Dunnnnnnnnnnn
March 22, 2012 7:10 PM   Subscribe

Looking for a choral work I heard several years ago. It had a line that was repeated a few times throughout that ended in the word "done," but the 'n' sound was stretched out like "dunnnnnnn." It may have been 'work is done' or something similar. I think it was religious. Any help?

I heard this thing at my sister's recital three or so years ago. I remember that 'dunnn' part being sublime.

I've been looking for it since then. I originally grabbed the program, brought it home, and found a really good performance of it on youtube that I never bookmarked or anything, and it's been bugging me for a while.

Thanks to this recent question for reminding me to ask (and providing a few hours of great new music to listen to).
posted by amcm to Media & Arts (5 answers total)
 
Best answer: Could it have been the spiritual Lord Hear My Prayer? I sang this in high school (it was very, very beautiful), and one of the lyrics went, "When my work on Earth is done" and we always held out the "nnnn" sound in the way you're describing, I believe that the music notated it to be that way.

My link thingie isn't working so I unfortunately I'll just have to spell out the address, but here's a video I found of a choir singing it. It's the same arrangement I did. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n44__vfrH-Q
posted by Emms at 9:38 PM on March 22, 2012


Holding the "n" rather than the vowel sound is characteristic of traditional style. Formal/classical vocal training tends towards long vowel sustains, (duuuuuuun) but any traditional American, traditional Irish, etc. would normally be sung with closed consonant sustains (duunnnnnn). So, reading your question, my first thought was that it must be a choral arrangement of a folk song.

That probably doesn't help you identify the specific thing, but maybe it gives you a few ideas to help you look.
posted by aimedwander at 6:18 AM on March 23, 2012


Sounds like Mozart's Requiem.
posted by bru at 7:53 AM on March 23, 2012


Agreed with aimedwanderer that it's likely a choral arrangement of a folksong, though that really doesn't narrow things down much for you.
posted by altopower at 11:35 AM on March 23, 2012


That consonant-holding is a stylistic choice a conductor might make with any piece of any origin. In other words, we don't have a lot to go on here. Anything else at all you can remember about it? (And I assume asking your sister either is impossible or didn't work?)
posted by kalapierson at 12:09 PM on March 23, 2012


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