Great Choral Excerpts to Sing While You’re Washing Your Hands
We all know that we are supposed to be washing our hands for 20 seconds to prevent the spread of germs, and a good way to mark out that time is to sing “Happy Birthday” twice. Are you tired of singing Happy Birthday? We are, too!
So, we decided to put together a list of some great choral excerpts to audiate, hum, or sing at full volume while you scrub your hands. Enjoy!
“Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende Statt” from Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem: This mysterious yet catchy tune is sure to keep you entertained while you cover every inch of your hands with soap! “Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende Statt, sondern die zukünftige suchen wir.” (“For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.”)
Duruflé’s Ubi caritas Coincidentally, the text of Ubi caritas typically accompanies the Washing of the Feet on Holy Thursday! Sing through “Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est, Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor”
"All We Like Sheep" from Handel’s Messiah: Wash those germs away as you sing this earworm by G.F. Handel! Keep scrubbing until you get through the words from Isaiah 53:6: “All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way.”
Palestrina’s Sicut Cervus: You can’t go wrong with Palestrina’s most well-known work, Sicut Cervus. Sing through “Sicut cervus desiderat ad fontes aquarum” twice in your voice part.
"Bogoroditse Devo" from Rachmaninoff’s Vespers: Try the 6th movement of Rachmaninoff’s a cappella masterpiece! Depending on the tempo you choose, sing either “Bogoroditse Devo, raduisya,” or continue the phrase all the way up to “Blagodatnaya Mariye.”