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Imperfect Harmony: Finding Happiness Singing with Others
“In this one-of-a-kind celebration of singing with others, I’d call her pitch nearly perfect.” —The Atlantic
For Stacy Horn, regardless of what is going on in the world or her life, singing in an amateur choir—the Choral Society of Grace Church in New York—never fails to take her to a place where hope reigns and everything good is possible. She’s not particularly religious, and her voice is not exceptional (so she says), but like the 32.5 million other chorus members throughout this country, singing makes her happy. Horn brings us along as she sings some of the greatest music humanity has ever produced, delves into the dramatic stories of conductors and composers, unearths the fascinating history of group singing, and explores remarkable discoveries from the new science of singing, including all the unexpected health benefits. Imperfect Harmony is the story of one woman who has found joy and strength in the weekly ritual of singing and in the irresistible power of song.
For Stacy Horn, regardless of what is going on in the world or her life, singing in an amateur choir—the Choral Society of Grace Church in New York—never fails to take her to a place where hope reigns and everything good is possible. She’s not particularly religious, and her voice is not exceptional (so she says), but like the 32.5 million other chorus members throughout this country, singing makes her happy. Horn brings us along as she sings some of the greatest music humanity has ever produced, delves into the dramatic stories of conductors and composers, unearths the fascinating history of group singing, and explores remarkable discoveries from the new science of singing, including all the unexpected health benefits. Imperfect Harmony is the story of one woman who has found joy and strength in the weekly ritual of singing and in the irresistible power of song.
284 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
87 people are currently reading
820 people want to read
About the author
Stacy Horn
7 books203 followersI've just finished up my seventh non-fiction book, the Killing Fields of East New York, followed by a very long subtitle. First I thought I was telling the story of why a particular neighborhood in Brooklyn had the highest number of unsolved murders in New York. Then I realized I was also telling the story of white collar crime and how it is more destructive than street crime. In the end, I saw that the core of the story went even deeper and was far more terrible.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
June 5, 2018
The merry month of May was not merry for me. I lost my singing voice to a tenacious upper respiratory tract infection, which meant I was not able to be at my usual Thursday evening choir rehearsals, often the high point of my workweek. I was delighted therefore to be immersed in the world of choral music and choristers’ experience so rapturously captured in Stacy Horn’s Imperfect Harmony. Horn’s foray into musicology, history of choral societies in America, background of composers and their masterpieces, and the science of neural rapport is enlivened by personal anecdotes, some of which I found moving.
In 1982, during one of the lowest points of her life, Stacy Horn successfully auditioned and started to sing with the Choral Society of Grace Church (a volunteer community choir) in downtown New York. Of this experience, she said, “When I first joined the choir I was only looking to soothe a broken heart. Instead, I found something that invariably transcends every misfortune I’ve faced and makes me happy. Every week, music dependably and effectively silenced my roulette wheel of worry and self/doubt, and that is not a small thing. Nor is it the only thing.” The power of music to bring comfort and healing is also evident in the recovery effort in New York in the aftermath of 9/11. Horn reported that a soot-covered rescue worker started to sing and later volunteer musicians showed up daily to play instruments or to sing.
Horn, who claims to have a mediocre voice, wrote unabashedly and honestly about her humbling experience singing under the baton of an accomplished but very exacting music director. I was thrilled to recognize in her description of the choral society at Grace Church the idiosyncrasies and antics of choir behavior that, to my knowledge, no one has written about. Knowing where to sit in a choir can be a challenge to a new chorister. Horn said, “Finding a seat of any kind, however, has become a delicate and sometimes dangerously fraught operation.” Choristers tend to be quite territorial about where they sit at a rehearsal and woe betide the newbie who plonks himself or herself in the wrong chair. Familiar, too, are the insecurities that surface when choristers are sometimes asked to sing a lower voice part. A Soprano 1 may feel diminished or ‘demoted’ if, for one program, she is told to sing Soprano 2. Laughable behavior but they are real! I love reading how Horn marked her music – ‘Bliss Ahead’ – to prepare herself for a section of the music she was looking forward to singing.
Imperfect Harmony is well researched. Horn introduces the reader to the great choral works and life of eminent composers (Johannes Brahms, George Frideric Handel, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Josef Haydn) and more recent composers (Franz Xaver Biebl, Leonard Bernstein, Morten Lauridsen, Eric Whitacre). I learned that Handel’s Messiah was composed in twenty-four days! Having recently sung Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, I understood her frustration with the insane time signatures (‘How are we supposed to count this? It’s in seven. And then in ten!!) and the hard work that went into rehearsals before what sounded strange and dissonant became harmonious and heavenly. Horn also wrote extensively about the benefits of choral singing that are informed by the latest scientific research. Joining a choir enhances neuroplasticity because music increases gray matter and the number and strength of neural connections in the brain. Singing also reduces stress, which can aid in healing and can improve the immune response. It is encouraging to know that ‘Finally, when all other memories are gone, victims of Alzheimer’s are still able to sing songs from their long distant youth. Music is the last thing to go.’
