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From: myoozicgeek
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  • Love Stroope!

  • Have Always Loved this Song!!! It's a lot of work to put together but it is SO Worth it!! =) Thank you Thank you for posting an Awesome recording of it =D

  • Sang this my Jr. year in high school. I would have to say that this was my favorite song that we sang that year. its just soo....... epic....gotta love Stroope.

  • I remember doing this song back in High School for the all state choir trials. One of the best choirs I've heard doing this song

  • This song was commissioned for my 9th grade choir. Just saying. I'm pretty proud. LHFC Chorale 2004 represent!!

  • "Turn darkness into LIGHT. Turn hatred into love. Bow down, Saul."

    ive never been so in love with a piece of music.

  • @callmesydney I'm glad I'm not the only one watching this from Vox. xD

  • @jamieboyrockon i just laughed for a good 5 minutes :) this is perfection.

  • and the big build to into light is so well timed and stretched- it doesn't just blow up out of nowhere, and it doesn't get there too early... that takes a lot of discipline. it arrives just big enough and exactly at the right time to just sweep you away. that is my absolute favorite moment in any song ever... i have it painted on my wall. hahaha and you do it beautifully. amazing writing by an amazing composer, and wonderful discipline by an obviously talented choir. thank you for posting this.

  • so, so beautiful. this is easily the best recording of it i have found so far, and i'm pretty sure i've commented before, but i can't remember, because i literally watch this video at least once a week. it's at the perfect tempo- i have seen so many groups sacrifice intensity for speed at the beginning- it's just not the same. and the unisons are beautiful and very in tune, all the repetitions of 'saul' at the end are breathtakingly clean, and i'm about to run into two comments...

  • man this is awesomesauce :D It sounds real creepy though e_e i got tons of goosebumps

  • this is so slow! When we did it we did it faster but it sounded so much more exciting!

  • Bass 2's be sure to really open up at the end of the song on the low E. Because that would make that note fuller, but damn that was amazing

  • did a conducting practice and this is hard for someone with ADD (me) to watch because when they get a choice between 'faster' or 'slower'... they always chose slower. so uh... props on breath control!

  • That was phenominal

  • i dont think it matters what the tempo is. the intensity in their voices and just the song in general is executed beautifully with this choir in my opinion.

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  • beautiful except for the noise in the background

  • Wow terrible approach. Bad choice on the conducter's part

  • We're doing this for a concert in Spring. The song is hard when you first start it, and then you get it together and it's amazing.

  • very good. this song is so hard

  • wow, they're slow.

  • @iHateEmoPeoplesz Really? My school choir is starting this and this is the same tempo we're singing to.

    Still, it's your opinion. Maybe it does sound better faster; do you happen to have a recording here?

  • My highschool choir is singing this. It is so beautful at the end!

  • @chelseawise2416

    This song is so freakin hard!!!! but its sooooooooo goood

  • I'm in a collegiate choir, and we're preparing this for a concert this spring. Yes, there are some singers out there who are talented enough to make this look easy, but I can say for certain that it isn't. Especially when the majority of the group is untrained, non-music students and community members. Our biggest hurdles lie in the uneven rhythms in the first part of the song. It's a tough nut to crack, I don't mind saying.

  • huntersgirl01: stop being so 'awesome'.

    If your chorus got it almost learned in like a week, then it's probably not very good.

    Stop gloating.

    And if it were as fast as possible, it'd suck probably.

    You couldn't understand shit.

    Try learning Pinkham Christmas Cantada in a week.

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  • haha you people that are complaining about how hard it is, it really isn't THAT hard...my high school is singing it right now, we have the entire first half of it down already and have been working on it for almost a week. I like the speed they go in this video. Our director wants us to sing it as fast as possible. the sound on the video could be much better though.

  • love it! im singing it at allstate dis year!

  • wow...my choir is singing this song for spring and this song scares me haha

  • wow...we started it already, but these guyz can`t read latin..LMAO they don`t even pronounce right the words..it`s so lame.... :|

  • its feels to slow at the beginning and the spoken parts are rushed

  • i`ve got the song, i`m bass 1 (barriton) and this is the hardest song that I and the choir ever performed...can`t wait to learn it !!!

  • I feel like I would be fighting the natural tendency to rush at this tempo during the whole piece. but it's very interesting to hear it at this speed. Performance is impeccable and passionate. Definitely like it.

