Some twenty members of the Shawnee Choral Society are taking this dictum to heart as they prepare for a January 19, 2009 appearance at Carnegie Hall. The Topeka group will sing the Mozart Requiem along with members of other community and high school choirs from around the country.

The Topeka contingent started working on the Requiem in July and are using a variety of techniques to become note-perfect. There is the old stand-by that has probably been around since Mozart's day - playing separate parts at home on a piano to prepare for the group's Wednesday evening rehearsals.

Technology also plays a role. Singers can buy a CD of the Requiem (or check out a copy at the library) and sing along with a famous chorus and orchestra. The web site www.cyberbass.com has major works broken down into different parts. For instance, if a singer clicks on the alto part, that part will be played more loudly. When you've become more proficient, you can click on "tutti" and all the parts will be played at the same volume.

Since the work will be sung in Latin, part of the group rehearsals are spent going over pronunciation.

The Requiem is less than an hour long in performance, but many hours of practice will take place beforehand.

To learn more about the Requiem, look for the books Mozart: His Life and Music, by Jeremy Siepmann and Opus Ultimum: the Story of the Mozart Requiem by Daniel Leeson. The library also has several versions of the Requiem (K626).

To find out more about the Shawnee Choral Society, go to their web site: www.shawneechoral.com