October 17, 2007
Bowling
Green, Ky. - The Bowling Green Western Choral Society and the newly formed WKU Chorale will perform Beethoven’s Mass in C Major at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 5 at First Baptist Church in Bowling Green.
“This glorious and rarely heard work is a delightful weaving of soloists and chorus into a traditional mass setting, and requires a full orchestra,” said Dr. Paul Hondorp, director of WKU Choral Activities and the Choral Society’s Artistic Director.
Tickets for the concert, which will be available at the door, are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for students.
Hondorp said that large choral works such as Beethoven’s Mass in C give WKU students and community singers the opportunity to participate in a musical performance on a scale that will rarely be repeated in their lives.
Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827), a German-born composer and virtuoso pianist, is regarded as one of “the giants of Western classical music.” Throughout his career he composed hundreds of works, including sonatas for piano and violin; concerti; numerous symphonies, like his famous Ninth Symphony; and a number of religious works, including the Mass in C Major and his highly acclaimed “Missa Solemnis.”
Tragically, around 1796, when just in his 20s, Beethoven began losing his hearing. While conducting and performing became more difficult, Beethoven continued to compose even after he was completely deaf. To increase his perception of sound, it is said Beethoven used a special rod attached to a piano’s soundboard that he could bite to transfer vibrations from the piano to his jaw.
Beethoven died at the age of 56. Although never confirmed, it is thought his death was the result of questionable treatment for lead poisoning, which, many thought, was the cause of a chronic abdominal condition he endured for many years.
The performance of Beethoven’s Mass in C Major by the Bowling Green Western Choral Society and WKU Chorale is one of many concerts offered by WKU’s Music Department throughout the academic year. For information on WKU choral activities, contact Paul Hondorp at (270) 745-5923 or visit www.wku.edu/sing. For more on the Music Department, visit http://www.wku.edu/Music/.
More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.
For information, contact Earlene Chelf at (270) 842-0218.
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