  • I agree with Chance... this song is sung much too slow, but otherwise, great job! It's a wonderful song, I sang it with my choir a few years ago!

  • you did the song to slow.

  • i think im ready for the nc honors choir audition! i have my sightreading down pat, and i have this song known from the front page to the back page! i've heard it soooo many times now

  • amazing job - this one is not easy to pull off!!!

    well done.

  • YAY! I sang in this! I love this song...!

  • WOW! We are singing this so this has helped out alot!

  • OH...MY.....GOD......this is the song we have to sing O.O well atleast the tenor 1 part doesn't sound to high. But i can hardly understand the diction or the pronunciation of the words. How are we supposed to ace this if we don't even know what language its in. Ah well back to sounding out the vowels for me.

  • It's in latin :) This is a good song, but alot harder than last year lol. Good luck though! =D It's not that hard once you get rhythm and pronunciation down lol

  • Thanks for the advice and language.

  • No problem lol.

  • This is probably the best performance of this piece I've heard on YouTube. My high school choir is learning it. Great job.

  • i can forget honors chorus this year...

    my teacher recomended me for it and i am going to audition but i dont think its gonna happen

  • Ha yeah at this point i seriously doubt i'm making it.

  • same here--only my teacher didn't recomend me. i'm learning it anyway...

  • wonderful! where is this school?

  • Dr. Cross-Stewart! She was my director when I was in the SCVA Women's Honor Choir. She's awesome. You guys sound great!

  • Yeah it seems a little difficult, it seems fun though. I was in it last year.

  • Crap. Guess I can forget making NC honors chorus this year. Lol. Especially since I'm a soprano one. And this is my last year too =/ I never thought I'd say this, but I miss Sure on this Shining Night. It was so much easier.

  • Oh don't be too afraid. I would be lying if I said we weren't a tad intimidated when we first got the music... :o)

    if it makes you feel better, the year we sung this piece, each member in the second call backs had to stand up ALONE in front of everyone and sight read their part in the first 2 pages of Bach's Magnificat.... acapella.... yeah...

  • I have to say, that sounds terrible. That was the piece we did for All State last year. It would be a nightmare to sight read. Ugh.

  • Yeah I loved Sure on this shining night! It's my last year too! I'm an alto 1 but I still doubt it with this song....

  • HEY!! I may not know you from last year, but HEY! have some hope! I haven't even gotten the piece yet and this is my second and last year trying out. :) We can all make it again! =D I am auditioning as well and I have faith in us that those that made it last year can make it this year. And it's funny that you mention that song because I was just singing it like 10 mins ago =3 I am uber excited for learning this song!

  • yeah but the thing is i didn't make it last year... I did great on the song I just suck at sight reading....

  • Hey! That means to work even harder! Haha, even though I don't like working hard... I am such a bum lol jk jk. But yeah, I did make it last year as a bass 1, and you can do it! Sight reading isn't that bad for me because I play piano and viola and I developed memorized pitch. My score barely got me in last year, but I am going to work my voice so I can get this song! It's a great experience to go, so you should try! At least try again :)

  • @maxxie04 I sang under Stroope at UNO and we recorded this one during my college experience. It sounds harrowing but when you break it down, it all fits together like a well-made puzzle. It is Stroope at his finest. All his music is magical, I'm sure with practice you'll do just fine!

  • Who said slow down??? FASTER! Speed would seriously add to the intensity of the beginning. Seriously, find a recording of a choir doing it faster, it sounds wicked sweet. :P

    Still a lovely performance

  • hey, cool. i have to sing this as my audition song for honors chorus in north carolina. last year's audition piece was so much easier compared to this

  • omg, this is the song i will have to sing to audition to for honors high school chorus / nc. im a tad bit intimidated. water night by whitacre is nothing compared to this lol especially seeing how i am a tenor one, kinda excited to learn it though.

  • i agree. when i heard this was our song for auditions, i kinda freaked out. but this is going to be amazing for whoever makes the choir.

  • tenor ones are beast

  • hahaa watch the conductor at like 1:14, she's gettin it! hahaa

  • I wish you can see her conducting and expression from the other side... she's amazing!

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  • This makes me very excited for next school year, We're singing this in my advanced choir.

