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Le Choeur du Metro de Montreal
Jun. 13th, 2009 10:10 amI'm not sure if I posted much about this at the time of the event, but something ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
danlmarmot mentioned about his trip to Montreal, combined with some difficulties individual SMC members are having with memorization of foreign languages for our upcoming concert, reminded me of this story.
For the GALA VIIe event in Montreal in 2004, I was planning to set a smattering of "menu French" (soup du jour, boeuf Robespierre, etc.) to a possibly recognizable tune, after the fashion of "Insalata Italiana" with Italian musical directions.gmjambear suggested instead that I set all of the names of the Metro stops to music. So with the help of Dennis, the Rochester Gay Men's Chorus' composer-in-residence, and Steve, a teacher of French and Spanish in the chorus (who, incidentally, resembles Stephen Harper, only younger and cuter), we set all the Metro stops to the "Soldiers' Chorus" from Faust by Gounod.
Steve pointed out that Papineau (the namesake of the Metro stop closest to the heart of the gay village along Boul. Ste-Catherine) was a major military figure in the early history of Quebec, and as such is even today a revered name among Quebecers. So we made sure to repeat "Papineau" a few times, usually in the combination "Beaudry, Papineau, Henri-Bourassa".
( Handy household hints for singers of foreign languages... )
By the way, SMC is presenting "Unplugged" this evening at 7:30 PM at McIntyre Hall, on the campus of Skagit Valley College in Mt. Vernon, WA. We won't have our special guests m-pact with us but it should be a fun show nevertheless.
danlmarmot mentioned about his trip to Montreal, combined with some difficulties individual SMC members are having with memorization of foreign languages for our upcoming concert, reminded me of this story.For the GALA VIIe event in Montreal in 2004, I was planning to set a smattering of "menu French" (soup du jour, boeuf Robespierre, etc.) to a possibly recognizable tune, after the fashion of "Insalata Italiana" with Italian musical directions.
gmjambear suggested instead that I set all of the names of the Metro stops to music. So with the help of Dennis, the Rochester Gay Men's Chorus' composer-in-residence, and Steve, a teacher of French and Spanish in the chorus (who, incidentally, resembles Stephen Harper, only younger and cuter), we set all the Metro stops to the "Soldiers' Chorus" from Faust by Gounod. Steve pointed out that Papineau (the namesake of the Metro stop closest to the heart of the gay village along Boul. Ste-Catherine) was a major military figure in the early history of Quebec, and as such is even today a revered name among Quebecers. So we made sure to repeat "Papineau" a few times, usually in the combination "Beaudry, Papineau, Henri-Bourassa".
( Handy household hints for singers of foreign languages... )
By the way, SMC is presenting "Unplugged" this evening at 7:30 PM at McIntyre Hall, on the campus of Skagit Valley College in Mt. Vernon, WA. We won't have our special guests m-pact with us but it should be a fun show nevertheless.
