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

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Author: Stacy Horn
ISBN : B00AFKIRIC
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Format: PDF

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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.

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• Product Details
• Table of Contents
• Reviews

• File Size: 423 KB
• Print Length: 301 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1616200413
• Publisher: Algonquin Books (July 2, 2013)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
  
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00AFKIRIC
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
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• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,032 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #2
    in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Arts & Photography > Music > Instruments & Performers > Voice
  • #41
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  • #74
    in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Musical Genres > Classical
• #2
  in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Arts & Photography > Music > Instruments & Performers > Voice
• #41
  in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Instruments > Voice
• #74
  in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Musical Genres > Classical

{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.