range to a A4 on a good day. On normal days I'm at G4 at best. However, my timbre is quite darker than that of the average tenor. The issue I'm having is that I can't sing lower past F2(This note can be pretty shaky sometimes). I did observe something interesting though. When I wake up, within the first 2 - 3 hours, I can hit notes as low as C2(Sometimes even Bb1 though it sounds more like vocal fry). Is there a way I can overcome this and be able to maintain the morning low ranges throughout the day as well as be audible enough when I'm in a choir.

18 Comments
2024/02/26
12:27 UTC

22

‘The Armed Man’

No question, just an observation.

I’m 53 years old, sing in a choir since I’m 7 years old. I believe I’m now in my prime. At the moment we are rehearsing ‘The Armed Man’ for a performance in Sydney Opera house in June.

Maybe because I’m a veteran but never been so emotional involved in a piece as this. I know music is emotion but I’m ‘scared’ how it gets me.

11 Comments
2024/02/26
00:43 UTC

4

Beautiful pieces with alto soloist

Hello! Can anyone recommend a simple but lovely piece of choral music that features a truly lovely alto solo??

12 Comments
2024/02/25
16:49 UTC

7

Which solo vocal fachs are the most and least likely to stay within their "corresponding" choir section?

From what I've noticed, strong solo voices tend to be section switchers and/or generally sing outside of their solo vocal categorization in choir. But which types of strong solo voices are more or less likely to do so?

For the sake of this question let's say the following, using broad vocal categories encompassing all specific fachs within:

Solo soprano --> corresponding choir section: soprano

Solo mezzo --> corresponding choir section: alto

Solo contralto --> corresponding choir section: alto 2/tenor

Solo tenor --> corresponding choir section: tenor

Solo baritone --> corresponding choir section: bass 1/tenor 2

Solo bass --> corresponding choir section: bass

I'm of course curious as to how this differs among various divisions/fachs of broad solo voice types (for example, dramatic vs lyric voices, etc.)

8 Comments
2024/02/25
04:38 UTC

4

Recordings for beginners

Is there any resource where I could find choral songs recorded only with certain types of voice separately (alto and soprano)? I would like it to be easier for me to learn.

15 Comments
2024/02/24
20:54 UTC

14

Do I use my natural voice in a choir or try to follow the crowd?

Very, very new to this choir stuff. I recently joined a choir and am singing as an alto!

I'm having no problems with my alto parts but there was a part in a song we're learning where all voices sing the same melody. My choir is mainly filled with high sopranos so naturally, the melody in this part is sung in a really high pitch (which I struggle to sing along).

I've tried singing in my usual pitch but it sounds rather off since I feel as though I'm the only one singing that low. What should I do? Should I try to sing along with the majority or should I sing in my usual, lower voice?

16 Comments
2024/02/24
15:12 UTC

5

What do you prefer?

If you as a woman could sing anything well and you could choose, would you like to be a soprano or alto?

29 Comments
2024/02/24
10:50 UTC

1

Looking for more contemporary repertoire

Hi all, first time poster here. I'm looking for some repertoire that's on the more contemporary side. I recently sang Hagenberg's "My Song in the Night," with my choir and fell in love. I'm also a big fan of Stopford's music. I'm specifically looking for songs that have a kind of haunting beauty. Ola Gjeilo's "Ecce Novum" is another great example. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

9 Comments
2024/02/23
16:08 UTC

9

Community Choir Member Recruitment and Retention

Hello Hive Mind!

A question for all of those who run their own community choirs.

What are some tools and/or strategies you use to recruit new members (particularly tenors and basses) and retain them?

For premise:

I started a community choir in Japan and we are currently in our 4th official year of activities. I, along with most of the members of the group, am a full-time worker and manage the group as a hobby. The vice-president, bookkeeper, part-leaders, etc. all help keep the group running as volunteers.

The group operates 100% off of membership dues as we do not have any sponsors (I have found this to be the case for most groups unless they are registered as NPOs or are professional choirs). Because of this, all of our membership recruitment is primarily done through social media and word-of-mouth.

We also actively perform as festivals, competitions, and contests around the area as a means of making ourselves known.

This strategy has worked for us in terms of getting new inquiries and new membership (especially Sopranos and Altos).

We however have the most difficulty in attracting tenors and basses. Those we do get inquiries from will usually visit a rehearsal or two but getting them to officially join is a big hurdle.

For the people we do get to join, we’re finding it difficult to keep them after performances. This is especially true of members who have more choral experience or are older in age.

Reasons I have been given from those who choose not to join or quit are as follows:

・ Too much of a time commitment ・ The music is not to my taste ・ Lack of confidence

I sang for a long time in the States before coming to Japan and I don’t feel that I’m asking any more of these adults than what would have been asked if me in my community choir experiences. In fact, I feel I’m asking a lot less but I’m finding the culture here is a lot more different than what I thought it would be.

It’s starting to get to me as I’m starting to feel like ① I’m having to lower my standards far below the point I want to and, ② no matter what I do to train the singers and help their confidence is not enough.

I ask for feedback, including music suggestions/requests, pretty often but rarely ever get any responses so I’m at a loss of what to do other than say, “***k it, I’ll do what I want,” or simply peace out…

This the first group I’ve ever managed and also the first I’ve ever conducted and regardless of how much I ask for input or help, nobody in the group seems willing to raise their hand so it’s pretty much on me to keep the ball rolling in all aspects of the group which is not sustainable considering my work responsibilities (I have to eat and pay rent).

6 Comments
2024/02/23
12:19 UTC

9

Song suggestions for sight singing meetup

Hi all! I’m a music education major and I’m event coordinator on the ACDA board at my university. I am planning a sight singing meetup and I’m looking for songs that would be good for this event. Preferably more approachable songs since there will be people of all levels attending. Ideally I would like to have a diverse range of music by composers of marginalized backgrounds. Obviously Bach is great, and any recommendations will be appreciated but I also want to diversify. Does anyone have any good recommendations?

15 Comments
2024/02/23
01:08 UTC

12

Non-Western choral gems?

23 Comments
2024/02/21
07:11 UTC

24

Any works, as a performer, you absolutely hate but love listening to?

First time poster but I had to talk about what actually made me being this up; Lauridsen's Lux Aeterna is gorgeous... but as a middle voice soprano it makes me want to commit arson. Like... its absolutely terrible and does not make sense lyrically. Tons of voice crossing and registrational issues with the voices, and dissonances that sometimes do not make sense in the scope of the piece.

Ive talked to so many and heard about how much people love this work... but they never were on the performer side of things.

Just food for thought

32 Comments
2024/02/21
04:15 UTC

7

Searching for beginning music and composers

Two weeks ago I was offered a long term substitute position for a 6-8 choir class. My background is in wind band education, but I am going to apply myself as much as possible to give these students a good experience for the rest of this year.

The last teacher did not give the students much of an education, so the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders are all at the same level.

Can anyone give me suggestions for great choral composers that focus on beginning music, unison or two part? When signs can I look for to see the students are ready for three part music? Any and all advice is welcome, thanks for reading this!

7 Comments
2024/02/19
16:28 UTC

1

Resources/Reference Books About Counter-Tenor and Sopranist voices?

I lead a community choir in Tokyo and recently had a young (college-student) counter-tenor visit. There is a high possibility that they will be joining and I want to do my part in understanding how to work with that type of voice.

This is solely for me as the person in question already has a private voice trainer.

2 Comments
2024/02/19
01:46 UTC

2

Need choral symphony

I'm addicted to Christopher Tin - Waloyo Yamoni I need more that's similar.

4 Comments
2024/02/18
03:55 UTC

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