130-516: The London Oratory School Schola is a choir for Catholic boys of the London Oratory School established in 1996 by John McIntosh CBE . The current director of the Schola is Charles Cole. The choir's patrons are Princess Michael of Kent , barrister Cherie Blair , actor Simon Callow and composer James MacMillan . The choir's founding director was Michael McCarthy . After seven years with
260-482: A basso continuo "for harpsichord or lute".) His pupil Heinrich Schütz (1585–1672) (who had earlier studied with Giovanni Gabrieli ) introduced the new style to Germany. Alongside the new music of the seconda pratica , contrapuntal motets in the stile antico or old style continued to be written well into the 19th century. Choirs at this time were usually quite small and that singers could be classified as suited to church or to chamber singing. Monteverdi, himself
390-515: A basso seguente , a part on a single staff containing the lowest sounding part (the bass part). A new genre was the vocal concertato , combining voices and instruments; its origins may be sought in the polychoral music of the Venetian school . Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643) brought it to perfection with his Vespers and his Eighth Book of Madrigals, which call for great virtuosity on the part of singers and instruments alike. (His Fifth Book includes
520-431: A baton ; using a baton gives the conductor's gestures greater visibility, but many choral conductors prefer conducting with their hands for greater expressiveness, particularly when working with a smaller ensemble. In the 2010s, most conductors do not play an instrument when conducting, although in earlier periods of classical music history, leading an ensemble while playing an instrument was common. In Baroque music from
650-476: A "good, if familiar fantasy," saying "The find is Dakota Blue Richards ... who's both grounded and magical." Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian rated it 4 stars out of 5, praising Nicole Kidman's casting and saying it had "no other challengers as [2007's] big Christmas movie." Leonard Maltin gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, and said that "Richards is persuasive" and that it "does a good job of introducing us to an unfamiliar world." Critic Roger Ebert awarded
780-579: A 40-part motet entitled Spem in alium , for eight choirs of five parts each; Krzysztof Penderecki 's Stabat Mater is for three choirs of 16 voices each, a total of 48 parts. Other than four, the most common number of parts are three, five, six, and eight. Choirs can sing with or without instrumental accompaniment. Singing without accompaniment is called a cappella singing (although the American Choral Directors Association discourages this usage in favor of "unaccompanied", since
910-552: A Plan B at that point." Weitz was attracted back to the project after receiving a letter from Pullman asking him to reconsider. Since his departure, blueprints, production design and visual effects strategies had been put into position, and while Weitz admitted that his fears did not vanish, the project suddenly seemed feasible for the director. Filming began at Shepperton Studios on 4 September 2006, with additional sequences shot in Switzerland and Norway. Filming also took place at
1040-545: A bar, then Lyra uses the alethiometer to help Iorek recover his armour from the Magisterium and so, in her debt, he with Scoresby join the Gyptian trek to Bolvangar. Following directions from the alethiometer, Lyra side-tracks from the trek, with Iorek’s help, to an abandoned lakeside fishing hut and finds Billy Costa in a stupor clutching a dried fish in place of his dæmon. The Gobblers have experimented on him using " intercision ",
1170-490: A bass instrument (e.g., violone ). Baroque vocal music explored dramatic implications in the realm of solo vocal music such as the monodies of the Florentine Camerata and the development of early opera . This innovation was in fact an extension of established practice of accompanying choral music at the organ, either from a skeletal reduced score (from which otherwise lost pieces can sometimes be reconstructed) or from
1300-492: A big battle, the guards are defeated by Iorek, Scoresby, and the Gyptians, with the witches led by Serafina flying in to turn the tide in their favour. With the freed children safe, Scoresby flies in his hot air balloon Lyra, Roger, Iorek, and Serafina north in search of Asriel. Serafina relates a prophecy of Lyra at its crux in an up-coming war with Magisterium, plotting to inflict their controlling Authority over all other worlds in
1430-413: A cappella denotes singing "as in the chapel" and much unaccompanied music today is secular ). Accompanying instruments vary widely, from only one instrument (a piano or pipe organ) to a full orchestra of 70 to 100 musicians; for rehearsals a piano or organ accompaniment is often used, even if a different instrumentation is planned for performance, or if the choir is rehearsing unaccompanied music. With
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#17330852867661560-408: A cappella motets. The amateur chorus (beginning chiefly as a social outlet) began to receive serious consideration as a compositional venue for the part-songs of Schubert, Schumann , Mendelssohn, Brahms, and others. These 'singing clubs' were often for women or men separately, and the music was typically in four-part (hence the name " part-song ") and either a cappella or with simple instrumentation. At
1690-545: A captivating heroine." Pullman himself was described by a London Times interviewer as sounding "ambivalent" and "guarded" about the film, saying in March 2008: "A lot of things about it were good... Nothing's perfect. Nothing can bring out all that's in the book. There are always compromises." He hoped, however, that the rest of the trilogy would be adapted with the same cast and crew. In July 2009, after this possibility had been exhausted, Weitz told Time magazine that he thought
1820-568: A challenge to teaching this age range. Nationally, male students are enrolled in choir at much lower numbers than their female students. The music education field has had a longtime interest in the "missing males" in music programs. Speculation as to why there are not as many boys in choir, and possible solutions vary widely. One researcher found that boys who enjoy choir in middle school may not always go on to high school choir because it simply does not fit into their schedules. Some research speculates that one reason that boys' participation in choir
1950-503: A chance of rescuing her. Ragnar has the upper hand until Iorek feigns weakness and kills him, reclaiming the throne. The bear renames Lyra as Silvertongue, forever in her debt. Iorek carries Lyra to Bolvangar but she is forced to cross a chasm over a narrow ice bridge alone before it collapses. Reaching the experimental station, Lyra reunites with Roger. Lyra secretly overhears scientists are experimenting to sever children from their dæmons and Mrs Coulter says that Asriel will soon be taken by
2080-448: A possible The Subtle Knife adaptation, and that a Compass Director's Cut might feature "a moment" of it as a "teaser." so far, however, no extended version has been released, as of 2014. On 9 June 2020 Weitz revealed on Twitter that it would take $ 17 million for him to complete VFX for his directors cut making him think there is no financial incentive for them to finish it and release it . The North American opening weekend return
