The Boy's Choir
I was a 10-year-old boy with a girl’s voice. All the boys in our grade four class were lined up for an audition for the school’s boy’s choir. Each was asked to sing the National anthem and the DOREMI and those who qualified were each assigned a voice group according to his voice scale. I was told to be a part of the Soprano 2 group. I guess, there were other boys who have more girlish voice than me and they belonged to Soprano 1.
The following days were rigid training days. We were taught to sing from the diaphragm and not from the throat. To breathe in, sing and breathe out only when the Latin phrases end. Yes, it’s a church choir, and we were identified with the world famous “Bamboo Organ”, hence we were called: “Himig Kawayan” Boy’s choir. (Bamboo’s Hymn Boy’s Choir).
We learned our crescendos and decrescendos, staccatos and falsettos. We learned to focus only on the conductor and the rhythm of the accompaniments, mostly the piano and organ. And the most important thing we learned is to listen to the other choir members’ voices and to blend in. We were singing like angels. Prayer songs of old – Latin, and also kundiman (classic tagalog, romantic serenades).
We participated in the National Choir Competitions and won. And then it came that we have to sing with the National Philharmonic Orchestra. And boy was it grand! We were in the major league of music. We sang in the major theatre of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. And did we make some music! We captured the audience when we put lyrics to Strauss’ classical, The Blue Danube. We rose to heaven in Handel’s Hallelujah. We brought nostalgia and romance in our Kundimans and we always brought the house down. We sang in the major functions of the then President Marcos in Malacañan Palace. We performed for foreign dignitaries and guests. The First Lady loved us that after every function, we were asked to stay and sing with her in her private music room.
For me, life is a musical piece. Beautiful music. We sing the note and it blends with everything and everyone around us. We make music. Sometimes it’s good music and sometimes not. Nevertheless, it’s an orchestra. There’s the beat of the percussion and the smoothness of the violins and the glaring of the trumpets and then there’s singing. We remember the beat, the harmony and the pulse and we sing with it. There are always easy times and tough times in our lives. Sometimes it just flows sweetly and smoothly and sometimes it rumbles and at times glaring with noise. Nevertheless we make our life beautiful if we learn to blend in well with the different times of our lives. Focusing at our conductor, our Maker, listening and becoming aware of those around us. We are a part of one big choir, an assembly, an orchestra. That is life in its fullness, we just sing our part and together with everyone else, we will make beautiful music.
The following days were rigid training days. We were taught to sing from the diaphragm and not from the throat. To breathe in, sing and breathe out only when the Latin phrases end. Yes, it’s a church choir, and we were identified with the world famous “Bamboo Organ”, hence we were called: “Himig Kawayan” Boy’s choir. (Bamboo’s Hymn Boy’s Choir).
We learned our crescendos and decrescendos, staccatos and falsettos. We learned to focus only on the conductor and the rhythm of the accompaniments, mostly the piano and organ. And the most important thing we learned is to listen to the other choir members’ voices and to blend in. We were singing like angels. Prayer songs of old – Latin, and also kundiman (classic tagalog, romantic serenades).
We participated in the National Choir Competitions and won. And then it came that we have to sing with the National Philharmonic Orchestra. And boy was it grand! We were in the major league of music. We sang in the major theatre of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. And did we make some music! We captured the audience when we put lyrics to Strauss’ classical, The Blue Danube. We rose to heaven in Handel’s Hallelujah. We brought nostalgia and romance in our Kundimans and we always brought the house down. We sang in the major functions of the then President Marcos in Malacañan Palace. We performed for foreign dignitaries and guests. The First Lady loved us that after every function, we were asked to stay and sing with her in her private music room.
For me, life is a musical piece. Beautiful music. We sing the note and it blends with everything and everyone around us. We make music. Sometimes it’s good music and sometimes not. Nevertheless, it’s an orchestra. There’s the beat of the percussion and the smoothness of the violins and the glaring of the trumpets and then there’s singing. We remember the beat, the harmony and the pulse and we sing with it. There are always easy times and tough times in our lives. Sometimes it just flows sweetly and smoothly and sometimes it rumbles and at times glaring with noise. Nevertheless we make our life beautiful if we learn to blend in well with the different times of our lives. Focusing at our conductor, our Maker, listening and becoming aware of those around us. We are a part of one big choir, an assembly, an orchestra. That is life in its fullness, we just sing our part and together with everyone else, we will make beautiful music.
