SPRING 2022 - Rehearsal Notes for Tuesday, March 15

Dear Friends,

A couple of announcements:

·        PHOTO SHOOT: We have tentatively set a date to do a photo shoot for Bel Canto. It will be Tuesday evening, March 29 (in lieu of our regular rehearsal) at Grace Episcopal Church, 1314 Sprint Street, St. Helena. I’d like to meet as close to 6:00 as possible due to wanting to capture evening light in the courtyard there. Once the light dims, we will move inside the church. We will be in full concert dress. Plan now to look your best as these will be photos for publicity and our website. Time allowing, we will give some of you the opportunity to have professional head shots done.

·        BIOS: If you have not provided a bio for the website, please write out one (at least a rough draft that we can edit) listing:

1.      Your previous vocal, choral, and/or musical education and experience

2.      What you do for your day job

3.      Some fun fact about yourself (optional)

4.      Try to make it 50-150 words

FOR TUESDAY REHEARSAL

Abendlied:

·        Listen to this recording a few times to get a sense of the line that I’m looking for. It needs to have a coordinated soloistic quality in each part. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIOagJryMik)

·        Use the highlighted dynamics to give energy and release to the lines. Forte and fortissimo (f and ff) mean full and fuller, not loud and louder.

·        Listen to this recording. Note the richness and warmth of their vowels and tone. Not bright and focused. http://belcantonv.org/resources/reference-recordings/

Modimo:

·        Listen to this recording to get a since of the energy. We may eventually sing it a bit slower, but learn it up to this tempo. http://belcantonv.org/resources/reference-recordings/

·        Listen to this recording of the pronunciation of the words. The -thle in the word tsothle,  is pronounced like ”shleh” but out of the side of the mouth as opposed to the front.

·        Practice the diction until you feel very comfortable singing the words in tempo. Write phonetics in your score to remind you.

·        Practice the rhythm of Wa-nya-ma-la-la, wa-nya-ma-la-la (especially triplets) and um-thwa-lo we-zo-no za-mi (especially dotted eighth-notes vs. eighth-notes.

·        Think of and practice creative calls and whistles to add in the solo sections on p. 7.

·        Begin memorization!

Os Justi:

·        Continue to practice singing smoothly while strictly observing the dynamic changes

·        Again, use rich, warm vowels, especially in the big sections in mm. 10-14 and 52-55. The tenors and sopranos are pushing and not using enough cover in their tones up high.

·        Practice the moving sections in mm. 17 – 42 until the notes, rhythms, with dynamic changes are flawless.

Sing Me to Heaven:

·        We will be practicing this memorized. If you have sung this in concert, I don’t want you using your score.

Music Down in My Soul:

·        I’m adjusting the divisi in this a bit.

·        TREBLES: Your 3-part divisi is SI = Hunter, Lisa, Melody and Suzanne, SII = Carissa, Dana, Cassi, and Joanna, A = Wendy, Suzi, Cyndi, and Michele.

·        Melody and Suzanne will split of on I’ve got joy! parts mm. 46 – 53.

·    MEN: Your 3-part divisi is T = Dan, Chuck, and Joe, TII/BI = Thom, Dana, and Andrew, BII = Matthew, John, and Robert.

·      On the MEN's 4-part divisi in the last two measures of the song it will be TI = Dan and Chuck, TII = Joe and Dana, BI = Thom and Andrew, and BII = Matthew, John, and Robert

·   Women lighten the quality and sing closer to 〔e〕 than 〔ɛ〕 on head in mm. 17-18. Listen to your neighbor to make sure the vowel is exactly the same. Also, make sure you lift, so it’s not under pitch.

·        Hold the last note on SOH of soul. Don’t anticipate the “l” at the end of the word.

GENERAL COMMENTS

1.    Sopranos: concentrate on matching all your vowel colors, especially on words that contain 〔ɛ〕. Move slightly toward 〔e〕. An example is est in Beati quorum via in mm. 22-23. It’s consistently flat.

2.     Tenor I: there’s a tendency to over sing. It’s challenging to sing high gently, but it’s required in quite a few places. Please be mindful of blending with the other tenors, and listen for the other parts. If you can’t hear them, you may be singing too loudly.