    So good. =)

  • wow yall so so good

    i hav to learn this song for honors chorus this summer would u give any tips on learning the song

    anyone?????/

  • don't rush. It's not about how fast you can sing it but the text that you are speaking.

  • thanks

  • this song is amazing my senior year in high school our choir did this song and it was one of the most fun and amazingly difficult songs we did that year when we sang the song at annual area contest between all the high schools in the area we posted a perfect score for both of our pieces we did and conversion of saul was one of them, it was the first time in the history of my high school and the area contest that a school posted perfect scores on even one but we got perfect scores on both!

  • im doing this song right now in my choir!!! its super hard to learn

  • my friend right here says she sang this song in All Northwest mixed choir in Spokane and Randall Stroope said that they were the best choir he's ever directed! WOO!!!!

  • Was that this last year? I was in the orchestra - I thought this song was familiar. =D

  • We performed this in my South Carolina All-State choir last month, directed by Z. Randall Stroope himself.

  • I just did be not afraid like a week ago. Both of these songs are stellar.

  • stroope!

  • To this day, this is the only song that I have sung in choir that had at least half the choir in tears at the final chord once we got it down. The message is so powerful, and the music is no less inspiring. This choir did an absolutely fantastic job. Brava!

  • Thanks Everyone for your comments! Love reading the creativity in what you all write. :)

    AngelOfMusic387, if you get the chance, I encourage you to sing "Be Not Afraid" by Knut Nystedt. OMG! You wanna talk about a moving message... We did that piece a few years back and there's nothing like getting a down beat, opening your mouth, and having nothing come out as tears stream down your face... and I'm a BASS! haha.

  • This is a great perfomance. We are doing it at my college and I only hope we do it as well. Great Job!!!

  • The first segment is a little fast, but this is fine because the second segment is slightly slower..because they have brilliant diction, it becomes an absolutely fantastic interpretation...infact...its my favourite I think on youtube thus far!

  • those men are dominating!! very nice diction and facial expression.

  • that is fucking SICKKKK

  • omg so freaking good. i think the best on youtube

  • we are doing this for uil

  • that was amazing! we're getting ready to do this song i'm choir

  • I spelled Dr. Stroope's name wrong!! Haha sorry!

  • I also got the privilege of singing in the All NorthWest Mixed Choir, which was under the direction of Dr. Stroop. I think this is a wonderful interpretation of the song. I absolutely loved singing this song!! Great Job!!!

  • I had the incredible honor of singing this with the 2009 All NorthWest Mixed Choir about nine hours ago, conducted by Dr. Stroope himself. He's amazing, and I bet he would highly approve of this performance. Wonderfull movement in the piece.

  • he's a divo. :\

  • what are the lyrics to this song?

  • Caedite vexate ligate vinculis... (definitely forgot the spelling...)

    Saul, why do you persecute me. Fall down on your knees, turn hatred into love. Turn darkness into light... Bow down, Saul.

    If you know the story of Saul, this is (obviously) what this song is. The fierce beginning is how Saul used to be (condemning Christians with chains and death), and then the middle is the angel coming to Saul to convert him. The ending is finally peace.

  • thanks a whole lot. ive wanted to know for a really long time.

  • Wow. I never actually realized how powerful the words to this song is. Just wow.

  • Definitely. Performing this song was one of the most powerful moments of my life... it was one of the moments that helped me realize that music ed was the path for me. ^_^

  • Pretty dang good! my madrigals chamber choir is singing this. The bass 2 belted that last note out like it was nuthin haha... then again u guys are a college choir.

  • haha... well, I'm glad it sounded like it was "nuthin" cause it certainly wasn't :o)

    we would get SO soft in the last few bars that dropping down to that E so that it was both balanced with the previous phrase and also pretty, since it's kind of a "bass section solo," and a very exposed one at that.... it was ALWAYS a challenge. Good Luck in your ensemble, and hopefully you have as much fun as we did!

  • we're doing this song for chorus!!! it's sooo hard, but we're getting there. :) and you guys did a verrrrrry good job!!!!

  • oh man was that good!!! I sang that in my choir last year... and even after working on it for an entire school year, it still wasn't the greatest.

  • he conducted my all-state in louisiana 04-05 year...this was our try out piece i made it as first tenor...and i just want to say to this choir...he would be amazed!!! excellent job!!!

  • hmm... not bad.

