<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Ginny, I agree. Many times the language is an integral part of the music. Think of all the religious songs from the early days sung in latin. And recently, I’ve been helping the Onion River Chorus sing a Ukrainian religious hymn in Ukrainian. I think it helps to better understand a culture when you sing in their language. <div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">George<br class=""><div><br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On May 10, 2022, at 11:50 AM, Vamarie via Choir <<a href="mailto:choir@unitarianchurchofmontpelier.org" class="">choir@unitarianchurchofmontpelier.org</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class="">
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-family: arial;" class="">I also am lyrically-oriented. As a writer, I'm very much into the words.
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<div class="">I love the fact that we sing in other languages, even if it's challenging sometimes. I feel that enriches our connection to the whole big world outside of Vermont.</div>
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<div class="">Ginny<br class="">
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<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: 10pt;" class=""><font size="2" class="">-----Original Message-----<br class="">
From: Lani Seifert via Choir <<a href="mailto:choir@unitarianchurchofmontpelier.org" class="">choir@unitarianchurchofmontpelier.org</a>><br class="">
To: <a href="mailto:tom@tomschersten.com" class="">tom@tomschersten.com</a> <<a href="mailto:tom@tomschersten.com" class="">tom@tomschersten.com</a>><br class="">
Cc: Donia Prince <<a href="mailto:ucm.music21@gmail.com" class="">ucm.music21@gmail.com</a>>; UCM Choir <<a href="mailto:choir@unitarianchurchofmontpelier.org" class="">choir@unitarianchurchofmontpelier.org</a>><br class="">
Sent: Tue, May 10, 2022 11:32 am<br class="">
Subject: Re: [Choir] this weeks rehearsal, etc. news<br class="">
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<div class="">Thanks Tom,</div>
<div class="">I tend to be a whiner! Thus the email. 😉</div>
<div class="">(squeaky wheel, and all).</div>
<div class="">Lani</div>
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<div dir="ltr" class="yiv2369823097gmail_attr">On Tue, May 10, 2022 at 11:28 AM <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" ymailto="mailto:tom@tomschersten.com" target="_blank" href="mailto:tom@tomschersten.com" class="">tom@tomschersten.com</a> <<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" ymailto="mailto:tom@tomschersten.com" target="_blank" href="mailto:tom@tomschersten.com" class="">tom@tomschersten.com</a>> wrote:<br class="">
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<div style="word-wrap:break-word;" class="">Lani,
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<div class="">Thanks for broaching the subject of words and understanding words. Every Choir director I’ve seen in action has included diction in their coaching the choir. So, we singers need to keep thinking about diction because it can always get better.</div>
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<div class="">Beyond that, I like the idea of the congregation having access to the words. No matter how good our diction gets, there are people whose hearing is not as good as most people, and it’s not just volume; it’s also pesky initial and final consonants.</div>
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<div class="">I struggle singing songs not sung in English, which also usually involves producing sounds not part of my native language. My eyes have tracking issues, so needing to sing unfamiliar words and sounds is an extra layer of processing beyond seeing all the notes and words in a timely fashion. Nevertheless, when I need to sing a song not in English, I do it without whining.</div>
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<div class="">Tom</div>
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<div class="">On May 10, 2022, at 11:04 AM, Lani Seifert via Choir <<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" ymailto="mailto:choir@unitarianchurchofmontpelier.org" target="_blank" href="mailto:choir@unitarianchurchofmontpelier.org" class="">choir@unitarianchurchofmontpelier.org</a>> wrote:</div>
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<div class="">I’m interested to hear from other choristers.</div>
<div class="">Lani</div>
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<div dir="ltr" class="yiv2369823097gmail_attr">On Tue, May 10, 2022 at 11:03 AM Donia Prince <<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" ymailto="mailto:ucm.music21@gmail.com" target="_blank" href="mailto:ucm.music21@gmail.com" class="">ucm.music21@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br class="">
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<div dir="ltr" class="">Yes I have also thought of that, and if you are willing to make those slides that would be wonderful!</div>
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<div dir="ltr" class="yiv2369823097gmail_attr">On Tue, May 10, 2022 at 11:00 AM Lani Seifert <<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" ymailto="mailto:lani.seifert@gmail.com" target="_blank" href="mailto:lani.seifert@gmail.com" class="">lani.seifert@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br class="">