2210-549: A procedure that surgically separates him from his dæmon. They all return to the Gyptian camp who express relief for the rescue mixed with condemnation for the hurt done. Soon afterwards the camp is attacked by Samoyeds who capture Lyra. She is taken to the Ice Bear king, Ragnar, with Iorek and Lee in pursuit in Lee's hot air balloon. By claiming to be a dæmon, Lyra tricks Ragnar into single combat with Iorek, knowing otherwise he would not stand
2340-768: A recording of Ave Maria's on the Regent record label in 2008, with a recording of the music of contemporary British composer Roxanna Panufnik due in November 2009. The choir recorded an album of Christmas Carols, 'Songs of a Shepherd' in 2001, released on the Herald AV record label. In 2007 the Schola worked with the choir of an orphanage in Harare , Zimbabwe , to record a version of the popular Christmas carol Silent Night . The orphanage cares for children who were abandoned or whose parents died, largely due to AIDS . This recording supported, and
2470-461: A role in a film she perceived as anti-Catholic. Some commentators indicated that they believed both sides' criticism would prove ultimately impotent and that the negative publicity would prove a boon for the film's box-office. Sales were in fact poor; one week after the film's release, Roger Ebert said of the Catholic campaign, "any bad buzz on a family film can be mortal, and that seems to have been
2600-485: A singer, is documented as taking part in performances of his Magnificat with one voice per part. Independent instrumental accompaniment opened up new possibilities for choral music. Verse anthems alternated accompanied solos with choral sections; the best-known composers of this genre were Orlando Gibbons and Henry Purcell . Grands motets (such as those of Lully and Delalande ) separated these sections into separate movements. Oratorios (of which Giacomo Carissimi
2730-440: A small amplified band to accompany the singing, and Roman Catholic Churches may use, at their discretion, additional orchestral accompaniment. In addition to leading of singing in which the congregation participates, such as hymns and service music, some church choirs sing full liturgies, including propers (introit, gradual, communion antiphons appropriate for the different times of the liturgical year ). Chief among these are
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#17330852867662860-495: A substitute for each voice, Joshua Rifkin concludes that Bach's music was normally written with one voice per part in mind. A few sets of original performing parts include ripieni who reinforce rather than slavishly double the vocal quartet. Composers of the late 18th century became fascinated with the new possibilities of the symphony and other instrumental music, and generally neglected choral music. Mozart 's mostly sacred choral works stand out as some of his greatest (such as
2990-744: A variety of performing forces, from the soloists of the Chandos Anthems to larger groups (whose proportions are still quite different from modern orchestra choruses): Yesterday [Oct. 6] there was a Rehearsal of the Coronation Anthem in Westminster-Abby , set to musick by the famous Mr Hendall: there being 40 voices, and about 160 violins , Trumpets , Hautboys , Kettle-Drums and Bass' proportionable..! Lutheran composers wrote instrumentally accompanied cantatas , often based on chorale tunes . Substantial late 17th-century sacred choral works in
3120-426: A year later, Chris Weitz was hired to direct after approaching the studio with an unsolicited 40-page treatment. The studio rejected the script, asking Weitz to start from scratch. Since Weitz was an admirer of Stoppard's work, he decided not to read the adaptation in case he "subconsciously poached things from him." After delivering his script, Weitz cited Barry Lyndon and Star Wars as stylistic influences on
3250-463: Is Lord Asriel , a noted explorer and scholar of the college, but often long absent on expeditions. When he returns from seeking the elusive Dust — cosmic particles that the Magisterium forbids being mentioned — Lyra saves him from drinking wine spiked with poison by a visiting Magisterium agent, Fra Pavel. Afterwards, Asriel presents his discovery that Dust at the North Pole links to infinite worlds. He
3380-578: Is a 2007 fantasy adventure film film written and directed by Chris Weitz that is based on the 1995 novel Northern Lights by Philip Pullman , the first installment in Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, which was published as The Golden Compass in the United States. It stars Dakota Blue Richards as Lyra Belacqua , Nicole Kidman as Marisa Coulter , and Daniel Craig as Lord Asriel , alongside Sam Elliott , Ian McKellen , and Eva Green . In
3510-775: Is a charity set up to help finance the Schola and its work. Past concerts have included Panufnik's Westminster Mass, Britten's St Nicholas, Jenkins' Armed Man, Haydn's Missa in tempore belli and many sacred choral works. Other recent Schola concerts include the 2009 and 2010 performances at the Royal Albert Hall of The Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers soundtracks. The Schola has also performed with ' The Priests ' in Dublin's St Peter's Cathedral and in London's Cadogan Hall,
3640-452: Is also of interest as the earliest Christian music . Of the Roman drama's music a single line of Terence surfaced in the 18th century. However, musicologist Thomas J. Mathiesen comments that it is no longer believed to be authentic. The earliest notated music of western Europe is Gregorian chant , along with a few other types of chant which were later subsumed (or sometimes suppressed) by
3770-520: Is granted funding for another expedition though, if proven, his theory would undermine the Magisterium's control. Kidnappers called "the Gobblers" have been abducting poor and wandering children, including Lyra's best friends, a college kitchen boy, Roger Parslow and Billy Costa, a young Gyptian . Mrs Coulter , a wealthy "friend" of the college, invites Lyra to stay with her in London . Just before she leaves,
3900-456: Is her mother, who had been forced to give her up, and then Lyra realises Asriel is her father. Mrs Coulter asks for the alethiometer, but Lyra gives her the sealed tin containing the spy-fly, which when released stings her mother into unconsciousness. Lyra flees her mother and destroys the intercision machine, then leads the all the children, primed ready by Roger, outside where they are confronted by Tatar mercenary guards and their wolf dæmons. In
4030-464: Is in a different vernacular. So, it's a new signature, looking into another world that seems familiar but is still unique. There's a term I use—called 'cludging'—it's taking one element and combining it with another element to make something new. It's a hybrid or amalgamation, and that's what this movie is about from a design perspective. It's about amalgamating ideas and concepts and theoretical and physical environments. Rhythm and Hues Studios created
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4160-574: Is leading an army of Gyptians in sailing north to Trollesund in Norwegian Lapland in search of their abducted children. Gyptian elder Farder Coram recognizes the alethiometer that, with his guidance, Lyra discovers she can decipher. Serafina Pekkala , queen of one of the witch clans, flies to the Gyptian ship and tells Lyra the children are a week’s travel from Trollesund in a Magisterial experimental station at Bolvangar in Lapland . In league with