What impressed me most of all is how music transcends faith and religion in its ability to reach the human soul. Interestingly enough, composers like Ralph Vaughan Williams and John Rutter have composed some of the most glorious sacred music ever written despite the fact that they do not embrace the Christian faith. Horn herself is an atheist and yet sacred music moves her deeply and connects her both to herself and humanity at large. Perhaps, music originates in the heavenly realms and is the language of angels.
Renown choral conductor Robert Shaw says that ‘the basic premise of music-making is unity - and unanimity - and, in its nonliturgical sense, communion.’ The beauty of harmony brings about an astonishing communion among those who make music together. Few things, in my experience, bring such certain and irresistible joy. Imperfect Harmony is a book that hits all the right notes and will resonate with music lovers and especially individuals who sing or have sung in choirs or choral groups.
Special thanks to Winston, my singing pal and gifted duet partner, who knows this is my cup of tea.
In 1982, during one of the lowest points of her life, Stacy Horn successfully auditioned and started to sing with the Choral Society of Grace Church (a volunteer community choir) in downtown New York. Of this experience, she said, “When I first joined the choir I was only looking to soothe a broken heart. Instead, I found something that invariably transcends every misfortune I’ve faced and makes me happy. Every week, music dependably and effectively silenced my roulette wheel of worry and self/doubt, and that is not a small thing. Nor is it the only thing.” The power of music to bring comfort and healing is also evident in the recovery effort in New York in the aftermath of 9/11. Horn reported that a soot-covered rescue worker started to sing and later volunteer musicians showed up daily to play instruments or to sing.
Horn, who claims to have a mediocre voice, wrote unabashedly and honestly about her humbling experience singing under the baton of an accomplished but very exacting music director. I was thrilled to recognize in her description of the choral society at Grace Church the idiosyncrasies and antics of choir behavior that, to my knowledge, no one has written about. Knowing where to sit in a choir can be a challenge to a new chorister. Horn said, “Finding a seat of any kind, however, has become a delicate and sometimes dangerously fraught operation.” Choristers tend to be quite territorial about where they sit at a rehearsal and woe betide the newbie who plonks himself or herself in the wrong chair. Familiar, too, are the insecurities that surface when choristers are sometimes asked to sing a lower voice part. A Soprano 1 may feel diminished or ‘demoted’ if, for one program, she is told to sing Soprano 2. Laughable behavior but they are real! I love reading how Horn marked her music – ‘Bliss Ahead’ – to prepare herself for a section of the music she was looking forward to singing.
Imperfect Harmony is well researched. Horn introduces the reader to the great choral works and life of eminent composers (Johannes Brahms, George Frideric Handel, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Josef Haydn) and more recent composers (Franz Xaver Biebl, Leonard Bernstein, Morten Lauridsen, Eric Whitacre). I learned that Handel’s Messiah was composed in twenty-four days! Having recently sung Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, I understood her frustration with the insane time signatures (‘How are we supposed to count this? It’s in seven. And then in ten!!) and the hard work that went into rehearsals before what sounded strange and dissonant became harmonious and heavenly. Horn also wrote extensively about the benefits of choral singing that are informed by the latest scientific research. Joining a choir enhances neuroplasticity because music increases gray matter and the number and strength of neural connections in the brain. Singing also reduces stress, which can aid in healing and can improve the immune response. It is encouraging to know that ‘Finally, when all other memories are gone, victims of Alzheimer’s are still able to sing songs from their long distant youth. Music is the last thing to go.’
What impressed me most of all is how music transcends faith and religion in its ability to reach the human soul. Interestingly enough, composers like Ralph Vaughan Williams and John Rutter have composed some of the most glorious sacred music ever written despite the fact that they do not embrace the Christian faith. Horn herself is an atheist and yet sacred music moves her deeply and connects her both to herself and humanity at large. Perhaps, music originates in the heavenly realms and is the language of angels.
Renown choral conductor Robert Shaw says that ‘the basic premise of music-making is unity - and unanimity - and, in its nonliturgical sense, communion.’ The beauty of harmony brings about an astonishing communion among those who make music together. Few things, in my experience, bring such certain and irresistible joy. Imperfect Harmony is a book that hits all the right notes and will resonate with music lovers and especially individuals who sing or have sung in choirs or choral groups.
Special thanks to Winston, my singing pal and gifted duet partner, who knows this is my cup of tea.
December 27, 2013
Stacy Horn is a writer by trade, but has found a secondary home in the Choral Society of Grace Church for the past 30 years. She doesn't dream of stealing the scene with a solo nor does she desire to one day conduct the choir. She simply enjoys coming together with fellow music lovers and singing.
