It's PROPH-IT, and we're going to take a quaver OFF IT

I think we've done the whole of The Apostles now, although I don't remember much of it because it's so long! But I'm pleased to report that I do actually like the end bit. There are some really lovely chords. Also, Rachel pointed out that one of the recurring Alleluia phrases is a bit like the "Optimistic Voices" chorus from The Wizard of Oz, which is a nice thought! No more Elgar for the next month, though, because the Holst concert is in a couple of weeks' time. I'm so looking forward to that.

Most of my singing lately has been with my school choir (who are almost ready for their two festival performances in March) and my band (who had great fun at the Valentine's Day gig, and got paid as well!) But I've spent most of this weekend arranging songs for a group of us to sing at Amy's wedding. This is at Manchester Town Hall in April, and it's going to be lovely. She's chosen some really interesting songs, and I can't wait to see what people think of them!

From the Telegraph: news that there are now lots of Military Wives' Choirs! And, also from the Telegraph, the story about how an opera singer had to drop out, and they found a replacement who could sing it but not act it, so the director did the acting...

Stephen Hough writes about whether or not it's necessary for singers to believe the words they're singing; he also has another practice tip, this time about not always sitting in the centre of the piano stool. (Which reminds me: I watched a TV programme earlier today, in which a woman sat down at a piano and began to play some Mozart; then she switched to some boogie woogie stuff and (while still playing) invited another character to join her so they could play a duet. She then moved to the left of the stool to make room for him, while still playing the high-pitched boogie woogie stuff, yet her body was oddly uncontorted. ARGH. Is it so hard to get these details correct?!?)

Via A Cappella News, a great article about whistling. (This article caused me a great deal of distraction, because after reading it I couldn't rest until I'd created an iTunes playlist of whistling songs...) Also, I learned a new term: puccalo! Isn't that a great word?

EDIT: I should have included my list, shouldn't I? Here it is:

WHISTLING SONG LIST
Always Look On the Bright Side of Life - from Monty Python's Life of Brian
Centerfold - J Geils Band
Daydream - The Lovin' Spoonful
Don't worry, be happy - Bobby McFerrin
Dream a Little Dream of Me - Mama Cass
A Fistful Of Dollars - Ennio Morricone
Games Without Frontiers - Peter Gabriel
Give A Little Whistle - from Pinocchio
Golden Years - David Bowie
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly - Ennio Morricone
Goodbye Stranger - Supertramp
Hocus Pocus - Focus
I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman - Whistling Jack Smith
Jealous Guy - John Lennon/Bryan Ferry & Roxy Music
The Lazy Song - Bruno Mars
Magic Moments - Perry Como
Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard - Paul Simon
Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera
River Kwai March & Colonel Bogey March - from Bridge on the River Kwai
Singing The Blues - Guy Mitchell
(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay - Otis Redding
A Spoonful of Sugar - from Mary Poppins
The Stranger - Billy Joel
Sweet Georgia Brown - Brother Bones
Walk Like An Egyptian - Puppini Sisters
Whistle For The Choir - The Fratellis
Whistle While You Work - from Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Wind Of Change - Scorpions


Via BoingBoing, an interview with Alan Parsons, who has some interesting views about audiophiles and their priorities.

You'll be well aware that Whitney Houston died a couple of weeks ago. BBC News had an interesting article about the way she sang - I was quite amused, when I first read it, at the thought that they were suggesting that she was the first singer to perform a melisma, but when I read it again I realised they didn't quite say that! I do tend to read too fast :-) Also, via A Cappella News, a Discovery Channel article that discusses the natural lifespan of a singer's voice.