Not since I first heard the Voice Squad’s spine tingling harmonies during the 1980s have I been as captivated by any group’s vocal talents – until I first heard The Priests last year. Their full, melodic blend of voices blew me away.

Except for the odd Liona Boyd or John Williams classical guitar album I rarely listen to classical music, and never sacred music. But I was so impressed by their voices that I bought their cd – and listened to every track.

The Priests release their second album, Harmony, today and I’m equally wowed by it. For this album, as well as singing magnificently, they’ve also tried their hands at composing. So how did that turn out? When I recently spoke with Fr David, 46, he seemed pleased with the result as well as eager to get audience reactions to the album. He said, “It was very much a collaborative effort by all three of us and, I think, we are all very happy with the end result. You know, it’s our first attempt and, I suppose, we are nervously awaiting the critical reviews. But we like it anyway. It fits well with the album.”

The words for their song, King of Kings, were taken from a prayer written in poem form by the Donegal saint, St Columba. The trio liked the words of the poem and believe the sentiments it expresses. Fr David explained that the song’s theme is that no matter what difficulties anyone experiences “…we’re in God’s hands…We’re not just at the mercy of fate or destiny”.  

They set the words of the prayer to the melody and chorus they’d written and the song was born. Fr David continued, “It starts off quite gently and moves to a fairly uplifting and rousing chorus that, I think, is an anthem.”

So, will they have another go at composing in future? “Why not?” Fr David said, without hesitation. “It shows we can do it. We’d never done it before and we thought, Will we be able to compose? Can we do that? And we came up with something and we’re happy with it. So why not have another go?”

Maybe next time they might pen the lyrics too as they have a wordsmith in the group. When he gets a free moment Fr Martin, 46, writes a bit of poetry. He said, “I find poetry is a great means of putting down on paper what may be going on in your life. And trying to craft words that somehow capture that moment in time and perhaps the message is caught and fixed and you can go back to that…I love playing around with words and somehow put down on paper what’s happening in my own life…My poetry I tend to write reflects my mood or my journey.”

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Back to the album they’ve just released. Fr Eugene, 50, describes Harmony as an eclectic mix of classical and sacred music. It includes old favourites such as How Great Thou Art and Amazing Grace as well as the emotionally gripping, You’ll Never Walk Alone. My favourite tracks are their own song, King of Kings, and the beautiful Gaelic Blessing. Both display the trio’s wonderful vocal harmonies that first captivated me combined with lovely melodies.

When describing the album to me Fr Eugene said, “We’re quite happy with the sound now and hoping people who hear it will like it.” Well, I certainly do. And now, during the manic melee and mounting tensions in the run up to Christmas, I think I’ll just sit back and enjoy a bit of Harmony.

If you’d like to hear more about the Priests and their new album, articles based on my interview with them will appear in Ireland’s Own magazine (on the newsstands today) and Senior Times magazine (on the newsstands the first week of December).

Mon ami Theo a quelque chose d’un Don Quichotte. De la candeur, de la bravoure, le besoin de s’opposer au réel des dominants… Mais il incarne la part du personnage dont on ne ferait pas un roman. Je pense que Theo, en trouvant une Dulcinée qui l’a aimé, a trouvé en même temps un élément structurant, réalisant (qui lui impose le réel). Enseignant, père de famille, brave compagnon du trio avec lequel je chante aussi des chansons de Brassens les samedis matins, Theo est, parmi tous les hommes que j’ai connu, celui dont le projet familial est le mieux réussi. Trois enfants adolescents, une compagne qui l’aime encore et qu’il aime encore. Chacun d’eux, et tous ensemble surtout, ils laissent traîner derrière eux quelque chose de la poussière lumineuse des étoiles. Difficile de ne pas considérer l’entourage de Theo quand je parle de lui. Pourtant, quand nous chantons, les lundis, il est maintenant le premier ténor à ma droite, et les samedis, où il est bien présent et généreux, je ne le perçois pas comme chargé du fardeau de sa tribu. Il fait partie d’elle, il en est un élément indispensable c’est tout.

Peut-être que ces lignes parlent plus que de moi que de lui ? La famille – celle avec une compagne et des enfants, celle de ma propre enfance aussi, est un des douloureux échecs de ma vie. J’admirerais Theo s’il n’avait pas réussi à entrer dans le cercle d’aussi belle façon. Sa réussite me donne une raison supplémentaire de l’admirer.

Je m’interroge donc sur le fait que venant de cette perfection, sa voix, juste, ne sorte qu’en un mince filet et qu’en lui l’humus, le terreau, le ventre de la voix n’ait pas encore été atteint. Peut-être faut-il qu’il y ait de la douleur à l’origine du chant ?

“Tenor” … a short word that when I listen it my mind recalls names such as Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Alfredo Kraus among others and before I learned about Paul Potts, I just ignored that type of music.

