Prep Rehearsal - 7/29/2020

Dear Friends,
Thank you for your continued positive energy and interest as we weather these challenging times. I appreciate the time and effort put forth to get this music learned and ready to rehearse and eventually record. From last week's rehearsal:

Abendlied -

• Please mark and observe all dynamics noting stressed and unstressed syllables
• Make all f and ff full and broad as opposed to merely loud and louder. Always sing with beautiful rich tone on beautiful rich vowels
• Be aware of the very quick diminuendo the last half of m. 38 going into m. 39
• Maintain tone and pitch in descending lines and cadences

I'm Gonna Sing 'Til the Spirit Moves in My Heart -

• Please mark, and then observe the accents throughout while singing
• Altos practice the intervals in mm. 40-41
• Note the dynamics where I have adjusted them: 1st chorus/mm. 10-19 are first time = mf, and repeat = p; last chorus/mm. 44-52 are first time = mf  and repeat = ff 
• Memorize...it's pretty easy. First chorus repeated is SING, Second chorus no repeat PRAY, Third chorus repeated is SHOUT  The reason I want this memorized is it will record better with eyes out of score AND I want it in our permanent performing repertoire.

For next Wednesday, 2/29:

Alleluia - 

• Again, mark every dynamic mark - noting much of it is soft
• Work on starting the initial "ah" of the first Alleluia with a very soft, non-glottal, non-aspirated sound. Pure, delicate tone.
• Always energize the "loo" of each Alleluia 
• What the chromaticisms (marked by lots of accidentals) and especially watch the harmonic shift (seeming key change) at mm. 26

Little Birds -

• Practice your Spanish with clean articulated consonants
• Work for a nice full, warm sound starting with the crescendo in mm. 36-40
• Dust off your bird sounds

Thanks and see you Wednesday,
 Ted
 
  

Prep Rehearsal 7/22/2020

Singing friends,

Thanks again for your attention and work in last weeks rehearsal.

As a recap on Os Justi:

• Dynamics are many and varied. Please highlight all.
• Sing with rich, round vowels and lean into strong syllables.
• Maintain tone and pitch acuity in sustained, staggered phrases all the way to the end.
• Sing middle pages with the tone quality, fluidity, and ease of Renaissance style
• Altos lean into suspension on in corde
• Alleluia at end will be light and free

On Grace Before Sleep:

• Watch every final "t" for clean release
• Even when not singing the melody, ATB sing chordal phrases as if its the melody
• Pg. 5, mms. 17-20 - elongate the vowel (no consonant until next syllable) and control crescendo and softening on last chord
• Starting at m. 21 sing legato but clearly articulated words
• Sing pp. 9 rich and hymn-like. 
• In mm. 40, 42, and 44, watch final consonant and breath so sopranos are by themselves when entering.

For Wednesday:

Abendlied:

• Soprano I: Melody, Karen, Eileen, Suzanne, Lisa
• Soprano II/Alto I: Carissa, Annie, Hunter, Wendy, Joanna
• Alto II: Suzi, Cyndi, Gina, Michele, Cassi
• Tenor I: Joe, Dan, Chuck
• Tenor II: Dana, Thom, Ovid, Andrew
• Bass: Matthew, Peter, John, Ben, Robert

Any women who sang a different part and don't want to learn a new one, see if you can get someone to switch with you.

• All f and ff should be warm rich and not "loud." Think fuller orchestration or fuller organ.
• The song is about an invitation to stay for the evening as the shadows are lengthening (basking in the richness of the setting sun at the end of the day)
• Highlight all dynamic shifts

 I'm Gonna Sing 'Til the Spirit Moves in My Heart:

• I would like Dan, Chuck, Joe, and Thom (in that order) to sing the first page as solo riffs. Joe, make a little more of the third one.
• Small group starting the pick-up to m. 10 is Chuck, Dan, and Joe. Tenor line at m. 10 is Dana, Thom, Ovid, and Andrew
• Highlight all accents and dynamics. Note some changes I made.
• Note asterisk and meaning in mm. 13, 31, 47 - Je-su-sa
• SAT sing mm. 20-27 as if you're listening and responding to basses.
• Sing mm. 35-43 smoothly and cleanly observing dynamics
• Suzanne and Melody do the soprano obligato starting mm. 44 with Melody on top
• Add rit. in measure 53 before fermata.
• There will be a slight crescendo bump on the final fermata.

See you on Wednesday.

Ted

Prep Rehearsal - 7/15/2020

Dear Friends,
Thanks for another good rehearsal. Another shout out to Ovid for his help with organizing the meeting room, and Chuck for setting up the microphone. Hopefully you all found it easier to hear.

A few notes about last weeks rehearsal, in The Sweetheart of the Sun

• Highlight every dynamic and tempo indication. There are many and they make all the difference in the expression of the song. It's a poetic expression of an epic love story.
• Sing primarily with non-vibrato tone throughout for tuning due to the tight harmonics
• Altos/Tenors on p. 4, mm. 15, sing Ah instead of an as discussed
• Everyone be careful of intonation, tone, and dynamic control on p. 6 mm. 31-36

In Sing Me to Heaven

• Sing with rich vowels and short, intense consonants.
• Note the breaths as indicated in my score.
• Use almost non-vibrato tone in the chords in mm. 34 and 56-58

For rehearsal on Wednesday, July 15:

We will flip the rehearsal order:

6:30 - 7:30 MEN

7:30 - 8:30 WOMEN

Os Justi

• Karen, would you mind determining the soprano divisi on this.
• Basses, divide yourselves as you are on Sweetheart on the Sun
• I will send copies of my score in an attachment in an email. Highlight every dynamic.  

Grace Before Sleep

• Same divisi for Sopranos and Basses
• Note my score for some changes in dynamics

Keep rehearsing the previous songs...

Have a great weekend,

Ted

Prep Rehearsal for 7/8/2020

Friends,
It was great to be making music last week. However impersonal it may have felt, we were nonetheless connected. I will plan to have a better mic so that the piano may be heard better. Also, a HUGE thank you to Ovid for moderating the rehearsal. I'm hoping that as we become more familiar with the Microsoft Teams platform, it will become less work for him. Thank you to all of you for being flexible in these challenging times.


A couple of notes about last week:

• I cannot stress enough about using the richest vowels possible on the Beati quorum via. That being said, use a #4 tone (#5 being the darkest.) I may opt for #3, but altos always use a #4.
• Lean into be-AH-ti quoh-room VEE-ah EEn-teh-grah, ehst, qui-AHm-boo-lahnt, een-LEH-jeh, DAW-mi-ni
• Diminish final syllables
• Energize sustained pitches, particularly when descending to avoid flatting
• Keep quarter notes moving--distinct, but legato
• Work on memorization of There is a Pleasure. If we ever do a virtual performance, I want it to be on this piece and I want it memorized (and facially expressive.)
• Again, rich vowels, but really enunciate consonants--almost overdo them for intelligibility
• Keep these two songs fresh, as if we were performing them tomorrow.

For this Wednesday:
We will work on Sweetheart of the Sun and Sing Me to Heaven with women together and men together. Again, women are encouraged to practice with men and vice versa.

• Women 6:30 - 7:30 pm
• Men 7:30 - 8:30 pm

I will be sending copies of my score via separate email. Please look over for highlighting of dynamics and tempi, as well as where breaths are taken. MARK YOUR SCORE ACCORDINGLY.

I look forward to "seeing" you on Wednesday.

Ted