As every September approaches, I start singing in the shower more often, getting ready for the start of a new choir season. And I’m probably not the only one – a 2017 study found that there were 28,000 choirs in Canada, with about 3.5 million singers. Maybe you’re one of them – if so, read on!
I’ve lived in Leaside since 1983, but choristers all over the world are benefiting from my hobby, thanks to the internet. Sopranos, altos, tenors and basses (SATB) can come to my website – Abracadenza.ca – and learn the music that their choir will be performing in their next concert. For instance, many Nigerian visitors to my site seek out the SATB rehearsal tracks for Handel’s Messiah. In a recent six-month period Abracadenza hosted hundreds of visitors from across Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, Russia, Australia and New Zealand.
Why am I doing this? I started years ago because I couldn’t sight sing, i.e. just look at the notes on a score and sing the right pitches – I needed to practise at home between rehearsals. Many of the pieces can be quite complicated, and until I was confident in my part I got thrown off by nearby sopranos, altos and basses singing theirs. My early practising was just plunking out my tenor part on a piano, but you need to play a lot better than I do for this to work very well. Then in 1995 I found software that accurately captures all the lyrics, notes and the accompaniment, and I can sing along and learn my part much faster. Getting the notes right early means I enjoy the rehearsals and feel like I’m contributing to a solid concert performance.
At first, I did this just for myself, but as I improved, I began sharing with other members of the choirs I’ve sung with, including VOCA, Pax Christi Chorale, Toronto Classical Singers, Toronto Beach Chorale, and now Jubilate Singers. Many like the files, and some have said that singing in a choir without them is much harder. In 2015 I decided to put the files on the internet to make sharing them easier.
So, what do you get from Abracadenza? You can find your file fast by filtering for keywords, composers, vocal part, or major works like the Messiah. Either play the song on the site or download it for later. You’ll hear a virtual voice singing your part loudest with the other parts in the background. My program is robust, with 29 languages including Latin, Finnish, Russian, Japanese, standard and southern French, U.K. and U.S. English, German, Italian, Spanish, Hebrew, Greek, and even Esperanto.
This is a hobby, not a business – there’s no fee and no advertising. There’s a Donate button, and I’m very grateful for those who do, but I’m just happy if they use the site. I look for ways to get the word out because I think the files are very helpful – sometimes I google other choirs to see if they’re planning to perform a piece that I have tracks for and email them about my site. In January 2024, for example, I wrote to the Eugene Concert Choir in Oregon, and the choir director told her choir to use my rehearsal tracks to help them learn Carmina Burana, which they performed with great success in May.
So, if you’re in a choir, try Abracadenza – I think you’ll make quick progress from singing in the shower to shining on the stage!
This article was guest contributed by John Hodgson.