Madrigal Week: Why I Love Choral Music

A friend of mine asked me, "What is your (musical) genre?" She knows that I used to sing with the choir and she knows about this blog. I figured I'd tackle this question because my blog is about choral music--this is my musical inclination.

I speak about this from the point of view of personal experience. I don't claim to be its expert. I am not here to do a critique of any performance of a choral group. My goal is simply to share to the world what choral music has done for me. I think it's good that aside from watching movies and TV shows or listening to mainstream pop music on the radio, it would be nice if people would also take interest in choral music. That is why I'd like to share my personal experience about it.

I love to sing and there are many ways to do this; there are many musical outlets available. The outlet I chose is choral singing. I appreciate how individual voices are able to unite themselves and sing harmoniously. Each singer in the choir is different--each has their own personalities, attitudes, and lifestyles. But it's amazing how they can come together, utilizing their different voice range and talents for the sake of singing one song.

Just as there are several types of music that we listen to on the radio, choral music has several genres as well. One of them is the Madrigal. A Madrigal is an a capella style of singing that was popular during the Renaissance period. This type of singing is also characterized as polyphonic--different voices singing in different ranges singing two or more musical lines depending on the arrangement. In other words, the singers are divided amongst groups according to their range--some will sing the high notes (soprano), some the low notes (bass), and some the middle range (alto and tenor). They each sing their lines accordingly but when they join together to sing the entire song, they blend smoothly and harmonize fantastically. To me, the unity of these voices is just breath taking, like you're flying and it feels free, relaxing and soothing to the soul.

Today, I wish to share a Madrigal with you. This is one of the Madrigals I've sung when I was with the choir. The song is entitled "Hard By A Crystal Fountain" composed by Thomas Morley.  I chose this particular rendition that you are about to watch because you could see that choral singing does not always mean having many individuals singing. With Madrigal style, I often see smaller groups of singers sing this style. Here are the words and the video for your enjoyment.

HARD BY A CRYSTAL FOUNTAIN

Hard by a crystal fountain,
Oriana the Bright lay down asleeping.
The birds they finely chirped, the winds were stilled;
sweetly with these accenting the air was filled.
This is that Fair, whose head a crown deserveth,
which Heav'n for her reserveth.
Leave, shepherds, your lambs keeping,
upon the barren mountain,
and nymphs attend on her and leave your bowers,
for she the shepherd's life maintains and yours.

Then sang the shepherds and nymphs of Diana:
Long live fair Oriana!