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addition to the impact of the 30 vocal scores, the Women's Vocal
Orchestra of Sumatra has come to be affiliated with Dryburgh's "The Captives' Hymn". The piece came to be performed at Sunday church services at the camp.K. Marie Stolba, Professor of Music, Emerita, at Indiana University-Purdue University, after studying piece phrase by phrase and believes it to fragments of hymn melodies Dryburgh knew. The words came to be a unifying force of the women imprisoned by the Japanese.
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prison camps seemed difficult in a politically correct mindset. However, other historians argue that in the films focusing on the Women's Vocal
Orchestra problems arise because of theme. Historian Hank Nelson asserts that filming the death by machine gun fire which immediately followed some of the women's capture, would be impossible to set the tone the filmmakers desired.
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idiomatic to strings or winds.” However, Chambers and
Dryburgh did not write down many of the syllables used while they were in Sumatra prison camp. The syllables are now known thanks in large part to later interviews with Norah Chambers. The syllables varied to express mood and to change the quality of the voices.
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The music has been performed by numerous choirs across the world. Most recently, in
October 2013 a 70th anniversary concert was performed by a British choir. The concert also featured accounts of the lives of Norah Chambers and Margaret Dryburgh. Another similar concert featuring of the Women's Vocal
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The Women's Vocal
Orchestra continued as long as there existed enough women to sing. Norah Chambers later lamented “Our vocal orchestra was silenced forever when more than half had died and the others were too weak to continue…it was wonderful while it lasted.” The exact date when the group ceased to
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and Song of
Survival (1985). The latter of which was a documentary. While these films were well-received, they do contain some historical inaccuracies. Some historians argue that some errors emerge from the desire to avoid the issues of race. Additionally, presenting the effects gender played in the
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For instance, in the introduction of Dvorak's “Largo”, the syllable “nuh” was used to create an ethereal breathless quality. This shifted to “leh” at the entrance of the main theme in order to add focus to the voices. It again changes to “neh” in order to add intensity during the middle section. In
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After
Dryburgh penned the entire work(s), Chambers and Dryburgh focused on condensing the scores into 4-part harmony. They divided the group into four separate sections (1,2,3,4 as opposed to the typical ssaa formation). Each group would meet sometime during the day to practice separately and then
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The exact number of concerts remain unclear; but it is estimated as three or four. However, the number of vocal compositions consist of 30. The most famous of the concerts is the
December 27, 1943 concert which has been dubbed the “Christmas Concert”. At the concert Chambers served as conductor,
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The act of performing did pose a risk because at times the
Japanese banned concerts. However, it is not known how much of a risk this particular concert posed to its performers. The concert was given with an intermission and refreshments. Many of the women pulled together rations to provide this
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While
Chambers acted as arranger and conductor, Margaret Dryburgh, a missionary POW, would write down the piano and orchestral scores from memory. It is not inherently clear where Dryburgh obtained the ability to recall large works from memory. She studied piano as a small child and received a
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Dryburgh and Chambers did not attempt to imitate instruments but instead used humming for sounds and consonants to obtain a sense of rhythm. In other words, the voices had to “feel like certain instruments” or they might be asked to “acquire instrumental agility, articulating phrases that are
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in London. At the school, she played in the orchestra and learned many of the skills which enabled her to arrange the pieces of music for 4-part women's chorus. She is also credited with the idea for performing and learning pieces originally scored for piano and orchestra.
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The concert was attended by many of the prisoners and at least one guard. The guard pressed through the crowd of women in order to see the Vocal Orchestra. Upon reaching the front of the audience he remained still for the rest of the concert.
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Dryburgh sang, and Ena Murray, Chambers younger sister, is listed as producer and performer. The repertoire selected for the program is not agreed upon. However, “Largo” from Dvorkak's New World is a known selection.
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Bachelor of Arts at Newcastle College, then a part of Durham University. She also spent a great deal of time teaching music to small churches during the course of her missionary work.
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Christian Twomey, "Problems in Paradise: Gender, Race, and Historical 'Truth' in Paradise Road", Journal of Interdisciplinary Gender Studies 10 (January 2006): 30-52.
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at night Chambers and Dryburgh would lead the entire group in the Dutch kitchen. However, a singer or two would be missing from rehearsal because of illness.
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be is not known. Dryburgh died in April 1945 after a move to a new location. Chambers died in June 1989.
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Andy Priestner, "The History of the Vocal Orchestra", www.singingtosurvive.com, accessed November 2014.
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Andy Priestner, "The History of the Vocal Orchestra", www.singingtosurvive.com, accessed November 2014.
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Andy Priestner, "The History of the Vocal Orchestra", www.singingtosurvive.com, accessed November 2014.
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Andy Priestner, "The History of the Vocal Orchestra", www.singingtosurvive.com, accessed November 2014.
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Andy Priestner, "The History of the Vocal Orchestra", www.singingtosurvive.com, accessed November 2014.
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Orchestra of Sumatra featured Peninsula's Women's Chorus conducted by Patricia Hennings in 1985.
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Choral group founded in a Japanese prisoner of war camp in Sumatra during World War II
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The Women's Vocal Orchestra came into being because of the collaborative efforts of
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Patricia F. Hennings, "'Song of Survival': Performing Instrumental Music Vocally,"
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Patricia F. Hennings, "'Song of Survival': Performing Instrumental Music Vocally,"
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Patricia F. Hennings, "'Song of Survival': Performing Instrumental Music Vocally,"
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The Women's Vocal Orchestra of Sumatra has inspired two major motion pictures:
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sense of normalcy in attending a concert around Christmas time.
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Hank Nelson. "A Map to Paradise Road: A Guide for Historians."
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463:, (Ashland, OR: White Cloud Press, (1995), 144-145.
82:List of works (alphabetical by composer surname)
680:1944 disestablishments in the Dutch East Indies
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603:. Canberra, Australia: Australia War Memorial.
328:. (Ashland, OR: White Cloud Press, 1995), 134.
650:Japanese prisoner of war and internment camps
450:, (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1954), 47-48.
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675:1943 establishments in the Dutch East Indies
515:Canberra, Australia: Australia War Memorial.
489:Canberra, Australia: Australia War Memorial.
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248:(German)—“Shepherd’s Dance” from Henry Vlll
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116:Beethoven—Movement 1 from Moonlight Sonata
209:*Mendelssohn—Venetian Gondola Song no. 3
513:Journal of the Australian War Memorial.
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242:—Andante Cantabile from String Quartet
660:Musical groups disestablished in 1944
146:Chopin—Prelude no. 20 “Funeral March”
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273:The Ending of The Vocal Orchestra
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143:Chopin—Prelude no. 15 “Raindrop”
101:—“Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”
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685:History of women in Indonesia
205:—“Shepherd’s Complaint” from
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119:Boughton—“Faery Song” from
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199:MacDowell—“To a Wild Rose”
635:The Captives Hymn (audio)
288:Paradise Road (1997 film)
215:—Allegro from Sonata in C
104:Barrett—"Coronach" from
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630:Excerpt of manuscript
233:—First Movement from
221:—“Menuet a l’antique”
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670:Disbanded orchestras
161:Dvorak—"Largo" from
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163:New World Symphony
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644:Categories
299:References
219:Paderewski
176:Grainger—"
152:—“Reverie”
188:Peer Gynt
111:Beethoven
35:Formation
256:Concerts
231:Schubert
227:—Bolero
172:Jocelyn
150:Debussy
134:—Aubade
30:Sumatra
282:Impact
213:Mozart
138:Chopin
126:Brahms
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225:Ravel
184:Grieg
64:Music
99:Bach
88:edit
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