Notes – Dress Rehearsal 12/6/2017

Thank you for all your hard work in spite of several obstacles this semester. I appreciate all you’ve brought in terms of talent and spirit. I think you are going to sing some beautiful music, beautifully. A few things to keep in mind and please mark into your scores:

Hodie Christus Natus Est

·         Be aggressive in your timing and rhythm in a light, dance-like manner. Don’t let it get too relaxed. Use light tonal production.

·         Always lean on the ”lu” of all Alleluias. Always diminish the last syllable in every word.

·         Make no-e light and detached always.

·         Make it exciting – your text is the words of the angels announcing the birth.

Magnum Mysterium

·         Slight modification (TENORS/BASS) – crescendo the half notes, descrescendo the quarter notes in O magnum section – pages 3-5. PLEASE MARK THIS!!

·         Start and maintain piano at Allegro section page 10. Keep it brisk and crisp on alleluias, but soft.

Allon, Gay Bergeres

·         Please get your eyes out of your scores and try to look like you’re emotionally engaged in the excitement of this piece.

·         Push the rhythm and excitement of the story-telling

Alleluia

·         Make this ethereal in mood. Remember the first 5 pages never really get above a piano, and there are a lot of pp markings

Masters in this Hall

·         Again, get out of your scores and tell the story

·         Listen for the melody being careful front row (Peter/Chuck/Eileen) not to project too much when it’s your turn

I Wonder as I Wander/Still, Still, Still/In the Bleak Midwinter/Before the Marvel of This Night

·         Enunciate like crazy. All these texts are very significant

·         In the Bleak Midwinter – open mouthed hm (ng) for all parts except soprano melody starting pickup to measure 33 all the way to tenors at 48.

Ya viene la Viejo

·         This is short, light, fluff—make it playful and look up.

Angels We Have Heard on High

·         Move the tempo/rhythm with light-hearted excitement

·         Soften at measures 88-90 then swell to 91 on Deo

Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day

·         Sounds great! Be sure and sing “lahv” at end

Benedictus

·         Keep this prayer-like

·         Please watch!!! I want you to really communicate this with the audience!

·         Decrescendo through the breath at the end has / no end, meaning come in soft on no.

Glory – Encore

·         Don’t over sing. Be enthusiastic and full-voiced, but keep it beautiful.

·         Sopranos really study your entrances and variations on the Go Tell It sections

·         Any tenors who can double the basses at measure 27 would be appreciated.

·         All the big glorys and kings should be rich, not just loud

Rehearsal Notes for Nov. 29, 2017

Hodie Christus Natus Est

• ·         The whole thing should be much lighter – no louder than mf.
• ·         Light and detached on all no-e’s
• ·         On page 4, the Alleluia’s with 16^th-notes should be the focus. 8ths notes should back off
• ·         Always emphasize the syllable lu of Alleluia.
• ·         Page 5, last measure, please circle and observe the diminuendo
• ·         Page 7, light and dance-like on Laetantur archangeli
• ·         Page 9, glorias should be more legato
• ·         No retard at end until beat 3 of penultimate measure

Gaudete

• ·         Sounds good.
• ·         Tenors be clear and distinct on your solo sections

O Magnum Mysterium

• ·         Make it mysterious and chant-like (think Buddhist monks) all the way through
• ·         Tenor/Bass crescendo into Ma- and decrescendo into –gnum
• ·         Trebles note the andante tempo (means moderate, not slow)
• ·         Baritones and basses be well blended and ready to move at measure 25-26
• ·         Altos and baritones double check pitches and intonation at measures 33-40
• ·         Keep a straight tone and more mystical sounding at measures 49 to 55 on O beata virgo
• ·         The Allegro section starting at measure 66 – keep it light and flowing – not much more than p to mp
• ·         Plan your breath Basses at measures 94-95 to hold through the break

Allon, Gay Bergeres

·         Observe most dynamics as marked (circle or highlight, please)

·         All verses are lighter

·         Sopranos detach quarter-notes at top of page 8

·         Dynamics should be mp at top of page 9 Un gateau luy

·         Second Allon, gay at bottom of page 10 should be mp

·         Ho, ho’s at top of 11 should be almost staccato and soft

·         At tope of 12, bring each dynamic down one degree (i.e., mf and f rather than f and ff)

