Humming Chorus

Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924) was an Italian composer, known for his operas, which featured beautiful melodies. This work comes from his opera, Madame Butterfly and the innocent childlike melody is hummed by the Chorus (hence the title). There is opportunity for the more advanced students in each section to play the melody, using higher positions and vibrato, while requiring excellent bow control. The accompanying parts are all pizzicato, which gives the director an opportunity to discuss how a resonant tone is produced when plucking the string, keeping the left-hand fingers firm and the plucking finger over the fingerboard. This arrangement is very close to the original and requires precise intonation in the unison and octave parts