Sing me a lullabye, a love song, a requiem

Palm Sunday was just a couple weeks ago and again my choir prepared a Vespers service. Apparently last year's went over well, so this year our director chose Gabriel Faure's Requiem for the main work (last year it was John Rutter's).

I have written before about the love I have for this piece. Even though Faure chose not to do a full requiem mass, but chose parts that he liked, it still feels like a really 'classic' sounding work. It begins with a sombre almost whispering requiem aeternam donna eis domine and and builds to a more mournful sound et lux perpetua, really sounding like a mourner crying out to God for their lost loved one.
Other sections are penitent, grieving, loving, and even a little angry. In paradisum sounds like the dying at last being recieved among the angels. With a good group of sopranos it sounds like heaven enters the room.

As an alto my favorite portion is the Offeratory. It is a slow prayer to God sung a capella. I adore the alto line and have over the years committed most of it to memory. At one rehearsal there was only one tenor, and though he has a really lovely sounding voice (he doesn't always think so) he isn't the most powerful singer (he's convinced himself he can't hit the high notes). A couple of us went to tenor on the offertory, incl. myself. What is wrong with me that I'd be willing to relearn my favorite damn section! Thankfully there were more tenors the next week and we ended up having I think five or six. I sang alto, and was happy. ^_^

In addition to the requiem we did another Faure, Cantique de Jean Racine. It's in French. I hate singing in French. Mostly I am uncomfortable with the pronunciation and I think that I sound ridiculous. I can do the nasal vowels, though, thanks to my high school director.

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross arranged by Gilbert Martin has a silly title (traditional hymn and all) but it's pretty. It goes from quiet to loud and all that.

The title of the entry is from a piece we sang last month, I think, that I thought was really pretty. I don't recall the title, though.