An answer to another of the most pressing questions of our time.

 I, Bear, world famous blogger, former academic, sometimes historian, bon vivant and raconteur extraordinaire, do not often go out and about, but on the rare occasion that I do, the question I am asked more often than any other is: "Would you like fries with that?"  To which I usually answer:  "Did I ask for fries?  No? Well then, I guess I don't want any, do I?"  Unless, of course, I do in fact want fries with that, in which case I answer:  "As a matter of fact, yes, I would like fries with that.  Thank you for remembering."

The question I am asked next most often is:  "Do you know what would Mozart's Ave Verum sound like if it were sung by a barbershop quartet?"  To which I, Bear, world famous blogger, former academic, sometimes historian, bon vivant and raconteur extraordinaire say:  "Why, yes, as a matter of fact I do.  It would sound just like this."



It seems as if they knew I knew, doesn't it?  But then again, I am Bear, world famous blogger, former academic, sometimes historian, bon vivant and raconteur extraordinaire.  Of course they knew I knew.

The young gentlemen  singing this piece also do William Byrd's version of the Ave Verum Corpus. 



I, Bear, World famous blogger, former academic, sometimes historian, bon vivant and raconteur extraordinaire, feel it is important to delicately point out to you, my gentle readers, that while it is common to hear this piece sung by larger ensembles today,  this version may not be a historically inaccurate performance of the Byrd piece.  Byrd was a recucant Catholic in a time and place where it was dangerous to be so, and he wrote much of his music for small choirs singing clandestine Masses.  His Masses for Three, Four and Five voices were exactly that.  This piece may have been written for his fellow recusants, or it could have been written for Elizabeth's private Masses (she only outlawed the use of Latin at Mass for other people, not herself), or both.

The young man who upoloaded this video posted it with the explanation:  "just having some fun with a few talented friends : )"  I wish I could say the same except I, Bear, world famous blogger, former academic, sometimes historian, bon vivant and raconteur extraordinaire do not use smileys.  Also, while I, Bear, etc, would have loved to have gotten together with some of my university chums on a Friday night and sung Renaissance choral music, they always wanted to head to crowded nightclubs and get royally plastered.  Such is the life of a Bear,