Advent concert

[wiseheart]

Well, we had our Advent concert today. To be short and painless about it: it was bad. Really bad. Even though most of the audience didn't realize it - not even my own Mum who has a fairly good ear.

I've whined about the changes in our choir earlier, from a more selfish and personal POV. Now let me try a more objective approach.

Yes, having professional outsiders like a musician and a music teacher help us out could be useful. Yes, it's good when we have one of our own in mezzosoprano who could function under any circumstances, no matter what.

But. Singing in a choir should be a shared effort. Not "well, the professionals will sing whatever needs to be sung and the rest of you can jog after them". All right, we are not as good as these three. But we are the choir, basically, aren't we? So, perhaps we should try to return to last year's practice and simply train more with the individual voices. It worked well enough last year, without profis.

This year, Agnes and I who sung the tenor in Arcadelt's Ave Maria, didn't have a single chance to sing our voice alone, so that we could be sure we got it right. Instead, all of a sudden, we discovered during the concert that aforementioned music teacher also signs the tenor with us.

Well, let me tell you something: she might be a profi, and I never doubt that she can keep the tone better than either of us, but her voice is shrill and aggressive. If she is there, what are the two of us still needed for? Nobody would ever hear our voices below hers anyway.

Let me tell you something else: Agnes and I managed damn well without her in the rehearsals. Even without that much needed chance to sing our voice for us alone, without the other three voices. There was no need for that woman to switch voices. Granted, she did it because our choir leader asked her. It's not her fault, and I know that. It still makes me feel so damn expendable.

Another thing: when we started learning Deck the Halls and Joy for the World, Monica (our choir leader) had the splendid idea that I should sing the tenor voice, right away from the notes I saw the first time in my life, as we go. Just as the professional musician did with the bass. Well, guess how well that would go. I am not a music teacher or a professional musician. I'm just a layperson who happens to like to sing. I couldn't do it, of course - how in seven hells could I?

So, guess what happened? No, we didn't sit down to take a look and probably help me find my footing with a voice I was supposed to sing alone. No, we rejected the whole idea of having a tenor voice, I went back to contralto and tried to catch up with them as well as I could. No, the contraltos never had a chance to sing their voice alone, either.

As I see it, it works like this: there are the professionals and Marta who's almost one, and there is the rest of us. The sopranoes don't have profis or semi-profis among them, so they get their individual rehearsals. The rest of us is supposed to follow the profis as well as we can, on our own. The problem is, we can't do that very well.

And that is, IMO, why today's concert was total and utter crap. Because the rest of us wasn't trained well enough, and you just can't fill an entire church with the voices of three or four people. We were insecure and nervous, and so we made mistakes. Stupid mistakes. For my part, I managed to restart one of the pieces at the wrong place. The fact that I didn't dare to sing loud enough for it to be realized by the audience, doesn't change anything.

Other people made other mistakes. And many of us were unhappy with the results, even though the audience actually liked the concert.

I'm disappointed and unhappy about these changes, too. And I'm seriously thinking about whether or not I should remain in the choir for the following year. I won't leave them now, that wouldn't be fair, but next year... I don't know. If there's no joy in it anymore, it's not worth to sacrifice my spare time for it.

Comments

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry the concert was disappointing. It's such a shame when bad rehearsals spoil a good choir's performance. Perhaps next year you could look out for a different choir?

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

No, I don't think so. Part of the appeal of this one was that it consisted of my colleagues, with whom we don't really have a chance to share otherwise - teaching is a fairly lonely job: you are alone with your class and must see how you survive the little trolls. *g*

Anyway, the point is, we were doing this as much for the chance to do something nice together as for the joy of singing itself. And with all those strangers it's just not the same. But going to another choir where everyone is a stranger wouldn't be the same, either.

[jastaelf.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry you're having such trials... the church I was at before being where I am now had similar issues. :-( It makes it very hard to enjoy the music when things like that happen...

