When Union’s Department of Music hosts a concert or a performance, the assumption is that much time and effort has gone into the practice and creation of the pieces presented.
The professors in charge strive to encourage diversity of talents within the musical venue.
Chris Mathews, associate professor of music and department chairman, established the Union Men’s Choir, which boasts 16 men involved for fall 2012.
“The Department of Music has had three choral ensembles: University Singers, our touring, auditioned choir; Voices of Proclamation, our 16-voice public relations ensemble; and Choral Union, a mixed ensemble for freshman voice majors and others in the university community,” Mathews said.
“At the conclusion of spring 2012, we decided we would benefit from splitting Choral Union in order to explore more diverse literature.”
Mathew’s vision in creating an all-men’s choir was to encourage manliness in the venue of choral music.
Cody Curtis, assistant residence director and former assistant director of the Men’s Choir, was recruited because of his experience in arranging music.
“At the beginning of the fall semester of 2012, I was brought on as the assistant director of the Men’s Choir,” said Curtis. “[It is] a role that consists of composing and arranging new material for the choir, occasionally helping out with and leading rehearsals and accompanying on the piano.”
Pursuing an idea one of the students in the choir had, and receiving the same vision from Ray Van Neste, director of the R.C. Ryan Center for Biblical Studies, around the same time, Curtis selected a piece from the movie “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” titled “The Misty Mountains.”
“Both Drs. Van Neste and Mathews share a desire to cultivate manliness in the realm of men’s singing, and this piece, with the image of rugged dwarves singing around a fire about their lost kingdom, seemed to be a suitable fit,” Curtis said. “Dr. Mathews asked me to arrange the song for his choir, which I began in January of this year.”
Curtis’ principal role was to write arrangements and compositions for them, Mathews said, “though he was also a tremendous help both musically through rehearsals as well as in developing the morale of the new ensemble.”
The process that Curtis underwent to develop the new verses was intricate.
“My arrangement combines two songs from “The Hobbit” soundtrack: “Misty Mountains” and “Song of the Lonely Mountains.” … While there are only two verses that occur in the movie and on the soundtrack, I added a third verse (from J.R.R. Tolkien’s words in his book) to extend the A section and transition to the contrasting B section,” Curtis said.
“I also included a few percussion parts to enhance the dwarfish quality of the music in the B section. These sounds are meant to evoke the imagery of dwarves working in the mines,” he said.
Last semester, the men sang the final rendition of “The Misty Mountains” at the Spring Choral Concert at First Baptist Church in Jackson.
Their performance excited the audience, which was enraptured by the haunting melody. The premier performance can be seen on YouTube.
“It was a tremendous blessing for me to have been assigned to work with Dr. Mathews in the inaugural year of this unique choir,” Curtis said. “Because of changes in my personal life, I am less involved with Men’s Choir this year, but I do hope to continue writing and arranging for the ensemble in the future.”
‘I deeply desire Men’s Choir to provide a place for guys across campus to join in a male tradition that spans continents and has a rich, centuries-old tradition,’ said Chris Mathews, chairman of the Department of Music. ‘I want to foster an environment that promotes quality music and deep friendships. I want Men’s Choir to earn a reputation for godliness, masculinity, artistry, and fun.’
The first performance of the year during the Fall Choral Concert will be at 7:30 p.m. today at First Baptist Church on North Highland Avenue.
