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Men of melodies
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On the glorious occasion of Christmas, PRATHIBHA PARAMESWARAN pays tribute to the country's second best choir troupe, The Minstrels, Tiruchi.
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THE ADVENT of Christmas ushers in a host of activities. The fir tree has to be decorated, gifts have to be hung and there are cakes to bake too. Churches liven up as the day heralding the birth of the Christ approaches.
Choir troupes become busy in anticipation of performing the best of Handel and Bach for the season.
And precisely that is what `The Minstrels' are occupied with at present.
It may come as a surprise to many that the second best choir troupe in the country, as many see them to be, hail from Tiruchi.
Courtesy, the old man who loves to play the pipe organ, D. Harry Pandian, a resident of Puthur.
The choir team -- The Minstrels -- was formed in 1978 with 32 members. It still echoes Handel's `Hallelujah' within the walls of the churches in the city. Thursday evenings are the most happening times at the All Saints' church, for that is when The Minstrels get together to perfect their voices and learn new songs.
All men choir
One of the peculiarities of the troupe is that it is an all men choir with 24 members, which includes businessmen, officers, professors and voluntary servants.
"There are only men in my choir as it had been so always. The male voice arrangement is more suited for church songs as it has more depth and the composition is better. The experience of listening to such a choir is brilliant too," says Mr. Harry Pandian who conducts the choir and decides the songs to be sung depending on the occasion and the parts to be sung by each.
Being a Protestant or a Catholic does not matter for the choir.
Intensive voice training is given to the members after designating the particular part they have to sing -- the bass, alto or the tenor. Though the practice sessions last for just an hour per week, it is a time to work hard.
Maintaining the deeper quality of the tone, following the original expressions of the song and proper breath control are stressed during the practice sessions. "Phrasing has to be perfect and the singer, especially those doing solos should be at ease with themselves. Only then can we do justice to the compositions of the masters," Mr. Harry emphasises.
Compositions of the great musician, Handel, are foremost among Mr. Harry's favourites. Bach's `Jesu joy of man's desire' and Mozart's `Gloria' are also among the most popular numbers of The Minstrels. The good old piano is the only accompaniment the choir uses during its performances.
The team has given performances in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala too.
"Though we got chances to perform abroad twice, we had to drop it as it was difficult to coordinate the team," Mr. Harry regrets.
He admires the musical genius of Handel Manuel, the conductor of the best choir in the country- `The Madras Minstrels'.
He picked up the nuances of being a good conductor from George Harrison, who formed `The Minstrels, Bombay' and later on inspired him to form a similar troupe in Tiruchi.
Accolades for the choir
The choir won the appreciation of many during the `Glorious Festival of Harmony' organised at Bangalore, and an audiocassette was released in 1990.
Despite some best efforts coming their way, the lack of financial assistance works as a deterrent.
But the team is determined to deliver uninterrupted services in the choir.
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Madurai
Mangalore
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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