Sounds like it's a night for concerts to go... oddly. :-( Here's some hugs to help you feel better! {{{{hugs}}}}

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Actually, the concert was planned for December 16, but the big star of the mezzosoprano is getting her tonsils removed tomorrow, so we had to make it a week earlier. The performance certainly sufffered from those lost two rehearsals.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry the concert was a disappointment. Our choir had a similar experience this term, with a conductor who didn't seem much interested in our performance: "Oh, we don't need to go through that bit, it's exactly the same as the bit before." There were some bits we didn't sing through entirely, and it showed in the performance.

Is there anyway you can discuss your concerns with the conductor?

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I don't know. Apparently, only Gaby and I had this feeling, so I don't think it would do much good to stir things up. All the others seemed pleased enough with the performance, as it was perhaps a bit more spectacular, with a stable bass voice added and all that.

It shows how unhappy Gaby was about he whole thing in advance, though, as she specifically asked her hubby not to come to the concert. She says we should talk to the conductor, but honestly, that's one battle I don't feel like fighting.

[jilba.livejournal.com]

Don't you just LOVE this kind of thing? I had similiar experiences with a former belly dance teacher, who, having been a professional dancer expected us all to be professionals, and forgot we weren't thus expecting the impossible, plus changing stuff at the last minute, and shoving a couple of professionals in our way at the last instant.

My heart goes out to you, as you feel, don't you, that this year's work was wasted. Is it any point in speaking to other choir members? Or forming a new choir? Because it does seem sad if you have to give up something you clearly love.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Yes, I do love singing, but not like this. And forming a new choir isn't a realistic idea - we're barely keeping together this one as it is. Plus, the majority had no problem with the professionals, apparently. Perhaps it's me - I'm a very strange person, after all.

[jilba.livejournal.com]

I find you sensible, and sensible enough to question things you don't think are right. As my husband says, most people are sheep. They just follow blindly along..and most people will say the professionals know best even when they know that may not be the case.

Wish I could wave a magic wand and make it better for you!

[disthrainsdotte.livejournal.com]

I am sorry to hear that you felt that the concert was a failure, I am sure that you are able to sing well as long as you get a decent chance to reherse the songs. Bad rehearsals are a death sentence to any song in my opinion. Maybe you should look for a different choir where the conductor takes rehearsals seriously.

My choir will have the concert Sunday 17th together with the children´s choirs. I hope it will go well.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I'll cross my fingers for your success.
*hugs*

[disthrainsdotte.livejournal.com]

And I cross my fingers for your success.
*hugs back*

[gone2thedogs.livejournal.com]

Well, what an absolute shame, singing is suppose to be for the joy of it, otherwise it feels contrived and strained. I'm sorry you're having such a silly issue during a time that should be happy. Sounds like the choir director got a little star struck with the professionals. Any director worth their salt should be able to hear, acknowledge and help to correct problems in a piece, it's very disconcerting when they don't. After all choir is a compilation of voices, it is the whole that makes the beauty of the arrangement, yes it's nice to have professional voices but they should never overreach the other voices; solos, as in one voice, should be the only time they shine separately.

Keep your chin up, don't make any hasty decisions about leaving, if you heard the problem, you can bet others did as well. If nothing changes, then it's time to look for another choir.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I'm not leaving before the end of this school year. I'm used to finish things that I have begun. But I'll be thinking really hard whether to return to choir work in September or not.

[lhun-dweller.livejournal.com]

I don't think I can add better to what our other friends have said, but I will say that I'm sorry something in which you've taken real delight in the past was such an unsatisfying event for you this year. As for allowing a woman with a shrill, aggressive voice to take the tenor line - ick! The beauty of a female tenor IMHO (and I am one myself) is the warmth and smoothness of the tone. Why would anyone want an edge to it? Yuck.

I agree with gone2 - take some time to see how things settle out afterward, and only then, make your decision.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

The beauty of a female tenor IMHO (and I am one myself) is the warmth and smoothness of the tone. Why would anyone want an edge to it? Yuck.

I think it wasn't much about adding an edge to it but about the panic that we won't manage alone. We would have - with the right amount of rehearsal.