Skye Boat Song -- Scottish Folk Song, arr. Lee Kesselman

The Choraliers, Miami University's Women's Chorus, est. 1908.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Hall Auditorium, Miami University (Ohio)
William Bausano, conductor
Emily Williams, pianist

[pianoforte]

my twin sister and i were in a school chior in the late fiffties, this was one of the songs we sang . the skye boat song is beautiful ... and so was our version

[Maclabhruinn]

No-one whose family was out in 1745 can listen to this without crying. The Jacobite cause was misguided and futile: but so noble the hope, so bold the endeavour, and so tragic the loss ... you can't reflect on it without greeting.

[starianavaughns]

The choir sounds amazing, and everything I'm just disappointed cause I'm doing the same song for my choir and it doesn't do the entire song, which is what I needed to learn.😔 but, beautiful singing! 😁

[gaconnochie]

Lovely singing. Don't get the criticisms. I've heard the song sung at this tempo as well as slower. It's lovely either way. It is much easier to knock other people than it is to perform yourself.

[allowayfreestate]

@ShinobiSasukeUchiha They are lovely young people with beautiful voices, I wish I had their years and their lung capacity! However the song is a lament, it is a song for the heavy heart as a Scot the speed is one for good cheer while the song tells the story of the death of a dream for the northern part of our nation and their people.

[KennaKatMeow]

They are singing too loud and fast..Not tryna be mean but I sing this in choir..It's a beautiful song.<3

[guyatanosavia]

It was fairly good for a non-competition piece, however if I were a judge myself I would say the following (keep in mind that I don't direct this in a negative light whatsoever. I'm just merely giving constructie advices XD)
First, like many here are saying, the vowels are spread and not very round at all. When I hear "Sea" I hear "a prolonged pronunciation of the word "e" rather than an artist performing a lamenting song.
Second, I agree that this is going too fast for the full impact of the song to sit in with people. The Scottish soldiers had to protect the prince, and every single one of them died for it (spoiler, the prince was kind of a spoiled selfish brat.) My own Chamber choir has decided to go about this speed as well, and it bothers me and my best friend to no end. It's supposed to be sad, to be intense but not in an "in your face" way. Let the emotion speak like it's crying through it's words, not like it wants to get the conversation over with.
Third, and this is my biggest pet peeve in this scenario, is posturing. So many people are slouching, or bending their necks sideways, or have their chins too low. This restricts the lun capacity, ruins the tone (and intonation in some ocassions), and is not very fantastic to watch. These were all only examples of some specific people though. A repeat offender that I see within the entirety of the first row is that everyones feet are close together. Which would explain why so many people have bad posture. It is imparative that posture is maintained correctly as it is literally more important than any vocal techniques when it comes to singing choral music. Bad posture = spread vowels, small lung capacity, it also affects intonation and tone, and can also change how facial expressions are shown by a performer. It may cause possible back problems in the future, and in some cases can cause people to straight faint on stage. Posture is more key to any success in a choral performance than any amount of vocal technique will ever be.

Again, I have no ill-will, and I'm not trying to be mean. I'm simply stating observations that any judge would make with a group that performs a song like this. :) Have a good day

[kashymcgra]

They're vowels aren't tall and it's too spread. The rhythm is too fast.