Are you ready to go to the Ireland? (July 2009)

TEB · Post by **TEB** » 15 years ago

tcenrt wrote:
Also, during the changes, the voice can be a little unpredictable and some boys may have to stop singing for a little while.

This is quite true. I have it on very good authority that RP does not want them trying to sing anything high while their voices are changing. It could very easily damage their vocal cords.
Also, on good authority, none of the boys is ever forced to leave. They are allowed to remain as long as they feel like it. Mostly in the adult choir though or in behind the scenes work. While most of RP's compositions call for only treble voices, he does write in some lower parts. Sancte is a very good example. with lower parts sung by MH, JB and CP.

worshipper28 · Post by **worshipper28** » 15 years ago

Yes take for instance Aled Jones and what about this question mr Burrows
has to say

JimmyRiddle · Post by **JimmyRiddle** » 15 years ago

Libera have had a strong tenor (back) line before, although not for a good few years. Their South Korea/Japan tour in 2005 involved Steven, Ben C, Sam C, Anthony and Chris etc... all singing tenor. This is such an example

Although recent years have focused on mainly treble membership, you never know what direction Robert will take the choir in the future. The Songs of Praise special showed Josh working with Sam and Steven learning how to mix sounds and compose tracks. So I expect Josh and other's will dabble more in this field of expertise in the coming years.

libera36 · Post by **libera36** » 15 years ago

Yes, and it doesn't change the sound all that much either... It gives a stronger background sound, and adds depth to the sound too.

tcenrt · Post by **tcenrt** » 15 years ago

Correct me if I am wrong, but I think that Mysterium used to have a very strong tenor/bass part to give the song more of a 'mystic' feel. (I think it was when Big Ben was the soloist)

Ann

plumpuff6 · Post by **plumpuff6** » 15 years ago

TEB wrote:
tcenrt wrote:
Also, during the changes, the voice can be a little unpredictable and some boys may have to stop singing for a little while.

This is quite true. I have it on very good authority that RP does not want them trying to sing anything high while their voices are changing. It could very easily damage their vocal cords.
Also, on good authority, none of the boys is ever forced to leave. They are allowed to remain as long as they feel like it. Mostly in the adult choir though or in behind the scenes work. While most of RP's compositions call for only treble voices, he does write in some lower parts. Sancte is a very good example. with lower parts sung by MH, JB and CP.

"Sancte" is one of my favorite songs by Libera, and the part at the end where the lower voices come in is so powerful. It is amazing that only 3 voices are singing those low notes! Quality singers, all of them!

rainli11 · Post by **rainli11** » 15 years ago

tcenrt wrote:Correct me if I am wrong, but I think that Mysterium used to have a very strong tenor/bass part to give the song more of a 'mystic' feel. (I think it was when Big Ben was the soloist)

Ann

Quite agree~This song was first seen in the "Libera"Album,which was sung by Adam Harris.I love Tom's rendiction.But I think They(Adam、Big Ben、Tom and Ed) all did a good job on it.lol

tcenrt · Post by **tcenrt** » 15 years ago

worshipper28 wrote:Yes take for instance Aled Jones and what about this question mr Burrows
has to say

Mr. Burrows' advice: Not to sing for 4-5 years during voice change. Wow, that's pretty tough for a treble soloist.

Ann

plumpuff6 · Post by **plumpuff6** » 15 years ago

tcenrt wrote:
worshipper28 wrote:Yes take for instance Aled Jones and what about this question mr Burrows
has to say
Mr. Burrows' advice: Not to sing for 4-5 years during voice change. Wow, that's pretty tough for a treble soloist.

Ann

That is really a long time, especially if you love to sing. Do you think that it's true for boy trebles, that if you resist singing during the voice change it will make you a better singer?

