ABChorale Blog

Rehearsal Notes for 10/25/2011:

2011-10-26T20:01:00.000-07:00

#46: Since By Man Came Death

TUTTI: On the a cappella sections, keep it high and bright. We need to sing with top spin and resonance on the high end in the heady space to keep this from sounding flat. Keep the air moving. Focus on the line and diction.

In mm 1 and 4, don’t let the “s” on “since” come in too soon, and keep the “s” short.

In mm 19 and 22, pronounce “die” as “dah.”

In mm 20 and 23, put a lift after “Adam.”

TENOR: in mm 24, keep it bright.

TUTTI: in mm 19 we should be at a mezzo-piano, then pianissimo at “all” in mm 21.

In mm 23, it’s gonna go fast, so spit out those words! Watch!

In mm 32, make “Christ” a quarter note followed by an eighth note rest. Do the same for “made” in mm 33. In mm 34, make “live” a quarter note.

In mm 33, accent the second “shall all.”

#35: Let All the Angels of God

TUTTI: in mm 1, remember the orchestra comes in on 1 and we are in on the and of 2. Use that time to get a sense of the tempo.

In mm 34, change “him” to a quarter note.

Do some individual work on this before Thursday’s rehearsal.

#41: Let Us Break Their Bonds Asunder

TUTTI: Watch!

#53: Worthy is the Lamb

TUTTI: Throughout, elide “was” and “slain” to be “waslain.” Also, “forevah” instead of “foreverrrr.”

In mm 16 and 17, watch the “t” of “to God.” It’s right on the beat.

In mm 24, don’t slow down. Watch!

At mm 72, the beginning of the “Amen” section, make it very legato. Watch for the tempo change. Watch!!

In mm 159, don’t close off until Matthew directs it. WATCH!

#12: For Unto Us a Child is Born

Throughout, make the “s” of “us” quick. It’s right on the beat. The melismas are not doubled in the orchestra, so they must be tight.

#24: Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs

In mm 18, make a much bigger change in the vowel from “our” to “in.”

Rehearsal notes for October 18, 2011

2011-10-18T20:46:00.000-07:00

Tonight's rehearsal was cancelled due to a scheduling miscommunication with our hosts, Harmony Hill. We met within the Harmony Hill office for a brief time to review announcements and come up with an alternative plan for the next two weeks.

The Great Hall is also not available next Tuesday, October 25. We will confirm and announce a replacement venue for next Tuesday's rehearsal ASAP - please watch your email inboxes.

In lieu of tonight's cancellation we are holding a tutti rehearsal this Thursday, October 20 at Faith Lutheran at 6:30PM which Suzanne will be leading. It will primarily be a workshop on Worthy is the Lamb - especially the 'Amen' section.

The other announcements from tonight are:

Tickets for "A Night at the Opera with the Bremerton Symphony" go on sale Friday. Tickets are $15 at the door - but will be $12 in advance online and at Cameo Boutique in Union and Sage Bookstore in Shelton. Ten or more tickets can be purchased for the $10 groupe rate.
The "Save the St. David's Parish Hall" effort is our Donate the Difference partner for the Bremerton Symphony performance. Essentially they will be selling vouchers for $3 to raise funds to save the Parish Hall, and those bearing those vouchers can then buy a ticket at the door at the advanced price. Multiple church communities use the Parish Hall to serve the homeless and needy in our community in a wide variety of ways. The STSDPH folks will also be given an opportunity to say a few words about their work in the community before the performance begins. The "Donate the Difference" partner nonprofits for our upcoming "Messiah" performances are:

Opening Night, Fri Dec 9 - Mason General Hospital Foundation
Saturday Night, Sat Dec 10 - Sound Learning (formerly Mason County Literacy)
Sunday Matinee, Sun Dec 11 - Save the St. David's Parish Hall

Sell program ads. Sell them now. More forms will be available at next Tuesday's rehearsal.
"Night at the Opera" postcards are being mailed out Friday and extras are available for those wishing to help us distribute them. They make great counter cards at your favorite coffee shops, for example. We asked volunteers for a work party this Friday, October 21 at 1PM at the conference room at the Shelton Mason Chamber of Commerce, 215 W Railroad, Shelton.
Sunday's Bremerton Symphony rehearsal is from 2-5pm at St. Edwards Catholic Church, 601 C Street, Shelton.
Flash Mob "Hallelujah" Divisi - mark your starting point in your score please and memorize from that point on.

mm 1-7 - Matthew & Miceal alone (surprise! Miceal)
mm 8-11 - Add Suzanne, Jube and Eric
mm 12-14 - Add Mary P, Barbi N, Connie, Glenna, Sandy P, Ryan, Charles
mm 15-19 - Add Marcy, Bethany, Tango (Melissa), Linda H, Jeremiah, Peter, Dick, John
mm 20 - tutti until the end.

Washington Center Performance is ON.

Rehearsal - Sunday, December 18, 5-7:15PM @ Washington Center, Olympia
Performance - Monday, December 19 - 4:40PM CALL TIME @ Washington Center, Olympia
Program - page number are for the Schirmer Score:

1. Overture
2. Comfort ye my people (No. 2, p. 7)*
3. Every valley (No. 3, p. 10)
4. Chorus – And the glory of the Lord (No. 4, p. 16)
5. Behold a virgin (No. 8, p. 47)
6. Chorus – O thou that tellest (No. 9, p. 47)
7. Chorus – For unto us a child is born (No. 12, p. 66)
8. Pastoral Symphony
9. There were shepherds (No. 14, p. 79)
10. And suddenly there was (No. 16, p. 81)
11. Chorus – Glory to God in the highest (No. 17, p. 82)
12. Rejoice greatly (No. 18, p. 87)
13. Then shall the eyes (No. 19, p. 94 )
14. He shall feed His flock (No. 20, p. 94)
15. Chorus – Hallelujah (No. 44, p. 193)
16. I Know that my Redeemer Liveth (No. 45, p. 204)
17. Behold, I tell you a mystery (No. 47, p. 214)
18. The trumpet shall sound (No. 48, p. 214)
19. Chorus – Worthy is the Lamb (No. 53, p. 237)

Rehearsal notes for October 11, 2011

2011-10-18T19:49:00.000-07:00

#53: Worthy is thelamb that was slain

TUTTI: Remember thatMatthew will give the downbeat for the orchestra while the choir comes infortissimo on beat 2. Don't be confused!

In mm 2 and 13, put a lift after “lamb.”

In mm 3 and 14, make “that” an 1/8 note followed by an 1/8rest. Elide “was” and “slain.”

In mm 4 and 15, drop dynamic down to a mezzo-piano,crescendo “hath,” and accent “redeemed.” BASSES: Don't scoop“re-DEEM”. SOPRANOS: take note that your rhythm is different thanthe other parts and “to” comes on the and of 4 instead of right on 4.

TUTTI: In mm 16,elide “us” and “to.”

In the Andante sections beginning in mm 7 and 19, don't slowdown, and make it sound regal!

In section B, let the resonance of your voice do the workand don't over-sing. Don't slow down,drive it forward. Watch the “s” on“blessing.” Don't scoop on the leap in“throne.” Watch your diction: “forevah” instead of “foreverrr.”

#7: And he shallpurify

TUTTI: Keep themelismas light, instead of muscling your way through. Focus on the pattern and pulse thebeats.

#12: For unto us achild is born

TUTTI: Keep the “s”on “unto us” short, and cut off on beat two. Keep it light and make it dance, especially “And the government...”

In mm 34, 50, 69, and 86, give “counselor” an nice, big“K.” Also, each successive “Wonderful,Counselor...” should get bigger with each repeat until we are fortissimo withthe last one.

In mm 37, make “prince,” “of,” and “peace” each an 1/8 notefollowed by an 1/8 note rest. In mm 53and 72 (with the exception of the altos in mm 72), change “prince” from adotted ¼ note to ¼ note and add an 1/8 note rest after “prince.” In mm 89 sing “Prince of Peace” aswritten. In mm 91, change “Prince” to a¼ note followed by an 1/8 note rest, and change peace to a ¼ note followed by a¼ rest.

ALTOS: in mm 72,bring out your unique rhythm against what the other parts are singing.

SOPRANOS & ALTOS: in the melismatic duet beginning in mm 73, pulse beats 1 and 3 to keepit together.

#26: All we likesheep have gone astray

BASSES: In mm 56,come in strong on the and of 1.

TUTTI: At the Adagio,sing it very legato, not jerky. Havenice, tall vowels: “Ahnd thah Lawd...”In mm 89-90, watch Matthew to unify the “t” of “iniquity”, and elide “iniquity”and “of” with no breath in between. Inmm 91, don't anticipate the “s” of “us.” Watch Matthew!

#44: Hallelujah

Remember, this needs to be totally off-book by November 1^st!

2011 "Messiah"

2011-08-02T14:44:00.000-07:00

There’s a good reason “Messiah” is the world’s most popular choral work and the basis for so many wonderful holiday traditions. This year, Anna’s Bay continues its own wonderful tradition with a second round of performances of Handel’s masterwork this December 9, 10 and 11, again with full orchestra and soloists.

In addition to the performances themselves, we also have some other very fun things planned for this year’s “Messiah” term including the opportunity to perform the famous “Hallelujah” chorus as a flash mob (as requested by many).

Chorale rehearsals for this year’s Messiah performances begin Tuesday evening, August 30 at our home venue, the Nordstrom Great Hall, Harmony Hill Retreat Center, 7362 E State Route 106, Union. As always, all local singers age 14 and higher are welcome, at any level of experience. There will be extra Thursday night rehearsals in Shelton at Faith Lutheran, 1212 Connection Street, Shelton beginning Thursday, September 8 for those who have not sung the entire work with us before.

