We are lucky in our family to have all the singing parts. Take for instance me and my siblings. Of the six siblings, we have Soprano, Mezzo Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, and Bass. We have been able to sing in six part harmony from an early age --- and believe me, our mother had us singing from our infancies!
My mother and her siblings were basically the same, except their voice qualities were more varied. Two were heroic operatic Tenors, one was an operatic Baritone, one was a lyric operatic Soprano, one was a pop low alto, one was a "red hot mama" pop singer, and the other brother preferred playing an instrument.
My seven children are good singers, too. The girls are all "mugwumps" meaning they can sing any part, though some of them actually have part preferences. The three boys can sing Tenor, Baritone and Bass, though we hardly get a chance to sing together any more. Our families are spread out across America from east coast to west coast.
My mother and her siblings were basically the same, except their voice qualities were more varied. Two were heroic operatic Tenors, one was an operatic Baritone, one was a lyric operatic Soprano, one was a pop low alto, one was a "red hot mama" pop singer, and the other brother preferred playing an instrument.
My seven children are good singers, too. The girls are all "mugwumps" meaning they can sing any part, though some of them actually have part preferences. The three boys can sing Tenor, Baritone and Bass, though we hardly get a chance to sing together any more. Our families are spread out across America from east coast to west coast.
But actually what this has meant for me as an arranger is that I learned early on about "money notes." I have one sister in particular who requests enough notes below middle C to make singing comfortable for her. The high Tenor brother likes enough notes above middle C to make singing comfortable for him. (Yeah, sometimes I switch their parts!) Another brother sings a mean low bass and the other brother likes owning the middle notes of the Bass staff. Our youngest sister is our "mugwump" who can sing comfortably alto or soprano, but is willing to stick to the middle notes. And I am definitely best suited to sing up in the stratosphere.
Providing enough "money notes" for our various singers means that we don't stay in one key very long, usually. Modulations are an absolute necessity! Besides, we each like to get a turn singing the melody. So, arranging, for me and my siblings, is always a labor of love.
Here is an arrangement of "Love at Home" that started with what my mother whipped together for us. She was such an accomplished pianist that she never really wrote the music out. We just had to learn what she decided for us. And she just played what she wanted to play at the time for accompaniment or she had us sing a cappella. Later, after I learned about notating music, I started writing out arrangements. I may or may not have added my own touch here and there.
This arrangement I actually wrote out for us to sing at my mother's funeral. Try counting the "money notes."
Providing enough "money notes" for our various singers means that we don't stay in one key very long, usually. Modulations are an absolute necessity! Besides, we each like to get a turn singing the melody. So, arranging, for me and my siblings, is always a labor of love.
Here is an arrangement of "Love at Home" that started with what my mother whipped together for us. She was such an accomplished pianist that she never really wrote the music out. We just had to learn what she decided for us. And she just played what she wanted to play at the time for accompaniment or she had us sing a cappella. Later, after I learned about notating music, I started writing out arrangements. I may or may not have added my own touch here and there.
This arrangement I actually wrote out for us to sing at my mother's funeral. Try counting the "money notes."
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