Say 'I love you' with a Blenders serenade
The Hill Country Blenders are offering Valentine love songs to express love for your best gal or guy.
“If you are not that confident of your singing voice, we have a deal for you,” said Jim McCutchan, who is booking the 'Singing Valentine' gigs for the local affiliate of the Barbershop Harmony Society. “Our 'Singing Valentines” will performed at a location of your choosing in the Highland Lakes area. For a donation as little as $40 the Blenders will send a quartet to serenade your beloved.”
The quartet promises to be snappily dressed in barbershop-appropriate attire to sing two beautiful love songs and present your sweetheart a fine red silk rose. During the ensuing photo opportunity, they will present to the honoree a photo with the quartet.
“It doesn’t take long, but the surprise impact and the spirit of the moment leaves a lasting impression,” said McCutchan. “In the past the quartets have sung at offices, parties, restaurants, neighborhood breakfasts, churches and club meetings, in addition to private homes. The more present the merrier.”
The Blenders sing in the Barbershop style that, along with jazz, are unique American musical forms. This style developed in the 19th Century in the Midwest and now has devotees across the globe. Four parts are sung: tenor (high notes), lead (melody), baritone (harmony) and bass (low notes). The result is four harmonizing notes which form chords. The quartet sings “a cappella” which means without accompaniment, although a pitch pipe is used as the beginning of the song to establish the key. Since each singer is alone on his part, quite a bit of practice is needed to ensure that a good rendition is produced.
The Blenders practice once a week all year long to ensure a good sound. (If you would like to join the group, drop by the weekly practice at the choir room of the First Methodist Church of Marble Falls, 1101 Bluebonnet Drive, just east of the H-E-B store in Marble Falls.)
Quartets will sing Feb. 13-14, from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Since the quartets travel by car and the appointments are made all around the Highland Lakes area, a schedule is developed to ensure that the singers arrive at an appropriate time. This year two quartets will be singing to meet all the commitments.
The Blenders are a non-profit organization, proceeds from Valentine donations that begin at $40 are given back to the community in the form of contributions to local charitable organizations. Since the Blenders were founded in 2002, they have donated over $15,000 locally. You may schedule a Valentine serenade with a member of the Blenders or by contacting Jim McCutchan at 325-388-4446 or emailing him at jbmccutchan@nctv.com.