Having sung in choirs from my early childhood through young adulthood, I loved her observations about the music, the feelings, and yes, how first sopranos feel about the rest of the choir. I didn't always enjoy my time in the choir; I hated waiting around while the rest of the choir learned their parts. I had the melody most of the time, so I had the easiest part to learn. Plus, I was a vocal performance major in college - I wanted to sing my operatic arias by myself! But we had to be in a performance ensemble and at that time, choir was it. Ohhh, the drama of youth!
I remember the hard work that went into preparing for each performance. We practiced 4 days a week. We toured during Spring Break. We sang in just about every language - from Latin to Japanese to Swedish to Swahili. It was a big commitment. I do enjoy listening to choirs now, though, and even go back to my college for some of their concerts (Capital University Chapel Choir - who took two gold medals home in the 2012 World Choir Games.) I'm happy to be in the audience, enjoying the fruits of their labor.
Some of the pieces Horn writes about I've sung; others were new to me and I enjoyed learning about them. I also enjoyed her research into the effects of singing on our moods, our brains, even our character. I found it interesting that many in her choir enjoyed singing with accompaniment over a capella singing, which is what I always preferred.
Some favorite moments:
•As long as I'm singing, though, it's as if I'm inhabiting another reality. I become temporarily suspended in a world where everything bad is bearable, and everything good feels possible.
•Because for the past few decades, as boyfriends come and go, jobs come and go, cats life and die, a stay in rehab when I was thirty, depression, broken engagements, and the deaths of those I love, there has always been this: The Choral Society of Grace Church.
•Life is hard, battles of all kinds continue to rage around us, and disappointments accumulate. But singing is the one thing in my life that never fails to take me to where disenchantment is almost nonexistent and feeling good is pretty much guaranteed.
•She worried that she'd be "the only Jew singing about Jesus," but quickly discovered that beliefs and faith within the choir were all over the religious/nonreligious map.
•"The wonderful thing about the amateur chorus," the conductor Robert Shaw once said, "is that nobody can buy its attendance at rehearsals, or the sweat, eyestrain and fatigue that go along with the glow; and nobody but the most purposive and creative of music minds - from Bach in both directions - can invite and sustain its devotion."
•If it were up to the choir, solos would be greatly shortened or eliminated entirely. There are exceptions, and if the soloists are brilliant, it's not quite so tedious a wait, but for the most part solos are a barely tolerated side-trip while we wait for the good parts, Us.
•In other words: life is hard, singing is heartening. And singing with other people, in particular.
•How are we supposed to count this? It's in seven. Is that even rhythmically allowed?
•I've been a soprano 1 for my entire choral life. That's the part that sings the highest notes, the best notes, and the best part of the best notes: the melody. I loved being a soprano 1. It also made me feel proud. I was on top. Number one. But when I finally found my name, it was under the column for soprano 2s, the part that sings beneath the soprano 1s. I'd been demoted.
•The best notes secured for themselves, they were completely oblivious to my misery. They barely paid attention to what the rest of the choir had to do. I knew, because I used to be one of them. As far as they were concerned the rest of us sang some insignificant notes that they passed by on their way to the beautiful, soaring top. Why did all the other people in the choir even bother coming?
•Singing had punctuated all the best moments of my life. And created them.
•"Four voice parts," John once said, "four personality disorders."
•While it sometimes feels as if religion only separates people, the music brings us together.
•Ralph Vaughan Williams once said, to a group of school children, "Music will enable you to see past facts to the very essence of things in a way which science cannot do. The arts are the means by which we can look through the magic casements and see what lies beyond."
•Almost every study of singing I've read comes to the same conclusions: singing feels great and it's good for you. It decreases feelings of anxiety, loneliness, and depression. Singing also makes you smarter. Children who sing in choirs get better grades, according to a 2009 study by Chorus America. Choristers are also nicer. They were found to volunteer more than the general public and to give more money to charity.
•Regarding harmony, one study indicated that harmonization activated the section of the brain referred to as Brodmann's area 38, which is one of the parts of the brain that is affected earliest by Alzheimer's disease.
• "You won't have any instruments to bail you out," John repeatedly warned us. All we had was each other. But that was what would save us, he tried to tell us. "No matter how much you practice," he told us, "no singer in the room can sing choral music on their own. You need each other."
Highly recommend.
Having sung in choirs from my early childhood through young adulthood, I loved her observations about the music, the feelings, and yes, how first sopranos feel about the rest of the choir. I didn't always enjoy my time in the choir; I hated waiting around while the rest of the choir learned their parts. I had the melody most of the time, so I had the easiest part to learn. Plus, I was a vocal performance major in college - I wanted to sing my operatic arias by myself! But we had to be in a performance ensemble and at that time, choir was it. Ohhh, the drama of youth!