4290-402: Is more than one singer per part, in contrast to the quartet of soloists also featured in these works. Choirs are often led by a conductor or choirmaster/mistress or a choir director. Most often choirs consist of four sections intended to sing in four part harmony, but there is no limit to the number of possible parts as long as there is a singer available to sing the part: Thomas Tallis wrote
4420-449: Is much more significant in boys. A lot of literature in music education has been focused on how male voice change works and how to help adolescent male singers. Research done by John Cooksey categorizes male voice change into five stages, and most middle school boys are in the early stages of change. The vocal range of male and female students may be limited while their voice is changing, and choir teachers must be able to adapt, which can be
4550-423: Is not rigid. Choirs may sing without instruments, or accompanied by a piano , accordion, pipe organ , a small ensemble, or an orchestra . A choir can be a subset of an ensemble; thus one speaks of the "woodwind choir" of an orchestra, or different "choirs" of voices or instruments in a polychoral composition. In typical 18th century to 21st century oratorios and masses , 'chorus' or 'choir' implies that there
4680-545: Is probably suitable only for the grandest ceremonies due to its length, difficulty and large-scale scoring. He also pioneered the use of chorus as part of symphonic texture with his Ninth Symphony and Choral Fantasia . In the 19th century, sacred music escaped from the church and leaped onto the concert stage, with large sacred works unsuitable for church use, such as Berlioz 's Te Deum and Requiem , and Brahms 's Ein deutsches Requiem . Rossini 's Stabat mater , Schubert 's masses, and Verdi 's Requiem also exploited
4810-597: Is so low is because the U.S. does not encourage male singers. Often, schools will have a women's choir, which helps the balance issues mixed choirs face by taking on extra female singers. However, without a men's choir also, this can make the problem worse by not giving boys as many opportunities to sing as girls. Other researchers have noted that having an ensemble, or a workshop dedicated to male singers, can help with their confidence and singing abilities. British cathedral choirs are usually made from pupils enrolled in schools. There are various schools of thought regarding how
4940-491: Is that of ancient Greece , of which the 2nd century BC Delphic hymns and the 2nd century AD. hymns of Mesomedes are the most complete. The original Greek chorus sang its part in Greek drama , and fragments of works by Euripides ( Orestes ) and Sophocles ( Ajax ) are known from papyri . The Seikilos epitaph (2c BC) is a complete song (although possibly for solo voice). One of the latest examples, Oxyrhynchus hymn (3c)
5070-444: Is the art of directing a musical performance, such as a choral concert , by way of visible gestures with the hands, arms, face and head. The primary duties of the conductor or choirmaster/mistress are to unify performers , set the tempo , execute clear preparations and beats ( meter ), and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble. In most choirs, the same individual acts as musical director (responsible for deciding
5200-494: Is the head of the General Oblation Board, realising they are the Gobblers, who have abducted Roger and Billy. After Mrs Coulter's golden monkey dæmon attempts to steal the alethiometer, she and Pan escape into London’s backstreets. Lyra is soon spotted by the Gobblers and is captured. A band of Gyptians led by Ma Costa, Billy's mother, save Lyra from the Gobblers and she is taken to the Gyptian king John Faa. Lord Faa
5330-487: Is trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief. The league hoped that "the film [would fail] to meet box-office expectations and that [Pullman's] books attract few buyers", declaring the boycott campaign a success after a North American opening weekend which was lower than anticipated. Albert Mohler , the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary , agreed that the broad appeal of
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5460-668: The Cadogan Hall in London on 1 December 2007. . All proceeds from the concert went to the SURF Fund (a campaign which works in Rwanda campaigning for free anti- retroviral treatment for survivors of the genocide, and provides medical support to reduce the effect of opportunistic infections) and SOS Children's Villages (a charity working in Swaziland to provide resources for those living with AIDS and to help prevent family abandonment). The schola
5590-498: The Choralis Constantinus of Heinrich Isaac and the contrapuntal techniques of his serial music may be informed by this study. The Baroque period in music is associated with the development around 1600 of the figured bass and the basso continuo system. The figured bass part was performed by the basso continuo group, which at minimum included a chord-playing instrument (e.g., pipe organ , harpsichord , lute ) and
5720-451: The Anglican and Roman Catholic churches; far more common however is the performance of anthems or motets at designated times in the service. One of the main classifications of choirs is by gender and age since these factors have traditionally been thought to affect how a choir sounds and what music it performs. The types are listed here in approximate descending order of prevalence at
5850-623: The Christian Film and Television Commission , adopted a "wait-and-see" approach to the film before deciding upon any action, as did the Catholic Church in England and Wales . Theologian Donna Freitas argued that the books were "deeply theological, and deeply Christian in their theology". In November 2007, a review of the film by the director and staff reviewer of the Office for Film and Broadcasting of
5980-536: The Magnificat and the cantatas. A point of hot controversy today is the so-called "Rifkin hypothesis," which re-examines the famous " Entwurff " Bach's 1730 memo to the Leipzig City Council ( A Short but Most Necessary Draft for a Well Appointed Church Music ) calling for at least 12 singers. In light of Bach's responsibility to provide music to four churches and be able to perform double choir compositions with
6110-450: The Master of the college entrusts Lyra with her uncle's alethiometer — the titular golden compass — an artefact that reveals the truth, warning her to keep it secret. Lyra's enchantment with the sophisticated life in London soon evaporates when Mrs Coulter's congenial manner changes to become domineering after Lyra boasts of knowing about Dust. Lyra secretly searches her study and discovers she
6240-516: The National Secular Society (of which Pullman is an honorary associate), which said "they are taking the heart out of it, losing the point of it, castrating it ..." and "this is part of a long-term problem over freedom of speech." The Atlantic wrote: "With $ 180 million at stake, the studio opted to kidnap the book's body and leave behind its soul." The changes from the novel have been present since Tom Stoppard's rejected version of
