Stick Time: Communicating Powerful Poetry

It occurs to me that we sometimes underestimate the emotional capabilities of those in the choirs we conduct.  Take for instance men’s ensembles.  I love “Brother’s Sing On,” the various college fight songs, and the other rousing standard repertoire for the men’s chorus.  Listen though to the text of this too-seldom heard work by Lee Hoiby. Sure, we can discuss various musical elements another time, but I am concerned with the poignancy of this poetry and how well it is being communicated by the singers.  A great many of the men in this ensemble seem to be quite invested in the text – if I didn’t know better, I’d say that they wrote the words.