PLEASE NOTE: The Tuesday, August 30 gathering will be a potluck season kick-off party at which we’ll review portions of last year’s performance on DVD and begin the work of bringing even more musicality and joy to the piece. Bring a dish or two to share, as well as any singers you know who may be interested in joining us!

For a quick refresher, here’s the link to the finale of last year’s Sunday performance. Very much hope to see you on the 30th!

A Night at the Opera with the Bremerton Symphony

2011-08-02T14:39:00.000-07:00

In an exciting collaboration with the Bremerton Symphony and the Bremerton Symphony Concert Chorale, the Anna's Bay Chorale be performing highlights from beloved operas here in Shelton (yes, with the entire Bremerton Symphony orchestra!) on Friday, November 18, and in Bremerton on Saturday, November 19. (Note that this will be the first appearance of a full symphony orchestra in Mason County in over 30 years!) Bizet, Mozart, Saint-Saens, Rossini, Gounod, Wagner and of course Puccini all in one program featuring favorite highlights from “Carmen,” “Don Giovanni,” “Samson et Delila,” “Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail,” “The Barber of Seville,” “Faust,” “Tannhauser,” and “Turandot.”

Whether you’re an opera fan or not, you’ll recognize most if not all of the music being performed, especially the five choruses we’ll be singing, listed below. (For those who have been singing with us the last few terms, you’ll also find this program is going to be much easier to master.) Note that that the Puccini “Turandot” highlights featuring the finales from both Acts 2 and 3 will be combined into a single chorus as the finale of our program, and that the both the Gounod and the Wagner will be sung SATB (rather than TTBB as in the links below).

Any local singer age 14 or higher with any level of experience is welcome to participate. Rehearsals begin Sunday, August 14, 3PM, at Shelton United Methodist Church, 1900 King Street, Shelton.

The choral portion of the program is below:
Habanera | Bizet’s “Carmen”
Votre Toast, Je Oeux Vous le Rendre (Toreador Song) | Bizet’s “Carmen"
Gloire Immortelle | Gounod’s “Faust”
Pilgrim’s Chorus | Wagner’s “Tannhauser”
Tre enigma m’hai proposto! | Puccini’s “Turandot” – PART ONE
Diecimillia anni al nostro Imperatore! | Puccini’s “Turandot” – PART TWO

Mason County "Passion of the Opera" Choir Rehearsals3-5 PM on Sunday afternoons, August 14 – November 13, 2011
Shelton United Methodist Church, 1900 King Street, Shelton

Introduction to Handel's Messiah

2011-08-01T11:24:00.000-07:00

In this country, and the UK, the Messiah is by far the most popular of all choral works. Of course, a big part of the appeal is that it’s in English (which BTW is different than American, something we’ll be exploring in this work), and it doesn’t hurt that it’s associated with so many people’s holiday traditions. But I suspect it would be nearly as beloved in German or Latin. It simply has that level of impact and appeal, and it has since its premiere in 1742.

George Frideric Handel was born in Halle, Germany in 1685 within a month of Johanne Sebastian Bach. When Handel moved to his adopted home of England in 1712 at the age of 27, it was a beehive of musical activity with Italian opera ruling the day. Within the next 30-year period, Handel wrote about 40 operas and 26 oratorios for very tough audiences. If attendees felt bored in Handel’s day, they would often start loud conversations and walk around freely. It was also a custom for them to play cards, and eat snacks right during the opera.

Handel was an inviting target for critics and for satire. He was a foreigner, and an individual no one could help noticing. He had large hands, large feet, a large appetite, and he wore a huge white wig with curls rippling over his shoulders. He spoke English rather loudly in a colorful blending of Italian, German, and French. He was temperamental, he loved his freedom, and struggled mightily with his weight, a problem about which critics mercilessly teased him. His London years were up and down, and unbelievably down at times. Twice he was bankrupt, and once he was stricken by apoplexy (temporarily paralyzed) amid the ruin of his company. But he always found his feet again and never gave in – though he came close, once, right before composing Messiah.

The situation was so bleak in 1741 Handel had seriously considered going back to Germany. But instead of giving up, he turned more strongly to God. The result was Messiah, which he composed in just 24 days without once leaving his house. While writing the "Hallelujah Chorus", his servant discovered him with tears in his eyes. He exclaimed, "I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself!!" As Newman Flower observes, "Considering the immensity of the work, and the short time involved in putting it to paper, it will remain, perhaps forever, the greatest feat in the whole history of musical composition."

Messiah was first performed in Dublin in 1742, and immediately won huge popular success. In order to have room enough for the people, a request was sent far and wide, asking, "The favour of the Ladies not to come with hoops this day to the Music Hall in Fishamble Street. The Gentlemen are desired to come without their swords." The still financially challenged Handel could have made a killing from his Messiah, but instead he designated that all the proceeds go to charities.

In early spring of 1759 the then almost-blind 74-year-old Handel conducted a series of 10 concerts. After the finale performance of Messiah, he told his friends that he had one remaining desire. "I want to die on Good Friday," he said, "in the hope of rejoining the good God, my sweet Lord and Saviour, on the day of His resurrection." On Good Friday, he bid good-bye to his friends, and died the very next day on Holy Saturday, April 14th, 1759. A close friend of Handel’s, James Smyth, said: "Handel died as he lived --as a good Christian, with a true sense of his duty to God and man, and in perfect charity with all the world.”

Singing Handel’s Messiah
Performing Messiah for the first time is an exciting a rite of passage for any choral singer. But in many ways, even for those of us who have performed the work many times, every time is the first time. Such is the joy of revisiting great works at different times in our lives with different folks, as well as the excitement of Enlightenment era music, which demands individual interpretation fitting the needs of the performers, the hall and the audience.

As most of you know, the work is divided into three sections. Part One is the Advent portion of the work, which dramatizes the great expectancy for the promised Messiah, and his birth. This is the portion we will be preparing for performance this December. It draws upon some of the great prophecies of the Old Testament that foretell Jesus’ coming, and the work He will accomplish.

You can find rehearsal tracks here: http://www.cyberbass.com/Major_Works/Handel_GF/Handel_Messiah.htm

Bookmark, or favorite, this link NOW! You can also find a lot of practice material on YouTube, including several movements with practice music AND the score scrolling in front of you.

The best way to learn your music is to sing through your part, completely, ONCE a day. Even if you’re just stumbling through it, just do you best without stopping to just get through it once a day. Of course, additional time woodshedding specific sections is always helpful, but I’d really recommend just singing through it to the best of your ability once a day for the first 6 weeks.

The recording I’d recommend listening to would John Eliot Gardiner’s, available on iTunes and at Amazon here.

We will also be working hard to assemble as many sectionals as possible beginning this month.

Messiah is both very challenging AND very singable for beginners. You must put in the time however and in order to get the music in your ear. Listen to the movements we’re working on as much as you can, sing through it once a day, get to sectionals whenever you can, and attend ALL rehearsals – and I guarantee you a very successful and satisfying experience!

Wear your good socks!

2010-11-24T09:40:00.001-08:00

Dr. Geoffrey Boers, head of the University of Washington choral department and a world-renown choral pedagogue, has a charming practice. When a group he’s conducting really transcends technique and channels the music, he takes his shoes off. He describes it as respecting the fact that the composer is now in the room. I’ve only seen him do it twice.

Last Sunday, Dr. Boers spent a generous three hours in Shelton with the members of the Anna’s Bay Chorale and Shelton High School Chamber Singers putting the finishing touches on next month’s “Messiah” performance – much of it with his shoes off.

My heart has been fairly bursting ever since.

I’m reflecting a lot these days on why I hope you’ll come to next month’s performances of “Messiah” – Mason County’s first ever. I have reams of potential program notes on what’s amazing about the music, which movements I think are most exciting, and how exciting it will be with a full orchestra. And I certainly will talk about those things more in the next few weeks.

But the most important reason to come is simply to share in the immense joy that will be pouring forth from the stage. Come share in the achievement of the many friends, family and neighbors who have put so much of themselves into this project. Come to honor the fact that, as Dr. Boers noted this Sunday, this is a remarkable reflection on the quality our community.

Come. And wear your good socks. When Herr Handel arrives, and I’m confident that he will, you may want to take your shoes off.

Ticketing and date information are to the right. And for not the last time, my deepest appreciation to the many singers, volunteers, sponsors, donors, and collaborators who have worked with us to make this experience possible.

It's bittersweet knowing that the journey of the last 15 months is coming to an end. But what a glorious finale it will be. My thanks to you for being a part of it.

Matthew M. Blegen
Director, Anna's Bay Chorale

PS - for a photo of Dr. Boer's working with the Anna's Bay and SHS singers last weekend, visit the Anna's Bay Facbook page here!

Rehearsal Notes #39 - Their Sound Is Gone Out

2010-03-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

TUTTI - Do not let the diphthongs on "Sound" and "Out" wreak havoc with the words. Think of them as "SAAHHND" and "AAHHHT".
SOPRANOS - Make you're opening quarter note an eighth note following and eighth rest in order to match the sequence the other three voices are following.
TUTTI - Lots of diction on the opening of the melismas at letter A, and lots and lots of dynamic shaping is needed here. Decrescendo dramatically as you go down, and crescendo just as dramatically as you go up.
TUTTI - Pay extra attention to your accidentals on this. It's always a simple scale, except when it's NOT!

