Imperfect Harmony

April 15, 2013
Horn (Cyberville), in her reflective memoir of her decades-long participation in the Choral Society of Grace Church in lower Manhattan, delves into works the choir and others like it have sung over the centuries. She also describes how singing with the group has alleviated her loneliness and depression. Horn, who has been a member of the 152-seat volunteer community choir since 1982, touches on some of the notable choirs throughout American history (most were male until the remarkable Rubenstein Club was formed in 1886 in New York). Horn eloquently traces the evolution of ensemble singing, from monks chanting in the Middle Ages and the blossoming of church music in the Renaissance through the golden age of the 19th century. She also discusses many of the works that endure today, such as those by Purcell, Handel, Bach, Haydn, and Mozart. The Choral Society of Grace Church has tackled challenging pieces by Leonard Bernstein, Ralph Vaughan William, and Franz Xaver Biebl, among others, though Horn mostly dwells, somewhat peevishly, on her humble place in that choir as second soprano (“I’m just not good at most things”). She writes movingly about how singing about death and simply breathing together bring a transcendent feeling of harmonious belonging. Agent: Betsey Lerner, Dunow, Carson & Lerner.

May 15, 2013
The joyful journey of one woman's life through song. "Singing had punctuated all the best moments of my life. And created them," writes Horn (Unbelievable: Investigations into Ghosts, Poltergeists, Telepathy, and Other Unseen Phenomena from the Duke Parapsychology Laboratory, 2009, etc.). So, instead of keening on the floor alone when her brief marriage ended and her life hit rock bottom, it was only logical for the author to turn to singing. She joined the Choral Society of Grace Church in New York City and has rarely looked back over the past 30 years, even though she is the first to admit that her singing voice is less than perfect. With wit and honesty, Horn opens the doors to a world nonsingers rarely see or hear: the world of music as it is experienced by those who write it and who perform it. The endless weeks spent in rehearsals, taking notes, doing warm-ups and repeating the same sections over and over again until every note was perfect are just a few of the many behind-the-scene moments related by the author. As the years progressed, choir directors came and went, but Horn managed to learn from each of them, as well as her fellow choir members, on how to let go of her worries and simply bask in the joy of singing. Music is one constant that allows Horn full expression of who she is; she readily admits to crying throughout many concerts from the emotional impact of the surrounding sounds. She also gained enough courage to record her voice and enter it into a "Virtual Choir" on the Internet. The author interweaves entertaining and informative history on many well-known Masses and requiems with her reflections on what it meant to sing those particular pieces. Even those unable to carry a tune will find that Horn's prose hits a high note.

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May 1, 2013
Horn is not a great singer. But the 30 years she has spent with the Choral Society of Grace Church in New York have been about greatness beyond self, the importance of community, and the joy of creating. Part memoir, part history, part case study, Imperfect Harmony is accessible and infectious. With the enthusiasm of a hobbyist and the discipline of a professional, Horn unfolds the history of choral music, the neurological science underpinning what happens in listeners' and performers' brains, and the effort it takes to put on a performance. The choir community in this book is made up of both those at rehearsal and the composers and the singers of the past. This is for not only readers with an interest in choral singing but also anyone who has enjoyed creative endeavors, either as artists or consumers. Horn beautifully captures the magnificent feeling of joining oneself to something larger, becoming something greater in harmony with others rather than solo. Like her beloved soprano notes, Horn's love of making music soars through her book.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)