Arts Hub readers might remember my previous article Whining As Performance Art: Tales of ‘Valituskuoro’ published on these pages April 10th. In that article I noted that the idea of just what makes a choir a choir is fairly elastic. The complaints choirs springing up all over the world are only the tip of the mysterious iceberg that is strange choral enterprise.
Usually the one thing all choirs have in common is singing — recognizably musical activity of some sort. But the world is always changing, and the choral world is no different.
The phenomenon of complaints choirs was started by Finns. Finland has a famous and notable choral tradition although the complaints choirs are a departure from the usual classical and folk song repertoire for which they have long been known. Maybe it is the cold weather of Finland more than the love of music which makes Finns want to cluster so tightly in groups on risers and bellow away… I can only guess, but being a longtime chorister myself I can attest to the warmth generated by closely grouped humans exercising their lungs.
Which brings me to the Finnish Men’s Shouting Choir or Mieskuoro Huutajat (which is literally Men’s Choir The Shouters). This astounding group of exciting — but not strictly musical — performers was formed in 1987 in Oulu, Finland by twenty young men who either really liked this sort of thing or were very cold. Under the direction of composer/conductor Petri Sirviö, the choir made its debut on December 6, 1987 (Finnish Independence Day) in Oulu to great acclaim. The press crowed : “Huutajat are quite obviously just starting on their way to magnificent artistic achievements.”
Now more than thirty members strong, the Finnish Men’s Shouting Choir has performed all over the world. Many feel called to join, but few are chosen. Auditions are rigorous — a potential member is judged on the volume and pitch of his shouting, and strong rhythmic skills are required. Different registers of voice are needed, from bass to falsetto.
An award-winning documentary film about the choir, Screaming Men (2003), was directed by Mika Ronkainen (who is a choir member himself) and shown at many international film festivals including the 2004 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S.A. The trailer is well worth watching — the whole film is even better. The thirty earnest shouting men usually perform in their concert dress of black suits, white shirts and hand-cut rubber ties but, in the film, are also shown declaiming their patriotic Finnish material neck-deep in a steaming swimming pool, and in front of an ice-breaking ship on the frozen sea as well.
Here is Huutajat’s version of the American national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner (O Say Can You See)”:
A performance by Huutajat is marked by sharp contrasts. As the history page on their website explains, “…emphatically disciplined expression does not exclude primitive force; precise articulation mixes with non-linguistic howl; amusing turns to serious without warning. This has made it impossible to categorize the act and it has enabled the choir to perform for a variety of audiences from sweaty rock clubs to chamber music concerts.”
Speech choirs (or voice/verse choirs) have been around for a long time although you don’t run into them very often in the U.S. or Europe anymore. In the nineteenth century groups would declaim scripture or poetry for entertainment or as part of elocutionary training.
The art of Choral Speaking is popular in countries such as the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia where students perform poetry or song-texts in English and compete for prizes.
This choral speech, “If I Were A Voice” by Charles Mackay (you’ll recognize the opening music from the film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring), from Blessed Trinity School won a first place award (no country indicated, but the contest cited could have taken place at UPHSD in the Philippines).
Those who don’t sing shout or speak well do not have to give up on their dreams of being part of a performing choir. You know how to whistle, don’t you? Whistling choirs are downright Ivy League. Brown University (Providence, Rhode Island) has a whistling choir. “Lip Service (formerly the Whistling Choir), is the university’s newest and most innovative musical ensemble,” the group’s web page tells us. “As the only group of our kind both at Brown and nationwide, we take our responsibility seriously.”
The Nintendo Choir is composed of exceptionally talented singers, but is also noteworthy for its musical themes. I don’t really “get it” — I’ve never played Nintendo in my life — but some in the audience clearly do, and maybe you will, too.
Here’s a group of good singers — but their performance venue is unique. The McDonald’s™ Gospel Chorus sings Gospel music in a McDonald’s™ fast food restaurant on the South Side of Chicago (Illinois). They were recently featured on the TV show Religion and Ethics Weekly (PBS). The crime rate has gone down since the singing started, according to the report, but whatever happened to the separation between Church and hamburgers?
I save my favorite extra-musical group till last: The Hollywood Film Chorale (warning: music on page load), a group of stellar session singers in Los Angeles (California). Although they most often sing traditionally and beautifully as part of many film scores, they are perhaps best known (although not identified) from a famous recent British Honda Civic advertisement. As “The Sound Effects Choir” they became the “sound and feel” of the new car — revving, whooshing, braking, and supplying the swishes of windshield wipers.
Honda’s site shows not only the advertisement but also provides a great video about how the ad was made.
The Hollywood Film Chorale, also in their guise as the Sound Effects Choir, performed the piece “Elements & Motion” by Steve Sidwell (a London UK composer/producer) at the 79th Annual Academy Awards (2007). You can watch it here. (QuickTime required.)
C’mon — make some noise.