So, The Ten Tenors, I don’t know how many people can relate the name with something else than any traditional music, style of a tenor. I could not, because the first time I saw the name “The Ten Tenors” was when the Medias started to advertised their visit to Peru. Looking through internet I realize that these ten guys, a very looking one by the way, have an amazing, fun show on stage.

Unfortunately, right now, there is so many artist coming to Peru, that many people doesn’t take a time to search for information of them before they decide to buy or not a ticket, they rely on what they find on the local newspaper, tv or radio. So, it is up to the media to present the artist correctly and … it did not happened with The Ten Tenors, the Media show them to us, just a tiny bid of what we will see at their concert.

Therefore, so many of us believe that their presentation will be just like Placido Domingo for instance. Pity, because many of us lost the opportunity of having a great night. Many of us will still thinking about them as typical tenors.

The Ten Tenors’ show was so great that even the youngest audience, which was few, stayed till the very last second. Their energy on stage, their voices, and their impeccable performance made of last night’s show a unique one that it is going to be impossible to forget, difficult to talk about it for years to come.

So, my dear friend, if you have not heard about the “The Ten Tenors”, let me tell you that their music style is one of the top, that if you have the chance to go to their show… just do it without any doubt or fear because you will not regret it. They are tenors but their level and style goes beyond it.

Ten voices, ten faces, ten personalities that together became an explosion of emotion, a tribute to life on the stage.

Just take a look of the videos that we have at our site and the photos to understand a bid what here I am saying and then, because I am sure it will not be enough, look for more about them on internet and don’t forget, you can download photos of this concert at our website, LimaSoul.

XoXo
LimaSoul

This is my intro, of sorts, to DCI (Drum Corps International) and the marching technique.

The drums you see here are basses farthest left, then snares, and tenors closest to the camera. I’m going to break down playing technique for each of these instruments ASAP. You can see that the playing technique varies greatly from drum set playing.

Drum corps is very male-dominated, as you’ll notice. Every once in awhile you’ll see a few chicks on a line, though. That always makes me happy.

If you want to watch more DCI bands, I suggest more Santa Clara Vanguard, Blue Devils, the Cavaliers (all-male), or Bluecoats. It helps to search “{coreline name} in lot” if you specifically want to see drums.

the tenor stood there frozen,
taking in the applause, accepting, waiting.
it is moments like these that he lives for.

PAUL POTTS

I saw Paul Potts singing on TV last week and heard an announcement that his new CD would be in stores on May 4. I went to Border’s and bought a Potts CD which turned out to be from 2007. I can’t complain about that; I took it off the shelf without examining it very closely. He has a pleasant enough voice that reaches into the upper end of the tenor range seemingly without strain. I think he lacks the firepower demanded by much of the tenor repertoire, but tenors – like cigars and coffee – are a matter of taste.

I, for one, never bought into all the excitement about Pavarotti. Clearly, I’m outnumbered. My taste is affected by the fact that I’m kind of a tenor maven, so I listen to many singers that most people have no reason to know about – obscure figures like Edmond Clement, Francesco Tamagno, Leon Escalais, and Father Sidney McEwan. I think the perennial discussion about “the greatest tenor” is a pointless exercise, because there are no objective criteria on which to base such a judgement. It’s more a question of “favorite” than of “greatest.”

Giovanni Martinelli

For example, I prefer some tenors over some singers whom I know to be technically superior, precisely because I prefer them. Giovanni Martinelli is an example. He was nicknamed the “lion of the opera” because of the way he sometimes roared out his notes. He had his detractors on that account, but he has me as a fan for the same reason. When he was in his 70s he made a recording of “Wintersturme” from “Die Walkure” – but sung in Italian as “Cede il Verno” – and I think it’s the equal of a recording that Lauritz Melchior made at a much younger age.

My favorite tenor altogether is Count John McCormack, a legendary Irish singer whose career included roles with the world’s major opera companies as well concert tours, many recordings, and radio appearances. When McCormack first appeared on the operatic scene, he called himself Giovanni Foli (after his wife, Lily Foley) on the theory that he would fare better if audiences thought he was Italian.

JOHN McCORMACK

It’s part of opera lore that McCormack once greeted Enrico Caruso as “the world’s greatest tenor” to which Caruso replied: “And when did you become a baritone?” I love to listen to McCormack singing Italian and French with that lilting brogue. But I especially like to hear his Irish songs, many of which are so melancholy. I also have a few recordings on which he speaks (one is a funny radio conversation with Bing Crosby), and I find it hard to listen to McCormack without smiling.

Latest news on one of my favorite musicals. How about you? What are some of your favorites?

West Side Story returned to Broadway in a new production directed by its two-time Tony Award winning librettist Arthur Laurents. West Side Story opened at the Palace Theatre (1564 Broadway) on Thursday, March 19, 2009. Click the link for more…

http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_WEST_SIDE_STORY_Gypsy_Robe_Ceremony_20090323