[78-L] Choral key question

[David Lennick]

Figured you'd respond! I went for the lower option, even though Chicago Deccas 
in my experience play about 4% up. The songs were not well known choir 
favourites but were likely traditional gospel numbers arranged by the group, 
and all but one were in the same key (meaning 3 in A Flat and one in G). As 
follows:

DE 7376A  KING JESUS IS A LISTENING  91243A (3:09) speed flux
DE 7376B  I'M A PILGRIM  91242A (2:41)
DE 7452A  GOOD NEWS GOOD NEWS  91240A (2:40)
DE 7452B  WE WILL SOON BE DONE  91241A (2:46)
GOODWILL MALE CHORUS (May 1937)

On 12/19/2013 2:10 AM, Valerie Langfield wrote:
> It could depend on the mood of the piece - it's in a major key, I take
> it? A flat (and it's A flat major, not G sharp major) is likely to be a
> more subdued mood; A major is a 'bright', up-beat sort of key. As a
> pianist, I find A flat easier, even though it's got 4 flats in the key
> signature (A major has 3 sharps), because black note keys get you right
> into the keyboard.
>
> Can you let us know which one you go for?
>
> Valerie Langfield
>
> In article<BLU0-SMTP80E9C7BAD22C10B2514402BDC50 at phx.gbl>, David Lennick
> <dlennick at sympatico.ca>  writes
>> Got an interesting problem here, a group of 4 sides recorded by Decca in 1937,
>> possibly on portable equipment, of a gospel group with piano accompaniment in
>> Chicago (or by a team from Chicago on remote), and the speed drops
>> radically on
>> each side. Around 5 percent. My problem is to figure which key they're singing
>> in! Obviously a good accompanist can play in just about any key, but which
>> seems more likely, A or A Flat? (Okay, or G Sharp?) To start in A I need to go
>> up close to 7%, and end the side around 2.2% up. A flat sounds a bit more
>> natural but the sides will end up 4% down at the end. Any thoughts,
>> choirmasters?
>