When we were singing in person, pre-pandemic, we used to say, “That was a good singing”; by which we meant, the singing was heartfelt, there were strong leaders, the selection of tunes was sensitive to the singers. So what criteria do we use to judge a Zoom singing, where mostly we listen to a recording and sing along?
Pat challenged us tonight by pointing out that in other Zoom Sacred Harp singings, most of the songs are led by someone in the group singing their part as a solo. Traditionally, if you lead a Sacred Harp tune, you’re supposed to sing tenor, but Pat said that is not true in Zoom singings. He went on to add that singing along to something other than the tenor part has been a way for him to better hear how his part (he sings tenor) meshes with another individual voice.
A couple of our singers took Pat’s challenge, and led tunes by singing their part solo. I was especially impressed with Lena’s singing: it was heartfelt, it was easy to follow her while singing my part, and the tune she chose was sensitive to the other singers. On that basis, I can say that tonight’s singing was indeed a good singing.