Rehearsal Notes #35 - Let All the Angels of God Worship Him

2010-03-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

TUTTI - Do NOT elide the words "Let" and "All". Place a break between them at each repetition.
TUTTI - Do NOT allow the "r" of "worship" come in more than a millisecond before the "sh" sound - especially if you're a tenor or soprano. Think of the word as "weh-ship".
TENORS - Do NOT back off of your high g in the entrance. You have it - let it soar.
TENORS - Put a breath in right before beat 4 in mm 13 (right before the d).
A/T - You can make the half note on the word "God" a dotted quarter and take a breath before the downbeat up of mm24 so you have a full tank for that bottom system.
TENORS - Do the same thing in the word "him" in mm 26 so that you can take a good breath before you fast and high "Let All The" in mm 27. But DON'T RUSH THAT ENTRANCE. You're in on the and of 1 - not on 1.
TUTTI - make your final whole note a quarter note and watch me for the cut-off.

Rehearsal Notes #33 - Lift Up Ye Heads, O Ye Gates

2010-03-29T13:02:00.000-07:00

TUTTI - Remain seated at the start of this if you are NOT a part of the semi-chorus.
TUTTI - Stand in unison on the downbeat of mm 32 - on the word Lord on the last measure of page 129.
TUTTI - Make every "G" of "Glory" a soft "k" sound please, and if you can, flip the "r" of Glory.
TUTTI - At the top of page 130, in the first system, make the first repetition of "He is the King of Glory" forte, the second, mezzo-forte, and the last piano. From then on keep it a very light piano, shaping each phrase to emphasize the words King and Glory.
TUTTI - At Rehearsal Letter E - make the first repetition of "He is the King of Glory" very, very soft - then the second, forte. Do the same in mm 62 and 63 on page 132.
TUTTI - Going into the page turn onto page 132, after Letter E, start pianissimo, on each repetition of "The Lord of Hosts" and then make each successive repetition a bit louder until the last one going into mm 59 is forte.
TUTTI - Take a breath at the comma in mm71.
TUTTI - Sing the phrase "He is the King of Glory" going into mm73, forte, and the repetition in mm74 very, very piano. Then the final "of glory" watch me for a crescendo on the first syllable of "glory". Also pay attention to your vowels on the last "Glory". The first vowel is an "aw" sound, and the final vowel in the final syllable is an "i" (as in pig) - NOT an "ee".

Rehearsal Notes #25 - And With His Stripes

2010-03-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

TUTTI - remember, we are alternately scourging, and then healing. Put lifts/breaks between the words "And" "With" and "his" on each repetition that occurs on half notes to make them very, very Marcato and strident, and make them fairly loud. Then as you come off of the word "stripes" melt into a beautiful piano legato in order to portray the idea of healing from Christ's scourging.
TUTTI - Remember we're pronouncing "healed" as a TWO SYLLABLE word. "Heal" and "Led"
ALTOS - Put in a break between the repeated b flats (the first two notes) in mm38, and again between the final two notes in mm 39 (the tied half note g, and the repeat of that pitch on the non-tied half note).
TENORS - Put in a break between the repeated E flats (first two notes) in the measure before Rehearsal Letter F.
TUTTI - Watch me on the Adagio for cues about crescendo, decrescendo and tempo changes as we cadence at the end.

Rehearsal Notes - #37, "The Lord Gave the Word"

2010-02-15T15:41:00.000-08:00

BASS/TENOR - DEFINITELY listen to a recording of this once or twice a week in order to solidify your ability to get your starting pitch from the opening chord. It's the tonic or fundamental of the chord (the 1, of 1,3,5 - or do, of do,re,mi,fa,sol). And continue to practice in on the vowels alone.
TUTTI - on the unison sections, sing "Lawd" rather than "Lord".
TUTTI - Take a catch breath after each repetition of the word "preachers" followed by a comma.
TUTTI - As we learned in rehearsal last week, these melismas are not that hard. Which in turn means I'm going to expect a lot of dynamic shaping to them. (Again, find a good recording to listen to!)
TUTTI - Never singer the "ers" of "Preachers" - instead sing "preachahz"
TUTTI - Be sure to place the final "z" sound of "the final "Preachaz"right on beat 2 in the final measure (23).

Rehearsal Notes - #24, "Surely He Hath Borne our Griefs"

2010-02-12T13:26:00.000-08:00

This movement has three pretty clear sections with distinct personalities: mm1-11; mm 12-19; and mm 19 through 24. You need to keep their distinct character in mind while practicing and learning each section.

The first section is very declamatory and sure. Not quite marcato but a bit strident.
The second section has to be like molten caramel it's so legato. Practice it on a vowel and focus on the phrases, not the notes or words. Marry then your phrasing with superb diction and we'll have it.
The third section is marcato - and a degree more strident than the opening section. There has to be a marked contrast in texture from the second to the third sections.

***

TUTTI - In the first section, as we discussed in rehearsal, pronounce "Surely" with three syllables as the rhythm is written. It will sound weird individually, but as a large group of 80 singers, we'll get a clear two syllable diction with onward momentum that way.
TUTTI - Practice delivering the words "HE HATH" quickly and in time. We need big "h"s on both, but you cannot sacrifice the tempo in order to give the diction. We must have both. Both times you have the words, keep in mind that they are a pick-up.
TUTTI - Subito pianissimo on "Borne" on both occurrences with a crescendo to mezzo piano. Do NOT let the "R" come in early. Sing the word on an "aw" vowel. Ditto about the "r" on "sorrows" later in the phrase.
TUTTI - There will be a ritardando in mms 10 & 11. Watch ME!
TUTTI - Going into the middle section, place big "h"s on each entrance of the word "He". Accent each attack, but never go above a pianissimo until mm 18 on the the word "our" which should crescendo to forte and stay that way through "iniquities"
TUTTI - On each part, breathe at the commas and come back in with a strong "h" again WITHOUT slowing down the tempo.
TENORS - at mm 18 on the word "our" you should be fortissimo to everyone else's forte.
S/T - In the pick up to mm20, your entrance should be hyper-marcato to the degree you're actually breaking up the syllables of "chastisement". In fact, make the quarter note of "tise" and eighth note followed by and eighth rest in order to unify the "s".
A/B - Contrary to what I said in rehearsal Tuesday night, DO do the exact same thing I describe for the tenors ans sopranos above in terms of changing the quarter note rhythm on your first iteration of the phrase.
TUTTI - General dynamic mm20-22 is forte - but not a static forte. follow the line the shape your dynamic.
TENOR - Again, you're the stars in mm21. You should be singing an "ah" vowel on the first three beats of mm21, and it should crescnedo from mf to a robust forte and then decrescendo on "ment" in beat four to a mezzo piano.
TUTTI - PAY ATTENTION to the placement of the "s" of "was" in mm23. Best to cross it out completely, and put a "z" at the start of the word "upon".
TUTTI - Decrescendo the second syllable of "upon" through "him" from forte to mezzo piano.
TUTTI - Make the final half note ("him") a quarter note and watch me for the cut off. Do NOT let the "m" come in early - stay on the vowel.

Rehearsal Notes - #38, "The Lord Gave the Word"

2010-02-02T15:47:00.000-08:00

TUTTI - While the tenors and basses have this first, the trebles have this same thing at rehearsal letter A - by which I mean, a very naked unison statement with no accompaniment. The unison has to be perfect or you completely undermine the sentiment here. Moreso, this HAS to be well supported or it will be flat and ugly rather than soaring and majestic. Start each of these declarations forte and swell to triple forte on "the word". We'll practice this a lot.
TUTTI - It would be really helpful if you could all flip the "r" of "great" on each repetition. Pretend your singing with a light Scottish brogue and you'll have it.
TUTTI - Also, accent the word "great" on each entrance, making it forte, and then immeidately going to mezzo-piano on "was" each time. The dynamic will automatically rise as you get into the melismatic portion each time, but with each new attack on "Great" hit the reset button and go back to a forte accent, with subito mezzo-piano following.
TUTTI - Pay very special attention to the rhythm on each repetition of the word "preachers". It comes at the end of the sentence, when you're going to be short of breath and anticipating the next entrance. DO NOT let the "R" and "S" come in too early, and do not cut off early or it'll get sloppy. NOTE that the rhythm for "preachers" is quarter notes at mm7, mm14 for A/T, tutti at rehearsal B, mm22 and mm23 - while it is eighth note based at all other spots. You have to be very mindful of these!
TUTTI - make sure to place the final consonants of the final "preachers" RIGHT ON BEAT 2.

Rehearsal Notes - #28, "He Trusted in God"

2010-02-02T15:36:00.000-08:00

BASS - Start cultivating your unison skills now. You've several entrances like the one in movement number 28 and you need to sound like one voice on all of them! It would help here to get these entrances pretty much memorized (that'll probably happen whether you want it to or not) so you can be looking up and really listening to each other.
TUTTI - On EACH occurrence of the words "delight in him" really over-articulate the rhythm and the breaks in between the "light" (of "delight) and "in; and between "in" and "him". Make it very strident and mocking!
TENOR - watch the accidental (the e natural) in mm 19 please, and your syncopated rhythm in the pcikup to rehearsal letter C.
TENOR - in your melismas in MM43-45 - make it very marcato and like a large guffaw or laugh. You're all the leaders of the mocking at this point. Ditto in the second system of page 120.
SOPRANO - NO BREATH from the Adagio marking at mm 61 through to the end - stagger breath, especially in the second to last measure.
A/T/B - Lower three voices, please insert a lift before beat four in the second to last measure (mm 61) - in between "delight" and "in" - which is in direct contrast to what the sopranos are doing. Watch ME for the cue so that there is only one "t" on "delight" please.

