Alice Parker teaches heart and soul of folksong

Alice Parker, legendary composer and arranger of folksongs and hymns, presented a Community Sing in Binghamton as part of a weekend with The Madrigal Choir of Binghamton, at whose concert she conducted several of her arrangements. Her Community Sing inspired listeners to sing folksong and hymns in the spirit of the story the text tells. Melody, harmony, rhythm and tempo should all reflect the mood of the song, she said. When we sing songs of other cultures as closely as possible to their original style and spirit, we make the best bridge to those cultures.