Lovely rehearsal last night – really sounded wonderful on much of what we sang through last night in mixed formation – great progress! We definitely also found some gaps and will work on those sections next week.
Rehearsal Reflection:
‘Tis the Gift to Be Simple
– Nice work! This piece sounds lovely!
– So that we sing more in tune, the ascending 4ths need to be a bit wider so that we are singing the G accurately – it is the home tone/tonic of the piece….the beginning of the phrase in this piece is often SOL-DO instead of starting on DO.
– Alto 1 & 2 entrances in mm. 26 and 28 are the same, D and F# – much improved after our work.
– No ritard in m. 37, but we will have a slight ritard in m. 38 as we move to the final cadence.
You Do Not Walk Alone
– Beautiful run through! We need to work a bit more on dynamics – some sections need to be softer – and also energize the longer notes so that they are giving us forward momentum (especially the half notes).
– We will even speed up on some of the phrases to further add momentum and heighten the emotional impact of the beautiful text.
– We need to hear the consonants!
Stand By Me
– Really coming together!
– We need to work on the melody and make sure that we are all together.
– We need to also work on balance so that when we sing the melody with confidence and clarity, it can be clearly heard above the supporting parts.
My Favorite Things
– No one submitted an audition for the solo but Deb will save the day with a featured piano solo mm. 91-108
– As you have time to practice this week, please go over your parts mm. 75-90 – we will include this in our sectional rehearsal.
– We are pretty close on this one but not there yet!
The White Rose
– Sounds beautiful!
– We are going to work a bit more on dynamics to really bring the phrases to life.
– We need more consonants!
I’m Beginning to See the Light
– Congratulations on your solo, Julianne – sounds wonderful!
– The beginning entrance is perfect!
– We are close on this one…a bit of fine tuning will do the trick.
– As you have time to practice, work on your part, especially mm. 54-end. We will go through all of this at our sectional rehearsal
Mo Ghile Mear
– Great progress on this one – really sounds exciting!
– I really appreciated reading Sue Furlong’s artist statement and wanted to share it with you as we continue to work on this piece.
An artist paints a picture, I’ve seen the process. Building up the outline, the different layers, bringing life to a thought process, an emotion. And when it’s done (or is it ever ‘done’) frames it, maybe photographs it. Shows it to people, maybe hangs it in an exhibition, and possibly never sees it again if it sells. In my case, a songwriter, composer, my art does not give like that, forever hanging in a precious place because someone lovingly placed it there, because they very much wanted it in the first place. Unless the little black dots on my page are converted into something constantly alive and giving, sound waves touching emotions as they are released, hopefully having a positive effect on their new ‘owner’, the listener, they’ll stay in that dark bottom drawer. I actually want to leave something bright and glistening for my beautiful boys, family, friends, old and hopefully many new, draping you all in the warmth, love, joy I have always received when writing my music.
A Stór
– The refrains are all solid and the verses are coming along.
– Thanks for all of your work on the Irish – it’s improving every time!
– We will continue to work on the verses and gather speed as we go. It is such fun to hear (and hopefully will also be fun to sing once the Irish text is not so stressful!)
Now Let Me Fly
– Was on our rehearsal plan but we did not get to it…we will next week!
Looking Ahead to 4/8/24
We will address needed sections at our sectional rehearsal and will also answer questions as time allows.
At 7:30, we will rehearse sections that need our attention – these are priorities:
A Stór – verses (please review the text as much as you have time!)
Now Let Me Fly! – review mm. 85-88
I’m Beginning to See the Light – all
My Favorite Things – mm. 75-90
Stand By Me – melody
After a short break, we will sing through our concert repertoire (hopefully we will have time for it all!). Really looking forward to seeing where we are as we approach the home stretch of rehearsals.
Best,
Laura