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Arts & Entertainment

What Is Spoken Music? Come and Find Out!

A small band of enthusiasts meets weekly (future times and dates are decided each week), at Floyd Memorial Library, in Greenport, N.Y., to practice the "Spoken Music" of Ernst Toch (1887-1964). Toch, born in Austria, grew as an composer throughout his life. He composed symphonies, operas, concertos, choral and chamber works and also something he called "Spoken Music" or "Spoken Chorus." When Hitler came to power in 1933, he fled the Nazis and ultimately ended up in California, where he composed scores and other incidental music for films. Spoken Music is written in musical notation. It is not sung, however, but spoken. Our group is working on Toch's "The Geographical Fugue." It's intense, challenging and fun. If you can read a little music, please join us on Tuesday, April 17, 2012, at 5:00 p.m. at the Library. We usually just spend an hour or so practicing. The Fugue is a terrific exercise for singers, because speaking it helps you to hear and blend with the other voices. It's also a challenge for musicians since practicing it helps you "brush up" on sight reading and your understanding of musical notation. You are more than welcome to come and check it out, without feeling you need to join a group.

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