Theresa Stacy <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >Does anyone else that' s a singer have different opinions based on >whether you are singing a composer's work as opposed to listening to >it? .... A work that I really love singing I will also love listening to, because listening will bring back the experience of what it is like to sing it. There are many other works that I would rather sing than listen to. An example is Saint-Saens' Requiem; when I performed it recently I enjoyed it moderately, but when I listened to it on a recording I found it interminable. There are other works which I would rather listen to than sing, because I find singing them uncomfortable: Beethoven's Ninth is the example that comes to mind. As for great composers of choral music, I'd certainly second Purcell - I really enjoy those awkward intervals and jerky rhythms. Has anyone mentioned Walton and/or Tippett yet? I think Tippett in particular has a rare feel for vocal writing. (and I agree with whoever nominated the transition to 'Steal Away' as a magic musical moment). I've yet to see much merit in Liszt's choral music, I'm afraid, and I prefer singing Victoria's pieces to Palestrina's and Haydn's to Mozart's. [log in to unmask] Official homepage: http://www.ilrt.bris.ac.uk/about/staff/web_staff?search=ggvhk Personal hompage: http://www.ilrt.bris.ac.uk/~ggvhk/virginia.html