And do you think that some kind of rule applies to girls as well, but perhaps a shorter time period of silence, as the voice change is drastically less? For example, for me (and I am a female), I noticed that my voice started changing a little when I was 19 as I started losing some of my very top notes but I was not yet gaining any lower notes. I was having some difficulty singing certain notes and my voice would tend to "crack". Then I did not sing seriously for about a year and a half, due to class scheduling conflicts in university, and when I started again around 21, I found I had a slightly different, "new" voice. I had gained a lot of lower notes and not lost any more on the top and found that I had a much richer tone as compared to when I was 19.

libera36 · Post by **libera36** » 15 years ago

Wow, 4-5 years does seem like a very long time. I doubt many trebles manage to wait that long before singing again. It also seems a little extreme because 4-5 isn't going to be the full amount of time needed for the voice to settle into its natural range. I know a man whose voice changed from baritone range to tenor range in his late 20's. My brother's voice never cracked or anything, he simply tried to sing one of his pieces one day and his treble voice was gone. Then he sang counter-tenor briefly and now he can sing most pieces in the baritone and tenor range. So, it seems it depends more on the individual persons voice than on anything else.

libera36 · Post by **libera36** » 15 years ago

This is the wrong place to put this but I just noticed: I've gone from "Libera fanatic" to "Libera Obsessed"!! So true

tcenrt · Post by **tcenrt** » 15 years ago

libera36 wrote:This is the wrong place to put this but I just noticed: I've gone from "Libera fanatic" to "Libera Obsessed"!! So true

Haha, I wonder what is after 'obsessed', and how many post you need before you reach the next level. You must be the 1st obsessed Liberaian of this site.

Ann

tcenrt · Post by **tcenrt** » 15 years ago

plumpuff6 wrote:
tcenrt wrote:
worshipper28 wrote:Yes take for instance Aled Jones and what about this question mr Burrows
has to say
Mr. Burrows' advice: Not to sing for 4-5 years during voice change. Wow, that's pretty tough for a treble soloist.

Ann
That is really a long time, especially if you love to sing. Do you think that it's true for boy trebles, that if you resist singing during the voice change it will make you a better singer?

And do you think that some kind of rule applies to girls as well, but perhaps a shorter time period of silence, as the voice change is drastically less? For example, for me (and I am a female), I noticed that my voice started changing a little when I was 19 as I started losing some of my very top notes but I was not yet gaining any lower notes. I was having some difficulty singing certain notes and my voice would tend to "crack". Then I did not sing seriously for about a year and a half, due to class scheduling conflicts in university, and when I started again around 21, I found I had a slightly different, "new" voice. I had gained a lot of lower notes and not lost any more on the top and found that I had a much richer tone as compared to when I was 19.

I thought the whole idea is not to force/strain the voice, whether it is male or female. Maybe Mr. Burrow meant that during voice change, try not to do any solo pieces. Maybe that's why RP allow Tom and other older boys to sing at the lower range during their voice change.

Ann

libera36 · Post by **libera36** » 15 years ago

tcenrt wrote:
libera36 wrote:This is the wrong place to put this but I just noticed: I've gone from "Libera fanatic" to "Libera Obsessed"!! So true
Haha, I wonder what is after 'obsessed', and how many post you need before you reach the next level. You must be the 1st obsessed Liberaian of this site.

Ann

Well, counting this post I will have posted 631 messages on here over the last year since I joined... If I am a "Libera Obsessed" person, I would imagine that kjackson and Jude Andrew (who I think both had more posts than I do, atleast kjackson did) would both have been "Libera Obsessed" if they hadn't have been moderators. So I don't know

I may be the first "Libera Obsessed" person, but I doubt I will be the last!

JimmyRiddle · Post by **JimmyRiddle** » 15 years ago

libera36 wrote:This is the wrong place to put this but I just noticed: I've gone from "Libera fanatic" to "Libera Obsessed"!! So true

We all knew you were 'Libera obsessed' long before the board decided to indicate it

I think when you get to 1,000 posts you will become a 'Libera nutcase', but in a nice, harmless way

With regards to voice change, it's all 'horses for courses' as they say, you can't have a golden set rule, that every boy should wait a predetermined set amount of time before they dare to sing vocally again.

I think Robert Prizeman and Co, have a good practice in place though, to make sure the transition from treble to tenor, is as smooth and trouble free as possible for the respective singer. I'm guessing that's one of the reasons Tom didn't go on their Japan/California tour, because they didn't want to put him under any unecessary pressure/stress.

Libera sing at the St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh tomorrow! The last leg on their Celtic Tour.