I remember the hard work that went into preparing for each performance. We practiced 4 days a week. We toured during Spring Break. We sang in just about every language - from Latin to Japanese to Swedish to Swahili. It was a big commitment. I do enjoy listening to choirs now, though, and even go back to my college for some of their concerts (Capital University Chapel Choir - who took two gold medals home in the 2012 World Choir Games.) I'm happy to be in the audience, enjoying the fruits of their labor.
Some of the pieces Horn writes about I've sung; others were new to me and I enjoyed learning about them. I also enjoyed her research into the effects of singing on our moods, our brains, even our character. I found it interesting that many in her choir enjoyed singing with accompaniment over a capella singing, which is what I always preferred.
Some favorite moments:
•As long as I'm singing, though, it's as if I'm inhabiting another reality. I become temporarily suspended in a world where everything bad is bearable, and everything good feels possible.
•Because for the past few decades, as boyfriends come and go, jobs come and go, cats life and die, a stay in rehab when I was thirty, depression, broken engagements, and the deaths of those I love, there has always been this: The Choral Society of Grace Church.
•Life is hard, battles of all kinds continue to rage around us, and disappointments accumulate. But singing is the one thing in my life that never fails to take me to where disenchantment is almost nonexistent and feeling good is pretty much guaranteed.
•She worried that she'd be "the only Jew singing about Jesus," but quickly discovered that beliefs and faith within the choir were all over the religious/nonreligious map.
•"The wonderful thing about the amateur chorus," the conductor Robert Shaw once said, "is that nobody can buy its attendance at rehearsals, or the sweat, eyestrain and fatigue that go along with the glow; and nobody but the most purposive and creative of music minds - from Bach in both directions - can invite and sustain its devotion."
•If it were up to the choir, solos would be greatly shortened or eliminated entirely. There are exceptions, and if the soloists are brilliant, it's not quite so tedious a wait, but for the most part solos are a barely tolerated side-trip while we wait for the good parts, Us.
•In other words: life is hard, singing is heartening. And singing with other people, in particular.
•How are we supposed to count this? It's in seven. Is that even rhythmically allowed?
•I've been a soprano 1 for my entire choral life. That's the part that sings the highest notes, the best notes, and the best part of the best notes: the melody. I loved being a soprano 1. It also made me feel proud. I was on top. Number one. But when I finally found my name, it was under the column for soprano 2s, the part that sings beneath the soprano 1s. I'd been demoted.
•The best notes secured for themselves, they were completely oblivious to my misery. They barely paid attention to what the rest of the choir had to do. I knew, because I used to be one of them. As far as they were concerned the rest of us sang some insignificant notes that they passed by on their way to the beautiful, soaring top. Why did all the other people in the choir even bother coming?
•Singing had punctuated all the best moments of my life. And created them.
•"Four voice parts," John once said, "four personality disorders."
•While it sometimes feels as if religion only separates people, the music brings us together.
•Ralph Vaughan Williams once said, to a group of school children, "Music will enable you to see past facts to the very essence of things in a way which science cannot do. The arts are the means by which we can look through the magic casements and see what lies beyond."
•Almost every study of singing I've read comes to the same conclusions: singing feels great and it's good for you. It decreases feelings of anxiety, loneliness, and depression. Singing also makes you smarter. Children who sing in choirs get better grades, according to a 2009 study by Chorus America. Choristers are also nicer. They were found to volunteer more than the general public and to give more money to charity.
•Regarding harmony, one study indicated that harmonization activated the section of the brain referred to as Brodmann's area 38, which is one of the parts of the brain that is affected earliest by Alzheimer's disease.
• "You won't have any instruments to bail you out," John repeatedly warned us. All we had was each other. But that was what would save us, he tried to tell us. "No matter how much you practice," he told us, "no singer in the room can sing choral music on their own. You need each other."
Highly recommend.
March 22, 2014
I loved this. I would have given it 5 stars but for one problem: the book is divided up into chapters, some of which reference musical pieces which are then described in great detail. If you are a general reader, or even a choral singer with limited knowledge of choral piece s (i.e. me), it is hard to fully understand what Horn is talking about. Fortunately, there is Spotify and I used it to look up some of the pieces and listen to them.
Unfortunately, I was disappointed in some of the pieces that Horn raved about--I think what she wrote about was the experience of singing the pieces and really getting to know them. If I just listen to an ancient German requiem, I'm not getting the same feeling that she describes.
But here's where the book excels: in its description of singing with a choir, not so much being in choir with people as a social activity, but actually singing in harmony with a group of people, I agree--it is one of life's greatest pleasures. And Horn devotes a fascinating section where she explains what happens, scientifically, when we sing in harmony, listen to harmony, or even think about music.
