NOTES for Week of January 22, 2023

Dear Friends,

It was such a joy to meet with you on Tuesday again, and begin singing in preparation for our spring concert. It was also nice to meet and welcome our new singers, sopranos Anna Leigon and Sally Geftakys, and tenor Bill Leigon. WELCOME!

A few notes:

• As I emphasized in rehearsal, intonation is crucial and something of which each member must be vigilant. Be aware of your vocal technique (avoid tension), your breath management, and those places where pitch tends to sag (repeated tones, descending intervals/phrases, and cadences). Always rehearse your music, singing with the best vocal technique possible and flawless intonation.
• We will start Sectionals this week. Women should arrive at 6:30. Men should arrive at 7:30. (Spouses are welcome to read along with the others.) Please vocalize before rehearsal.
• As you begin rehearsing your parts at home, please start highlighting your music (all tempo and dynamic markings.) 
• Be attentive to diction. I will record the German and make it available in the resources if you are not familiar with the pronunciation.
• Please plan to review/practice the pieces we've gone through in the previous rehearsal, as well as the specific ones I will highlight the following week. 

From last week (Jan. 17th)

There is a Pleasure

• New members review notes and rhythms. Soprano divisi: Anna on 2nd, Sally on 1st.
• Note the movement to unison in mm. 2, 5, 6, 9, 11, 15, and 18. Those need to be really unified in pitch and timbre.
• Stagger breathing from mm. 4 to 8, no breath in mm. 10, 12. Luftpause in m. 14.
• This will be memorized.

Brahms: O Schöne Nacht

• Review/practice using rich, warm, Brahmsian tone. Energize sustained notes, pulling through the phrases.
• Sopranos really work out notes, rhythms, and words in mm. 41-45. It should sound clean and frankly, effortless. 
• The sacht(s) should be touched lightly and released. Note they're p and staccato, and in m. 59, dolce.
• Correction: pronunciation of the st combination in liebsten (mm. 50 and 58) is -sten not -shten.

FOR TUESDAY, 1/24

WOMEN

My Soul's Been Anchored in the Lord

• 3-Part Divisi: Top: Suzanne, Sally, Carissa, Hunter; Middle: Anna, Lisa, Toni, Cassi; Bottom: Suzi, Michele, Cyndi
• 4-Part Divisi SI: Suzanne, Sally, Carissa; SII: Hunter, Anna, Lisa; AI: Toni, Cassi; AII: Suzi, Michele, Cyndi
• Review notes and rhythms to m. 70.

Now All the Woods Are Sleeping

• An exercise in unison singing

WOMEN MEN

Brahms: Spätherbst

• Review notes and rhythms (and words if you're familiar with German).
• Highlight all dynamics

Trees

• Review notes and rhythms
• Highlight all dynamics
• Notes breaths 

MEN

My Soul's Been Anchored in the Lord

• 3-Part Divisi: Top: Chuck, Dan, Dana; Middle: Thom, Bill, Andrew, Larry; Bottom: Matthew, John, Gregory, Robert
• 4-Part Divisi: TI: Chuck, Dan; TII: Dana, Thom, Bill; BI: Andrew, Larry, Gregory; BII: Robert, John, Matthew
• Review notes and rhythms to mm. 70

See you Tuesday at your respective times.

Ted