h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This is a beautiful work, to be sung in Hebrew, which requires a bit of extra study, but it's worth it for the force of the language. The accompanying instruments (harp, organ and percussion) underline the drama of the thing. Bernstein wrote them for a Cathedral choir in England - Salisbury or Winchester, would have to go downstairs and look. Melodies are haunting and choral work is most rewarding. Certainly made the biggest impression on me (and I, I just worked out, have been singing in choirs for 37 years now!)

Sounds good to me When do we start singing???

* leaves for the music library *
* Oh no, I don't - it's Saturday night *

Well, we're still not very many. But as far as I'm concerned, the sooner the better. I'm looking forward to the Christmas party after the Christmas concert.

Could it have been for Chichester Cathedral, by any chance?

Yes it was Chichester Cathedral., How did you guess?

I too have sung the Chichester Psalms. The work is a beautiful piece of music. It has some very tricky singing: the 7/8 rhythm in the first movement, for the more rhythmically challenged among us, and the pianissimo bit at the end of the last movement. It's definitely worth it.

Hooray - you see, it's not a figment of my imagination. It moves you in a completely different way than the Passions do. (Sometimes I can't get the notes out in the Matthew or John Passion because I am so moved. Very unprofesssional I know, but then, I am not a professional.)

The New Testament works are more the fate of one person, the Bernstein is the fate of a whole people, but still very very moving.