6370-614: The Old Royal Naval College at Greenwich , Chiswick House in London, and in Radcliffe Square , Christ Church, Oxford , Exeter College, Oxford , The Queen's College, Oxford , The Historic Dockyard Chatham and Hedsor House in Buckinghamshire. Production designer Dennis Gassner says of his work on the film: The whole project is about translation—translation from something you would understand into something that
6500-613: The Renaissance , sacred choral music was the principal type of formally notated music in Western Europe. Throughout the era, hundreds of masses and motets (as well as various other forms) were composed for a cappella choir, though there is some dispute over the role of instruments during certain periods and in certain areas. Some of the better-known composers of this time include Guillaume Dufay , Josquin des Prez , Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina , John Dunstable , and William Byrd ;
6630-614: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) appeared on the website of the Catholic News Service and in Catholic newspapers across the country. The review suggested that instead of a boycott, it may be appropriate for Catholic parents to "talk through any thorny philosophical issues" with their children. However, on 10 December 2007 the review was removed from the website at the USCCB's request. On 19 December 2007,
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#17330852867666760-583: The VES awards prior. It was also nominated for 2 Critics' Choice Awards in 2007 ("Best Family Film," and "Best Young Actress" for Dakota Blue Richards ), 5 Satellite Awards and the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form . The Golden Compass was nominated for the National Movie Award for Best Family Film, but lost to Disney / Pixar 's WALL-E . French composer Alexandre Desplat composed
6890-514: The Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano , published an editorial in which it denounced the film as godless. Pullman said of Donohue's call for a boycott, "Why don't we trust readers? Why don't we trust filmgoers? Oh, it causes me to shake my head with sorrow that such nitwits could be loose in the world." In a discussion with Donohue on CBS 's Early Show , Ellen Johnson , president of American Atheists , said that rather than promote atheism,
7020-564: The Xbox 360 . It was developed by Shiny Entertainment and published by Sega . Players take control of the characters Lyra Belacqua and Iorek Byrnison in Lyra's attempt to save her friend Roger from the General Oblation Board. As this game does not fully take into account the changes made by the final version of the film, a small amount of footage from the film's deleted ending can be viewed near
7150-504: The motet (most notably the isorhythmic motet), which, unlike the Renaissance motet, describes a composition with different texts sung simultaneously in different voices. The first evidence of polyphony with more than one singer per part comes in the Old Hall Manuscript (1420, though containing music from the late 14th century), in which there are apparent divisi , one part dividing into two simultaneously sounding notes. During
7280-489: The "Great" Mass in C minor and Requiem in D minor, the latter of which is highly regarded). Haydn became more interested in choral music near the end of his life following his visits to England in the 1790s, when he heard various Handel oratorios performed by large forces; he wrote a series of masses beginning in 1797 and his two great oratorios The Creation and The Seasons . Beethoven wrote only two masses, both intended for liturgical use, although his Missa solemnis
7410-516: The "Palestrina style" to this day, especially as codified by the 18th century music theorist Johann Joseph Fux . Composers of the early 20th century also wrote in Renaissance-inspired styles. Herbert Howells wrote a Mass in the Dorian mode entirely in strict Renaissance style, and Ralph Vaughan Williams 's Mass in G minor is an extension of this style. Anton Webern wrote his dissertation on
7540-518: The $ 180 million production budget for the film, so most of these profits did not go to New Line. This has been cited as a possible "last straw" in Time Warner 's decision to merge New Line Cinema into Warner Bros. Pictures . Reviews of The Golden Compass were mixed. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , the film has an approval rating of 42%, based on 196 reviews, with an average score of 5.60/10. The critical consensus reads: "Without
7670-461: The 1600s to the 1750s, conductors performing in the 2010s may lead an ensemble while playing a harpsichord or the violin (see Concertmaster ). Conducting while playing a piano may also be done with musical theatre pit orchestras . Communication is typically non-verbal during a performance (this is strictly the case in art music , but in jazz big bands or large pop ensembles, there may be occasional spoken instructions). However, in rehearsals ,
7800-533: The 20th century. Secular choral music in the United States was popularized by groups such as the Dale Warland Singers throughout the late 20th century. The Big Choral Census online survey was established to find out how many choirs there were in the UK, of what type, with how many members, singing what type of music and with what sort of funding. Results estimated that there were some 40,000 choral groups operating in
7930-573: The Catholic Church. This tradition of unison choir singing lasted from sometime between the times of St. Ambrose (4th century) and Gregory the Great (6th century) up to the present. During the later Middle Ages, a new type of singing involving multiple melodic parts, called organum , became predominant for certain functions, but initially this polyphony was only sung by soloists. Further developments of this technique included clausulae , conductus and
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#17330852867668060-430: The Magisterium to be executed for heresy. Caught by the scientists, Lyra and Pan are thrown into the intercision chamber, but are rescued by Mrs Coulter before the intercision is completed. She explains to Lyra that the Magisterium believe intercision protects children from Dust's corrupting influence, when their dæmon’s form settles, but it is still experimental. Mrs Coulter admits she could not let Lyra be intercised as she
8190-554: The Magisterium, Mrs Coulter sends two venomous mechanical spy-flies after Lyra; one is caught by Farder Coram and sealed in a tin, but the other escapes, damaged, to relay Lyra’s position to Mrs Coulter. Asriel reaches Svalbard , the Kingdom of the Ice Bears, but is captured by Samoyed tribesmen hired by Mrs Coulter, and imprisoned by the Ice Bears’ king, Ragnar Sturlusson , who had usurped
8320-482: The Movie novelisation.) In July 2009, Weitz told a Comic Con audience that the film had been "recut by [New Line], and my experience with it ended being quite a terrible one"; he also told Time magazine that he had felt that by "being faithful to the book I was working at odds with the studio." Tasha Robinson of The A.V. Club argued that through the use of a spoken introduction and other exposition-filled dialogue,
