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From: keesan@bbncca.ARPA (Morris Keesan)
Newsgroups: net.music,net.movies
Subject: Re: Request for info:  choral group from movie soundtracks
Message-ID: <901@bbncca.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 15-Aug-84 13:45:19 EDT
Article-I.D.: bbncca.901
Posted: Wed Aug 15 13:45:19 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 16-Aug-84 03:02:59 EDT
References: <973@pyuxn.UUCP>
Organization: Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Cambridge, Ma.
Lines: 36

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> . . . a particular style of vocal group "choral" singing that was
> prominent in some 1960's movie soundtracks (esp. Burt Bacharach [?]).
> They were prominent in chase scenes and the like, and their sound
> consisting of polyphonous voices in sort of contrapuntal motion (fairly
> fast) that sounded like:
> 
> Ba-ba-da-ba-da-ba-da-ba Ba-ba-da-ba-da-ba-da-ba  (these were the "lyrics")

    This style of choral music was made famous by the Swingle Singers, under
the direction of Ward Swingle.  Their repertoire consisted largely of
the instrumental music of J. S. Bach arranged for chorus with nonsense
syllables, with accompanying jazzy bass and drums (usually played with brushes).
They also did the music of other composers, generally centering around the
Baroque era.  They made several albums, all excellent; I don't remember the
names of any of them.  One I particularly like is an album they made with the
Modern Jazz Quartet, which included some of their usual repertoire and also
some compositions by John Lewis.  If interested in specific album titles, send
me mail, and I will check my collection.
    Ward Swingle was (formerly?) a member of the Double Six of Paris, a jazz
vocal group which did some of the same sort of music.  They made a great album
with Dizzy Gillespie.  I think Swingle is currently leading "The New Swingle
Singers", performing the same sort of material.
    In the mid sixties (1965? 66?) there were some choral arrangements of
Bach pieces in the Swingle style published for school choruses, et. al.  I
remember singing a few of them in Jr. High School chorus.  They generally had
cute names like "Bourree' for Bach" ("Bourree'" rhymes with "hurray", sort of),
and "GaVOTtE for Bach".  The one I remember most strongly was an arrangement
of the "Wachet Auf" choral prelude, with lyrics that went,
"Doot doobie do do-wah, do-wah, do-wah, doobie do do-wah, do-wah."  These
arrangements are probably still available.
-- 
			    Morris M. Keesan
			    {decvax,linus,ihnp4,wivax,wjh12,ima}!bbncca!keesan
			    keesan @ BBN-UNIX.ARPA