Sing St. John welcomes you to our Senior Singalong, Episode 15 My name is Winnie and I'm here today with Michael Hi!

Lucia Hi!

Gwen Hi!

and Bodicea.

Hi!

We’ve been singing some of our favorite Christmas songs and today you’re in for a real treat.

We’re going to learn four part harmonies to The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy.

The Virgin Mary had a Baby Boy, also known as Glorious Kingdom.

It's believed to be a traditional song from Trinidad.

It was first published by a Trinidad born actor and musician, Edric Connor.

In his 1945 book, West Indian Spirituals and Folk Tunes, He said that the tune was the only West Indian Negro Carol I found.

Although Connor had performed it for a decade before 1958, it was the release of Harry Belafonte's Calypso album that year that made the song popular across oceans, nations and continents.

Since then, this beloved Calypso Christmas song has been recorded by artists around the world.

Before we sing though, we’ll need to do a gentle warmup Let's start with posture.

Our backs are tall and ready for action.

If you're sitting, sit as tall as you can and place both feet flat on the floor.

Take a deep breath with me.

Okay.

Three short and one long.

Let's go.

Inhale.

(Inhale) Exhale.

We're going to sing a short scale.

And it's going to sound like this.

(piano) Okay.

Are you ready?

Yes.

Let’s go.

(piano) Moving up.

Nice.

Like a dove.

One more time.

Good job.

Now will warm up the low voice and we'll use the word low.

It sounds like this.

(piano) Okay.

Lips rounded.

Let's try it.

(piano) Moving down.

Throat open.

Softening down.

Last one.

Okay, now we've got one more exercise for you.

And this one is called Singgg-Ah.

I'll demonstrate it for you.

(piano) Okay, let's do this together.

One more.

Very good.

Now we’re all ready to sing The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy As always we will sing it once, straight through, to give you an idea of the form.

(piano introduction) (piano) (piano) Ending.

Yes!

Yay!

(clapping) Okay, singers, let's get down to business.

The soprano part is first.

The verses are sung entirely by Sopranos in this arrangement.

So we're going to start there in the call and response style with Bodicea.

We sing.

You sing.

(piano introduction) Awesome Bodicea.

Thank you, for being here, because you know, that's a little high for me.

Okay, time to learn the chorus now.

Nice job, Bodicea.

Now this is where it gets more fun.

Let's sing the first verse and chorus with the accompaniment.

(piano) Bodicea, that sounds great.

Thank you.

Excellent work.

After we sing the chorus for the third time, we will end the song by repeating.

through to, He come from the glorious kingdom.

And I'll remind you about that later.

Okay, Michael, you're digging deep on this one.

It's low.

Low.

The basses will bring us into the chorus by responding to the Soprano’s last line of the verse.

So Bodicea and I will cue the basses with that last line.

Now, let's just sing that chorus all the way through acappella.

Here's the remainder of your bass pitch.

(piano) Well, now I'm ready to hear that verse and chorus with a little bit of accompaniment.

How about you?

Yeah.

Sure!

(piano introduction) Ahh.

Now we just need to look at the ending.

After the third chorus, we repeat two times, and the basses add an emphatic, Yes!

Mm hmm.

Just look at Michael, and he will get you through.

And from there, it's almost exactly the same as it was for all the other choruses, with just one note being changed.

Now on to the tenor part.

The tenor part of the chorus is very similar to soprano & alto, just different pitch.

Let's do some call and response to learn them.

Now let's put that chorus together.

(piano introduction) Well, now that's getting better and better, isn't it?

All right, Michael, Lucia, Gwen and Bodicea will now sing the first verse and chorus with us and we will be able to hear them in the background.

(piano introduction) Wonderful.

Thank you, everyone.

Are you feeling it?

Come together.

I am.

Let's just check out the ending quickly before we move on.

After the third chorus, we'll repeat, to the end.

Normally you sing, But for the ending you'll sing it higher like this.

Let's do that one more time.

(laughter) Very good.

All right, Gwen and Lucia, you're up.

Let's learn the alto part together now.

Lucia, Gwen and I will sing a phrase.

Then you repeat.

We sing, you repeat.

Nice job, ladies.

Thank you, Lucia, and thank you, Gwen.

Okay, let's try the chorus with the accompaniment.

(piano introduction) Yes!

Thank you, Gwen.

Thank you, Lucia.

Okay.

We just have to look at the ending now.

After the third chorus, we'll repeat.

To the end.

Everything is the same, except for the last, It moves up instead of down.

Okay?

Let's do that one more time for surety.

That was a little tricky, wasn't it?

Thank you, Gwen.

Thank you, Lucia.

Now let's bring everybody back to sing the first verse & chorus through together, and we'll see how all the parts fit together.

(piano introduction) Okay.

Whoa.

Now, now it's time to sing the entire song with all the parts.

After all that hard work, learning all those parts and pieces.

And I'm going to remind you when it's time to repeat and we're coming up on that ending.

Let's go (piano introduction) (piano) (piano) Ending.

Woohoo!

Yes we did it!

Thank you for joining our Senior Singalong.

One day perhaps we’ll sing together at our kids Christmas program, or Christmas in the park.

But until then, keep singing!

(piano introduction) Good night to you all and sweet be thy sleep May angels around you their silent watch keep Good night, good night, good night, good night Good night to you all and sweet be thy sleep May angels around you their silent watch keep Good night, good night, good night, good night Good night to you all and sweet be thy sleep May angels around you their silent watch keep Good night, good night, good night, good night Good night to you all and sweet be thy sleep May angels around you their silent watch keep Good night, good night, good night, good night Good night to you all and sweet be thy sleep May angels around you their silent watch keep Good night, good night, good night, good night May angels around you their silent watch keep Good night, good night, good night, good night Good night everyone!

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas Happy New Years.

Happy Holidays Well, I'm ready to hear that verse and chorus with a little bit of accompaniment.

How about you?

(mumbling) (laughter) Do you see what she's doing?

Did you see her reaction?

I reacted.

(scoff) Ready go!

Shsss!

Go, go, go!

Go, go , go ,go, go.

Wiggle, wiggle.

Michael, wiggle, wiggle.

Michael, wiggle.

Michael, move your body.

I don’t wiggle.

Whew Shh... (laughter) Didn’t you see the reaction?

Her reaction!

Okay.

(laughter) (laughter)