Singing "Jingle Bells" in four-part harmony is no easy task. Just ask the Sons of the Severn Barbershop Chorus.
The bass sing "jingle jingle . . ." over and over while the tenors start on "Dashing through the snow . . ." and somehow they have to conclude all together with a rousing "Hey!"
Then there is the little problem with the horse's whinny.
At one recent practice session, Alejandro Alvarez gave it a try, but someone said he sounded like Mr. Ed.
But the singers were certain they'd have it right in time for their performance Saturday at Chatham Mall in Ellicott City, the first of six performances by the men's chorus during the Christmas season.
The Sons of the Severn, a chapter of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, has been singing in Anne Arundel County since 1949.
The group brings together 50 men ranging in age from 32 to 80 who have little else in common than a love for barbershop harmony.
They include businessmen, plumbers and doctors. Some travel from Baltimore City, Baltimore County and even the Eastern Shore for the weekly practices at Glen Burnie United Methodist Church.
"We all love to sing," said Pete Lee, former president of the chorus, who has been a member for eight years. "And it's not necessary that we all are good singers."
If anyone was singing off key at last Tuesday's practice, it wasn't noticeable.
Director Larry Duggan took the members through a series of Christmas carols, encouraging them to smile, watch his signals, and to round off their "O's" to avoid that Bawlamer twang.
Orville Henschell, a bass from Glen Burnie, explained that chorus is a teaching society that always is seeking new members. "We want to have 100 men."
Chip Brousseau, 32, is one of the youngest members of the Sons of the Severn. He was a teen-ager captivated by hard rock when his father dragged him to hear his first barbershop quartet.
"It was great. I was wondering where all that sound was coming from," he said.
Although Mr. Brousseau later played guitar in a rock band, he continued to be fascinated with vocal harmonies.
A few years ago, he decided to give up the late nights of a rock musician for the early evening rehearsals and performances of the Sons of Severn.
"I haven't plugged in my guitar since," he said.
The beauty of barbershop singing, Mr. Lee said, is that it sounds more complex than it is.