Beginning of Winter 2010 Term Notes

2010-01-26T14:31:00.000-08:00

Greetings all:

1) If you're new to the chorale, please take a moment to review the "Introduction to Handel's Messiah" located here, which also has the links to rehearsal tracks embedded within it.
2) With thanks to Peter, here is another separate link to rehearsal tracks you can use which has the movements missing from the previous set.
3) ALL CHORISTERS - Please take the time to enter ALL of the dates on this term's schedule onto your calendar NOW and to make Matthew aware of any conflicts ASAP. Adult singers - remember a maximum of 3 absences are permitted per term and we must have an absence form from you for each absence. Miss more and you may not be eligible to sing the concert. If you are ill last minute SEND MATTHEW AN EMAIL. You can download a Chorale Absence Form here.
4) All choristers should also take the time to enter in the notes for each movement as they are posted in this BLOG. This goes for the high school chamber singers as well. Notes for movement 26 will be posted right after this post.
5) Any adult choristers who missed last week's first rehearsal must attend next week's (Feb 2) MANDATORY MAKE-UP ORIENTATION at 4:30PM at the Alderbrook Properties office in Union, 871 E Beach Drive.

Thanks all. Keep practicing.

Rehearsal Notes - #26, "All WE like sheep"

2010-01-26T14:24:00.000-08:00

TUTTI - On EVERY occurrence of the words "All we like sheep", elide "All" and "we" and put lifts in between "we" and "like", and between "like" and "sheep".
TUTTI - On EVERY melisma on which you sing "Have gone astray" make your dynamic shaping match the contour of the line itself (when the pitches go up, crescendo - as they go down, decrescendo) and disarticulate the LAST THREE NOTES of the melisma on every occurrence.
TUTTI - At letter C - remove the dot from the first quarter note (his) and add an eighth rest after, placing the "s" of "his" right on beat 2;
TUTTI - mms 47-48 make the quarter notes of "one to his own way" eighth notes followed by eighth rests, and do the same in mms 72-73, and 74, making the half notes in mm 75 quarter notes followed by quarter rests. Make SURE to place the consonants of "his" and "own" in mm75 right on beats 2 and 4, and to WATCH ME for the cut-off at rehearsal letter G.
TUTTI - mm64 in both beats THREE AND FOUR (but NOT BEAT TWO) dot teh first eighth note and make the second a 16th note. In other words, we're over-stressing the words "one" and "his". Here in particular, cut the "s" off of "his" and add a "z" to the beginning of "own".
TUTTI - Practice singing pg 113 after letter G ON ONLY THE VOWELS, taking catch-breaths only where you have an actual comma after the word "him" and stagger breathing the rest.

And the Glory of the Lord (No. 4)

2009-10-21T11:31:00.001-07:00

• TUTTI –Insert lifts between “And” and “the”, and between “the” and “Glory” on each repetition of the phrase “And the Glory, the Glory of the Lord” throughout the entire movement.
• ALTO – Make your opening entrance mezzo forte please with excellent diction.
• STB – Enter at mm14 Forte and with force.
• TUTTI – Remember to keep the “ooh” in the “EE” vowel on all repetitions of “revealed”.
• TUTTI – Also insert lifts between “And” and “All”, and “All” and “flesh”; and between “flesh” and “shall” on each repetition of the phrase “And all flesh shall see it together” throughout the entire movement.
• TB – At rehearsal letter B strongly accent the attack on each note in the phrase “For the mouth of the Lord”. Continue this practice though the movement.
• TUTTI – Cross out the dot on the half note and cutoff on beat 3 in mm57 in unison so that the sopranos have a full beat to take a breath before their next entrance.
• SOPRANO – Having taken an excellent breath in mm57, strongly accent the attack of each note in the phrase “For the mouth of the Lord” in mm58-61. Continue this practice though the movement.
• BASS – At rehearsal letter C accent the word “For” powerfully – you’re the only ones singing that word which starts the phrase. Yes, do drown out the other parts on that one attack.
• TUTTI - Cross out the dot on the half note and cutoff on beat 3 in mm73.
• SOPRANO – Feel free to omit the final syllable of “Together” at mm83 so that you can take a good breath on the pick-up to rehearsal letter D with the strongly accented attacks we need on each note of that phrase. Repeat the practice again at rehearsal letter F – its more important to get a good breath and properly support the phrase than it is to sing that final syllable of “Together”.
• TUTTI – there will be a ritardando beginning a mm130 through 134. Tenors and Basses should insert a clear break between “Lord” and “the” and should over-articulate each word as we slow.
• TUTTI – For the final phrase, sing “Hath” Fortissimo, “Spo” should be a subito pianissimo and immediately then crescendo through the tied half notes back to Fortissimo on “ken”, and then there should be a lift between “ken” and “It”.

FALL 09 Sectional Schedule & Locations

2009-10-21T11:07:00.000-07:00

Please let your host know if you plan to attend one of the following sectionals, as soon as you can. Contact information and directions/addresses follow the schedule.

SOPRANO SECTIONALS
WED – NOV 4 – 1-3PM – at the home of Dawn Turnbull
MON – NOV 9 – 1-3PM – at the home of Valerie & Charles Johnson
WED – DEC 2 – 10-Noon – at the home of Dawn Turnbull

ALTO SECTIONALS
THU – OCT 29 – 6-8PM at the home of Betsy Brezel
THU – NOV 12 – 6-8PM at the home of Betsy Brezel

TENOR SECTIONALS
WED – 10/28 – 6-8PM at the home of Sandy Plagemann
WED – 11/11 – 6-8PM at the home of Matthew Blegen

BASS SECTIONALS
MON – OCT 26 – 6-8PM at the home of Valerie & Charles Johnson
MON – NOV 30 – 6-8PM at the home of Valerie & Charles Johnson
MON – DEC 7 – 6-8PM at the home of Valerie & Charles Johnson

Dawn Turnbull, 6051 E State Route 106, Union, 98592 - 898-3381
Sandy Plagemann, Union - call for directions 898-0081
Matthew Blegen, 131 E Havenridge Drive, Union, 98592 - 898-6308
Charles & Valerie Johnson, 41 E Waterwheel Place, Union, 98592 - 360-545-6621

Betsy Brezel - Shelton - Directions below - 360-402-1143
I live at 5030 SE Lynch Rd which is a left turn at Taylor Towne off of SR 101 (going south). I am about 5 miles down Lynch Rd on the right, the 4th driveway after the second sign for Sells Loop. It's a paved driveway and it follows a bank of mailboxes, numbered 5032-38. I am incorrectly numbered after those mailboxes. There is a wooden stake in the ground at my driveway with my number on it. My house is white stucco with a red tile roof at the end of the driveway.

"Hallelujah" Rehearsal Notes

2009-10-11T16:32:00.000-07:00

Greetings all,

A reminder that this week's rehearsal (10/13) is at SHS Auditorium! DON'T FORGET!

Below are the notes for the Hallelujah (No. 44):

• TUTTI – On the first page (171), mark in the following dynamics for the Hallelujahs: First two Hallelujahs – forte; Second two Hallelujahs – pianissimo; Fifth Hallelujah – forte; Sixth Hallelujah – forte; Seventh – pianissimo; Eighth – forte; Ninth – pianissimo; Tenth – forte:
• TUTTI – on EACH repetition of Hallelujah, regardless of dynamic – overpronounce the “h” sound at the beginning of the word, and stress the LOO sound in the middle of the word;
• TUTTI – mm12 – give a strong “f” on the word “for” and start the phrase very softly, crescendo to “ni” of “omnipotent” to mezzo-forte, then decrescendo back to pianissimo;
• TUTTI – Hallelujahs at rehearsal letter A all forte and very crisp;
• ATB – mm17 – again, start very pianissimo giving a strong “f” on the word “for” and start the phrase very softly, crescendo to “ni” of “omnipotent” to mezzo-forte, then decrescendo back to pianissimo;
• TUTTI – again, Hallelujahs at mm 19 all forte and very crisp;
• TUTTI – beginning at rehearsal letter B – WRITE IN THE BEATS in the measures where your part has an entrance – if you have questions about how to do this, ASK PLEASE!!! This is especially important for the tenors and basses;
• TUTTI – Remember to always keep the “wave shape” on each repetition of of “For the Lord God omnipotent Reigneth” = starting very softly, swelling to forte on the “ni” of “omnipotent” to mezzo-forte, then decrescendo back to pianissimo – MARK IT IN;
• TUTTI – mark in holding the “jah” of “Hallelujah” in mm32 all the way through the measure for a uniform cutoff on beat 1 of mm33;
• TUTTI – at rehearsal letter C listen/watch carefully for a unison entrance on “The”, this line must be gorgeously legato – begin it mezzopiano and decrescendo to pianissimo on “world” – holding “world” through mm35 and cutting off on beat 1 of mm36;
• TUTTI – all watch me for a slight ritardando at letter C and an atempo at mm39 & mm40;
• TUTTI – reenter in mm37 on “is” mezzoforte and decrescencdo again down to pianissimo on “become” – ALTOS do NOT pronounce the “s” of “is” on this phrase early just because your entrance is a beat earlier than everyone else – if in doubt, don’t pronounce it at ALL;
• TUTTI – Reenter on “the” in mm37 mezzoforte through “Lord”, insert a lift before “and” in mm39 and increase dynamic to forte for “of his Christ”, insert another lift before the next “and” and increase dynamic to fortissimo through the final “Christ” at letter D;
• TUTTI – For each repetition of the phrase “And He shall reign forever and ever” make “And He shall reign” very marcato (detached) and forcefully, forte, then go to legato for the rest of the phrase and decrescendo to mezzopiano;
• TUTTI – again mark in the beats on your entrances on page 175
• SA – at your entrance two beats after rehearsal letter E, overpronounce the K sound on King and Kings, and accent the beginning of each word – keep in mind that for all of your held notes you must support through the note (easiest if you swell and unswell it for the entire length) not just land and hold; modify the “EE” sound in King to be more open like the “i” sound in “pig”;
• ATB – on all of your “forever, and ever, Hallelujah, Hallelujah” phrases, give the phrase the wave shape swelling and unswelling it;
• TUTTI – NEVER let the “R” of “Lords” come in early – think of it as “Lawd of Lawds”;
• TUTTI – going into the finale of the movement the most important thing is the unison;
• TUTTI – watch me for the entrances on the final “Hallelujah”.

