NationStates Jolt Archive

http://www.stclementchurch.org/weddings/popup/SchubertAveMaria.html

For such a deeply moving Hymn one wonders where this passion is found, Schubert was most certainly not a devote Catholic and some even claimed that he was atheist. Is it due to some kind of passion we all feel towards maternal figures? Is it the purity of Blessed Virigin that appeals to the pruest part of our hearts? Or is it a deep spiritual bond between man and God's Mother.

Wrong.

The Ave Maria's "power" comes not from any spiritual text or love of Mary, but rather from the choir/person that powers it. Speaking as an atheist choir member, I can tell you that a good choir, religious or not, can take any piece and make it feel as if the world revolves around it at the very moment. Great singers bare their soul to the music, allowing their emotion and energy to be heard and felt by everyone listening. Great singers feel the music, living that moment for that piece, that passage, that phrase, that chord, that single note, giving it all that they have. Most American choirs sing songs in Latin, German, Hebrew, French and most other languages that have pure vowel shapes and sounds. I've even sung in Gaelic. They have no idea what it means, but they sing it and allow the music to move them spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically... gramatically, you get the picture. The music needs that to be expressed properly.

The Ave Maria is no different from Nelly Bly, Dulaman, Alleluia, Man of Constant Sorrow or Der Abend. It's called the Musical Moment. It's the choir living and singing for the moment, letting the music, whatever it is, tell them what and how to feel. It's that simple. It's not spirituality, it's musicianship.

Speaking as a former Chior Master I can honestly say the song has alot to do with it. You can have the worlds's greatest chior and still end up with a poor performance if the song is lackign in meaning. Whereas you can have a song like the Ave Maria or Star Spangled Banner and even off key it carries pashion and emotion.

Speaking as a current choir singer, I can say that a good choir takes any song and gives itselfself to it. Any song, when given the soul of a choir, is given vigor and life. Maybe your choir chose not to do that. Or, perhaps, your conducting didn't lead them to do so.

I performed with one of my choirs in the Golden State Southern Devision compition held at Royce Hall, UCLA a while back. This is a compition of the best High Schools in the Southern California area, which, being as populated as it is, is tough compitition. The mandatory performance piece was Tu Es Petrus, one of the hardest songs that I've ever done in my life. That day, which conisisted of about 8 hours of choir music, I saw 10+ renditions that song, as well as many, many others. It doesn't take the perfect piece to have life and every time your "perfect piece" is done, it's not great. For instance, I saw two perticular choirs singing "Ellijah Rock", while one had great technique, it lacked the vigor and recklessness that the other had. Both were great to listen to, but one seemed more lifeless, but perfectly done, the other was blurred, but carried with it this feeling of jubilation. Later, at another compition, I saw your Ave Maria performed by a Women's Ensemble that was, quite honestly, terrible. They looked like they were going through hell on stage. It's not the piece, it's the choir, and their willingness to sell the song. Regarding Tu Es Petrus... we were horrible, off key, missing notes, tempo was askew. But, we sold it well, and got good marks as a result.

No song lacks meaning. Perhaps you lack the subtlely to read the message that's not plastered across the front of the song.

I agree with Tocatta Land. Speaking as a tune deaf, not tone deaf, member of a family with several good singers, I know from personal experience that a decent song, such as one for a Disney movie, can be sung well by a dedicated and enthusiastic group of untrained singers while a good song, like Ave Maria, can be done really really badly, as long as the choir singing it is not putting it's collective heart and soul into the music. At my Bar Mitzvah, the songs are well written and moving. THey were done well, but many of my friends were bored and not as into it as they could have been. However, my sister, who's friends enjoy going to temple more than mine do, sang the prayers better than the entire temple's congregation. That is just one illustration of how the singers mean just as much, if not more than, the actual music.

Speaking as a former classically trained operatic tenor, what every choir really excels at doing is getting into catty verbal slap fights with each other. This is handy, though, because what every choir singer really loves is watching other choir members get into these verbal slap fights. Occasionally the voices do team up, though, and have a go at the director, but usually they just ignore him while plotting how to prove how the whole soprano section is quite possibly the Third Reich reincarnated

*Grabs some popcorn*

So, please, continue. It's been awhile since I've gotten to see a good one of these.

How many sopranos does it take to screw in a light bulb?

Just one... but she holds it up and waits for the room to spin around her.

I love "Ave Maria", I get chills everytime I sung it in chorus senior year of high school.

Rotovia, anything to say in rebuttal?