When I was a student in college, so long ago, but that doesn’t matter—I took several of my electives in music because I love music, and word was that the department head was a great professor. The courses he taught were tough! I chose classical music because I knew nothing about that genre.
Dr. Hamilton would pick three or four pieces a semester to teach, and I took two classes, one each semester, of The Fundamentals of Classical Music. It involved first, learning the composer and becoming very familiar with the music. On the final semester exam, as he played a brief recording—only twice, we were to identify the symphony and the composer. The hardest part was next, identifying which movement he was playing and the theme of that movement! Hard, but I put in the time needed and got a solid B.
Dr. Hamilton was responsible for planning and conducting the performance of the Messiah each year, and my freshman year, it was the 100th performance at Marietta College. I signed up to sing even though I had never sung the Messiah before.
The soloists came from the Metropolitan Opera, and it was a grand presentation. We practiced long and hard. Of course, the Messiah included the Hallelujah Chorus, which is the most familiar to most, and it was very exciting to sing it with more than 250 others. But the most challenging piece for me to learn and to sing, and my favorite piece of all, was from Isaiah 9:6:
Dr. Hamilton would pick three or four pieces a semester to teach, and I took two classes, one each semester, of The Fundamentals of Classical Music. It involved first, learning the composer and becoming very familiar with the music. On the final semester exam, as he played a brief recording—only twice, we were to identify the symphony and the composer. The hardest part was next, identifying which movement he was playing and the theme of that movement! Hard, but I put in the time needed and got a solid B.
Dr. Hamilton was responsible for planning and conducting the performance of the Messiah each year, and my freshman year, it was the 100th performance at Marietta College. I signed up to sing even though I had never sung the Messiah before.
The soloists came from the Metropolitan Opera, and it was a grand presentation. We practiced long and hard. Of course, the Messiah included the Hallelujah Chorus, which is the most familiar to most, and it was very exciting to sing it with more than 250 others. But the most challenging piece for me to learn and to sing, and my favorite piece of all, was from Isaiah 9:6:
For unto us a child is born,
unto us, a son is given.
And the Government
shall be upon his shoulders.
And his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor!
Almighty God, the Everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace!
unto us, a son is given.
And the Government
shall be upon his shoulders.
And his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor!
Almighty God, the Everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace!
After practicing in my dorm room over and over and over, with no more choral rehearsals remaining, I still was very nervous and I prayed quietly in my mind as we rose to sing: Please Lord, help me get it right this time! He did.
I sang the Messiah every year the next three years while I was in college. And every year since then, at Christmas time I slide in the CD or tune into YouTube and sing away. It’s a beautiful reminder to me that our Lord God is with us and all is well.
Merry Christmas!
Diane Feaganes
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