Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

In my day it was Michael Savage who sang solos on the LP recorded around the mid 1970's. I sang one or two solos in the chapel with a worried quavering voice but Michael seemed to fling the music out with a panache that was quite unusual in its confidence. anyone know what became of te chap?

When I was at CH it was probably Ben Breakwell - he had a fantastic treble voice (I think he may have gone to a choir school!) and then he became an excellent tenor...

Simon Baker, who was on my year and is the son of Derek B former HM, is now a renowned counter-tenor. Dot Wickham had a very good soprano voice. And of course, me (loud choking sounds emanating from a husband nearby)!!

Miranda Maguire.......I was soooooo jealous. She sang like a lark.
I have to say though that Chamber Choir could be a real laugh - anyone remember doing Music on the Lake? Hey Nonny no, don't fall in...

Our very own Julian Taylor did a pretty cracking job in my time.

Here's a thought - of all the people who sang at school in the Chapel Choir, Chamber Choir or Choral Soc etc. or who had singing lessons (especially the good voices), who has carried on that interest into their adult life? I sang but was definitely more into the band at school, but ended up with a choral scholarship at university and have done more and more singing since I left. I now couldn't live without it, and fortunately it is a passion that is shared with my husband.

cj wrote:Here's a thought - of all the people who sang at school in the Chapel Choir, Chamber Choir or Choral Soc etc. or who had singing lessons (especially the good voices), who has carried on that interest into their adult life? I sang but was definitely more into the band at school, but ended up with a choral scholarship at university and have done more and more singing since I left. I now couldn't live without it, and fortunately it is a passion that is shared with my husband.

I was in choir and Schola Cantorum (the new pretentious name for the chamber choir) at school...

I was vice president of the Exeter University Choral Society at uni and i now sing in my church choir

cj wrote:Here's a thought - of all the people who sang at school in the Chapel Choir, Chamber Choir or Choral Soc etc. or who had singing lessons (especially the good voices), who has carried on that interest into their adult life? I sang but was definitely more into the band at school, but ended up with a choral scholarship at university and have done more and more singing since I left. I now couldn't live without it, and fortunately it is a passion that is shared with my husband.

I never sang again in a choir after school but do roar out Mozart's Requiem, Laudate Nomen Domini and other pieces while alone in the car

Looked at continuing after grade 8 at CH but lessons were prohibitively expensive at Uni. Quietly fantasizing about a candle-lit scratch Messiah with total strangers.

Happy wrote:Quietly fantasizing about a candle-lit scratch Messiah with total strangers.

Sounds good! With a few baroque instruments perhaps?

baroque bassoon if you like

I did Messiah (I can't sing at all but not bad on bassoon) whilst at University (Royal Holloway) in the chapel. Perfect setting, and the acoustics really lifted the piece.

I seem to remember the next month we did Gilbert and Sullivan's Trial by Jury in the same setting. Sublime to the ...

I was a head chorister on my L.E. but my voice never settled properly after it broke. I have neither the high range of a tenor, nor the low range of a bass. Apparently this happened to my grandfather too. I was gutted. I remember going to see Mr Allwood on my U.F. to see about going back into the choir; he suggested that I should come back but I knew I was pretty bad.

BTaylor wrote:Our very own Julian Taylor did a pretty cracking job in my time.

Why thank you Ben!

graham wrote:I was a head chorister on my L.E. but my voice never settled properly after it broke. I have neither the high range of a tenor, nor the low range of a bass. Apparently this happened to my grandfather too. I was gutted. I remember going to see Mr Allwood on my U.F. to see about going back into the choir; he suggested that I should come back but I knew I was pretty bad.

Voices take a long time to settle down and mature, but you also need to keep the vocal chords exercised. You can 'stretch' them (and therefore alter your range) with various exercises, but with guidance or you'll have problems. Women's voices break also and aren't mature until late 20s/early-mid 30s. I went from being a very high treble to a proper second alto over a course of 10 years.

I can't sing at all, which I find hugely frustrating. I know I'm not in tune, or I'm singing the wrong notes as I can hear it. And when I play the bassoon I can tell then if I'm out of tune etc, so I'm certainly not tone deaf.

it made passing music exams very difficult as I always failed the aural tests (cue jokes from JR). But I got distinction so don't really care!

I don't really get it.

Why is it that some people just can't sing? Well, at least I know it, so don't end up embarrassing myself with trying!