Manchester Boys Choir - Father in Heaven Above - Donizetti opera

[babbopieta]

Can anyone here tell me where I might be able to find the sheet music for the MBC version of Count Your Blessings?

[notyobs]

@calliand Your wish is granted. There's one more now, I uploaded "Count Your Blessings" the other day. Hope to add some more over the coming days. I notice the copyright holders have flagged their claim to these recodings with Youtube, but thankfully have not had them removed. Hope that remains the case.

[notyobs]

@calliand Thanks. I remember seeing that when it was on TV in the very late 80s!! What's the MBC connection, is it MBC really doing the singing?

[notyobs]

@kalriki Thanks, that's really useful to know. I have an MBC LP which I haven't looked at since I bought it way way back around 1990, I shall have to see what other goodies are on there! Also, two or three of those MBC tracks on a CD I have of another choir. I think they were stuck on the end to fill up the CD. Thing is, the MBC singing is SO much better than the rest of the CD, which I *think* is Seaford College choir in Sussex. Shall have to dig it out and check.

[notyobs]

@kalriki Great to hear from you! How did he teach you to sing like that? Were the rehearsals boring/fun? Did you have the music to follow, or did you just have to memorise your parts? I bought the sheet music for this about a decade or so ago, and have just spent the last two weeks getting to grips with it on the piano. I love this song. I've created a playlist now with two other versions of it. The operatic performance by Mariella Devia is out of this world, I've watched it SO many times!!!

[notyobs]

@calliand You lucky, lucky thing! Do you think your voice might be one of those in this recording? I've just listened again myself for the first time in months and was struck yet again by just how very beautiful it is. I remember reading on the record label that there were no auditions, anyone who wanted to join was accepted. Just incredible. How DID they get you to sing so well?

[planetkitchen]

It's good, but it's no 'Crawdad Song'

[notyobs]

@planetkitchen What's the 'Crawdad Song'??

[treblechoir99]

Ah here this interesting link with my other Donizetti. Absolutly wonderful this approach.

[Santasbestbuddy]

Nice to hear this - shame there aren't anymore MBC songs on the web for everyone to hear how brilliant the choir was (inspite of the disgraceful and murky end to Jessett). This is a very hard song for children to sing, because of the breath control needed.. The beauty that you hear is a testament to a musical vision without waiver, but also to the hard work and dedication of the kids in the choir.

[notyobs]

I've only just seen this. Whoever all these people with initials are, and whoever you are, it's just great to hear from you. This is the most emotionally charged treble singing I have ever heard. Goodness alone knows how someone managed to get this kind of performance out of you all.

[notyobs]

Just to add, I'm not normally at all keen on any vibrato in treble singing, but the slight vibrato on someone's voice here ("GD"!) is absolutely right for this song and this music.

[petelovesbevsills]

Here we are another year on and guess what? I still love listening to this. It's all your fault notyobs! :):):)!

[notyobs]

It's too beautiful for words isn't it? I must get round to making it available for you in stereo.

[petelovesbevsills]

I could not agree more. This is just so beautifully sung and accompanied. As it comes from a Donizetti opera called Maria Stuarda I feel that it should be somehow linked to "opera" so that the opera lovers get the chance to hear this unforgettable performance. I literally stumbled upon it by sheer accident a very long time ago.Sadly I notice there are no comments from any opera fans.Whatever happens THIS performance remians cemented into my favourites, period!

[notyobs]

Good suggestions. I've now added references in the title, description and tags. Also, I've updated the info, including a link to download an audio file.

[222nietzsche]

Thats my mum playing the piano, oh yes!

[notyobs]

Are you being serious?? This whole piece of music is just so superb; the piano accompaniment and the singing. As a pianist myself, I would love to know if your message is serious, because I love the way the piano is played in this... much better than I could do.

[222nietzsche]

Yes i am being serious. Her name is Kathleen Hesford. I sang with the choir for a few years as a young lad. Glad you like it.

[notyobs]

That's just brilliant!! Please tell her I said 'hello' and I wish I could play as well as she plays on this. You're both so lucky to have been involved in creating such musical excellence.

