{PRETITLE} Imperfect Harmony: Finding Happiness Singing with Others {POSTTITLE}

Rating: (43 reviews)
Author: Stacy Horn
ISBN : 1616200413
New from $9.26
Format: PDF

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Why do we sing? For Stacy Horn, singing in a community choir--the Choral Society of Grace Church in New York--is the one thing in her life that never fails to take her to a transcendent place and remind her that everything good is possible. She's not particularly religious and (she'll be the first to point out) her voice isn't exactly the stuff of legend, but like thousands of other amateur chorus members throughout this country and the world, singing  with other people makes her happy. 

As Horn relates her funny and profound experiences as a choir member, she treats us to an eclectic history of group singing and the music that moves us, whether we're hearing it for the first time or the hundredth; the dramatic stories of conductors and composers; and discoveries from the new science of singing, including the remarkable physical benefits of song. 

Life can be hard, battles continue to rage all around us, and by midlife most of us have had our share of disappointments. Here is the unexpected story of one woman who nevertheless has found joy and strength in the weekly ritual of singing some of the greatest music humanity has ever produced.

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• Product Details
• Table of Contents
• Reviews

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Algonquin Books; First Printing edition (July 2, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1616200413
• ISBN-13: 978-1616200411
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

{PRETITLE} Imperfect Harmony: Finding Happiness Singing with Others {POSTTITLE}

Horn's experiences in the Choral Society of Grace Church are vividly brought to life in her book. I often felt that I was right there in the room, in the choir, having the very same experiences. She seamlessly and naturally interlaces music history with her stories. Before I knew it, I realized I'd just read pages of - gasp! - music history, and didn't find one bit of it dry. I couldn't stop turning the pages. I wish my own college music history texts had been as captivating. Horn also does a wonderful job describing more advanced musical concepts in layman's terms, which helps to keep the book accessible to all music lovers. She cites studies that give insight into why singing feels so good and how it affects us emotionally and physiologically. Even with the inclusion of history, a bit of music theory, and science, the flow of her words is never once broken. The reading never felt bogged down.

I cried while reading stories about how song came forth, often spontaneously, out of moments of deep grief to help carry people through. I laughed while reading some of the interactions between choir members, especially the "where to sit" and "someone's in my chair" antics. During that chapter I texted my best friend, a soprano in our local choral society, to ask her if they have assigned seats. She replied with, "No, but no one better ever sit in my chair!" which gave me a nice laugh. I highlighted on my Nook like mad, taking special note of the many thought-provoking quotes by famous composers, conductors, and music educators; gems of knowledge and experience that I'm sure I'll pass on to my own music students.

Professionally, I'm an instrumentalist, not a singer.

Before reading Imperfect Harmony I didn't really know what to expect. I used to belong to a local community choir and it was something I mostly enjoyed, so I thought a book of someone sharing stories and anecdotes of choir experiences would be something fairly interesting to read. Although the book contained some of this, it really was a whole lot more and, in fact, turned out to be one of my most enjoyable reads so far this year.

Stacy Horn has written a book well worth reading. What really came through in her writing is her passion for music. I really enjoy music as well, so I found this book a pleasure to read. The book centres around her singing experiences in the Choral Society of Grace Church in New York, but around these she shares the history of many of her favourite choral pieces, along with some moments of the history of choirs, choral societies, and music in general. Intertwined among all of this we are given glimpses into her personal life and how she came to be involved in this particular amateur choir.

I really enjoyed reading much of the historical stuff that she shared. It was interesting to read how at one time it was not considered respectable for women to be members of a choir or choral society. It was also very interesting to read about the history of some of the pieces the choir sings as well as the background of some of the composers. I was inspired to check out some of the pieces she mentioned that I'm not familiar with and have added some of these to my own music collection. One piece, in particular, is O Magnum Mysterium by Morten Lauridsen, a composer, I have to admit, who was previously unknown to me.