·         Again, minimal ritardando until beat three of penultimate measure

Masters in This Hall

• ·         Avoid much of any ll in Nowells
• ·         Tenor/Bass keep it piano on pages 127/128 during Matthew’s solo. Matt sing out with good diction
• ·         On page 129 and 130, Tenor/Bass keep it still relatively light
• ·         Please note that solo is marked by an asterisk* with the exception of baritones on Holpen are all folk on earth Born the Song of God so dear. Back off if your section doesn’t have the solo.
• ·         Tenor keep Nowells light on page 131-132 – listen for treble voices
• ·         Sopranos sing out on pages 133-134
• ·         Listen for exchange of melody through each part on pages 135-137, especially Altos on last And cast a-down the proud

Ya viene la vieja

• ·         Work to pick up tempo without losing accuracy and crispness of diction
• ·         Make Tn without a vowel, it’s sounding like your singing “tin”        
• Almost detached Pampanitos verdes to keep it clear and up to tempo
• ·         Sing along with recording to reach tempo

In the Bleak Midwinter

• ·         Tone and line, always tone and line!!!
• ·         Always keep the vowels the focus rather than consonants especially on in, win-ter
• ·         All 3/2 measures will be a subdivided 3
• ·         If you have the melody, really enunciate the words. If not, it’s about open rich tone on the vowels.
• ·         Note decrescendo on page 121, measure 40
• ·         Watch cut offs, breaths and entrances (Altos) in measure 62
• ·         Make the last line piano
• ·         The penultimate measure will be conducted in 4 with Sopranos counting their dotted quarter and eighth notes
• ·         Altos/Basses, I will conduct each note in last measure

Glory, Glory, Glory to the Newborn King

• ·         MEMORIZE
• ·         Sopranos (Jo) work out who’s singing I/II
• ·         Patterns in intro are same with different words. Sometimes there’s a break before the oo’s and sometimes they continue from the last word. WATCH!
• ·         All forte or fortissimo sections must be sung beautifully (opera chorus)
• ·         Basses, at Allegro top of page 5, I will give subtle two beats before you come in on Children
• ·        Basses/Tenors, really be 100% sure of your notes on your Glory’s. Sing them with full, vigorous tone, especially Tenor II and Baritone.
• ·         Watch measure 93 on page 10. Women cut off immediately while men hold. Then women alone come in after men cut off. Women hold fermata on sing-in’ and men joy on Glory.
• ·         Last measure new-born is loud, King is sfz (hit “k” hard and then soft on King with a huge swell until cut off

FOR TUESDAY:

Alleluia

• ·         Please review, especially dyanmics.
• ·         Basses please review the pitch accuracy on page 9 at Movendo.
• ·         Sing as beautifully of tone in the louder sections as you do in the soft ones

I Wonder as I Wander

• ·         Suzi – make the solo kind of slow and pensive. Take all the time you need and breath as much as you need to. Make it a little haunting
• ·         Tenors enter softly on her last pitch (D4)
• ·         When Sopranos enter on melody it will still be relatively slow but metered
• ·         Circle the decrescendo in meausure 34 down to pp. There will be a ritardando Tenor/Bass in measure 35.
• ·         Very legato on verse 3 and move a bit more and with a bit of rubato – WATCH!
• ·         Altos and Sopranos activate (meaning lean into) the second of the tied notes through the humming sections
• ·         Note that it ends pp

Still, Still, Still

• ·         Stay on vowels as long as possible on still, sleep, dream. Get initial consonants (sl and dr) out of the way quickly
• ·         Sopranos make the slurred 4^th up, 6^th down, 3^rd up, 5^th down progression as clean, but as legato as possible. Use the breath and the vowel to execute the rising/following intervals, not the consonants

Before the Marvel of This Night

• ·         I LOVE this poetry!!! Really enunciate the words – underline and stress:
• ·         Verse 1: marvel, night, fold, bow, tear, light, news, endow, Proclaim, birth, peace, fear, death, sorrow, cease.
• ·         Verse 2: awake, sleeping, assemble here (soprano), come arrayed, Give, glimpse, teasing taste, miss
• ·         Verse 3: love, always known, joy, endless light, loveless world, shown, break upon, compress the love. Make love rich and warm with ”ah” vowel

