Beethoven's Shadow

Rehearsals for Beethoven's 9th have begun! At rehearsal our director asked for a show hands to find out who had never sung the Ninth and my hand few up: This is why I joined the symphony chorus this fall.

Of course, I'm excited also about the Chichester Psalms which is coming up soon, but everything is eclipsed by Beethoven right now. The sighs of "finally" when we put away the Bernstein and took out the Beethoven escaped out of every section in the choir. (There are always humorous moments, created specifically by conductors to get reactions from the choir, but this audible mix of relief and excitement made me want to giggle.)

Beethoven, however, is always a serious matter, or so we've been taught. He is myth and genius, not mortal and we still live in his shadow today. This is the dude that even non-classical fans want to buy symphony tickets to hear.

An interesting, but unsuccessful, challenge to this "Beethoven-genius-legend" has been released in the new film Copying Beethoven. Staring Ed Harris as Beethoven and Dianne Kruger as a copyist named Anna Holtz, a new myth is told. You may be saying to yourself, "A girl copyist?" Yes, a girl who was raised by nuns, and therefore educated, was sent to be Beethoven's copyist. Even more, she makes "corrections" to his score and ultimately aids him in conducting his Ninth. "Scandalous!" you may say. Actually, it's just awkward and funny - funny if you actually know Beethoven's biography, that is. The worst is when Beethoven keeps yelling at people to speak louder. Obviously, the writers and director must have wanted partially-deaf Beethoven so that he could carry out the uncomfortably weird relationship he had with his female co-star. In short: do not waste your time, let alone your money, on this one; even Immortal Beloved is better than this, and that's not saying much.

But back to choir: there are many composer bio-flicks and movies about bands, but I have not run across many about choirs. There's the Sister Act movies. What else - give me some ideas, please!

If ye love me speak with a British accent

This morning I sang "If ye love me" with my church choir. It is a beautiful piece that is deceptively difficult due to the fact that: A) it was written circa 1547 and B) our bodies are used to 19-20th Century music. Ironically, the polyphony that gives our modern choirs such a challenge was seen as simple for the early Anglican Church when Tallis composed this piece. This church composer was one of the first to write in a new style for the reinstatement protestantism by Queen Elizabeth I. Tallis created enjoyable, functional music which was choral and syllabic, not as mellismatic as music from the Catholic mass.

Fast-forward 460 years to 2007.

How does a choir sing Renaissances music? With a British accent, of course! Everyone know that Midwestern accents are much too vulgar for English music so directors do all they can to make their choir use proper diction.

For example: When we speak, the "r" turns into more of a vowel than a consonant. (Country music singers are the most notorious.) In this Tallis hymn we have the line, "and I will pray the father..." There are two problems with the word "pray": the "r" and the diphthong on "ay." One solution is to give the choir an new word to sing, which, when they sing it together in the context of the anthem ends up sounding like the word that is actually written on the page. At rehearsal we were told to sing "puh-dey" instead of "pray."

These "translations" always make me laugh (to myself, of course), but they do work and I'm happy my choir trusts our director.

"If ye lAHve me (no breath!) keep mah commandments
And ah wIll puh-dey the fahthah
And he shahll give yoo anothah cahmfortah
Thaht he may abahd with yoo fo-evuh
E...vn' the spi-It of trooth."

- John 14:15-17
PCV (Phonetic Choral Version)