amazon

Sometimes it seems like conductors want to keep secret from their choirs what new music is supposed to sound like until we unlock the mystery by sight reading. I'm not at all crazy about that method. Seems like they could play a recording of it for us first, then let us sight-read with at least an idea where it's going. That does happen occasionally, but not often enough.

I called our chorus director a couple of days after he first announced the names of the classical pieces we're to sing for the next concert. I got the complete names and descriptions of them and intended to go to the university music library to get recordings of them. He said that he didn't think I'd find any recordings, as they are fairly obscure pieces. I never made it to the music library, and now that it's spring break that's one more week of not getting there. I needed to get some help.

Well Amazon.com is a great resource. I am really SO computer illiterate!! It took me a while to remember a basic like Amazon. I had tried for at least an hour google-ing articles and such. Then Voila! Amazon had all four pieces of classical music on CD's. I've ordered them and they should begin arriving this week. All from different suppliers. All new at discounted prices.
It is possible that the recordings I found with the exact titles of our pieces might not be our same songs. I guess it is possible that Vierne wrote two Messa Solennelle's. Have to wait to get them here to hear them.

So now that we have had a couple of practices and I'm getting a sense of the way they will sound, having the CD's with professional choruses singing them will be of great value to me in learning the pieces really well.

I have been frustrated that there is no place here in Abilene to buy really interesting or really good classical music recordings. It must be that there is so much competition from sources such as Amazon that it is not worth while for a store to stock something that is not really in demand.