I had thought about this months ago, when I was watching an old Bing Crosby movie, "Going My Way," where Bing rounds up all the bad kids in the neighborhood and transforms them into a Catholic choir. It's hokey and contrived--but when the boys sing, I get shivers up and down my spine, which now thanks to the internet, and this book, I realize are surges of dopamine.
Although I am getting on in years, Horn also points out that there are plenty of "choir geeks" of all ages out there. And perhaps the greatest geek, as well as the most talented, forward-thinking, youngest and best looking is Eric Whitacre! I didn't even think of his pieces as in the same group with Beethoven's masses...but Horn is right on: his works are shiver inducing-pieces of incredible music and the concept of a "virtual choir" is unbelievable. If you think you're not into choir music, go to YouTube immediately and look him up.
On another note, I was sorry that Horn wrote about the sadness in her personal life--not sad that she wrote about it, but sad that she was sad: she is truly talented and this book made me very happy.
Unfortunately, I was disappointed in some of the pieces that Horn raved about--I think what she wrote about was the experience of singing the pieces and really getting to know them. If I just listen to an ancient German requiem, I'm not getting the same feeling that she describes.
But here's where the book excels: in its description of singing with a choir, not so much being in choir with people as a social activity, but actually singing in harmony with a group of people, I agree--it is one of life's greatest pleasures. And Horn devotes a fascinating section where she explains what happens, scientifically, when we sing in harmony, listen to harmony, or even think about music.
I had thought about this months ago, when I was watching an old Bing Crosby movie, "Going My Way," where Bing rounds up all the bad kids in the neighborhood and transforms them into a Catholic choir. It's hokey and contrived--but when the boys sing, I get shivers up and down my spine, which now thanks to the internet, and this book, I realize are surges of dopamine.
Although I am getting on in years, Horn also points out that there are plenty of "choir geeks" of all ages out there. And perhaps the greatest geek, as well as the most talented, forward-thinking, youngest and best looking is Eric Whitacre! I didn't even think of his pieces as in the same group with Beethoven's masses...but Horn is right on: his works are shiver inducing-pieces of incredible music and the concept of a "virtual choir" is unbelievable. If you think you're not into choir music, go to YouTube immediately and look him up.
On another note, I was sorry that Horn wrote about the sadness in her personal life--not sad that she wrote about it, but sad that she was sad: she is truly talented and this book made me very happy.
June 21, 2015
As one who sings in an auditioned volunteer choir, this book hits all the right notes!!! I am completely swept up by the melodic phrases, the history of choral societies and the humility that is achieved by singing.
I hope there is an encore and repeat performance!
I hope there is an encore and repeat performance!
February 10, 2013
I picked this up (free at ALA Midwinter) because one of my dearest friends is a singer in a choir, and my son also sang when he was in high school. I enjoyed parts of this very much. I loved Horn's descriptions of what it is like to sing, how the feelings one has when creating music are different from (and probably superior to) the feelings one gets when listening to music. I really enjoyed her discussions of various pieces of music, and the music history in general. I didn't like the memoir parts nearly so well. 2.5
December 29, 2013
When you sing, you cannot be sad for long. This quote from the book comes from a British study and sets the tone for this memoir. I was under the mistaken impression that this book would be about the author’s experiences in church choirs. Not so! The author was fortunate enough to be part of the Choral Society of Grace Church, a chorus that rehearses in the church, but was not part of the services there. They were not learning anthems to sing every Sunday to enhance the worship experience; rather they perform three concerts a year. At first, they were a line item in the church’s budget. Later, they were independent of even that. Still amateurs in the strict sense of the word, they were not only not paid, they had to pay dues to belong. However, in spite of the author’s claims to be less than professional, their leadership and performances were quite professional. This book is filled fascinating music history, charming personal reminisces, and interesting tidbits about music. While singing alone is fun, singing with others brings a certain kind of joy and accomplishment not found any other way. It is heartening to discover that it matters not if you are a true professional in an opera company or a fireman in a small town chorus or an untrained alto in a church choir: all can reap the benefits – emotional, mental and physical – of singing together with others. This memoir will undoubtedly find a place on the book shelf of musicians, but non-musicians will find it interesting as well.
July 25, 2014
Here's why this book deserves a 5-star rating (Amazing). It's amazing that someone could write a book about choral singing that is so much fun and so interesting! When I bought the book, I was expecting something dry about how to be a better choral singer. But what I got was a reminder of the joy and fun of standing next to other singers and making beautiful harmony. As a choral singer, I found the book delightful.
Stacy Horn provides a fascinating narrative about choral pieces she has sung and the excitement and joy she receives from them. Her prose is excellent with a clear authorial voice. Her enthusiasm for choral singing and love of music permeate the book and inspire the reader to learn more about the pieces she describes and to more fully appreciate the choral experience.
