Hello Everyone,
I had such a fun time with you all at our last rehearsal. Wonderful singing! Woohoo!
I recommend that you write in all of your measure numbers on all of our pieces – very helpful in quickly finding a starting point in rehearsal.
Please also write the text translation in your score for any piece written in a language in which you are not fluent. You should be able to quickly reference the meaning of the text as you are singing, rather than it just being printed on the front or back cover.
Chamber Choir Information:
- Chamber Singers will perform 2 pieces for our concert – My Soul is Awakened and Dechrau Eto.
- Chamber Singers rehearsals are held regularly on Mondays from 9:30-10PM.
- Chamber Singers members are expected to work on My Soul is Awakened and Dechrau Eto outside of chorus rehearsals to learn their pitches and rhythms.
- Based on the singers who audition, I expect to choose about 16-24 voices.
Chamber Choir Audition Information:
- Audition – 9:30 PM on Monday, February 13th (about 30 minutes).
- Learn your respective voice part (S1, S2, A1, A2) of Dechrau Eto mm. 58 (no hums) -102 singing on the syllable ‘dee.’ You do NOT need to learn the Welsh text for the audition.
- Score/practice file/reference recording link can be found on the WVC website. For the score/recording, I recommend that you click on the SoundCloud link first, then click on the score to open it. https://musicspoke.com/downloads/dechrau-eto-begin-again/. There are also the very helpful .sib and .mp3 files (thanks, Karla!)
- I will listen for:
- Singers who confidently sing their part with accurate pitch and rhythm while singing in mixed voice formation (will have 4 singers at a time singing S1, S2, A1, A2)
- Singers who sing in tune (singing in the key of C#-minor and aligning partials with the other singers)
- Singers who blend their voice with the other singers, creating a cohesive ensemble sound (adjusting volume, timbre, vibrato as needed)
- Singers who sing expressively (dynamics, phrasing)
As we begin our study of each piece, I like for us to recognize the key/scale/mode that forms our pitch set for that particular piece. Of course, other notes are sometimes included to add interest/color but each piece has a distinctive overall sound that is due to its key/scale/mode. Sometimes pieces use multiple keys/scales/modes. Here are just two links (there are many!) if you would like to know more about keys/scales/modes:
Good old Wikipedia does a good job of explaining modes with aural examples and graphics. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mode_(music)
This is a fun link from a piano lesson site that mentions songs composed in various modes (super cool!) https://www.skoove.com/blog/musical-modes/
Tuning forks are NOT required for WVC rehearsals but are an effective way for singers to work on their intonation both in individual practice and ensemble rehearsals. Every pitch is sung/tuned in reference to the tuning fork pitch – A440 (vibrating at the audio frequency of 440Hz – that is the A above middle C on the piano).
Here is the link to the tuning forks that I bring to rehearsal if you are interested in having one of your own. They are not expensive, but the shipping is about as much as the tuning fork so if you want to get one you might want to team up with another member (or several) to save on shipping costs. Again, this is NOT required. There are also certainly other tuning forks in the world – these are not the only ones. I do suggest that you check for accuracy. Some are not exactly A440 even though they may be labeled as A440 – you can easily check with a digital tuning app.
Caritas Abundat mm. 1-43
– G Dorian (first page) then G minor (Aeolian)
– Wonderful work on learning pitches and rhythms
– Awesome dynamic contrasts (a WVC strength!)
– A1 note the E-flat and E-natural mm. 32-33
– A1 and A2 as you have time, review your parts pages 9-10. I think visually the score is a bit misleading because each measure is stretched out over an entire system so it looks like the notes last longer – but the tempo doesn’t change and these pitches move at the same tempo as the previous page.
– S1 note the half rest in m. 34
– Everyone note the unison cadence at m. 42 (A2 at the octave)
Luminous Awakening mm. 1-12
– Elizabeth Alexander’s revised score is on the WVC website if you would like to see it without the two flats in the key signature. If you print it, please destroy it at the end of the season. I prefer to read the updated score!
– F Mixolydian and Lydian
– Nice job learning pitches and rhythms in this section! It’s going to be a gorgeous piece.
– Note especially in your part when you have a B-natural or B-flat, E-natural or E-flat. Then for added interest there are D-flats in mm. 11-12.
I Thank You God mm. 1-40
– C minor (Aeolian) then D minor returning to C minor with our final cadence on a C Major chord!
– Great work on pitches and rhythms.
– Note the many tempo changes with ritardandos and accelerandos.
– We will work on the many articulations markings (staccatos and accents especially) and dynamic contrasts in a future rehearsal but please take note of them early on!
– Please flip your Rs
Tabula Rasa mm. 1-19
– B minor (Aeolian)
– Nice work learning pitches and rhythms while sustaining the drones.
– Note the breath marks in mm. 4, 8, 19.
– In the poetry translation on the back cover, one phrase is missing: ‘freedom to fly’ mm. 49-50
– In the reference recording, there is a difference text pronunciation in m. 22. Here is what Allison Girvan replied when I emailed her about it:
Well, it is a bit of a long story, but I will keep it brief – 😊
The piece started out with the formal pronoun, ‘su’, which is how several versions were performed. It has been changed in the sheet music since that time to the informal, ‘tu’.
So, what you are actually hearing in recordings are reflections of previously published versions with the ‘s’ sound of ‘su’ and you are correct that in the iteration that you have, it is ‘tu’ pronounced with a denti-alveolar ‘t’ sound.
Gate Gate mm. 1-66
– A Major
– Awesome work on this!
– Perfect piece on which to practice your tuning fork skills since it is in the key of A Major (tuning fork A 440Hz)
– Altos please review m. 56, the last pitch is an F-sharp, not an E
– m. 35-50 will be in 1 with sopranos and altos singing legato and mezzos singing non legato
– ‘Yonder’ is pronounced ‘yon-duh’
– Sopranos and mezzos, please don’t breathe between mm. 60-61 and 64-65
– We will work on the first page, a cappella chant, at a future rehearsal
Looking Ahead to 2/13/23
Review everything rehearsed on 2/6/23
Sukkat Shelomekah mm. 1-40
Gaudete! Gaudete mm. 1-22
Where the Light Begins mm. 1-19
A Bell Awakened mm. 1-18
Sing, Wearing the Sky mm. 1-39
Can’t wait for Monday’s rehearsal – see you then!
Cheers!
Laura