8450-717: The Purwa Caraka Music Studio Choir of Indonesia began the trend when they covered children's songs in a choral arrangement for the film Surat Kecil untuk Tuhan . Apart from their roles in liturgy and entertainment, choirs and choruses may also have social-service functions, including for mental health treatment or as therapy for homeless and disadvantaged people, like the Choir of Hard Knocks or for special groups such as Military Wives . Databases Professional organizations Resources Media Reading The Golden Compass (film) The Golden Compass
8580-635: The Schola, McCarthy moved to the US to become the Director of Music at Washington National Cathedral. He was succeeded by Steven Grahl , who is now Organist of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford . He was followed by Lee Ward, who combined work as Director of the Schola with his duties as Director of Music at the London Oratory School . Lee Ward left the school in July 2012 to take up a new post in São Paulo , Brazil before returning to
8710-450: The UK and over 2 million people singing regularly in a choir. Over 30 percent of the groups listed described themselves a community choirs, half of the choirs listed sing contemporary music although singing classical music is still popular. Most choirs are self funding. It is thought that the increase in popularity of singing together in groups has been fed to some extent in the UK by TV progammes such as Gareth Malone 's 'The Choir'. In 2017,
8840-642: The UK as Director of Music at Liverpool Cathedral . Since September 2012 the Director of the Schola has been Charles Cole, formerly director of the Schola Cantorum at the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School in London . An annual performance is the Schola Foundation Concert. This concert featured the world premiere of Roxanna Panufnik 's " Schola Missa de Angelis " - a work written for the choir. The London Oratory Schola Foundation
8970-537: The auspices of the Authority . Here, every person's soul or guiding spirit exists outside the body as their own animal companion , a dæmon , and they must remain in close physical proximity. When young, people’s dæmons change form reflecting their moods, but on puberty the dæmons settle into one form thereafter. Lyra Belacqua is an orphan raised at Jordan College in Oxford with her dæmon Pantalaimon or "Pan". Her uncle
9100-495: The back and the women in front; some conductors prefer to place the basses behind the sopranos, arguing that the outer voices need to tune to each other. More experienced choirs may sing with the voices all mixed. Sometimes singers of the same voice are grouped in pairs or threes. Proponents of this method argue that it makes it easier for each individual singer to hear and tune to the other parts, but it requires more independence from each singer. Opponents argue that this method loses
9230-400: The bite or the controversy of the source material, The Golden Compass is reduced to impressive visuals overcompensating for lax storytelling." At Metacritic , which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film has received an average score of 51, based on 33 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave
9360-450: The books the Magisterium is a version of the Catholic Church gone wildly astray from its roots", but that the organisation portrayed in his film would not directly match that of Pullman's books. Instead, the Magisterium represents all dogmatic organisations. Attempting to reassure fans of the novels, Weitz said that religion would instead appear in euphemistic terms, yet the decision was criticised by some fans, anti-censorship groups, and
9490-547: The case this time." The planned film trilogy has not been continued, prompting actor Sam Elliott to blame censorship and the Catholic Church. The film premiered in London on 27 November 2007, and was released on 5 December 2007, in British cinemas by Entertainment Film Distributors and released on 7 December 2007, in American cinemas by New Line Cinema. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 29 April 2008. Shortly before
9620-468: The character of Mrs. Coulter has black hair in the novel, Pullman responded to the blonde Kidman's portrayal by saying, "I was clearly wrong. You sometimes are wrong about your characters. She's blonde. She has to be." Several key themes of the novels, such as the rejection of religion and the abuse of power in a fictionalised version of the Church , were diluted in the adaptation. Director Weitz said that "in
9750-400: The choir featured on albums of 'The Priests' and Camilla Kerslake. Choir A choir ( / ˈ k w aɪər / KWIRE ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin chorus , meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music , in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words is the music performed by
9880-656: The concert. In response, Actor Simon Callow threatened to resign as patron of a choir at the school in protest. He was also a patron of the Terrence Higgins Trust. The choir has also featured on many film soundtracks including Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , The Phantom of the Opera , The Golden Compass , The Brothers Grimm and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban . The Schola released
10010-483: The conductor will often give verbal instructions to the ensemble, since they generally also serve as an artistic director who crafts the ensemble's interpretation of the music. Conductors act as guides to the choirs they conduct. They choose the works to be performed and study their scores , to which they may make certain adjustments (e.g., regarding tempo, repetitions of sections, assignment of vocal solos and so on), work out their interpretation, and relay their vision to
10140-536: The context of liturgy . Most Eastern Orthodox Christian churches, some American Protestant groups, and traditional Jewish synagogues do not accompany their songs with musical instruments. In churches of the Western Rite the accompanying instrument is usually the organ, although in colonial America , the Moravian Church used groups of strings and winds. Many churches which use a contemporary worship format use
10270-476: The count because in the U.S. [the film] underperformed, but then internationally it performed [better] than expectations. So, a lot depends on Japan, frankly... I think if it does well enough here we'll be in good shape for that." Although producer Deborah Forte had, in March 2008, expressed optimism that the sequels would be made, by October 2008, the two planned sequels were officially placed on hold, according to New Line Cinema, because of financial concerns during
10400-417: The depiction of the church in the film is as "a hierarchical organisation of formally robed, iconography-heavy priests who dictate and define morality for their followers, are based out of cathedrals, and decry teachings counter to theirs as 'heresy.' ... doing ugly things to children under cover of secrecy." Robinson then asks, "Who are most people going to think of besides the Catholic Church?" Although
10530-642: The emerging German tradition exist (the cantatas of Dietrich Buxtehude being a prime example), though the Lutheran church cantata did not assume its more codified, recognizable form until the early 18th century. Georg Philipp Telemann (based in Frankfurt) wrote over 1000 cantatas, many of which were engraved and published (e.g. his Harmonische Gottesdienst ) and Christoph Graupner (based in Darmstadt) over 1400. The cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) are perhaps
