Catterwall

Are these the strings that poets saigne,Have cleared the Ayer and calmed the mayne,Charmed wolves and from the mountains crests,Made forrests dance with all their beasts?Could these neglected threds you see,Inspire a Lute of IvoryeAnd bid it speake? So thinke then wahtHath been committed by my catt!That in the silence…

This post is adapted from a presentation I gave to the Musicality Category at the British Association of Barbershop Singers’s Contest and Judging Seminar in February 2025. It explores some of the recurring pronunciation mistakes that British barbershop singers often make when adopting an American accent for stylistic purposes. Before…