  • Just because it's a Christian college doesn't mean you can't go if you aren't that religion or religious at all.. Just don't take theology or go to chapel

  • that may be true at other Christian universities but you do have to be a Christian to attend Biola. Everyone is also required to take 30 units of Bible to graduate which is actually a Bible minor; no matter which of the 34 majors offered is yours. And chapel is mandatory.... not for everyone but it's a GREAT place and you're all still welcome to our concerts!

  • Nevermind.. you're a christian college... I'll have to roadtrip sometime to come watch you guys though... this was really amazing.

  • Watching this video makes me miss being at Borah High School..... but you guys did a great job of it. Where can I apply to this school? Seriously, I miss singing choral music like this.

    and I forgot how BAD ASS that freakin chord is at the end.... Where the sopranos and altos fix the chord... man, that sounded amazing!

  • Dr. Stroope just conducted my All State chorus. he's a genius.

  • Congratulations!  This is fantastic! My choir is singing this piece this semester for one of our Fall concerts. It's a really moving piece and you guys did a great job!

  • He's conducting our All-State this year :D

  • :D

    Jealous jealous jealous.

    Stroope is amazing.

  • this song is so epic! i got to meet stroope last year when he was at honors all state in illinois.

  • I bet it was awesome to meet him. I got to sing one of his pieces about a year ago. It's called "I am not yours". The song is based off of one of Sara Teasdale's poems. It was amazing. The words, chord structures and all were great. The entire group that I sang with loved it. I recommend ya look at it unless ya have already heard of it.

  • WOW! WILD!! i hope our choir gets to sing this in the spring.

  • hahah, i'm a soprano 1 in nj all-state too! :] i love that we're all youtubing our songs... and stroope is totally amazing!

  • I'm in the Blue Ridge High School Honors Chior. We're singing this song. I love the intensity it. I'm singing alto 2.

  • My college choir is singing this for our next concert. I love the dynamics in this piece, and I'm excited to sing it!

  • wait until the phil madrigal singers sing this...

  • yea, this is really good. we're singing that this semester also. great video quality. I could actually hear everything. Even the low E flat at the end.

  • Bah, I had to do this piece (the first soprano part) 2 years ago.

    I was only a sophomore in high school, with an underdeveloped vibrato, but I managed to pull it off somehow.

  • great rendition of this song!!

  • I'm gonna be singing this for States this year.. With Stroope conducting us :D

  • hey i think i sang with you! i loved z. randall stroope he's very very good!

  • Really? :D What voice part are you?

  • soprano 1... you?

  • Bass 2 :o

  • hey! I am in states too with stroope! he is awesome! also a soprano 1 =]

  • Nice choir, too robotic though, I sang this song under the direction of Allen Hightower, 2 years ago, it needs speed, its too slow and pounding out the tempo.

  • im so excited we're singing this for our governor's honors choir!!

  • This is one of the best recordings I've heard of this piece on youtube.

  • This choir is EXCELLENT!!!!! Personally I don't care about Morehead, who cares if they're better, these people are very good! And actually I liked the tempo, so many people rush this song, and I like this, it was quite the perfect tempo, in my opinion,

  • a little slow for my taste, but great sound coming from this choir! great diction too!

  • The fact that we sing about 20-30 songs a concert means that we have to keep our music up in a professional manner. And please don't try to tell me that Biola U. Has a better music program than Morehead State University. Thank you and bye!

  • was that is response to me? Cuz I didnt say Morehead had a bad program, I just didnt like the fact that someone said this choir was not diciplined when clearly they are, and when they said this virsion was not as good as Morehead upset me, cuz it is just as good if not better then Morehead, and maybe its because they dont have as much music as you guys, but still, to me, this is a better version.

  • It was Ok..Not as Good as Morehead State University!!! But it was ok....Great potential with this choir. Good Job!

  • Not enough dicipline within the choir!  I think you guys did it well....but not as good as Morehead State University's Choir!!!!! They were spectacular!!! But a potential choir....

  • I'm sorry are we watching the same choir here? dont get me wrong Morehead did really well, but to say this choir is not as good as them is kinda a joke, and to say they are not dicipline when 98% of them do not break character during the whole song, and they dont have their head burried in music!