10660-458: The end of the game, and the order in which Lyra travels to Bolvangar and Svalbard follows the book and not the film. At the time of The Golden Compass ' s theatrical release, Chris Weitz pledged to "protect [the] integrity" of the prospective sequels by being "much less compromising" in the book-to-film adaptation process. New Line Cinema commissioned Hossein Amini to write a screenplay based on
10790-468: The ensemble. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which spans from the medieval era to the present, or popular music repertoire. Most choirs are led by a conductor , who leads the performances with arm, hand, and facial gestures. The term choir is very often applied to groups affiliated with a church (whether or not they actually occupy the quire ), whereas a chorus performs in theatres or concert halls, but this distinction
10920-426: The film 2.5 stars out of 4, calling it "adequate, but not inspired" and criticising the first hour for its rushed pace and sketchily-developed characters. James Christopher of The Times of London was disappointed, praising the "marvellous" special effects and casting, but saying that the "books weave a magic the film simply cannot match" and citing a "lack of genuine drama." Time rated it an "A−" and called it
11050-409: The film 4 out of 4 stars and called it "a darker, deeper fantasy epic than the 'Rings' trilogy, ' The Chronicles of Narnia ' or the ' Potter ' films," saying that it "creates villains that are more complex and poses more intriguing questions. As a visual experience, it is superb. As an escapist fantasy, it is challenging ... I think [it] is a wonderfully good-looking movie, with exciting passages and
11180-460: The film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale. Manohla Dargis of The New York Times said that the film "crams so many events, characters, ... twists and turns, sumptuously appointed rooms and ethereally strange vistas ... that [it] risks losing you in the whirl" and that while The Golden Compass is "an honorable work," it is "hampered by its fealty to the book and its madly rushed pace." James Berardinelli of ReelReviews gave
11310-445: The film fails by "baldly revealing up front everything that the novel is trying to get you to wonder about and to explore slowly." Youyoung Lee wrote in a December 2007 Entertainment Weekly that the film "leaves out the gore", such as the book's ritualistic heart-eating that concludes the bear fight, "to create family-friendlier fare." Lee also said that the film "downplays the Magisterium's religious nature", but Robinson argued that
11440-521: The film was a dangerous lure to the novels, which he criticised for carrying a clear agenda to expose what Pullman believes is the "tyranny of the Christian faith" and for providing "a liberating mythology for a new secular age." Denny Wayman of the Free Methodist Church made the assertion that The Golden Compass is a "film trying to preach an atheistic message." Other evangelical groups, such as
11570-447: The film would encourage children to question authority, saying that would not be a bad thing for children to learn. Director Weitz says that he believes His Dark Materials is "not an atheistic work, but a highly spiritual and reverent piece of writing", and Nicole Kidman defended her decision to star in the film, saying that the source material had been "watered down a little" and that her religious beliefs would prevent her from taking
11700-511: The film would thematically be about Lyra "looking for a family", and Pullman agreed: "He has plenty of very good ideas, and he isn't daunted by the technical challenges. But the best thing from the point of view of all who care about the story is his awareness that it isn't about computer graphics; it isn't about fantastic adventures in amazing-looking worlds; it's about Lyra." Tucker resigned on 8 May 2006, citing creative disagreements with New Line, and Weitz returned to direct. Weitz said "I'm both
11830-572: The film's music. British singer Kate Bush wrote and performed the song " Lyra " which is played over the end credits. The film's soundtrack album was released on 11 December 2007, by New Line Records . The video game for this film was released in November 2007 in Europe and December 2007 in North America and Australia for the PC , Wii , PlayStation 2 , PlayStation 3 , PlayStation Portable , Nintendo DS and
11960-462: The film's potential sequel, The Subtle Knife , in order to provide "the most promising conclusion to the first film and the best possible beginning to the second," though he also said less than a month later that there had been "tremendous marketing pressure" to create "an upbeat ending." (The San Francisco Chronicle found this "truncated" ending abrupt. ) Author Pullman publicly supported these changes, saying that "every film has to make changes to
12090-454: The film's release, Weitz suggested that an extended cut of the film could be released on DVD, saying "I'd really love to do a fuller cut of the film"; he further speculated that such a version "could probably end up at two-and-a-half hours." This proposed cut would presumably not include the original ending: MTV reported in December 2007 that Weitz hoped to include that material at the beginning of
12220-518: The film's special effects ended up being its "most successful element." Debbie Day of Premiere magazine said " The Golden Compass ultimately fails as a film in its broad strokes and inadequate scene development." The Golden Compass won the 2008 Oscar for Best Visual Effects and the BAFTA Film Award for Special Visual Effects notably beating what many considered to be the front-runner, Michael Bay 's Transformers , which had swept
12350-454: The film, Lyra joins a race of water-workers and seafarers on a trip to the far North in search of children kidnapped by the Gobblers, a group supported by the world's rulers, the Magisterium. Development on the film was first announced in February 2002, but difficulties over the screenplay and the selection of a director (including Weitz departing and returning) caused significant delays. Richards
12480-419: The film. In 2004, Weitz was invited by The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson onto the set of King Kong (2005) in order to gather information on directing a big-budget film, and to receive advice on dealing with New Line Cinema, for whom Jackson had worked on Lord of the Rings . After a subsequent interview in which Weitz said the novel's attacks on organised religion would have to be softened, he
12610-419: The first and third director on the film ... but I did a lot of growing in the interim." According to producer Deborah Forte , Tucker wanted to make a smaller, less exciting film than New Line wanted. New Line production president Toby Emmerich said of Weitz's return: "I think Chris realised that if he didn't come back in and step up, maybe the movie wasn't going to get made ... We really didn't have
12740-581: The former being broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster. In November 2008 the choir performed in a concert for Save the Children at St Paul's Cathedral . On 7 July 2007 the Schola performed a concert in Rome , backed by the Vatican , with the Orchestra Philarmonia Di Roma . The concert, written by Michael D’Alessandra , aimed to recall the glory of Rome . The choir's concert for World AIDS Day took place at
