3 Reasons to love Choral Music

I love kaleidoscopes. There is something remarkable yet simple about them.  On the outside  you see a bunch of random shapes and objects, but when you look through the scope you get a gorgeous interplay of colour which makes new shapes. For me, choral sound is much the same. When random voices join together and sing in harmony a gorgeous, radiant array of colour bursts forth. It is all at once remarkable and simple.

Three of my top reasons to love the art of choral singing:

1. The harmonies.  My favourite harmony is close dissonance; perhaps a minor second or a cluster of four notes. For me there is more energy, colour and aural interplay in dissonance than consonance.

 2. The power of dynamic choral sound. The power and fullness of a forte followed by a pianissimo sung by a choir can give goosebumps to the director, audience and the singers creating the music.

3. Connects one to a larger beauty. This excerpt from The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt captures why I am constantly drawn to creating music “…And isn’t it the whole point of things-beautiful things-that they connect us to some larger beauty?” “things” or music I say! And by connecting to that larger beauty I am always left humbled, inspired and in awe.

What are your reason for loving choral music? Please share!