This book is a must-read for not only choral singers but for choral conductors, as well. For that matter, anyone who appreciates choral music would enjoy it. There are interesting anecdotes about specific pieces and many tidbits about the history of choral singing and the role of the conductor. Stacy Horn's work is a pleasure to read.
Stacy Horn provides a fascinating narrative about choral pieces she has sung and the excitement and joy she receives from them. Her prose is excellent with a clear authorial voice. Her enthusiasm for choral singing and love of music permeate the book and inspire the reader to learn more about the pieces she describes and to more fully appreciate the choral experience.
This book is a must-read for not only choral singers but for choral conductors, as well. For that matter, anyone who appreciates choral music would enjoy it. There are interesting anecdotes about specific pieces and many tidbits about the history of choral singing and the role of the conductor. Stacy Horn's work is a pleasure to read.
September 15, 2015
This book really 'spoke' to me! A beautifully written account of a woman's 30+ year career of singing with the Choral Society of Grace Church in New York. She captures so many of the feelings I have with singing in a choir- the struggles, challenges, but most of all the joy coming together as a group to create beautiful music. The author takes us through a journey of some of the greatest choral music ever written, while also providing great insight into the history of music, singing groups, conductors and composers. I found the part about Eric Whitacre's 'Virtual Choir' extremely moving, and I have to say that his pieces are some of the most beautiful I have ever sung (have had the pleasure of singing 4 of his works in choir!) Anyone who has ever been in choir, or who has thought about being in choir, or even is curious to know why I find it so addictive and pleasurable, read this book! So many great passages about the joys of singing, why it makes you feel good, and also much about the great health benefits!
January 17, 2014
This is an intimate look at what it's like to sing in a chorus. For musicians like me who love playing an instrument and listening to music (just not singing it), this was a real treat. Stacy Horn shares her knowledge and experiences as a member of the Choral Society of Grace Church in New York City. She seamlessly weaves personal and professional stories together in a charming memoir that more than once sent me to the internet to look up a piece of music. I learned so much about the dynamics of choral singing, the arrangement of vocalists - the intricate grouping and pairing of the vocals mesmerized me - and it helps me hear music in a whole new way. Not only did I buy a copy for myself, but I've given this book as a gift to friends and family members who love to sing. Part music memoir and part music lesson, this book will enthrall music lovers of all kinds.
March 17, 2014
I devoured this delicious memoir of an ordinary singer who becomes a part of something extraordinary once a week as she joins other singers in the Grace Chapel Community Choir. After many years away from choir singing, I returned this winter to a community chorus and, happily, one of my new Alto II singing acquaintances recommended this book. So as I was learning Mozart's Grand Mass in C Minor, Stacy Horn was regaling me with her stories coupled with the history, memorabilia and benefits of choral singing. It was a stereo experience, indeed. Highly recommended! My only worry now is what else is out there about singing? Any other recommendations?
June 15, 2018
I love to sing and envy Stacy Horn's experience of singing under the guidance of a conductor whose rigorous approach to his task I admire without reservation. She has interesting things to say about works her impressive choir has performed. The thrill of part singing is beautifully described (with references to the neuroscience that helps explain all the delight).
I am recommending this inspiring book to chorister friends (the Kindle edition is going for AU $1.44).
I'm taking off a star because of the (nice) author's self-absorption and humourlessness.
I am recommending this inspiring book to chorister friends (the Kindle edition is going for AU $1.44).
I'm taking off a star because of the (nice) author's self-absorption and humourlessness.
July 20, 2015
Oh, my god, I love this book. I love the way it combines broad historical and uniquely personal stories. But most of all, I love the passion for choir singing, and I love the way she talks about music and singing. If I wasn't already in a choir, it would inspire me to go find one immediately.
Also, I highlighted so many lines in this! It just really resonated with me.
Also, I highlighted so many lines in this! It just really resonated with me.
February 7, 2021
This was just a joyous book to devour for me...I am a choir conductor! so reading about singing in the choir was just plain fun. Reading about how the singers feel as they rehearse and perform just brings a smile to my face and wonderful memories as Ms Horn goes through some wonderful pieces that she has sung with her fabulous choir.
If you have ever sung in a choir, especially one dedicated to being the best it can be do read this book.
It also talks about the composers and the music. I suggest, if you don't know the pieces she describes to you tube them and take a listen. They are all wonderful, and most of them I have taught to choirs and conducted them...along with an orchestra in some cases. It's all true!
Made 2021 a little brighter for me! in this depressing time of Covid.
If you have ever sung in a choir, especially one dedicated to being the best it can be do read this book.
