Hello Everyone,
I enjoyed seeing you all Monday night. Yay us!
If you missed rehearsal, the link is below if you would like to see what we were up to in your absence.
I hope that you are sharing our December 5th performance link with your family and friends – it is on the WVC website. We all need to register, too. I think that it will be a wonderful evening of musical sharing. I completed our collaborative Rise and Stand project today (except for the credits) and am excited to share it with you – it will be the finale of our concert.
I have attached my PowerPoint from my behind-the-scenes creation of virtual choirs if you would like to have a look. I was asked how I learned to make virtual choirs. I didn’t want to be on “pause” for the duration of the pandemic, not knowing back in March how long we would be prevented from singing together. I wanted Women’s Voices Chorus and the church choir that I direct to be able to continue to be together through our music-making (the together part being the most important in this time of isolation) so I purchased the hardware (computer and other gadgets) and software (audio/video editing) and set out learning by doing (weekly virtual choir projects for online church services). I networked with others on a similar path, mostly through ACDA and ChorAmor and multiple Facebook groups. I read user manuals (my favorite!), bought courses on the software I am using, watched a zillion YouTube videos (some helpful, some entertaining, some neither) and wore out Google searching for answers to my questions. On every project I learn new editing techniques, overcoming different technical challenges (rarely the same issue twice – always new challenges!), and one by one add new skills to my toolbox. I have learned so much more than video/audio editing during this process and am grateful (Happy Thanksgiving!) to be on this journey in good company (yours and my VC colleagues).
Our primary rehearsal focus was on Snow Angel 1. Prologue and 2. Creatures of Light
Here are musical aspects on which we are focusing this week:
Snow Angel 1. Prologue
- Gentle syllabic stress as appropriate for text
- Very legato – connect the consonants forward to the right
- Staggered breathing –
o leave off consonants
o decrescendo before breath
o take a quiet breath in the shape of the vowel
o ease back in with a gentle crescendo after the breath
- S of armies on the 8threst
- Gentle phrase shaping with dynamics (less recorded than live)
- “ah” phrases have 8threst lifts per Sarah Quartel
- “ah” vowel shape with lift and space
- Move as precisely as possible on the “ahs” which should be legato but without sliding between pitches
- Ritard mm. 45-end
Snow Angel 2. Creatures of Light
- Light R in “creatures” with a rounded second syllable
- Primary diphthong vowels extended with very short vanishing vowels (light, play, shine, round, night, day)
- Infinite (sing in-fih-nit)
- Final Ds and Ts on the rest – light Ts
- Lightly round first syllable of “surprise”
- E-natural and A-natural should feel high and distinctly different than E-flat and A-flat
- A1 16thnotes – as clean as possible without an aspirate attack on each
- Gentle crescendos and decrescendos
- Stagger breathing as indicated in the score
- Ritard m. 39
- Below bih-low
For review, the Snow Angel recording schedule and project notes are as follows:
Movements 3 and 4 due 11/25/20
Movements 1 and 2 due 12/14/20
Movement 5 due 1/11/21
Project notes:
- NEW – If you record on an iPhone 12, go into your settings and turn OFF HDR.
- You can choose to record none, one, some, or all movements. It’s totally up to you.
- Wear solid black, blue (any shade), or gray.
- It’s better for you to be farther away from your recording device than close up – I can always zoom in and crop the excess on your video but cannot digitally “zoom out” if you are too close it results in big heads in the project!.
- A neutral background is best – it helps to create a smooth visual flow and not distract from our musical presentation.
- You can choose to record audio and video separately or just one or the other. When you submit your recording, indicate in the comment section if you are submitting just one or the other. If you want to record the audio first and then the video separately, don’t wear your earbuds when you record your video! I will need to hear the guide track playing as you sing along to it in order to sync your video in the project. And do actually sing – if you just move your mouth you will not look like you are singing. But, you don’t have to worry about the quality of your singing because after I use the audio to sync the video, I will mute the sound.
- There is a lot to think about when recording, but as much as you’re able, try to visualize yourself singing in a face-to-face performance and strive for an expressive face. We want to engage as fully as possible when we sing and draw our listeners/viewers in, just as we strive to do in a live performance.
Looking Ahead to 11/30/20
We will focus most heavily on Snow Angel movements 1, 2, and also sing through 5.
We will review our Russian and begin learning the next phrase as Jasmine is available (thanks, Jasmine!). In sectionals, we will learn pitches and rhythms m. 1-10 of The Angel.
We will read/sing through Gwyneth Walker’s So Many Angels! (some members already know this wonderful piece) – such fun!
During the latter part of our rehearsal, we will spend time with Kay leading a Q&A regarding our Angel Gallery and have some time to work with others on projects.
Looking Ahead to 12/7
Continue to polish musical aspects of Snow Angel, movements 1 and 2.
Work on vowel shaping and singing with expressive faces led by our choral superstar, Laura D.
Sing through Izar Ederrak, and be introduced to the Basque pronunciation of the text by our choral superstar, Ayumi Nakamae.
Our Angel Gallery work will continue in the latter part of rehearsal.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Laura