REHEARSAL NOTES - 09.22.09

2009-09-28T14:42:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone,

I have to say, I'm really pleased with the level of progress at this point. The hard work is usually spending a few weeks just sight-reading our way through everything to get an initial feel for things - but this time around, you're making it look a lot easier! Perhaps its the familiarity with the work, or you're all just working really hard in between rehearsals with your rehearsal tracks! But whatever it is - keep it up!

Below are the notes for movements N0. 17, Glory to God; and No. 9, O Thou that Tellest Good Tidings to Zion (keep in mind again that you come in after the solist on page 46).

Glory to God (No. 17)
• TUTTI – Mark in a STAND cue on the downbeat of movement 16, starting in the fourth system of page 67 – the PAGE BEFORE you come in.
• TUTTI – on each repetition of Glory to God, insert a lift between “Glory” and “God” – for the entire movement;
• TUTTI – observe the Forte as written in the opening measures, but mark in a decrescendo beginning on beat 3 of “highest” – cut off “highest” in mm4 right on beat 3;
• T/B – Remember the tempo change to LARGO, pianissimo dynamic, and very regal, legato delivery (not Forte as written) at mm5 ‘and peace on earth’;
• Repeat the articulations on Glory to God at letter A – crescendo to fortissimo on the syllable “high” of highest, and decrescendo back to a mezzo-piano on “est”, cutting off right on beat 1 of mm14;
• T/B – again Largo tempo, regal piano delivery of ‘and peace on earth’;
• TUTTI – At rehearsal letter B, and at every subsequent entrance on the “Good Will” theme, make your opening quarter note and eighth note followed by an eighth rest, which will have the effect of inserting a large lift between Good and Will on each repetition; Observe dynamics as marked in this section through mm23, then decrescendo to a pianissimo on “toward men” in mm24, cutting of the N of “men” right on beat 3;
• TUTTI – a the pick-up to mm30, like the tenors and basses have done twice previously in the movement, we’ll deliver “and peace on earth” as a regal, piano, LARGO;
• TUTTI – same articulations apply for the separations between “Good” and “Will” at letter D; mm35 sing mezzo-piano – mm36 sing mezzo-forte – mm37 – forte – mm38 – fortissimo through the end, cutting of the final “men” on beat 3 of mm42.
• TUTTI – Mark in a SIT cue on the downbeat of the first measure of page 73, movement 18.

O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings to Zion (No. 9)
• TUTTI – Mark in a STAND cue on the downbeat of mm101 on the bottom of page 45 – right on the “g” of “Glory”;
• TUTTI – Take the time to write in the beats (6 per measure in this movement) on each of your entrances as shown Tuesday night (9/22);
• TUTTI – Take the dynamic down to mezzo-forte on each of your entrances beginning at letter H; mark in a long sustained diminuendo to piano beginning in mm112 through beat 5 of mm114 – THEN insert a lift between “Zion” and “Arise” (at the comma) and come in subito forte on “Arise”;
• TUTTI – mm116 – come in piano at “Say” and mark in a crescendo to Forte on the word “Behold” – also mark in another lift at the comma in between “Judah” and “Behold”;
• TUTTI – Remember to make the first syllable of “Behold” more like the vowel in “bit” than the vowel in “bee”; and to make each “Behold” a commanding forte;
• TUTTI – at mm121 mark in lifts between “glory” and “of”; between “of” and “the”;
• TUTTI – mark in a long diminuendo beginning with the “up” of “upon thee” beginning in mm 123 and continuing to a piano on “thee” in mm 124; Re-attack “O Thou” as forte;
• TUTTI – from letter K on pg 48 crsecndo from forte to fortissimo through the word “say” in mm 126, then start decrescendoing through the rest of the phrase until the end of “Judah” – then attack “Behold” on a subito fortissimo;
• TUTTI – decrescendo mm131 through “Lord” in mm 132; cross out the tied eighth note on the word “Lord” and make it an eighth rest; the repeat of “of the Lord” should be a very legato piano;
• ALTO – your solo entrance at the pick-up to mm133 should be well sustained and shaped and very legato, decrescendoing from a mezzo-forte entrance to a piano by mm135;
• S/T/B – At your entrance at the pick-up to mm135, come in very piano but full, and pulse beats 1 and 4 through that phrase;
• TUTTI – cut off the “d” of “Lord” in mm136 RIGHT ON BEAT 5 – breath and then come right back in (PRACTICE THIS!);
• TUTTI – Mark in a SIT cue on the downbeat of mm147 at the bottom of pg49.

REHEARSAL NOTES - 09.15.09

2009-09-16T17:13:00.000-07:00

Greetings all,

A reminder first that next week's rehearsal (9/22/09) will be in the Shelton High School Choir Room at 6:30PM. Next week's work party will be from 4:30-6PM at Mason County Christian School, 470 E Eagle Ridge Dr, Shelton.

Notes will be posted on the "Hallelujah" at a later date once we've sung through the entire movement. In the meantime however, below are the notes for the movement "For Unto Us a Child is Born". If you don't already have them in your score, take the time to pencil the following in before your next practice.

FYI for those new to the terminology:
- TUTTI means everyone
- S = Sopranos; A = Altos; T = Tenors; B = Basses
- mm = Measure
- Subito means immediately (NOT gradually)
- Crescendo means to get louder/Decrescendo to get softer
- Marcato means somewhat separated (not legato)

FOR UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN - MOVEMENT NOTES
• TUTTI - On each repetition of “For, unto us a child is born” insert lifts at the comma and between “unto” and “us";
• TUTTI - Strong, forte marcato on “and his name shall be called” – bottom pg 57
• TUTTI – “Prince of Peace” in middle system – make each quarter note an eighth note followed by an eighth rest – AND ALIGN CONSONANTS ACCORDING to rehearsal practice (no elisions) – ditto for repeats, including the final one (note the one exception in the last bullet point below)
• TUTTI - Middle system, last mm 59 – subito piano (not mf) on all “And his name” entrances through the downbeat of mm 49 – then subito fortissimo at letter E on the word “Wonderful” – with a light, bright ah vowel;
• TUTTI – cut he consonant “c” off of the word “Peace” in the last mm of the top system, pg 60, and make the quarter note an eighth with an eighth rest so you can take a breath;
• TUTTI – p61, last system – “And his name shall be called” – forte this time NOT piano
• SAT – Middle system pg 62, second mm, make the quarter note of “For” an eighth with an eighth rest;
• TUTTI – p63, top system mm 79 – dot the eighth note of “son” and make the eighth note of “is” a sixteenth note;
• TUTTI – the penultimate “Prince of Peace” in the last mm of the top system – THIS TIME ONLY – ELIDE the word “Prince” into the word “of” while crescendoing – but do NOT move off the vowel early (NO EARLY SIBILANTS PLEASE!).

Spring 2009 Chorale Roster

2009-06-23T16:32:00.000-07:00

All,

For a current version of the Chorale Roster - click here.

This information is NOT TO BE SHARED outside of the Chorale. Aside from respecting the privacy of your fellow choristers, several of our singers work in the corrections system and for that their personal contact information is to be carefully protected.

Many thanks to Sandy for coordinating and please let her know directly of any changes and corrections: sandyp@hctc.com.

MMB.

Performance Logistics for July 2 & 24

2009-06-23T16:10:00.000-07:00

Greetings choristers,

For next Thursday's (July 2) performance at the Nordstrom Great Hall (where we rehearse) call time for singers will be 7PM for a 7:15PM WARM UP. Concert attire for this program is BLACK & BLUE CASUAL. For example, I'll probably be wearing black shorts with a blue silk Hawaiian shirt. Sundresses OK for ladies as well. One request would be that we generally stay away from jeans, but otherwise think: something you'd wear to a BBQ - only limit the colors to black and any shade of blue!

Keep in mind also that next Thursday our performance is just the opening act for the evening. Then Anna's Bay and Harmony Hill will be hosting a Campfire Fireworks Singalong. Harmony Hill will be providing snacks and goodies and smore makings, we'll have a small bonfire out on the patio in front of the hall which is the best place in Union (not on the water) to see Alderbrook's annual fireworks display. I hope you'll all stay and enjoy the singalong which will include cmapfire and patriotic favorites!

For Friday, July 24th (the Mason County Fair performance) call time will be 11:00AM at the Mason County Fairgounds for an 11:15AM warm-up on the main stage. PLEASE BE ON TIME as we'll likely need a soundcheck - and artificial amplification is something none of us are used to. We're to use the Vendor Entrance and both parking and admission to the fair are FREE! (Connie, we'll need a digital piano of some sort in order to get through Bridge Over Troubled Water).