It also talks about the composers and the music. I suggest, if you don't know the pieces she describes to you tube them and take a listen. They are all wonderful, and most of them I have taught to choirs and conducted them...along with an orchestra in some cases. It's all true!
Made 2021 a little brighter for me! in this depressing time of Covid.
August 30, 2021
A mostly personal account of the benefits of amateur choral singing. The book rambles among many subjects including the jobs of the music director, biographies of composers, history of choral singing, interpretations of the music, difficulties faced by singers, psychological effects of singing, and the author's personal life. As a non-singer myself, I did not identify with some of the book, especially emotional reactions to singing certain parts of music, but Horn did a good job of explaining musical concepts such as overtones and unresolved chords. On the whole, I think the book was effective in communicating what the author wanted to convey.
February 18, 2021
My wife, who is a music teacher and choir director recommended this book to me because I sang in her church choir for many years when we lived elsewhere. As an amateur singer I instantly related to the stories of this book about the insecurities, hard work, and moments of deep appreciation and joy that can come from singing with a group. The stories are amusing, sometimes revealing and deeply personal in the author's life. The book also gives some history of group singing and stories about some of the past and present composers that contribute wonderful choral music that can magically touch your soul, enhanced by the group effort that surrounds you. The famous Requiems by Brahms, Verdi and Mozart are examples used, as well as newer music such as Morten Lauridsen's O Magnum Mysterium. It makes me realize how much that experience meant to me.
January 24, 2019
It's all about the blend. I've always known that; felt it. There is a unique joy in combining your voice with those of others. Stacy Horn shares her motivations, doubts, frustrations and happiness on the path to choral harmony. Included are the history and science of musicology. The book left me even more enthused about singing weekly in an ensemble.
September 13, 2019
Very enjoyable look at what belonging to an amateur adult musical group is like. The author states so well many of my own feelings about singing in a choir--namely, it doesn't really matter that I can't sing worth a hoot--singing with others brings about numerous individual and collective benefits.
May 27, 2020
Good read during social isolation and choir-less days!
October 18, 2017
Years ago I read a similar book on the experience of choral singing. A little memoir, some sociology, a peek at the scientific literature on music and how it effects the human brain. People love singing so much that I suspect this is a mini-genre.
Pluses: Good insights into the social aspects of choral communities. Oh no! the singer with the inerrant sight-reading skills isn't here today! Good description of the legal and business side of running a choral group. Good discussion of how to inculcate professionalism in an amateur group.
Minuses: A bit too much about how secular people often end up singing sacred music. It's part of how our society is, but the internet and cable TV comedians have thoroughly burned me out on the subject. Along those lines, I thought it would have been good to have some insight into the week-in, week-out routine of church choirs - at the height of my choral mania, I did church choir as well as the sort of concert choir the author does. I also thought that in this age of Eric Whitacre (whom she writes about), TV singing competitions, and educational budget cuts it would be good to attempt an overview of the state of singing in the Teens. I also thought she could have spent a little more time on her approach to music. How do you practice singing in a New York apartment? (I too like to sing while I walk down the street) Do the neighbors mind? Does she like those practice tapes (now Youtube videos) that help people learn parts in well-known choral works? Does she have a keyboard? I like hearing about that sort of stuff because it makes me a better singer.
Pluses: Good insights into the social aspects of choral communities. Oh no! the singer with the inerrant sight-reading skills isn't here today! Good description of the legal and business side of running a choral group. Good discussion of how to inculcate professionalism in an amateur group.
Minuses: A bit too much about how secular people often end up singing sacred music. It's part of how our society is, but the internet and cable TV comedians have thoroughly burned me out on the subject. Along those lines, I thought it would have been good to have some insight into the week-in, week-out routine of church choirs - at the height of my choral mania, I did church choir as well as the sort of concert choir the author does. I also thought that in this age of Eric Whitacre (whom she writes about), TV singing competitions, and educational budget cuts it would be good to attempt an overview of the state of singing in the Teens. I also thought she could have spent a little more time on her approach to music. How do you practice singing in a New York apartment? (I too like to sing while I walk down the street) Do the neighbors mind? Does she like those practice tapes (now Youtube videos) that help people learn parts in well-known choral works? Does she have a keyboard? I like hearing about that sort of stuff because it makes me a better singer.
March 31, 2018
I loved the prospect of this book: A sort of "Bowling Alone" memoir of Horn's experience of singing in a choir focusing on the meaning and importance of the choir membership to her well-being and that of all the other members. (Horn is an atheist who sings in a choir of well-established protestant church in NYC.) By her own admission, she is but an average singer, but she is avid about her long-standing stint in the choir. Horn writes in a very open, conversational manner, somewhat reminiscent of Anne LaMott. In fact, she bares her vulnerabilities to an extent that I found to be a bit wincy (even though--or because?--I could relate). She focuses variously on pieces sung by the choir and their history, composers, historical choruses/choirs, the science of music and the brain (quite interesting) and her own journey, as well as that of others. Much of the book has an academic tone quite natural to Horn I suspect. I had high expectations of IH, and for the most part I liked it well enough, but I did feel that her neurosis was at times distracting.
