[Originally published on Michael McGlynn's Wordpress site HERE, and subsequently published by On Being, December 2011]   I was brought up as a Roman Catholic. My parents endeavoured to give me every opportunity to be exposed to a vast range of musi...

[The views expressed in this blog are from my personal experiences from 25 years of leading non-auditioned community choirs in the UK, as well as adult singing workshops. My focus is on teaching by ear using a repertoire of songs from traditions across th...

our entry to the national Choir of the Year competition in 2016, where we made it through to the second round against very tough competition!

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Last week I wrote about the kinds of singing that I like (I may not know much about music, but I know what I like!).     Now I want to give...

Old German tune, harmonised by J S Bach words based on the translation by Percy Dearmer 1 O little one sweet, O little one mild, thy Father's purpose thou hast fulfilled; thou cam'st from heaven to mortal ken, Equal to be with us poor men, O littl...  moreOld German tune, harmonised by J S Bach words based on the translation by Percy Dearmer 1 O little one sweet, O little one mild, thy Father's purpose thou hast fulfilled; thou cam'st from heaven to mortal ken, Equal to be with us poor men, O little one sweet, O little one mild. 2 O little one sweet, O little one mild, thy Father's purpose thou hast fulfilled; thou cam'st from Him, from heaven's domain, to bring men comfort in their pain, O little one sweet, O little one mild. 3 O little one sweet, O little one mild. in thee Love's beauties are all distilled; then light in us thy love's bright flame, that we may give thee back the same, O little one sweet, O little one mild. 4 O little one sweet, O little one mild. Help us to do as thou hast willed Lo, all we have belongs to thee Ah, keep us in our fealty. O little one sweet, O little one mild.  less

Composed by Thomas Weelkes (1576-1623) Sung here by the dwsChorale (just verse 1) Four arms, two necks, one wreathing, Two pair of lips, one breathing. Fa la la la la la. Two hearts that multiply Sighs interchangeably. Fa la la la la la. Image...  moreComposed by Thomas Weelkes (1576-1623) Sung here by the dwsChorale (just verse 1) Four arms, two necks, one wreathing, Two pair of lips, one breathing. Fa la la la la la. Two hearts that multiply Sighs interchangeably. Fa la la la la la. Images: Two lovers at St Pancras station (London) dwsChorale  

Recorded on the 69th Annual Ocean Grove Choir Festival July, 9, 2023 The Great Auditorium (Ocean Grove, NJ) Rider Foster, Conductor Dr. Gordon Turk, Organ The Ocean Grove Festival Choir For more information on the music program of Ocean Grove, ...  moreRecorded on the 69th Annual Ocean Grove Choir Festival July, 9, 2023 The Great Auditorium (Ocean Grove, NJ) Rider Foster, Conductor Dr. Gordon Turk, Organ The Ocean Grove Festival Choir For more information on the music program of Ocean Grove, Please visit: https://www.oceangrove.org  

Sweet Kate, of late Ran away and left me 'plaining: “Abide,” I cried, “Or I die with thy disdaining.” “Tee! hee! hee!” quoth she, “Gladly would I see, Any man to die with loving. Never any yet, Died of such a fit, Neither have I fear of proving.”...  moreSweet Kate, of late Ran away and left me 'plaining: “Abide,” I cried, “Or I die with thy disdaining.” “Tee! hee! hee!” quoth she, “Gladly would I see, Any man to die with loving. Never any yet, Died of such a fit, Neither have I fear of proving.” “Unkind, I find thy delight is in tormenting, Abide,” I cried, “Or I die with thy consenting.” “Tee! hee! hee!” quoth she, “Make no fool of me, Men I know have oaths at pleasure; But their hopes attained, They belay they feigned, And their oaths are kept at leisure.”  less

One of my favorite choir tricks was to telling my singers to ‘aim for the top side of the pitch.’  This was, of course, because they were singing flat, and I thought the imagery would give my singers a way of thinking about an abstract co...

Why not give singing for men a go! www.facebook.com/bournemouthmvc