12870-425: The global recession. Sam Elliott, however, stated, "The Catholic Church ... lambasted them, and I think it scared New Line off." From 2019, 12 years after the film's disappointment that caused the two sequels to be scrapped, a three-season television series adaptation of all three novels of His Dark Materials was made, culminating in 2022. It starred Dafne Keen as Lyra and Ruth Wilson as Mrs Coulter. It
13000-535: The glories of Renaissance polyphony were choral, sung by choirs of great skill and distinction all over Europe. Choral music from this period continues to be popular with many choirs throughout the world today. The madrigal , a partsong conceived for amateurs to sing in a chamber setting, originated at this period. Although madrigals were initially dramatic settings of unrequited-love poetry or mythological stories in Italy, they were imported into England and merged with
13130-576: The grandeur offered by instrumental accompaniment. Oratorios also continued to be written, clearly influenced by Handel's models. Berlioz's L'enfance du Christ and Mendelssohn's Elijah and St Paul are in the category. Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Brahms also wrote secular cantatas, the best known of which are Brahms's Schicksalslied and Nänie . A few composers developed a cappella music, especially Bruckner , whose masses and motets startlingly juxtapose Renaissance counterpoint with chromatic harmony. Mendelssohn and Brahms also wrote significant
13260-423: The institutions in which they operate: Some choirs are categorized by the type of music they perform, such as In the United States, middle schools and high schools often offer choir as a class or activity. Some choirs participate in competitions. One kind of choir popular in high schools is show choir . During middle school and high school students' voices are changing. Although girls experience voice change , it
13390-433: The likelihood of a sequel was downplayed by New Line. According to studio co-head Michael Lynne , "The jury is still very much out on the movie, and while it's performed very strongly overseas, we'll look at it early 2008 and see where we're going with a sequel." In February 2008, Weitz told The Daily Yomiuri , a Japanese newspaper, that he still hoped for the sequels' production: "at first it looked like we were down for
13520-441: The main dæmons and Framestore CFC created all the bears. British company Cinesite created the secondary dæmons. Numerous scenes from the novel did not feature in the film or were markedly changed. On 7 December 2007, New York magazine reviewed draft scripts from both Stoppard and Weitz; both were significantly longer than the final version, and Weitz's draft (which, unlike Stoppard's, did not feature significant additions to
13650-475: The more dancelike balletto , celebrating carefree songs of the seasons, or eating and drinking. To most English speakers, the word madrigal now refers to the latter, rather than to madrigals proper, which refers to a poetic form of lines consisting of seven and eleven syllables each. The interaction of sung voices in Renaissance polyphony influenced Western music for centuries. Composers are routinely trained in
13780-454: The most recognizable (and often-performed) contribution to this repertoire: his obituary mentions five complete cycles of his cantatas , of which three, comprising some 200 works, are known today, in addition to motets . Bach himself rarely used the term cantata. Motet refers to his church music without orchestra accompaniment, but instruments playing colla parte with the voices. His works with accompaniment consists of his Passions , Masses ,
13910-474: The multiverse. Lyra commits to fight against the Magisterium. On 11 February 2002, following the success of New Line's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring , the studio bought the rights to Philip Pullman 's His Dark Materials trilogy. In July 2003, Tom Stoppard was commissioned to write the screenplay. Directors Brett Ratner and Sam Mendes expressed interest in the film, but
14040-467: The new prevalence of electronic devices, small groups can use these together with learning tracks for both group rehearsals and private practice. Many choirs perform in one or many locations such as a church, opera house, school or village hall. In some cases choirs join up to become one "mass" choir that performs for a special concert. In this case they provide a series of songs or musical works to celebrate and provide entertainment to others. Conducting
14170-690: The other choir in a musical dialogue. Consideration is also given to the spacing of the singers. Studies have found that not only the actual formation, but the amount of space (both laterally and circumambiently) affects the perception of sound by choristers and auditors. The origins of choral music are found in traditional music , as singing in big groups is extremely widely spread in traditional cultures (both singing in one part, or in unison , like in Ancient Greece, as well as singing in parts, or in harmony , like in contemporary European choral music). The oldest unambiguously choral repertory that survives
14300-466: The professional and advanced amateur or semi-professional levels. The all-female and mixed children's choirs tend to be professionally less prevalent than the high voiced boys' choirs, the lower voiced men's choruses, or the full SATB choirs. This is due to some extent to lack of scholarships and other types of funding, and a lack of professional opportunities for women such as that of being lay clerks or musical directors. Choirs are also categorized by
14430-432: The repertoire and engaging soloists and accompanists), chorus master/mistress (or répétiteur) (responsible for training and rehearsing the singers), and conductor (responsible for directing the performance). However, these roles may be divided, especially when the choir is combined with other forces, for example in opera . The conductor or choral director typically stands on a raised platform and he or she may or may not use
14560-472: The same time, the Cecilian movement attempted a restoration of the pure Renaissance style in Catholic churches. In the United States, development of mixed choirs was pioneered by groups such as The St. Olaf Choir and Westminster Choir College . These groups were characterized by arrangements of hymns and other sacred works of christian nature which helped define the choral sound of the United States for most of
14690-446: The script, and Pullman expected the film to be "faithful", although he also said: "They do know where to put the theology and that's off the film." A Christianity Today review of the film noted that "' Magisterium ' does refer, in the real world, to the teaching authority of the Catholic Church, and the film [is] peppered with religiously significant words like 'oblation' and ' heresy '", adding that when one character smashes through
14820-454: The second book in the trilogy, The Subtle Knife , potentially for release in May 2010, with the third book of the trilogy, The Amber Spyglass , to follow. However, New Line president Toby Emmerich stressed that production of the second and third films was dependent on the financial success of The Golden Compass . When The Golden Compass did not meet expectations at the United States box-office,
