Busyknitter

How could I have left this 15 years?

Last night was my first rehearsal with the local choral society. It was so much fun I almost burst out laughing. Everyone there must have been wondering why on earth the new member was wandering around with the stupid grin on her face.

 I went to a school that took music seriously and this involved decent choral singing from age 12. And I always loved it and was quite good at it; I even won the choral prize in the fifth year. Bit of a lapse through university, but after I graduated I joined the Uni choir for a couple of years. I even took some private lessons. I’d never have made a soloist (voice too bland) but I always had the makings of a reasonable choral soprano.

 And then the kids came along, we took to moving round the country every couple of years and life just got too complicated. But just before Christmas a friend casually mentioned that she would be preforming The Messiah in a couple of weeks time with the local choir, it was as if someone had lit a fire inside me and I just had to get involved.

 Not sure what the ravages of time and childbirth have done to my vocal chords though. Disciplined choral singing is a very different kettle of fish to belting out favorite hymns on a Sunday. My breath control is all over the place and after one rehearsal I may have to admit defeat gracefully and sing second, not first soprano. I just don’t think I’ve got that sustained top G in me any more.

We are doing Haydn’s Nelson Mass and some lovely unaccompanied Psalms by Grieg.