Rehearsal Notes from November 9, 2021

Those singing at PUC on December 10/11 - thank you for a good rehearsal. Please continue to look at the music between now and next week. We'll do a quick run through of the pieces at the end of next week's rehearsal. I will be sending Chuck recordings of the parts for There Is No Rose, today. The two pieces from Vivaldi's Gloria are on Cyberbass.com. I will also provide Chuck with links for performances.

REHEARSAL - for November 16: ALL singers are called and we will rehearse:

• Thompson Alleluia. Try to sing through it several times each week to develop vocal control and endurance at the dynamics suggested - please make sure all dynamics are highlighted.
• Barnum Sweetheart of the Sun. Again, concentrate on dynamic shades and vocal control (non-vibrato in delicate sections).
• Hogan Music Down in My Soul, begin memorization and
• Hogan I'm Gonna Sing Till the Spirit Moves in My Heart, begin memorization.

RECORDING

I've found two potential recording engineers, both of whom I think would do a great job. I have also emailed Mary Jane at Mont La Salle to see if we can use the chapel to record the 1st weekend in March (5-6), as well as the Tuesday before (1st) for a rehearsal in the space prior to recording. After talking with one of the recording engineers, the reverb at MLS can be heightened or lessened based on the proximity of the mics, and I thought it would be nice for you to sing in that space. 

Happy practicing...

Rehearsal Notes from 11/2/2021

 Dear Singers,

I apologize for not being consistent about posting, but after lasts night's rehearsal/meeting here are the take-away's:

• I will resume regularly posting notes regarding the following week's rehearsal, i.e., what to practice and what to apply to your scores.
• We all need to make Bel Canto a priority. There have been to many absences throughout this semester, which makes it difficult to move forward on the projects/goals we want to achieve. If we want to be the outstanding group which we desire to be, it will take everyone's commitment, consistency, and focus.
• Most people work better with a focused goal/deadline. This week I will try to secure both dates, venues, and times for the recording project which we will continue to prepare for. I want this project to be flawless and of the greatest musical artistry with which we are capable. The next few months are about refinement, not learning notes and rhythms. If you're needing to play catch-up, that must be done on your own time.

A few things of which to be aware. 

• A select group (some have conveyed their conflicts) of Bel Canto will be performing as part of the Pacific Union College's Christmas concert. We will be singing with the Chorale and orchestra and we may possibly sing Come and See the Newborn King. The dates are:

       Thursday, December 9, time TBA at PUC - Dress Rehearsal

       Friday, December 10, 8:00 (7:00 call time) at PUC - CONCERT

       Saturday, December 11, 4:00 (3:30 call time) at PUC - CONCERT

• I'm looking to schedule the Recording for early March. That will hopefully give Suzanne some time to recover as well as give us time for production to have the CD available for sale at our early May Concert. 
• The program for the Spring concert will be the CD repertoire labeled as Bel Canto's Favorites. We need Bel Canto emerge from Covid with a stellar performance. There may be some other repertoire along the way. 

FOR THIS NEXT REHEARSAL - November 9

Those who are singing at PUC only are called. Any who want to sing may join in. Please look at: 

• Vivaldi Gloria (first two movements) - parts are on Cyberbase
• There is No Rose (I will record parts and have those to Chuck Friday to put up)
• The Glory of the Father
• I will be passing out one other piece, a setting of O Little Town of Bethlehem on Tuesday.

FOR November 16, all singers are called and we will rehearse:

• Thompson Alleluia. Try to sing through it several times each week to develop vocal control and endurance at the dynamics suggested
• Barnum Sweetheart of the Sun. Again, concentrate on dynamic shades and vocal control (non-vibrato in delicate sections)
• Hogan Music Down in My Soul, begin memorization and
• Hogan I'm Gonna Sing Till the Spirit Moves in My Heart, begin memorization

Happy Singing,

Ted

Rehearsal Notes for October 5, 2021

We are planning on rehearsing at Eileen (and Michael) Hunt's home at: 

• 1024 Elmo Court (Napa)
• Either carpool from town or park on Solano Avenue and carpool to their home
• We will meet at 6:00 pm - it will be a shorter rehearsal
• Please check you messages for a possible cancellation and move back to NHS if Eileen is not up to it that evening

Music to mark and review before Tuesday:

The Cuckoo

• Sopranos and Altos energize the notes preceding the leaps in ms. 9-10 and 25-26 so that the upper notes are pp as written and not scooped. Please practice this until they're clean. 
• It is a simple, haunting folk song that should be approached with gentleness and care, and attention to the text.
• Please note the dynamics. Highlight them. Sing the last refrain pp.

Abendlied

• An invitation to stay for the night (rest) because the day is coming to an end.
• Stretch vowels (first vowel of diphthongs) for warmth and richness of tone. Think Brahms!
• Highlight dynamics, especially crescendo and diminuendo symbols. NOTE: the climax is where the diminuendo begins.
• Sing with a tenuto pull throughout, not just legato.
• All f's are about fullness, not volume.
• All should insert a diminuendo in the last half of ms. 38, so the downbeat of ms. 39 is p.
• Practice the diminuendo from the ms. 46 to the end so that it is controlled.

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

• Dan, Chuck, Joe, and Thom (in that order) practice your solos on the first page.
• Highlight and practice syncopated accents on chorus.
• Basses - make sure that the descending line in ms. 25-26 is accurate and clean
• Add 2nd beat accents through the movin' sections in ms. 36-43

If time, 

Sing Me to Heaven 

• I want to begin memorizing this.

