Prompt: "The oldest song you actually like"
Selected by Allison
Il bianco e dolce cigno
composed by Jacques Arcadelt
1539
I was pretty cool in high school. From sophomore year to senior year, I was in the mixed-gender a capella ensemble Madrigals. It was very exclusive, only admitting two-to-three new members a year. We wore heavy costumes made out of upholstery, and the boys wore tights. Tights were non-negotiable. We performed all over the tri-state area, and during the Christmas season, we'd wassail all over Haddonfield, delighting passersby with our music. Senior year, I was the co-chair of the group. In the band/choral/theater crowd that I ran with, I was the shit.
I truly loved performing with that group. I took it very seriously; how could you not with those costumes? We met every morning to rehearse for fifteen minutes before homeroom. In reality, it was ten minutes of fucking around, five minutes of singing, but to get a group of teenagers to commit to meeting before school requires a special bond. Madrigals was responsible for my first co-ed slumber party experiences. Parents in the 2000s weren't too worried about the sexual promiscuity of theater dorks, but oh man, they should have been...
Il Bianco (as those in the know call it) was always one of my favorites. It was the kind of song that we always got right. The harmonies are incredible, and rehearsing it never felt like work. Listening back to it now, I remember every line, every word, every note.
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