December 25, 2018
Everyone who's ever sung in a choir, or who has a friend who loves singing in a choir, should read this book. It perfectly captures the joy and wonder I feel in choral singing. And it is well-written, both of itself and in the mirth, humor, and fascination that comes through in every paragraph.
August 10, 2013
First: typos. More than one. Yikes. Second: as more a collection of short stories than anything else, the book never seemed to me to strike the right balance between personal experience and connection to the rich history of choral tradition. The honest personal reflection seemed a bit too honest and, at times, narcissistic. More often than not, the personal stories detracted from best parts of the book, which are the interviews with composers or experts and the impressive amount of history and context for each piece. My favorite chapter, by far, is on Lauridsen's O Magnum, perhaps because I love the song so much, but I also think the tone in that chapter was the most natural and unaffected. In all, it's a decent book. The perspective of a non-believer who almost exclusively sings religious music was interesting and insightful.
July 19, 2013
I started out really enjoying the book, which combines the author's personal history of choir participation along with musical history and science. After a few chapters, though, I got tired of hearing how miserable she was. Yes, singing in the choir made her feel good but how many times did we need to hear about her unhappy relationships or poor cashflow?
Her writing about composers was interesting; however, even those sections started to drag on for me and I found myself skipping pages.
Finally, I was distracted by all the typos. Did the publisher hire an editor for this book?
Sadly, I cannot recommend it.
Her writing about composers was interesting; however, even those sections started to drag on for me and I found myself skipping pages.
Finally, I was distracted by all the typos. Did the publisher hire an editor for this book?
Sadly, I cannot recommend it.
January 4, 2014
Choral singers will understand and appreciate Horn's evocative descriptions of how it feels to sing with others, and non-singers may get a glimpse of why we love it so much. This is an unusual and interesting presentation, including history, music theory, music history, neurology, sociology, psychology, and Horn's own personal story, with each chapter focusing on one or more specific pieces of choral music. Unfortunately, however, there's a lot of repetition, especially of Horn's bewailing of her personal life, and the book felt neither like proper standalone sections nor a unified whole to me.
February 4, 2014
I loved this book! There were some times where I thought she digressed into talking about herself in ways unrelated to music, but it well worth getting through those. Her descriptions of the way it feels to experience music in many different ways made me smile and cry and laugh. I don't know if people who don't love music would understand, and I have music-lover friends who thought there was too much talk about specific pieces - but I loved every music-related word in it!
December 17, 2013
Recommended for choral singers. Stacy Horn articulates that happy feeling one gets when singing together, a kind of human interconnectedness that doesn't seem to happen anywhere else.
January 1, 2015
This book inspired me to want to sing more often in community settings. Great read.
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July 11, 2016Quick history of vocal singing, told through the author's participation with one of the oldest amateur singing groups in New York City. Makes me want to join a choir again!
August 31, 2014
Beautiful book on singing in choirs, but got too detailed and technical for my liking.
March 9, 2020
I read this first a number of years ago, but realizing I hadn't noted it here on Goodreads, went back recently to skim it again. Stacy Horn's "Prelude" is clear about the blessings of singing with others, in her case with the Choral Society of Grace Church NYC for thirty years. The version I read was subtitled "Finding Happiness Singing with Others"--really more true to the book than the subtitle given above, as the book is more about singing together than about Horn's own life's ups and downs.
Each chapter is based on a piece of choral music and there are "recitatives" on choral history. Horn is an unabashed singing enthusiast and has produced a lovely, readable, and inviting book. Those who have sung in high school, college, church, and community choirs will find much to resonate with. I am so thankful for my many years of those experiences, with the high point for me singing the Cincinnati May Festival Chorus in the 1970s. (Though directing choirs became the blessing through the next 25 years.) Happy to say that the only new piece to me in the book was Morten Lauridsen's 1994 "O Magnum Mysterium." (Horn does go up to Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choirs.) I miss those experiences now . . . .
Each chapter is based on a piece of choral music and there are "recitatives" on choral history. Horn is an unabashed singing enthusiast and has produced a lovely, readable, and inviting book. Those who have sung in high school, college, church, and community choirs will find much to resonate with. I am so thankful for my many years of those experiences, with the high point for me singing the Cincinnati May Festival Chorus in the 1970s. (Though directing choirs became the blessing through the next 25 years.) Happy to say that the only new piece to me in the book was Morten Lauridsen's 1994 "O Magnum Mysterium." (Horn does go up to Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choirs.) I miss those experiences now . . . .
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