Angels We Have Heard on High

• ·         Trebles sing beginning with warm, pure, tone
• ·         Glorias: Sopranos drive half note into eights, Altos increase each two-note pattern as you go from first to next (ex. G to A, F# to G, etc.)
• ·         Tenor/Bass sing your verse with slight detached tone and with sense of surprise and wonder in voice. More legato at measure 40
• ·         At measure 57, sing with fuller tone and more legato
• ·         Circle crescendo in measures 61/62
• ·         Note decrescendo in measure 64
• ·         At measures 75 and 82, think of it has more marcato (accented and detached) than staccato.
• ·         Never get too loud, just full and jubilant. At measures 88-90, back off a little so we hear the bell accents. Accent then fall off
• ·         Full at 91 to end

Benedictus

• ·         Benedictus is where we get the word benediction which means blessing. Sing it as a blessing with warmth and gentleness

Rehearsal Notes for 10/18/2017

Carmina Burana - Primo vere p. 19

• Tenors and Basses sing together on all men's parts as do Sopranos and Altos on women's
• This is quite simple, done in a flowing chant style
• Note that there are some slight variations in pronunciation - please mark the phonetic pronunciation in your scores. Because we are singing songs in Latin, you will be confused. Marking it will instantly remind you.
• All c's followed by i or e are pronounced with a ts instead of ch. 
• All h's are pronounced
• All qu's are pronounced qv
• All y's are pronounced like an u-umlaut in German
• All z's are pronounced ts as in Mozart

For parts, go to www.cyberbass.com and look under Orff: Carminia Burana.

For pronunciation, go to http://online.sfsu.edu/uchorus/pronounce/pronounce.html

Alleluia

• Please highlight all the dynamic marks and tempo marks in your scores, especially subito piano in margin a bottom of pg. 7
• Note pg. 7 poco rall. (slight slowing) in bass part then a tempo in next measure
• At top of pg. 8, mark measure 48 p, measure 49 mp
• Start to move it at top of 9 and continue increasing speed at the bottom of pg. 9
• Circle the rall. (slowing) at measure 62, and Largamente means slowly and it will continue to slow to the end.
• Altos, I will conduct each note of your final alleluia

Allon, Gay Bergeres

• We worked through all of it with French at moderate pace. 
• I will record the pronunciation slowly

Al Hanissim

• We reviewed the first chorus. Please look at the parts and I will record the pronunciation this week. In general, the vowels are like Latin. The apostrophe following a consonant denotes a syllable with the schwa--unaccented sound as the French e. So for example v' would be pronounced as the e in de in French. Ch is a hard gutteral as in Bach.

NEXT WEEK:

Ya Viene la Vieja

Hodie Christus Natus Est

Benedictus - Print out and review

Glory, Glory, Glory to the Newborn King

Carmina Burana #'s 8 and 9 - where it says coro piccolo

Rehearsal Notes for 10/4/2017

Gaudete

• Tenor I and II please review your words in the solo lines and practice getting them up to tempo
• First chorus (p. 3) should be piano
• Verse III (p. 7) should be lightly detached in the non solo voices then remember it's piano at top of p. 8
• I would like this piece memorized

In the Bleak Midwinter

• Focus on stretching the vowels and shortening the consonants particularly m's, n's, l's
• If you're not singing the melody or the harmony in the same rhythm, back off in volume
• No breath at end of measure 58 man,--I
• poco rit. at Measure 63, then more so in last two measures

Hodie Chrsitus Natus Est

• Review all notes and rhythms so you are comfortable with parts
• Next time, I want to be able to work through the meter changes - not only are there meter changes, but they coincide with going from homophonic sections (singing same rhythms together as in the response of the hodie and laetantur) and the polyphonic sections when your lines are weaving seemingly independently.
• Pay little attention to the dynamic markings. They are an editors suggestion and the implications may be unsuitable. I don't want any of it to be truly forte

O Magnum Mysterium

• Review your notes and counting on the the Allegro section starting on p. 10 at measure 66.
• Baritones you have the variances of pitch progression and coming in on inconsistent beats
• I'd like to hear Eileen and Lisa on the soprano solo; and Chuck on the tenor solo

