NOTES for Week of February 25, 2024

Dear friends,

Thanks for a good rehearsal last Tuesday. I believe this is going to be a really great concert.

Hold On

• Review the part up to the top of page 9. Circle all syncopated notes so you're aware of them.
• Continue learning the pitches/rhythms to the end. 
• Suzanne/Leila, we'll need to find some strong  voices to sing the trio at the top of p. 11. 
• Also, there are solos for a strong, spirited Soprano and Tenor. 
• This will be memorized.

Five Hebrew Love Songs

• Review #1, #2, and #3 for pitches and rhythms. 
• Here is the link to the pronunciation of the Hebrew: 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK1_WadA4Mg  
• Chuck/Larry is there a way to slow this down the Youtube recording? She speaks quite quickly.  

Song for Justice

• Review your notes and rhythms (and mark rests). We won't be spending a ton of time on this.

When You Wish Upon a Star

• Make sure of all your notes and rhythms.
• Begin to memorize.

FOR TUESDAY, February 27

Breathe

It Takes a Village - Let me know if you're interested in a solo 

Alleluia

Hebrew Love Songs #4 and #5

Can We Sing the Darkness - Gregory can you help us with the accompaniment

NOTES for Week of February 18, 2024

Dear friends,

It Takes a Village: 

• Please solidify your pitches and rhythms. This piece needs to feel free and natural and if you're second guessing the rhythm, it will not sound that way. 
• Begin NOW to Memorize!
• There are solo opportunities (beginning and mm. 77-82). I'm hearing a clear, easy, natural voice with exceptional intonation.

Ubi Caritas:

• Mark the following breaths: In the chant at beginning, after amor, luftpauses (very little pause with or w/out breath) in mm. 3, 7, and 31, and full breaths in mm. 4, 8, 11, 14, 18, 21, 24, 27, 28, 31, 32, 37. Sopranos we will try a breath in m. 35 between the C and B. Move the -men in m. 37 to the last measure.
• Altos, Tenors, and Basses, add a -men in m. 37, then sing A- after the breath with final men in the last measure. 
•  Sing with very warm vowels and Latinized consonants (dental). In is pronounced "een"
• All notes in parentheses are omitted.

Grace Before Sleep:

• Women sing the the first page with elongated vowels and clear, brief consonants. Make generous room sound beautifully inviting.
• When singing harmonic lines (Altos, Tenors, and Basses) ex. mm. 9-12, 21-28, 35-38, make them legato and expressive, not just singing beats. Move into important words and away from lesser ones.
• Make Ah in mm. 29-34 very warm and rich. SI, AI, TI, make your words legato and warm.
• Lower parts watch and listen for soprano pick-ups in mm. 42 and 44. 

If Music Be the Food of Love

• Sing with tone that matches the lightness and purity of an oo vowel. Keep all vowels sounding like that. 
• Practice the diction on both verses. 

When You Wish Upon a Star

• Altos your last pitch in m. 8 is a D-natural. Tenors, yours is a B-flat.
• Basses, your C-flat and B-natural in mm. 23-24 are the same pitch, spelled differently.
• Begin memorizing this as you learn it. It will be sung with a degree of rubato.

For TUESDAY, February 21

Hold On! (I will have music for everyone)

Five Hebrew Love Songs

Song For Justice

Can We Sing the Darkness to Light 

NOTES for February 11, 2024

Dear friends,

A couple of announcements:

1. We're glad to welcome Kaitlyn Nakanishi, our Spring 2024 Scholarship Recipient. She will be singing Soprano II. Please introduce yourself to her when you have a chance.
2. We've finalized on a date for Boot Camp. For you who are new, this is an intensive ensemble building rehearsal in which we sing, eat, chat, and grow together. It will be held Saturday, March 23, 9:30 am to 3:00 pm at John and Cyndi Kasten's. Thank you to the Kastens for their gracious hospitality.

Alleluia

• Maintain a consistent eighth-note sub-pulse throughout the song in order to move from 7/8 to 4/4.
• Increase intensity (volume) to -lu and away at -ia. Al-le-LU-ia.
• Make the 4/4 sections more legato.
• Practice the key changes so they are in tune.

Breathe

• Altos, you're the stars of this piece. Work on a rich, warm, tone with clear diction. Remember, long vowels, short consonants. 
• All the phrases on breathe should move either like an inhale or like an exhale.

The New Colossus

• Sing the opening with a full, powerful tone, but don't over sing. Keep it warm.
• Highlight the dynamics and let them guide your development of the vocal lines.

Five Hebrew Love Songs #V

• Sopranos work on uniformity of line and timing. Keep the lines legato.

For TUESDAY

It Takes a Village

Grace Before Sleep

When You Wish Upon a Star

Ubi caritas

If Music Be the Food of Love

NOTES for Week of February 4, 2024

Dear friends,

Thank you for a good rehearsal last Tuesday. A few things of which to make note.

Kala kalla - II from Hebrew Love Songs. 

• Bass please practice the 5th and 6th intervals in mm. 2, 3, and 6 (kula sheli). They need to be absolutely accurate while sounding free-flowing.
• La-la's need to be clean with an open tone. Sing the "l" in an Latinized way with a flick of the tongue.
• Measure your breathing at the end mm. 72-76, so you have enough breath support for the climax without pushing.

Grace Before Sleep

• Women really work on clear diction as well as unified tone in opening. The words are very important.
• I'm making some modifications to the dynamics. In mm. 8-9, make that piano rather than mp. Keep it gentle and start from piano at m. 17. At m. 21, ATB should sing piano instead of mp.
• When singing quarter-notes in mm. 21 to 32, make them very legato.
• Practice the transition from mm. 34 to 35 so the key change is in tune.

The Eyes of All

• Sing with tall, warm vowels and delay all consonants until the beginning of the next syllable.
• Make the "w"  in wait be a brief consonant, rather than treating it like a vowel oo.
• Energize longer notes (half-notes and dotted-half-notes) in addition to observing the dynamics.
• Make the crescendo in mm. 18-27, culminating with the Soprano phrase sound like natural excitement building.

It Takes a Village

• Sopranos have the most challenging rhythm melody starting in m. 45. A) listen to the part recording and sense the rhythm. B) Add the pitches on any syllable. C) Add the words only when you're comfortable with the rhythm and pitch. 
• Think about the solo at beginning and starting in m. 77 

If Music Be the Food of Love

• Work with a neutral syllable (ex. doo) until you're confident with the notes and rhythms. 
• Please add slur marks to successive eighth-notes sung on single syllables (especially Sopranos at mm. 13-14 on eyes, mien, tongue, de-clare.)

Can We Sing the Darkness to Light?

• Gregory could you take a look at the accompaniment and maybe the next time we sing through, we can get a sense of the flow. 

FOR TUESDAY, February 6

• Alleluia
• Breathe
• Five Hebrew Love Songs, #V Rakut
• Song For Justice
• The New Colossus