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<div class="">One other thought on the lyrics issue. Perhaps they could be projected as other things are throughout the service? This would save paper.</div>
<div class="">I’m happy to work on this.</div>
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<div class="">Lani</div>
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<div dir="ltr" class="yiv2369823097gmail_attr">On Tue, May 10, 2022 at 10:54 AM Lani Seifert <<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" ymailto="mailto:lani.seifert@gmail.com" target="_blank" href="mailto:lani.seifert@gmail.com" class="">lani.seifert@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br class="">
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<div class="">Hello,</div>
<div class="">I’d like to start a conversation about “lyrics”.</div>
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<div class="">I think an important part of choral singing is the lyrics. The music is important too, of course. What is the point of singing anything other than “la la tra la” if the lyrics cannot be understood by the listener?</div>
<div class="">I just listened to Gift to Sing and could not understand a word. No closed captioning offered either (that I noticed). And the singers were NOT masked, as we are.</div>
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<div class="">I’d like to offer the suggestion that we print out the lyrics to whatever we are singing and offer it to the congregation. The order of service seems to have a little extra room, or it could be a separate sheet.</div>
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<div class="">This also relates to my complaint about singing Muusica in Estonian, or what ever it is. Who understands it? Probably nobody in the congregation or the choir! Why not sing it on bah,bah bah or la, la, la?</div>
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<div class="">Thanks for reading my rant. Please respond with any thoughts on this subject. Otherwise, lets give up real words, and go with nonsense syllables. No one will notice the difference!</div>
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<div class="">BTW, I am happy to take on the chore of writing out the lyrics, and of course would welcome any help on that.</div>
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<div class="">Lani</div>
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<div dir="ltr" class="yiv2369823097gmail_attr">On Tue, May 10, 2022 at 9:28 AM Donia Prince via Choir <<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" ymailto="mailto:choir@unitarianchurchofmontpelier.org" target="_blank" href="mailto:choir@unitarianchurchofmontpelier.org" class="">choir@unitarianchurchofmontpelier.org</a>> wrote:<br class="">
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<div dir="ltr" class="">Hello all!<br class="">
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<div class="">Thanks everyone for your beautiful singing and presence last Sunday!</div>
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<div class="">A couple of reminders: </div>
<div class="">We will be having a rehearsal this Saturday. We have moved it to 9-11am in order to accommodate those who plan to attend the big action at the statehouse regarding reproductive rights which begins at 11.</div>
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<div class="">At rehearsal Thursday I will be collecting any contributions any of you wish to make to offer our volunteer tech crew a gift from the choir. Cash, or checks made out to me. We are thinking probably some sort of dining gift certificates, but if anyone has other ideas let Lani know.</div>
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<div class="">As usual we could use some of you to sign up to support hymn singing at church this Sunday. Not sure yet what the hymns will be. here is the sign-up link: <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://rsvp.church/r/H7RtmXNs" style="color:rgb(0,111,186);text-decoration-line:none;font-family:Jost;font-size:24px;" class="">https://rsvp.church/r/H7RtmXNs</a></div>
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<div class="">If anyone wants to try out singing Gift to Sing with the whole recording, here it is: <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBPHXJEtU7A&t=1s" class="">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBPHXJEtU7A&t=1s</a></div>
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<div class="">Finally, as written on the schedule handed out earlier, we will be having a rehearsal on Saturday, June 4th from 10-11, in lieu of the Thursday rehearsal. (We might have an optional Thursday one as well if people are interested. ). Following that rehearsal we'll have a potluck end-of-year gathering outside at the benches.</div>
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<div class="">See you Thursday! We will work on Grace and Mercy, Gift to Sing, and a little on Place in the Choir.</div>
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<div class="">Donia</div>
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