  • We invites you to visit the Chorus CSD de Lisboa (Lisbon -- Portugal), an amateur youth School Choir with young students, in youtube and enjoy listen this interpretation of severals musicis fron the movie « Les Choristes » (The Choir/Chicos del coro) between others musics we sing.

    We are waiting for you, your comments and/or voting and to share us with your friends.

    Thanks.

  • I sang this song last year with my honors choir, it was AWESOME, and you guys left it all on that stage! Great job, very intense!

  • I sang this song last year with my honors choir, it was AWESOME, and you guys left it all on that stage! Great job, very intense!

  • great

  • i absolutely love singing this song! it has to be one of my favorite pieces and it sounds wonderful!

  • this song gives me the chills. great performance!

  • water night whitacre

  • thanks for watching. And I appreciate your comments. It has been largely discussed that we did take it significantly slower than what was dictated in the score but we felt it did the most justice to the piece. Most other interpretations I've heard have been faster... and they have also been rushed, not to mention out of tune. The text should express a murderous spirit. Not, "look how fast we can sing latin syllables...."

    just a thought. Love reading what you write! please continue.

  • It may have been slower than normal, but you can see the intensity you all have with this song when you sing it, and that's what makes it so good. Our choir did this too. It was definitely hard. I think your choir did so well with this.

  • Very good! Although it sounded a little bit sharp, just about a 1/4 step. But that's how our choir is too. Songs w/ that intensity are usually sung a little sharp, though.

    The transition part where it goes to the English text was definitely taken a bit slower than our choir. Especially the last few "Sauls" before the song ended.

  • My Schools doin this too

    u guys sound alright

    Pretty Darn Undertempo if you ask me

    SDSCPA ROCKS

  • beautiful!!!!!!

  • it was amazing and quite honestly when we did it it was so much better.. this one seems a bit untamed..idk if that was the idea... but some of the balance isnt there. like at some parts im straining to hear the tenors... like it matters though.. its just the tenors.

  • its just the TENORS?!?!? the tenors change the chord....it makes all the difference!

  • My high school choir is learning this song.

  • My video link above takes you to the Region XX TMEA performance. It's considerably faster.

  • omg i love this song so MUCH! Every time they sing "Bow Down Saul", It gets me every time

  • We are a highschool choir and we are currently learning this song. 8 parts isn't the easiest thing to do. So I feel your guys pain, even though the song is absolutely wonderful

  • which one? I'm @ KW High School

  • You guys really captured the feeling of this song! Way to go! It's awesome to see your director so into it too! She looks like she gives you guys a lot of emotion. The best performance I have heard!

  • I'm performing this in districts choir and our director is Dr. Stroope. I can't wait

  • Hey, I was there :]

    Dr. Stroope is crazy. But this song went better than I thought it would.

  • I thought he was awesome. He really knew his stuff.

  • To be honest i like your choir better than when mine sang it. We sped it up way too much! mine was the RVHS chamber singers. The recording sucks too! I think it was done with a camera phone.

  • The MSVMA Michigan State SATB Honors choir is going to be performing this in January this is an awesome song!!

  • amazing...loved it!

  • OOOO, my college choir is singing that song right now!

  • the kids in this look pissed...i guess that's the mood for this song

  • yes it is

  • sloooooow :'(

  • this is a powerful choir, is what i meant to say. this is just the kind of choir that i want to hear sing this piece uptempo. and as i continue to listen, they're actually quite extraordinary. just speed the flip up!

  • this was done rather slowly... definitely not up to tempo. i went to a clinic a couple of weeks ago with Stroop himself as clinician, and a choir did this, and he told them they were much too slow, and they were originally at about this tempo. this drags a little tiny bit.

  • ... we did this last year for our fall concert, it was actually the one of the songs for texas All state choir in 06-07... the crowd loved it... if im not mistaken they are singing it a bit slower than the actual tempo... but it still sounds great, it was a rather fun song to learn and perform... on any given day in choir at my school you can find a group of kids normally just breaking out and singing this song... too bad they wont let us perform it again this year..

  • Now that you guys have it nailed at that tempo, I would like to challenge you to take it to the tempo marked on the music... ;)

    I like how much the conductor was into the music.

  • well... thank you for the challenge. I don't have the score in front of me but I recall it being around 100... it sounds like we're going 96. An increment that small has tons of variables and can seem to be a matter of preference.

  • if I hadn't remembered it wrong,the marked tempo was 118 for each dotted quarter