I don’t like Howells

Originally uploaded by nilexuk.

Not Will, but Herbert, who wrote rather a lot of fiendishly difficult choral music. I don’t like it because it’s often too high, too much in unison, very difficult to get right and not all that rewarding when you do.

Unfortunately, our director wrote his doctoral thesis on Howells, met the man and is his number one fan, so we tend to have rather a lot of his music. Last year in St Paul’s, barely a night went past and we finished on the ghastly Exultate Deo.

This year we have but one piece, a Hymn to St Cecelia, which actually isn’t too bad. It is still too high, has several unison verses, and weird intervals, so I’ve been amusing myself by singing about mucous rather than music. “through the cold aftermath of centuries / cecelia’s mucous dances through the skies”

Fits the music much better.