Dress for this performance is concert standard - business casual black and blue. Men wear black slacks and a blue shirt. Women any combination of black and blue (any shade of blue).

Opening ceremonies begin at 12 noon and our performance of the National Anthem is the second item on the program. Opening ceremonies will last about 40 minutes or so (they often run late) and then we'll do a 30-minute performance at 1PM on the main stage.

As a city boy, I'm new to this fair thing - but apparently we're to encourage our friends and family to come attend and vote for our performance. What that means I'm not sure, but I'll promo it to the Anna's Bay audience and would ask that you do whatever each of you can to build attendance as well! Maybe we'll win a blue ribbon!

You should bring ALL of your current music to all of these events. I'll announce planned concert order next Tuesday night.

MMB.

Sandy's practice post

2009-06-19T12:30:00.000-07:00

To hear last year's You Are So Beautiful performance, click here.

Deep River Notes

2009-06-01T11:22:00.000-07:00

TUTTI - Start this very, very softly and lean into it. The tempo should feel a bit like pulled taffy. NO BREATH between river and Jordan - EVER! So tank up well before we start and stagger breath when needed.
TUTTI - Pay special attention to the "dan" of Jordan each time. If the sections are unified, and we put in a little ritardando, we should get a nice cascade effect from Soprano, to Alto/Tenor, to Bass on that.
TUTTI - Know that the next to measures are going to be even slower. And both these measures, and the final two measures of the first page should be decrescendoing even further.
SOPRANO&BASS- On the melody on the middle section - think of it as a strong, parental mezzopiano - not a brash, judgmental mezzoforte. Spend some time getting the rhythm into your muscle memory - it still isn't clear and it's only four measures!
ALTO&TENOR - Your "ahs" on the top of the second page need to be soft, sustain and like a string section - very connected. There is NO BREATH through the first three measures of this. And note they are "ahs" not "aws" or "ohs" - we'll work on this.
TUTTI - WATCH ME CLOSELY so that the staggered entrance into "that promised land" does not remain the train wreck that it currently is. Part of the current problem is most of you realizing that your attack on "that" is unified with one other seccion, but not the other two. Don't let this surprise you!
TUTTI - Take a breath after "land" and before "where" but keep eyes on me for the tempo changes that WILL be occurring there. Prepare yourself with this breath for the fact that it's the last you get until after "river" on the top of the next page.
TUTTI - Ditto all the opening page notes - only more so, for the repeat of that material on the third page.
BASS - If we have anyone who can take the low "D" on the final note ("ground" of campground) - please do so!

You Are So Beautiful Notes

2009-06-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

Sopranos -In the opening four bars, remember to let me set the tempo - don't rush us. And listen closely to each other in order to unify the Ds.
Tutti - NO BREATH until the rest at the end of the second measure - and don't let this breath slow you down going into the next measure or the entrance will be sloppy.
Tutti - NO BREATH in second two measures until after the fermata (birds eye symbol) so be prepared.
Tutti - Remember that this first entrance is on 2 (not 1), is very piano, AND that the rhythm here is a little different in that "so" happens right on 4, rather than on the and of 4 where it happens almost everywhere else. WATCH THAT "S"
Tutti - Don't let the rest in measure 7 get so long when you take your breath that we place the pick-up on beat 1. Ditto for mm 13, 24 - you get the picture.
Sopranos - In the two measure pick up to mm22 (the key change bit) again - don't run away with the tempo. Relax into it instead. The shifting tonal center at this point makes it hugely important that we're all in lock-step tempo-wise.
Bass - Remember that the eighth note in your line in mm 21at beat 3 is a typo - it should be another quarter note like the tenor part.
Tutti - TAKE A HUGE BREATH in mm 32 right before the pick-up ("You're") - if we need to I'll break the tempo a bit to give you the time. But make sure you've got a full tank for the fermata in mm 34.
Bass - Need more tonal certainty from you in the descnding lines both mm33 and in mm35-36.
Tutti - Watch me closely for the resolution of the penultimate fermata so we can give a unified attack on the last chord.

Spring 09 Term Notes

2009-06-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

Greetings all and welcome!

The term will test your musicianship in ways that build on last term's successes - particularly in terms of blend and pitch management - as the entire program will be performed a capella. This combined with the short length of the term, even with the new two week extension (again, apologies to Jeremiah and Dick), means that absences are to be avoided at all costs please. If you must miss a rehearsal, please let your section leader know beforehand AND make arrangements with either your section leader or your choir buddy to get the notes from the rehearsal BEFORE you attend the following week.

As we discussed last week, we're rescheduling the original mid-June concerts to a single perfomance, at the Nordstrom Great Hall (where we rehearse) for Thursday evening, July 2 at 8PM. Call time for singers will be 7PM for a 7:15PM WARM UP. Concert attire for this program is yet to be determined - but it will be weather-appropriate I can assure you. Following the performance will be a community campfire singalong out on the patio for the Alderbrook Fireworks display and I hope you'll all plan on staying for that.

Lastly, there will be two fundraisers this summer for both the chorale and the Hood Canal School music program. The first, Saturday, July 18 will Seattle's number on salsa band - Cambalache Salsa - under the stars at the new Alderbrook Golf Clubhouse. The evening will start at 5:30 with a 90-minute group lesson and the live band will play from 8-10PM. The second event will feature NW Blus Diva "Linda Hornbuckle" under the stars as well at the Alderbrook Golf Clubhouse on Saturday evening, August 29. Pre-event cocktail hour at 7PM and live performance at 8PM.

More info will be coming, but we'll be needing a large number of volunteers for both of these events. If you're available to help that day or evening (or both) please contact Matthew. Should be fun!

Rehearsal Schedule for next two weeks

2009-03-28T10:48:00.001-07:00

All,

To recap the announcements made at this past Tuesday's rehearsal:

This Tuesday, March 31 - there is a soprano's only sectional from 6:30-7:30. Everyone else is called at 7:15PM for a 7:30-9:15 rehearsal. SOPRANOS - listen to movement 7 (in Paradisum) and do a little prep work on it; and review the work we started on movement 3 (Sanctus) please!
Due to a scheduling conflict, the Tuesday, April 7 - regular rehearsal will be held at the SHS Choir Room - NOT THE GREAT HALL.
Because of spring break, there are NO MORNING SHS CHOIR REHEARSALS this week.
The performance week schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, April 21 - regular rehearsal at the Great Hall from 6:30-9:15PM
Wednesday, April 22 - DRESS REHEARSAL (not in concert dress) at the SHS Auditorium - 6:30PM CALL
Thursday, April 23 - OPENING PERFORMANCE at the Nordstrom Great Hall - 6:30PM CALL TIME - 7:30PM CURTAIN
Friday, April 24 - SECOND PERFORMANCE at the SHS AUDITORIUM - 6:30PM CALL TIME - 7:30PM CURTAIN
Saturday, April 25 - FINALE PERFORMANCE at the SHS AUDITORIUM - 6:30PM CALL TIME - 7:30PM CURTAIN

Here are the rehearsal notes/marks for Movement 6 of the Faure - Libera Me

Sopranos & Altos ONLY - break after the first "Tremens" in the first measure at letter C (Kalmus pg 50/Schirmer pg 52)
Sopanos - a breath in between beats 3 and 4 in the fifth measure after C (before "Et")
Altos/Tenors/Bass in between the fifth and sixt measures after letter C (before "Et")
Sopanos - a breath in between beats 3 and 4 in the measure after D (before "Dum")
Altos/Tenors/Bass in between beats 2 and 3 in the measure after D (before "Dum")
Sopanos - a breath in between beats 3 and 4 in the fifth measure after D (before "at")
Tutti - remember to hold the "ra" of "ira" for the full length of the whole note! (Kalmus pg 52/Schiremer pg 55)
Tutti - in the 6/4 section, first phrase (Kalmus pg 52/Schiremer pg 55): breath after "illa", big breath after "irae", breath after "Calamitatis"
Tutti - at letter E breath after "illa", big breath after "magna" - no breath after until after "valde"
Tutti - at letter F - breath after "aeternam", after "Domine" and before "et", and then breath at G before "Luceat"
Sopranos - cur off "eis" with the tenors at Letter H - do NOT hold beyond that first measure
Tutti - At the unison section (Kalmus pg 58/Schirmer pg. 61) follow the long archign slurs for prhasing/breaths - after "Domine" and before "de", after "tremenda" and before 'in die", after "sunt" and before "Quando"
Tutti - NO BREATH before "et terra" (Kalmus pg 61/Schirmer pg 64)
Tutti - resuming at Kalmus pg 61/Schirmer pg 64 - breath after "Dum veneris" and before "judicare" and that is your last breath of this section
Tutti - remember a big breath before the final "Libera me, Domine" because we'll be doing that entire phrase in one breath.

Requiem Poster

2009-03-10T16:00:00.001-07:00

March 14 Preview Event Description

2009-03-10T15:26:00.000-07:00

Greetings choristers,

As I mentioned last Tuesday, here is the text of the invitation I sent out about this Saturday's event.

*****
Greetings,

I'm writing today with the amazing sound of last week's Fauré Requiem rehearsals still ringing in my ears.

This spring marks a major milestone for Anna's Bay in two areas - our community chorale is not only preparing its first masterwork, but we're doing it with the Shelton High School Choir. This is not only the type of music-making I dreamed of originally when starting Anna's Bay, but also the kind of broad community collaboration that I'd so hoped would take root involving (and therefore enriching) normally very-disparate segments of our community.

