Singing

As I've mentioned, I'm singing in a couple of choirs at the moment. It's been interesting and challenging because I'm new to both singing and the Catholic Church (I was baptised in 2009), so I'm not very familiar with a lot of even basic hymns. It's especially awkward when everyone knows "Salve Regina" off by heart and you still have your head buried in the sheet music.

I'm involved in two choirs on the same day. The first is for the First Profession of one of our young Carmelite Nuns. We'll be chanting the "Cum Jubilo" setting (as it's the feast of the Immaculate Conception), and the entrance and communion antiphons and then singing "Ubi Cartias" and "O Sanctissima" by Kevin Allen. It's separated into three parts and I'll be in the alto section. My very talented friend/singing teacher is directing it, she's been very helpful, I feel a lot less lost when she's around.

The other choir is for the Cathedral and we'll be singing for the ordinations of three men into the priesthood that night. I can't wait! We're going to par-tay! But the music for it is beautiful also, a lot of Marian hymns, like "Immaculate Mary" and "Sing to Mary" (my favourite) and the usual ordination hymns, such as "Tu Es Sacredos" and "O God of All Creation". It's funny because I recognised "O God of all Creation" from Holst's Planets Suite, rather than as a hymn.The only I really don't like about it is the choir loft politics. You've got a couple of people who have been there for decades and can't really sing properly anyway, but then they turn into divas (loud divas!) just because they've been there for ages. Then there's the old ladies who who all sing like opera-singers, therefore you can't hear the words of sacred prayers, properly. Even worse, there's the people who bad-mouth the bishop loudly, that annoys me the most because he does the best liturgy and I think they resent having to actually work harder, which is essentially working for the worship of God.

Other than all that I've been having a great time and learning so much. I can't wait for the big night!