Prophecies of Christ: Song #2 "Alleluia" (from "Exultate, Jubilate")

Section 1 - Prophecies of Christ

"Exultate, Jubilate"

This is the "Alleluia" (God be praised) section from the same motet as the recording I posted yesterday. Here's the info in case you missed it.

While the text of this motet was not specifically written for Christmas, it reminded me of the prophecies foretold of Christ's birth. The music is also very joyous, reflecting the joy those ancient prophets encouraged us to feel at the coming of our Savior and Redeemer.

Scripture: Mosiah 3:3-5 (condensed) I am come to declare unto you glad tidings of great joy. For the Lord hath heard thy prayers, and hath sent me to declare unto thee that thou mayest rejoice; and that thou mayest declare unto thy people, that they may also be filled with joy. For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay.

I have no idea how this piece of music ended up in my music library, but I'm glad it magically appeared in my piano bench one day. I had never sung it before, though I had heard it at a recital at the University of Utah. She'd performed it beautifully with a small orchestra. I started working on it shortly after discovering it and quickly realized it was going to be very difficult for me. Vocal agility (singing runs/notes in quick succession) is one of my biggest weaknesses as a singer. Learning music well is one of my biggest strengths, but I would often have teachers, coaches, and vocal jury judges assume I hadn't worked on my runs enough because I wasn't singing them accurately. I could sing them slowly, but I couldn't speed them up to save my life. It was a technical issue, not a musical one. I've worked on my agility quite a bit since finishing up my schooling, and it really has come a long way. It's still not where I would like it to be, but I am pleased with how much it's improved.

Mozart wrote this Motet for a particularly agile singer to show off their abilities. I'm sure my agility can't compare, but I'm still choosing to sing this piece simply because singing it is so joyful. I was delighted to find an orchestral accompaniment online, but unfortunately it's just a bit too fast for me (I can take my 16th note runs up to about 116 beats per minute. This is closer to 124). I've been trying to speed them up to match the recording, but I'm not sure I physically can. 116 might just be my voice's limit. Fortunately it's close enough that I can make up for it by just shortening some of the longer notes.