"Cosi Cosa"

What Does It Mean?

It's a wonderful word, tra la la la! I got to hear my new arrangement of this song sung for the first time tonight - front to back. Last fall, Polymnia Choral Society's director, Murray Kidd, asked me to arrange "Cosi Cosa" from "A Night At the Opera" for the "Pops" concert on June 6 at Memorial Hall in Melrose. Last year he asked me to arrange "Take Me Out To the Ball Game" and I stuck to what I knew - a cappella. This time, I incorporated the standard piano accompaniment from 1935 underneath the choir; why fight upstream?

Still, it was daunting taking on a piece with accompaniment. Piano is not my forte; pardon the pun. I took more than a few deep breaths sizing up this project. Once I got the piano score and began to work with it, I could see possibilities opening up.

The more they opened up, the more I stretched and began to just have fun within the medium. The singers did not have to do all the work; they were suddenly freer, in my mind, to disengage and do frivolous and fun things. In truth, they really should always be free! I have a tendency to keep every voice busy, creating harmony and singing pleasing lines. "Take Me Out To the Ball Game" was classic in this regard. The calliope starts in measure one and every voice works hard to keep the machine pumping along until the tension breaking denoument, ala Carly Simon.

It Could Mean Yes, It Could Mean No

But this was different. I began to picture our soloist, one of Boston's most outstanding voices, Brad Peloquin, pacing around the stage, gesturing wildly with an operatic chorus backing him supporting or punctuating his every line, sometimes trying to outdo him. My inner Italian spirit began to awaken and I let the three ring circus of the song take life. Yes, some parts of the song are my classic a cappella style - the choir has to sing, after all. But sometimes, they just embellish and sing more freely and do silly stuff.

Three days listening to Mario Lanza, lots of espresso lattes and trying to feel what Mr. Lanza was going for, and eventually the picture begins to come into focus. More weeks of stewing and rework, and finally a pass by the director for some suggestions and changes (it's a tenor solo for Brad Peloquin, you idiot!), more stewing and rework and then it just seemed right.

Proof Is In the Pudding

Tonight I heard some really awesome singers begin to sing it under a director who knows how to work a song. Yes, it will do; it will really do!! It will be a three ring circus that makes Brad Peloquin look like a happy, mad genius. "Cosi Cosa!! Get together and sing tra-la-la-la!" Oh, and we shall!