Hello Everyone,
Happy Valentine’s Day! I love making music with you all!
Please check your copy of Luminous Awakening – if you have #38, please let me know at rehearsal next week.
Overtone singing for Sing, Wearing the Sky:
You will sing the note written in the score – that is the fundamental. The whistle tones you will produce above the fundamental are the overtones. Overtones are always present when we sing with a resonant, energized, and supported tone – that’s what we mean when we lock in a chord (overtones locking together like magnets!) or creating a gorgeous unison. Singing on the E vowel results in the most present overtones, which is why I often ask us to sing pieces on ‘Dee’ as we are learning them, rather than the text. Once we start singing on the text and vowels change every beat or so, it is exponentially more challenging to achieve the vibrant, pingy sound that we are aiming for.
There are many YouTube videos on overtone singing as well as the link that Jake Runestad provides in the Sing, Wearing the Sky score…you can spend hours down that rabbit hole!
Anna-Maria Hefele Overtone Singing Demonstration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC9Qh709gas
AJ Czeresko Overtone Singing Tutorial (around 3:44 is the overtone singing technique we will use) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w42DQoZ-z_c
Nestor Korblum sings Amazing Grace on overtones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPu9XMMY1Y8
Rehearsal Reflection
We reviewed all repertoire rehearsed on 2/6/23
Sukkat Shelomekah mm. 1-40
– E harmonic minor (raised 7th: la ti do re mi fa si la)
– Breathe on the rests and add a breath at the end of m. 24, otherwise stagger breathing
– As you have time, review mm. 28-31 – those intervals are tricky
– Please write the English translation of the Hebrew in your scores
Gaudete! Gaudete mm. 1-22
– G minor (natural minor which is the Aeolian mode)
– Flip the R
– Note the instructions from composer Lana Walter regarding how the music is notated in mm. 9, 20, 31, 41, and 51. Barlines came after this melody was composed (if you need another rabbit hole, you can find many fascinating articles on the development of Western musical notation).
– We rehearsed the pronunciation of the Latin text for verse 1
– Note that the phrases of the verses cadence in unison mm. 13 and 15
– Please write the English translation of the Latin in your scores
Where the Light Begins mm. 1-19
– C major (Ionian mode)
– The 12/8 time signature makes this rhythm a bit tricky to read. Use the piano part to help you see where you part aligns (or doesn’t!) with the piano part. There are 4 ‘big beats’ in each measure.
– Sing the ending consonants on the rests
A Bell Awakened mm. 1-18
– This section is in Gb major but as the melody begins on an octave skip of the 7th, it creates quite an interesting effect!
– Good job working on pitches and rhythms. This piece has many surprise interval skips. Review as you have time.
Sing, Wearing the Sky mm. 1-39
– D Mixolydian mm. 1-30
– Great start on this piece!
– Note the glissando diagonal lines on page 3, mm. 12 and 16-17
– As you have time, watch the overtone videos and start practicing on your own…it is sometimes difficult to tell what you are doing in an ensemble until you know what to listen for.
– Looking forward to working on the ‘la la’ section!
Looking Ahead to 2/20/23
Review repertoire rehearsed 2/13/23
Caritas Abundat mm. 44-72 (review 1-43)
Luminous Awakening mm. 13-16 (review mm. 1-12)
Gate Gate mm. 67-90 (review mm. 11-66)
I Thank You God mm. 41-56 (review mm. 1-40)
Tabula Rasa mm. 20-29 (review mm. 1-19)
Valentine’s Hugs to You,
Laura