For the past several weeks both ensembles (which combined will total about 70 singers) have been working on the piece separately. And while the performances aren't until late April, we'll be combining forces for the first time on Saturday evening, March 14th at the Nordstrom Great Hall at 7:30PM - and I'm hoping you might join us for a little preview.

This isn't a fund-raiser (though funds are always appreciated!) but rather a gathering for those nearest and dearest to Anna's Bay to witness in a more private setting what they've helped to create for our community. Any chance to hear this glorious and uplifting work in such an intimate setting can't help but be magical, but I have to tell you, I think you're going to be equally amazed by the quality and professionalism of the sound you're going to hear (my thanks for the dedication of our singers).

Harmony Hill is co-hosting the event with us (and doing a little catering - you don't want to miss what Heather and Shannon will be putting together, I promise) and we'll be doing just a few movements of the Requiem and hoping to get some buzz going in advance of the April performances. We'll also have posters and flyers on hand, and we'll share what our hopes and dreams are for the next phase of Anna's Bay's development - goals that are going to form the backbone of the balance of our 2009 activities, and that are going to take advantage of the strong musical foundation we've built here.

I really hope you can join us, and if so, please let me know by replying to this email as soon as you can. You're on this list because you had a part in making this possible for our community. I hope we'll get to sing for you that night as our way of saying thank you.

My best,

Matthew Melendez Blegen
General Director
Anna's Bay Center for Music
206-931-4338
matthew.blegen@annasbay.org

Some Additional Notes

2009-02-27T14:28:00.000-08:00

I just found some additional notes from 02.17 I forgot to include in the earlier post:

TUTTI - In movements 2 & 3 - whenever you have a quarter note tied to an eight note, followed by an eighth rest. Change the tied eighth note to a quarter note and delete the rest so the cut-off comes right on the beat.

BARITONES - in Kalmis, pp 32, third measure, top system stay on the E FLAT and do not drop down to the D - this is a misprint (it is correct in the Schirmer score).

That's it - mark 'em in!

Counting in your Entrances

2009-02-27T13:47:00.001-08:00

All,

To reinforce what I was talking about in terms of hearing the beat in your head during difficult off-beat (on 2 or 4 – or on the “and” of a beat) it sometimes help to have a visual cue that reinforces your internal sense of the beat.

The image above shows you how I do it. I’ll very often physically right in above the measure the beats and the “ands” in between them in order to have that visual aid, and I highly recommend doing this for your more challenging entrances in movement 2 and any additional spot where you’re not sure how the rhythm actually lines up with the beats. It really helps.

You want to make sure that the numbers and plus signs for subdivisions between the beats (for the “ands” of “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and”) line up above the measure with the note spacing, which is typically exactly how modern, professional published scores are printed anyway. In other words, you want whatever is happening on beat 1 to line up exactly below the numeral 1 that you right in, and ditto for the “ands” and the other beats.

REHEARSAL NOTES - 02.17 & 02.24

2009-02-27T13:25:00.000-08:00

Rehearsal Notes – 02.17 & 02.24

Greetings everyone. This week was the rehearsal I always look forward to at the beginning of each term – the one where everything begins to really gel. I can’t say enough especially about how terrific the Mozart is sounding.

A couple of general notes. Just a reminder that you should never wear perfume or cologne to a rehearsal or performance. It is not uncommon for singers to have heightened sensitivities to fragrances given that we’re pulling so much air in and out, and often the effect of more than one clashing fragrance on individuals can be terrible. So please keep that in mind.

Following is a summary of the dates discussion we had this past week, as well as the schedule for performance week. It will NOT work to change the planned rehearsal for March 17th to the 16th in observance of St. Patty's Day, so please disregard that discussion and plan on attending rehearsal that week on our regular night. In the meantime, please get these into your calendars:

SATURDAY, MARCH 14 – Fauré Requiem Preview event with the SHS Choir
7:00PM CALL TIME – NORDSTROM GREAT HALL, UNION

***
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22 – PERFORMANCE DRESS REHEARSAL
6:30PM CALL TIME – SHS CHOIR ROOM

THURSDAY, APRIL 23 – PERFORMANCE #1
6:30PM CALL TIME IN CONCERT DRESS – NORDSTROM GREAT HALL, UNION

FRIDAY, APRIL 24 – PERFORMANCE #2
6:30PM CALL TIME IN CONCERT DRESS – SHS CHOIR ROOM

SATURDAY, APRIL 24 – PERFORMANCE #3
6:30PM CALL TIME IN CONCERT DRESS – SHS CHOIR ROOM

REHEARSAL NOTES:
Sopranos – Your blend is getting better and better every week! We need to keep Cathy, Inez & Dawn together as the section anchor. Please make sure you continue to sit that way. High passages were the perfect balance of support and blend without blaring. EXCELLENT.
Also, note that the pick-up note to Rehearsal C on Kalmus pp 39 should be an E FLAT – not natural (this is correct in the Schirmer score).

Altos – Excellent work again on movement two and congrats on retaining so much from the last rehearsals. Thank you as well for the sectional time Tuesday and I hope it was helpful. We might look at another in a couple weeks to polish the entrances in movement #2.
Don’t forget to mark in that I’d like you join the sopranos at the end of the Sanctus, five measures after Rehearsal E (Kalmus, pp 31 – Schirmer pp 32); and the tenors in the Agnus Dei in their octave 6 measures before Rehearsal A through five measures after, and again, five measures before D through 8 measures after. Also mark in the enharmonic spelling at Kalmus pp42/Schirmer pp 45 – 6 measures after E, the last beat – C sharp is same pitch as D flat in the next measure – don’t let it confuse you.

Tenors – Again - use the practice CD and/or rehearsal tracks to learn your section’s solo on pages 5 and 6 in movement 1. Just focus on the notes rather than the words singing the entire two pages on a light “ah” – learning it that way will reinforce good vocal habits and prevent you from incorporating unnecessary tension in the ascending passages while you’re learning to float up to the high notes. Just as I was describing the warm up this past week. Add to this also your duet part with the Altos in movement 2 through letter D which we’ll be working during this week’s sectional, as well as the section at letter I in that movement. Again VERY nice sound from the section and good work in-between rehearsals – keep it up. You have two enharmonic spellings to mark in:
• Kalmus pp41/Schirmer pp44 – three measures after E – the D Flat in the first tenor is the SAME PITCH as the C sharp in the next measure.
• Kalmus pp 45 into 46/Schirmer pp 49 into 50 – the final D FLAT in your part is the SAME PITCH as the C SHARP in the next measure after the page turn. This is further complicated by the page turn so MARK IT IN!

Bass/Baris – Good work – you’re clearly getting stronger as a section. I especially loved your strong entrances in the Mozart. Your entrance three measures after C in movement 2 (Kalmus pp 15/Schirmer pp 15) needs to be much stronger – practice this with the rehearsal CD/tracks please. Ditto for Rehearsal I in that movement (Kalmus pp21/Schirmer pp 20 – at the Tempo I). And remember your strength on the chromatic passages Rehearsal E in movement 5 (Kalmus pp41/Schirmer pp44) is critical – this too could use between rehearsal attention, especially in the baritone section.

FAURÉ – MOVEMENT 5 breaths
Altos & Tenors – take OUT the breath mark before “mundi” in the Kalmus score three measures before Rehearsal A – instead taking your breath at the eighth rest after “mundi”.
Altos & Tenors – DO take the breath marked at the end of the measure at Rehearsal A, but remove the breath marked in the Kalmus score two measures after A before the word “requiem”.
All – take the breath marked second measure after Rehearsal B after “Dei” and do work to observe the dramatic dynamic changes on the “Agnus” at B, and crescendo two measures after. Listen the recording for the shaping.
Tutti – Take a breath before “Dona” in the pick up to Rehearsal C as marked in the Kalmis score but DO NOT SLOW THE TEMPO.
Altos & Tenors – NO BREATH three measures before Rehearsal D between “tollis” and “Peccatamundi”. But DO TAKE THE BREATHS as marked in the measures before and after Rehearsal D in both scores. MAKE SURE you carry the final syllable of “requiem” for it’s full count four measures after Rehearsal D, but you can take a breath before “sempi” if needed.
Sopranos – Breath before the repeated of the word “luceat” on measure after Rehearsal E, four measures after Rehearsal E, and again before your final word of that phrase “Domine”.
Altos, Tenors, Bass – NO BREATH (stagger breathing) until after each repetition of “luceat eis” (both times) in the six measures after Rehearsal E, and then again after “Domine”.
TUTTI – NO BREATH 9 measures after Rehearsal E between “tuis” and “in”. Breath after “aeternum” three measures before Rehearsal F, breath in the measure at Rehearsal F before “cum” and no breath (stagger breathing) until the end. This is a hugely important crescendo as well so make sure you’ve got the air to support it!

REHEARSAL NOTES - 02.03

2009-02-04T12:23:00.001-08:00

Rehearsal Notes – 02.03

Really good read-through of movement 2 last night – isn’t it beautiful! You’ve now sung half the work! I mention this below in the section specific notes but I’ll say it again here – you have the rehearsal CDs so use them, especially with this movement this week. Listening to how the different vocal layers come together – even just playing it in the background at work once or twice a day – will really facilitate your sight-reading of this section and your confidence with each sections entrances. NOW is the time to make your mistakes on those entrances also – so err boldly in rehearsals. I MEAN IT! By April these entrances need to be both confident and unified!

