More than words

We took a break from Messiah this week to start rehearsals for the concert after next (we’re very organised in the Chorale) which will consist of Faure’s Requiem and pieces from the European Sacred Music book.

Like Messiah, Requiem is a piece that many members of the Chorale have sung before, but on first run-through it seems much trickier than Messiah. Where Handel likes long runs of notes, Faure has sharps and flats floating about, and if, like me, your sight reading isn’t too clever, it takes some concentration to get them all in the right order. The finished effect though is lovely, clashing chords resolving to harmonious ones.

After the nice surprise that was the fact Messiah is sung in English, this week brought another one. Among the pieces we’re doing from the European Sacred Music book, we have songs in French and German as well as Latin. I did French at school, also did a couple of years of German (very badly), so singing in it is bound to be easier than Latin (which I’ve never studied before), isn’t it?

Well no, actually. It seems some kind of Pavlovian shift has happened in my head since I joined the Chorale, because the Latin made loads more sense than the other two. Strange isn’t it?

If you’d like tickets for the Messiah Concert (31^st March, Bradford Cathedral) please contact a member of the Chorale, visit the website or e-mail tickets@bradfordchorale.org.uk