Rehearsal Notes - August 31, 2021

 It was great to meet and sing together in the courtyard at NHS. A few notes regarding subsequent rehearsals:

• It gets cool, plan accordingly
• It gets dark, so if you have a portable light, bring it
• We will continue to evaluate the mask policy as we proceed
• Parking can be challenging to find depending on other evening activities, so plan to come a little early so we can start on time

As for rehearsals and notes, I will give thorough notes about the music that we have rehearsed. Please review and apply those things to your scores so we don't have to repeat--things like breaths, diction, etc.

Here we go:

Sing Me to Heaven

1. Rehearse on rich, tall vowels until each note/rhythm is flawless.
2. Words should be vowel focused. Consonants are brief and crisp.
3. Every time an interval of more than an upward 4th is approached, energize the previous note to avoid scooping, and ease off the upper note.
4. Highlight every dynamic marking and tempo marking.
5. No vibrato on heaven in ms. 34, and ms. 57-58.
6. BREATHS by measure (all printed breath marks/caesuras observed): 2 - none, 4 - all, 10, 11 - none, 14 - none (women), 16 - none, 18 - all, 20 - none, 22 - all, 24 - none, 26 - all, 28 - none, 30 - all, 32 - all, 34 - all, 36 - none, 37 - all (men), 38 - none, 40 - all, 41 - none, 50 - none, 54 - all (huge breath to go to the end).
7. Sing with an earnestness

I'm Gonna Sing 'Til the Spirit

1. Solos are: Phrase 1 - Dan (pretty straight), Phrase 2 - Chuck (more emphatic), Phrase 3 - Joe (pretty improvisatory), Phrase 4 - Thom (reining it back in).
2. Solo Melody on Chorus: Dan, Joe, Chuck - Tenor part in chorus: Dana, Thom, Andrew
3. Highlight all dynamic and tempo marks, especially accents
4. Observe all rests.
5. First Chorus (top of pg. 3) First Time - mf, Repeat - p
6. Keep energy through sustained yea on pg. 4-5
7. All tenors lightly on Hallelu pg. 6. Also sing can-tchoo (minimizing the "n") measure before Rehearsal 36. Basses do the same thing with the rest inserted.
8. SAT accent beat 2 in moovin line pg. 7-9. 
9. Let the ng of sing at 54 be the diminuendo of the stzp then expand a bit on 'til my Jesus.  
10. SAT whole fermata while Bass cut and sing til he then cut on downbeat of penultimate measure.
11. The hum (like a moan) will be free so watch. There will be a big crescendo on the last note before the "bump" cutoff.
12. SOPRANOS AND ALTOS let me know who's doing which part in the SSA divisi section of the chorus

Beati Quorum Via

1. Think English choir sound - purer and especially lighter in the trebles...like boys
2. Make pitch progressions clean yet legato, without glottal articulation - practice this
3. Please let me know who is doing SII and TII/BI
4. Highlight and observe all dynamic changes - but don't make it too schmaltzy (look it up). Think Neo-Renaissance rather than Late Romantic, meaning lighter and brighter (#3 on the tonal spectrum of 1 being bright and 5 being dark)
5. On pg. 5-6, let the crescendo and diminuendo be evident but as much from the opening and closing of the mouth for the vowels Be (closed) - a (open) - ti (closed)
6. Sing pure, rich Latin vowels (without diphthongs on e and o) with Latinized consonants (n, t, l, and r)
7. And don't let me hear anything but een in the word integra

Music Down in My Soul

1. Let me know who's doing what in the SSAA and SSA division.
2. Trebles: sing the word head on pg. 4 in #3 tone for aid in keeping it on top of the pitch.
3. Make sure of accuracy in chromatic progressions pgs. 6 onward. 
4. Really rehearse and tight the modulations pgs. 10-11 for intonation accuracy
5. Note were the repeat and Coda markings are.
6. Practice singing with a full, warm, robust sound without over singing. 
7. Make each repetitive phrase and repeat of the chorus sound fresh and different. Don't just get into a groove.
8. Don't anticipate the final l, r, or ng in words like air, somewhere, soul, Lord, everlasting, and heart, or the diphthong in day. Sing the pure vowel and tap the consonant upon release.

Abendlied

1. This is Romantic. Highlight and rehearse the dynamic changes.
2. I have SII/AI as Carissa, Hunter, Wendy, and Cassi.
3. I have TII/BI as Dana, Thom, Andrew.
4. Sing with rich, warm, tall vowels. Observe all diphthongs and elongate the ah on Bleib, bei, Abend, Tag, hat, geneiget
5. Make sure the f sections are warm and not over sung. 
6. Note (and mark) the implied diminuendo on pg. 4 ms. 38 so that the Soprano entrance in ms. 39 can be heard at p. 
7. Thing of the most beautiful, warm summer evening watching a spectacular sunset when you sing. 

REMINDER: We are doing There is a Pleasure and Modimo. We are not doing Little Birds

WARM UPS:

I mentioned in rehearsal the importance of vocalizing daily to regain vocal fitness. I'm still looking for great warm-ups/vocalises, but here are a few good for a variety of reasons.

1. Basic warm-up and fairly accessible exercises. Really focuses on breath-support action at beginning. NOTE: Do NOT pulse the pitches as is being demonstrated on the arpeggios. Make them legato!!!    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Egr4f3fIIus
2. This one is good for breath control and sustaining the tone - encourages singing longer phrases. Also reminds you of technique.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXYpioJJsOE
3. This one is about building your vocal energy and agility with some good vocalises. This coach is enthusiastic. Some of the exercises are a little tricky melodically. I found myself just having to jump in and work out the pattern with repetition. You can even dance. haha    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XHXezdnL0A