FOR NEXT WEEK

Alleluia - with attention to full, fluid tone supported on the breath, and attention to dynamics/articulation

Allon, Gay Bergeres - with attention to language/diction and sections of rhythmic complexity

Al Hanissim - introduce (or re-introduce) this with explanation of Hebrew diction

Carmina Burana - #3 (p. 19-25) #7 and #8 (p. 43-56) #9c Chume, chum, gesselle min (p. 60-62)

Benedictus - introduce

Rehearsal Notes for 9/27/17

Masters in this Hall

• Sing the whole things with energy and fullness of tone. Keep bouncy
• Verse 1 sing all the way with staggered breathing.
• Verse 2 (p. 127) Tenor/Bass work through parts
• Verse 3 (Lisa please do soprano solo-listen to the ornaments used on the recording)
• Last verse, watch rhythms on Nowells in various parts

Hodie Christus Natus Est

• Work through all the parts. 
• 6/4 sections will be in slow 2-beat vs. 4-beat in either 2 or 4

I Wonder as I Wander

• Remember it's pronounced loo-la-by
• Tenor/Bass make the F# in measure 35 high enough
• Make all changes of humming chords (p. 4) distinctly, yet legato

Angels We Have Heard on High

• Sopranos (and Altos singing) make the first verse clear and resonant, but not too loud
• No breath at top of p. 5 tidings be, which inspire
• Full and flowing in a cappella section starting at bottom of p. 6, measure 57
• All breathe after sing in measure 60
• Accented staccato in measure 75
• Observe accents in measures 88-90

NEXT WEEK:  Review:

Allon, Gay Bergeres

O Magnum Mysterium (especially starting at p. 10, at Allegro (m. 66)

Ya Viene la Vieja

In the Bleak Midwinter

Gaudete (especially the soli sections - tenors)

Rehearsal Notes for 9/20/17

None submitted.

Rehearsal Notes for Wednesday 9/13/17

Great rehearsal last night. We missed Doug, Ben, and Peter.

In the Bleak Midwinter

·         Make sure to stretch the vowels and bit the consonants. Pronounce closer to “ee” than “ih” in words like in, midwinter, wind, etc.

·         Overall, think of a tenuto (stretched-held) articulation throughout

·         Note rhythm shift in 3/2 measures

Masters in This Hall

·         Sing with full tone, but feel the bounce of the 6/8 rhythm

·         Make sure to practice rhythm shifts in nowell patterns. Also, use a brief dentalized (Italianate) “l” on each nowell

·         Men, think about solo on pages 127-128. I would like to decide by the next rehearsal.

I Wonder as I wander

·         Remember to pronounce as “loo-la” and “loo-la-by”

·         Measure measures 37-54 very legato/tenuto

·         Breathe after wing in measure 44, but no breath after it in measure 50. NOTE: No breath after thing in measure 40. (This is a change)

·         Make the humming note/chord changes distinct but unaccented in measures 54-end

·         The solo can be a man or woman. Look it over. I will decide on it on September 27.

Alleluia

·         Be sure to note all dynamic and articulation markings while learning and practicing

·         Sopranos be mindful of pitch always. This song is challenging to keep in tune.

·         Practice the chord change from the last beat of measure 40 to measure 50

·         Don’t ever let it get languid. It is often very soft, but should have sense of wonder in tone and movement in line.

Before the Marvel of This Night

·         Trebles keep the unison section on first verse clean but flowing. Diction is imperative.

·         Verse 2 at measure 29, should be warm and sustained. Be definite in rhythm when moving in and out of the 3/2 measure.

·         Beautiful unison sections for men and women on verse 3 at measure 53. Whoever has the melody takes the lead dynamically.

·         There will be a slight hold on the sustained notes on the first two beats of measure 73.  After the breath, watch for re-establishing tempo which will be slower.

Below are what I want you to look at/listen to this week:

Allon, Gay Bergeres

O Magnum Mysterium

Gaudete (Men, think about solo)

Hodie Christus Natus Est (At least the first 4-5 pages)

Al Hanissim

Thanks,

Ted