The South Sound Classical Choir is about fifty strong, and we're looking for a few good Messiah singers. You interested? We’re going to sing the choruses – all twenty of them – this Fall, for four performances in early December. We meet on Monday evenings from 7-9 at Aylen Junior High School choral auditorium in Puyallup from September to May. We perform two sets of four concerts, one set in early December, the other in mid May. Back to the Messiah – have you sung it before? If so, great; if not, we have learning CDs for each part and choral scores to start you on your way. Our sections will know the music reasonably well in September when we start rehearsals, so that we can begin making real music. Have you sung at all before? If so, we'd sure like to talk to you, if you can spare a night a week for rehearsal. Come meet us – we have serious fun. Messiah Factoids – The Messiah was first performed in Dublin on April 13, 1742. When told that the audience was “delighted” by the work, Handel said, “I wished for them to be improved.” It was sung by 16 men and 16 boy choristers. It's divided in three parts, a nod to the three acts of Italian opera that Handel was used to writing. The libretto, though taken from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer, was arranged and edited by Charles Jennens, a librettist with whom Handel had written a number of operas. Handel called the libretto “a work of genius”. The libretto is allusive and elliptical: Christ, the Messiah, is the central figure, yet has no lines or quotes. The libretto assumes a thorough familiarity with Christ's life. Handel wrote the Messiah in 24 days, not an unusual pace for him in comparison with his other works. It underwent constant revision, so there are a number of versions extant. The choruses are mostly in 4/4 rhythm – the exceptions are two are in 2/2, two in 3/4, and one in 6/8 The choruses are mostly in major keys: of the twenty, only six are in minor keys. There aren't any notes that strain the average chorister's range, low or high. There are no really weird notes: harmonies and melodies are fairly accessible to the modern ear. The challenges for singers are precise diction, entrances, exits, and runs – once we get those down, we can start to make music. With you, we hope! Contact Dr. David LaBerge, director of the South Sound Classical Choir, at (253) 507-4183or email him at dlaberge@earthlink.net