Marina Nebro: Arts and Culture

End of the Year Women’s Choir Concert

I’ve been to a myriad of concerts this year, and several of them have been performed by Queens College’s Women’s Choir led by Sandra Babb. Tonight’s concert in particular was very interesting as the pieces were split up into four distinct groups: Songs of Faith and Praise, Songs of Distant Lands, Songs of Loss and Love, and Songs of Life and Hope. Along with some of their usual songs (This Little Light of Mine) were some fairly new and eccentric pieces that I’d like to have you all listen to and enjoy.

I. Songs of Faith and Praise
Laudate Pueri Dominum … Felix Mendelssohn
Kristen Cho, Organ

As I mentioned above, I have spent countless hours performing, rehearsing for, and attending concerts at LeFrak Concert Hall here at Queens College. Every time I enter the hall with my grandmother, she asks me if I’d ever heard the organ been played. If you’ve seen the musical space, you’d ask that question too. It is quite a magnificent work of piping to never be heard! Well, my chance finally came tonight as Kristen Cho sat with her back towards the audience to play the accompaniment to Mendelssohn’s composition. A mirror was taped to the side of the organ so that she could see Conductor Babb behind her. What an interesting concert it would be, to see an organist’s back for countless pieces on end! The last time I heard an organ was at the Church of St. Ignatius of Antioch, when I attended the Polyhymnia concert back in March. That particular instrument was quite harsh sounding and was displeasing to the ear. The organ at the Aaron Copland School of Music, on the other hand, was extremely soothing and had an even sound to it. I imagine if the chorus were to be accompanied by the organ in the Church of St. Ignatius of Antioch, the sound would drown out their angelic voices! So there you go, Mama (grandma), I’ve finally heard our organ!

II. Songs of Distant Lands
Las Amarillas … Stephen Hatfield
Mouth Music … Dolores Kean/John Faulkner
Rich Weismantel, Bodhrán

For this second section of music, two out of the three pieces were sung so quickly that I can’t imagine being able to sing them myself! The first thing I needed to do before writing anything about these two songs was to do a bit of research. In reading the lyrics to Stephen Hatfield’s “Las Amarillas,” I became confused. In the program, the lyrics were written in Spanish but was also translated into English. The choir begins singing about birds, but ends with multiplication: “Cuatro por cinco son veinte, tres por siete son veintiuno” or “Four times five is twenty, three times seven is twenty-one.” What is the point? After some research, I found an educational PDF about this particular piece. It highlights three key elements that Hatfield wants highlighted in the song: multiculturalism (Songs of Distant Lands indeed!), a cappella, and rhythm. Because the song was sung so quickly, the consonants of the words created the syncopated rhythm that Hatfield was looking for. Similarly, in Kean and Faulkner’s piece, the quick words in collaboration with the drum resulted in a strong rhythm. It was interesting to learn from the introduction to the video here posted that the song has Scottish roots and contains many folk elements.

III. Songs of Loss and Love
The Log Driver’s Waltz … Wade Hemsworth/arr. Ron Smail
Grace Kahl, Soloist

Two out of the three pieces in this section were about loss, and though beautiful, they could be considered downers. For this reason, and because I thought this last selection was adorable, I would like you to take a listen to the video above. Featuring Grace Kahl, who also starred as Philia in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, the upbeat and spunky song is about a girl who would rather dance and marry a log driver than a doctor, merchant, or lawyer. During the chorus, you could hear Kahl above the rest of the choir, hitting her extremely and amazingly spot-on high notes! I believe she went even higher than the woman does in the video!

IV. Songs of Life and Hope
Blue and Silver … arr. Edward Smaldone

Did you know that the school colors of Queens College are blue and silver? I don’t think anyone besides the athletes would know this fact, as the campus logo is red and black! But alas, we were all tricked. Another piece arranged (who was it written by, I ask) by Edward Smaldone, the director of the Aaron Copland School of Music, Blue and Silver pays tribute to the campus on which I’ve spent my freshman year. As my first year is coming to an end, I would like to say:

Blue and Silver proudly flying
O’er the college we all love
Sons and daughters pay their homage
To the colors up above.
Truest fame and brightest glory
Thine will always be
Evermore we’ll sing thy praises
Queens, our hearts go out to thee.

The Queens College Women’s Choir
LeFrak Concert Hall
Monday, May 13, 2013

Marina B. Nebro