Quite a few good Jamieisms this week (sorry for the delay in reporting them) - the one in the title was the most amusing, because he really didn't remember the phrase "potter's wheel"! We did the whole of Messiah - well, not every single note, but all of them were at least referred to in passing. Other quotes:
"If the audience goes away saying 'that was jolly nice, wasn't it?' I shall die."
"And suddenly we've got this 3 bar phrase that's like a little island off the coast of Norway."
"We have winners, and they are called tenors!" (this referred to their singing of the word 'astray' in 'All We Like Sheep')
"Since boy man... Betty..." (you probably had to be there!)
"Altos, you should do as you please. (no change there...)" (this referred to the dynamic for 'the glory of the Lord' at the end of 'O Thou That Tellest')
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So, did anyone watch How Music Works last night? I quite liked it - not as much as Big Bangs, but it was OK. I was slightly put off because I spotted an error early on, and that always distracts me! They played clips of 5 songs and asked what the melodies had in common. Well, I spotted that the first one was pentatonic, and the next three examples confirmed my guess that this was the connection. But then the last example was Sailing, which doesn't fit! The pentatonic scale in C major consists of only the notes C, D, E, G and A. "Sailing" (if sung in C major) includes an F! Look: G A C C... E G A A... A G G F... F E E.
Yes, I know I'm sad :-)
Anyway, some random links to finish. Here's a thing about another reality TV show featuring a choir - sounds excruciating! Here's yet another thing about girls singing in cathedral choirs. You might like this video of a Finnish choir listing things they hate about life (I found it entertaining but a bit too long - and thanks to all the people who have sent it to me, but I'd already seen it!)
The photo at the top shows some of the new Christmas lights in Albert Square - I really like the toys! Here's a slightly clearer version of the same lights:
And here's a rather blurry one that has the Manchester Oasis thingy and the pretty trees and the Bridgewater Hall in the background (wish I had a steadier hand!)
And, finally, I haven't given you any mp3s for a while, so here are a couple. The Joyce Grenfell one is not her best, but may amuse some of you (it's about ladies who sing in choral societies). And the Bulgarian one is one that someone asked me about recently - I said I'd never heard of it, but when I looked it up I realised I had. It's from this album, which I must get a copy of at some point - it sounds intriguing.
Joyful Noise (Joyce Grenfell) (5.8 MB)
Polegnala e Toudora (The Bulgarian Voices) (3.9 MB)
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