14950-406: The second-highest-grossing non-sequel of 2007 there (behind The Simpsons Movie ). In Japan, the film was officially released in March 2008 on 700 screens, ultimately grossing $ 33,501,399; but previews of the film between 23–24 February 2008, earned $ 2.5 million. By 6 July 2008, it had earned $ 302,127,136 internationally, totaling $ 372,234,864 worldwide. Overseas rights to the film were sold to fund
15080-538: The singers. Choral conductors may also have to conduct instrumental ensembles such as orchestras if the choir is singing a piece for choir and orchestra. They may also attend to organizational matters, such as scheduling rehearsals, planning a concert season, hearing auditions , and promoting their ensemble in the media. Historically, the sung repertoire divides into sacred or religious music and secular music . While much religious music has been written with concert performance in mind, its origin lies in its role within
15210-648: The source material's anti-religious themes, which caused several changes to the film in post-production. The Golden Compass premiered in London on 27 November 2007, and was theatrically released in the United Kingdom by Entertainment Film on 5 December and in the United States by New Line Cinema on 7 December. The film received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for the casting and visual effects, but criticism for its pacing, characterization, and screenplay, drawing unfavorable comparisons to Pullman's novel. The Golden Compass has grossed $ 372 million worldwide but
15340-436: The source material) was pronounced the best of the three. The magazine concluded that instead of a "likely three hours of running time" that included such scenes as Mrs. Coulter's London party and Lyra's meeting with a witch representative, the studio had opted for a "failed" length of under 2 hours in order to maximize revenue. On 9 October 2007, Weitz revealed that the final 3 chapters from Northern Lights had been moved to
15470-696: The spatial separation of individual voice lines, an otherwise valuable feature for the audience, and that it eliminates sectional resonance, which lessens the effective volume of the chorus. For music with double (or multiple) choirs, usually the members of each choir are together, sometimes significantly separated, especially in performances of 16th-century music (such as works in the Venetian polychoral style ). Some composers actually specify that choirs should be separated, such as in Benjamin Britten 's War Requiem . Some composers use separated choirs to create "antiphonal" effects, in which one choir seems to "answer"
15600-536: The story that the original book tells—not to change the outcome, but to make it fit the dimensions and the medium of film." In addition to removing the novel's unsettling ending, the film reverses the order in which Lyra travels to Bolvangar, the Gobbler's outpost, and then Svalbard , the armoured bears' kingdom. (Neither deviation from the book features in Scholastic Publishing 's The Golden Compass: The Story of
15730-409: The throne by poisoning the old king. At Trollesund, Lyra befriends Texan aeronaut Lee Scoresby, who suggests she hire him and his friend Iorek Byrnison , an armoured bear that he has come to rescue. Once a prince of the ice bears, Iorek was defeated in a fight and exiled in shame, and then the townspeople got him drunk to trick him out of his armour. Farder and Lyra find him in a sorry state behind
15860-412: The various sections should be arranged on stage. It is the conductor's decision on where the different voice types are placed. In symphonic choirs it is common (though by no means universal) to order the choir behind the orchestra from highest to lowest voices from left to right, corresponding to the typical string layout. In a cappella or piano-accompanied situations it is not unusual for the men to be in
15990-596: The wall of a Magisterium building, the damaged exterior is "decorated with [Christian] Byzantine icons." On 7 October 2007, the Catholic League called for a boycott of the film. League president William A. Donohue said he would not ordinarily object to the film, but that while the religious elements are diluted from the source material, the film will encourage children to read the novels, which he says denigrate Christianity and promote atheism for children. He cited Pullman telling The Washington Post in 2001 that he
16120-409: Was "a little disappointing" for New Line Cinema, earning US$ 25.8 million with total domestic box-office of $ 70 million compared to an estimated $ 180 million production budget. Despite this, the film's fortunes rebounded as its performance outside the United States was described as "stellar" by Variety , and as "astonishing" by New Line. In the United Kingdom, the film grossed $ 53,198,635 and became
16250-407: Was a box office disappointment in North America which directly contributed to New Line Cinema's 2008 restructuring . The film won Best Visual Effects at the 80th Academy Awards and Best Special Visual Effects at the 61st British Academy Film Awards . On an alternative retro-futuristic Earth, a powerful church called the Magisterium strictly controls the people's beliefs and teachings, under
16380-528: Was a pioneer) extended this concept into concert-length works, usually based on Biblical or moral stories. A pinnacle of baroque choral music, (particularly oratorio), may be found in George Frideric Handel 's works, notably Messiah and Israel in Egypt . While the modern chorus of hundreds had to await the growth of Choral Societies and his centennial commemoration concert, we find Handel already using
16510-520: Was cast as Lyra in June 2006, with Kidman and Craig joining soon thereafter. Principal photography began that September and lasted for several months, with filming locations including Shepperton Studios and also on location throughout England, Switzerland, and Norway. With a production budget of US$ 180 million, it is one of New Line Cinema 's most expensive films, and prior to release, the film faced criticism from secularist and religious organisations due to
16640-420: Was criticised by some fans, and on 15 December 2004, Weitz resigned as director of the trilogy, citing the enormous technical challenges of the epic. He later indicated that he had envisioned the possibility of being denounced by both the book's fans and its detractors, as well as a studio hoping for another Lord of the Rings . On 9 August 2005, British director Anand Tucker took over from Weitz. Tucker felt
16770-466: Was involved in some controversy in November 2007. For its performance for a World AIDS Day concert, the beneficiary, the Terrence Higgins Trust, was abruptly dropped one month before the concert was to take place. David McFadden, the Headmaster of The London Oratory School, claimed that the nominated charity did not support Christian values so the school could not support the charity from the proceeds of
16900-527: Was launched on, the World AIDS Day . Over 50% of the purchase price goes directly to the orphanage in order to assist it with its work. In 2008 The London Oratory School Schola recorded with Icelandic band Sigur Rós on their song Ára Bátur for their new album Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust , recorded on the Christmas album of Faith Hill and Andrew Johnston, runner-up from Britain's Got Talent, in 2009
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