. ,. . they lost themselves to each other

[shootingstar]

For the last two weeks at Midnight Choir, he's (William) worked with the small group of tenors for half an hour, leaving the basses to Martin. Initially, he was so nervous, he didn't notice much beyond his own shaking hands and bland comments, but last week was different. For twenty minutes they lost themselves to each other, and the sound they made when they came back as a group and sang to the basses was so much better, William could have punched the air.

(From A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe, Part IV Midnight Choir, scene 52)

What do you take "they lost themselves to each other" to mean in this context?

 

[emsr2d2]

I would say that it means they were so completely engrossed in their practice that the outside world meant nothing. For twenty minutes, it felt as if if was just them and nothing else existed. (As a member of an a cappella choir, I can confidently say that it's entirely possible to feel this way when singing, although it's not as common as I'd like it to be!)

 

[shootingstar]

Brill! Thank you for providing an insight into the emotional world of a real choir member .

 

[Skrej]

I completely agree with emsr2d2's explanation, but note the expression isn't exclusive to chorale singing or even music. It's a slight variation on the idiom to lose oneself in.

See the similar idiom 'lost to the world'.

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