On Wednesday, May 23rd, I attended the Union College Choir concert in the Reamer Campus Center. The choir performed a variety of songs, ranging from pieces in Latin to traditional American folksongs. Two of the pieces featured solos, and one even featured percussion instruments. Mrs. Elinore Farnum provided piano accompaniment for each of the songs, and performed beautifully. I was extremely impressed by the talented choir members and their ability to sing such a varied range of songs.
The first song, Magnificat in C, was one of the longer songs performed, and featured many solos by Union students. This song is in Latin, but due to the English translation the audience received prior to the performance, we were able to follow along and comprehend the lyrics. This song demonstrated the various parts of a choir and allowed the sopranos, altos, and tenors to express themselves through sectional solos.
The second piece, Paratum Cor Meum, was a much shorter piece with very few lyrics. It was interesting to hear a piece by Haydn, since we had discussed this composer in class. I was impressed by the choir members? ability to remember words in another language, and I enjoyed the sounds of the piano accompaniment.
?Reuben, Reuben? was a much happier song and the first of the songs performed in English; however, my favorite pieces were ?Water Come-A-Me Eye? and ?Great Day!? I especially enjoyed ?Water Come-A-Me Eye? because of the percussion instruments that some of the choir members played. Jasmina Begovic kept a steady beat on the maracas and provided a pleasant accompaniment to the melodies of the choir. The other percussion instruments were equally enjoyable and added an element to the song that other songs did not have. ?Great Day!? was particularly enjoyable because of the fast-paced rhythm and the energy of the performers. This song had a faster tempo than the other songs and was a great way to conclude the concert. Though it seemed as if the entire concert had picked up speed when the choir sang ?Reuben, Reuben,? ?Guantanamera,? and ?Water Come-A-Me Eye? consecutively, the rhythm eventually slowed down when they performed ?Fare You Well,? a traditional American folksong with a rather melancholy sound to it.
The concert demonstrated the vocal capabilities of the choir members and explored a wide range of songs from different languages, tempos, and cultures. The singers were able to express different emotions through the happier songs such as ?Great Day!? and the more dismal emotions through songs such as ?Fare You Well.? The solos allowed particular students to display their talents, and the piano accompaniment provided a pleasant background for the choir. This concert was an enjoyable experience, and it was great to see the involvement of the Union community.