[notyobs]

@222nietzsche I've just uploaded "Count your Blessings" Is your mum playing on that too. I suspect it's the same pianist, not least because of the perfection of the playing!! Anyway, your post prompted me to dig the music out and practice. I've been playing along to this recording, and reckon I can now play it as well as your mum did.... well, maybe almost :-)

[petelovesbevsills]

I have lost count of the number of times that I have visited this site and thoroughly enjoyed this rendition of Donizetti's Maria Stuarda Prayer scene. Your slideshow is excellent too!

[notyobs]

When I first discovered this track I played it over and over and over again for months. Such utterly sublime singing.

[petelovesbevsills]

AMEN to that! Very very strange that this is the only choral version of such a memorable piece of music.

[notyobs]

Good point. I've never heard it anywhere else at all.

[haggis95]

I had Jesset as a choir master while at St. Augutines. During that time, as I went from soprano to bass, we won every competition we entered. He was an exacting task master, but his passion for the music made it worthwhile.

I'll always remember the christmas carol concerts he put on at shcool.

[SantaSanta247]

Weird... Pretty certain this is me singing. Think the solist is Pic*****e.

We sang this in Czechoslovakia in '86. By the end of it, 90% of the audience were crying their eyes out & most of them couldn't understand any English.

BTW - I'm sure it's called Mary Stuart's Prayer - not Father in Heaven above.

[notyobs]

Hi there... yes, in the blurb to the right I give its proper title! I can well believe people were crying. I would have been. This is one of the most beautiful choral performances I have ever heard, and if you're singing in it, I bow at your feet!

[notyobs]

PS What do you mean by Pic*****e... ?? Is it something good or bad?

[SantaSanta247]

Hi. Spotted correct title after I'd posted. Sorry.

Thanks for the compliment - I do hope you're female but even if you're not I'm glad you like the song.

AS for pic****e - that's the name of the bloke I think was doing the solo but don't know if he'd want to be named on here & I may be wrong anyway. Nothing bad but we always had a policy of not naming soloists.

[notyobs]

@SantaSanta247 I think the policy of not naming soloists was misguided. Anyone brave enough to sing solo deserves credit for it, especially if they make a good job of it. And no, I'm not female, there's no more reason to think it's sissy for a male to enjoy boys choral music than there is to think it's sissy for a boy or a man to sing in a choir!! I love all types of choral music, but - for me - the best and purest sound by far comes from boys choirs.

[notyobs]

I would put the Vienna Boys Choir behind a number of other choirs. As for you choir... it was just superb, better than VBC. Very sad about the dark side of its founder.

[Evandavsim]

Out of curiosity; you mention that you would rate a number of choirs better than the WSK. Could I press you for a top 5 or so??? I would be most interested.

[notyobs]

@Evandavsim Almost any English cathedral choir, the college choirs of Oxford and Cambridge, St Phillips/Libera. The perception by some that the Vienna Boys Choir is the 'best in the world' springs I'm sure simply from the fact that's it's probably the best KNOWN in the world, that's all. The quality of sound - particularly the harmonising - produced by Manchester Boys Choir in the recordings I have from the 80s is far superior to VBC and achieved with fewer voices.

[petelovesbevsills]

Wel well, the late Beverly Sills would have been proud of this most unusual rendition of Maria's prayer from Donizetti's Maria Stuarda. Actually Donizetti would have loved this too!!! Bravo!

[notyobs]

You can say that again. I have an LP of the choir and on the sleeve it says he never turned any boy away that wanted to join. If that's true, I have no idea how he achieved such results. What do you mean though when you say you were in the choir for ten years but not a chorister?

[anjellyka21]

Hi, im looking for a friend of mine and wonder if you can help? i dont know how close to the choir at manchester chathedral you are but my friend was a member of it though im not sure when, hes called chris dewerden (not sure on the spelling) and hes 20 years old now, would appreciate any help, long shot i know, Ang

[MAXINESUSAN]

this was truly lovely and relaxing to listen to. really enjoyed it, reminded me of my sunday schoolxx

[notyobs]

Listen carefully from 2.24 a note starts in the background that doesn't take over until twenty seconds later!

[notyobs]

That's nnoying, I uploaded this in glorious stereo, but it sounds mono coming back from Youtube. I'll upload in full quality to that other site ;-)

[Philovideo]

If I am not mistaken, I believe all the audio tracks on Youtube are converted to Mono. It would be nice if they could be played back in stereo.

Nice video of that boy's choir even though it it does come back in mono. It's amazing how these boys can be trained to produce such high and accurate soprano notes as well as harmonize so well too.