As far as the Latin question last night, DO change the word “obscuro” to OBSCURUM throughout the second movement if you’re using the KALMUS edition (as most of the adult singers are). If you need a between-rehearsal refresher on the Latin, there’s a nice document I found this morning with a pronunciation guide to the latin of this particular work here: www.fergusblack.com/html/chornote/faurereq.pdf

Sopranos – Again, very nice sound last night. While we’re sight-reading I’m noticing a tendency to oversing a bit. Not to worry about, but keep it in mind and like I said last week, keep it nice and light. Also, whenever you’re going above an E modify the vowel towards a nice bright “ah”. Please spend some time this week again looking at your section’s solo at E on page 7 using either the rehearsal tracks OR the performance recording – or both! And invest some time solidifying your part at letter I on page 21 and 22. I may change this later, but I’m thinking you should mark in a big breath right after “libera” and before “animas” in the pick-up to letter J on page 21 in order to ensure you have a full tank for the page turn and the climax of your phrase (the “fer” of “inferni” at the top of page 22) which will likely be also close to a mezzo-forte.

Altos – Great reading last night, especially on the chromatic portions of movement 2. Invest some time listening this week to this movement – both on the rehearsal track and the performance recording to get familiar with how the layers come together, and I’d definitely recommend singing along. If you want to focus your listening and practice even more, the weakest entrance last night (understandably) is your entrance in the second measure after letter C on page 15. Spend time each day listening to how the tonal center shifts continually upward in this passage in order to get your ear used to the twists and turns. In the latter portion of the movement pay special attention to the passage in the measure before J on page 21 through to the first measure of 22 and your duet with the tenors. ALSO – DO MARK THIS CORRECTION IN YOUR SCORE – the final ‘e’ in the measure after letter C on page 15 should be SHARP – the natural sign is a typo.

Tenors – Two things this week. Use the practice CD and/or rehearsal tracks to learn your section’s solo on pages 5 and 6 in movement 1. Just focus on the notes rather than the words singing the entire two pages on a light “ah” – learning it that way will reinforce good vocal habits and prevent you from incorporating unnecessary tension in the ascending passages while you’re learning to float up to the high notes. Also, note the difference in the pattern following the ascending passage that follows the first instance at letter C on page 5 (resolving to a ‘c’) and the second instance at letter D on page 6 which resolves to an ‘e’. Also, like the Altos, invest some time listening this week to the second movement – both on the rehearsal track and the performance recording in order to get familiar with how the layers come together, and I’d definitely recommend singing along. This is particularly true in your entrance at letter I on page 21 which you just need to get into your ear. Listen, sing-along, repeat. Overall – VERY nice sound from the section last night. And like the sopranos, beware the dangers of oversinging!

Bass/Baris – like the Altos & Tenors, invest some time listening this week to the second movement – both on the rehearsal track and the performance recording in order to get familiar with how the layers come together, and I’d definitely recommend singing along. This is particularly true in your entrance after letter C on page 15 which you just need to get into your ear. Listen, sing-along, repeat. I think your entrance after letter I on page 21 will be easy once you’re familiar with the movement. Very important is your clear, confident, unified entrance at the pick-up to J on page 21. Also, practice your similar lone entrances in movement 1 at letter J page 10, and in the Mozart (mm 13 page 3) by listening to the rehearsal tracks/CDs and singing along while following the music in your score. Trust me it will really help!!!

FAURÉ – MOVEMENT 2 breaths
In general – as marked in the score, plus:
Tenors and Altos – breath before “de poenis”, pickup to the third measure after letter A on page 14 – and similarly before “de ore” in the same exact spot, top of page 15.
Tutti breath before the each Amen in the second system, page 23 – these breaths will be conducted and will be our opportunity to ground our unison entrances at that point – put a mark in your score to be sure to watch me at that point for both breath and tempo changes.

FAURÉ – MOVEMENT 3 breaths
In general – DO NOT breath in between the repetitions of Sanctus in each three measure phrase – elide the first “sanctus” with the second. This is an ideal movement to practice really getting a super-full tank before you sing each phrase, and you have plenty of time to do that (silently) before each entrance on all parts.
Sopranos – big breath after “sis” and before “Hosana” top of page 30 – in order to prepare for the big crescendo happening in the second system there.
Tenor and Bass/Bari – breath after “in excelsis” bottom of page 30 and before repeating the phrase at the top of page 31.
Stagger breathing on all parts (no breaks) on the final “Sanctus” regardless of your particular entrance.

REHEARSAL NOTES - 01.27

2009-01-28T14:50:00.000-08:00

Overall terrific rehearsal last night. Next week we’ll review the Mozart and polish the opening section, finish polishing the first movement of the Fauré, and dive into the second movement.

You’ll find rehearsal tracks for both the Mozart and the Fauré here: (http://www.well.com/~noahj/wintertunes.htm ). You’ll need to scroll down a bit to find the works we're doing. Please note that there are TWO sets of MIDI files for the Fauré – one from this Chorale's winter 04 performance and one from their Winter 03 performance. The Winter 04 performance has divisi for Soprani and Bass – but not tenor. The Winter 03 set has the Tenor divisi. Contact your section leaders if this is confusing. Clicking on the links will start the track playing. Alternately you can right-click to download the files (control-click on MAC) if that’s preferred.

If you’re new, or hadn’t yet read the opening entry to the blog, please do so and also bookmark the link there for the online rehearsal/performance calendar to which I've added the Monday SHS practices (optional for AB Chorale members)!

Lastly, Charles and Val have been kind enough to point out that the Seattle Symphony is doing the Fauré on Valentine's Day weekend (along with Ravel's "La Valse", Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto #1 - truly a night of ear candy if ever there was one). Perhaps if enough of you would like to go you could carpool AND get a group ticket discount.

Section specific feedback below:

Sopranos – lovely sound last night. You kept things light but full – that is key for this piece. Please keep that nice round heady sound. Some extra attention this week to your solo passage in the Fauré which begins at rehearsal letter E on page 7 would be very worthwhile, as would some additional practice on your melody beginning in measure (mm) 37 in the Mozart and continuing through the end, mms 14 through 18, and the moving notes you alone have in the opening measures of the Mozart.
Altos – your sound last night was a little light, a little shallow. At some point Glenna and I will plan a sectional to work purely on vocal technique with you in order to access some of the “chest voice” you’re leaving on the table right now. Great reading – as usual with your section – and also as usual, the best unison section in the chorale. Build your awareness of your duets with the sopranos, for example, mms (measures) 5 & 6 in the Mozart, and 2 measures before J in movement 1 of the Fauré. Please put some extra practice on the chromatic movement you have in the last two measures of the first system on page 8, as well as that entire stretch beginning with rehearsal F on page 7 and continuing through the end of the movement.
Tenors – some of the best sight reading I’ve heard from your section last night! This week, spend some time learning your solo on page 5 in the Fauré which continues through page 6 – either by yourself at the piano, or using the MIDI rehearsal tracks I’m sending you all the links to. Do your best to learn the notes, and we’ll schedule a sectional to refine what technique you’ll use to make those high ones as easy and light as possible (if you’ve got falsetto, use it there). In the Mozart, you have a lot of the chord resolutions and in many places move when no-one else does – keep that in mind while you’re learning this. We could use more confidence in mms (measures) 15-18 in the Mozart, as well as mms 22-29 on your chromatic movement.
Bass/Baris – you’re challenge is going to be to sing out because there are fewer of you – even when you’re not confident – and especially on the syncopated movement at rehearsal H, page 9 of the Fauré. Your sound is great and full, please give us more! (It’ll be helpful when George returns!) Like the tenors, please practice your chromatic movement in the Mozart mms 22-29, and that brief half-then-whole step motion mm13 going into 14.

MOZART BREATHS
Lift after the first “Ave” between mm 3 & 4.
Breath after “Corpus” in mm 6, and after “Virgine” in mm 10.
Breath after “passum” in mm 12 (and again, watch that double S – don’t give me too much – practice this).
Sopranos, take a quick breath after “immolatum” before “In” in mm 14.
Tutti breath after “perforatum” in mm 25.
Soprano & altos take a breath after “sanguine” in mm29.
NO BREATH after “nobis” top system page 4 – breath after “praegustatum”.
Remember Sopranos to open up to an “AH” vowel on the ‘mor’ of “mortis”.
Sopranos – big breath after “exanguine” in mm37.
Tutti breath after mortis in mm41.

FAURÉ – MOVEMENT ONE (Introit/Kyrie) BREATHS
In general – as marked in the score, plus:
NO BREATH pg 7 after the SECOND “exaudi” (into the page turn) going into “orationem”.
DO take the breath as written in the last mm of the first system, pg 8
NO BREATH pg 9 first system going into the second system, between the first two “Kyries”.
Breath between first two mms of the second system pg 9 between the second and third “Kyries”.
NO BREATH pg 10 between the two “Christes” ending the first system and going into the second system.

Welcome Choristers

2009-01-15T14:15:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Anna's Bay Chorale Blog, your source for all things related to your choir experience including rosters, schedules, rehearsal notes, and more throughout the term. The Winter Masterwork Term is set to begin this coming Tuesday, January 20 with our first rehearsal. Please plan on arriving no later than 6:30PM in order to get last term's Christmas music handed in and get registered for this term. The term will end with our final performance of this year's Masterwork, the Faure Requiem, Saturday, April 11, 2009.

I'll post some information about the music we'll be learning below, however, first I want to introduce you to our new online Production Calendar. This is an online calendar showing the dates, times and locations for all rehearsals and performances. The calendar is dynamically linked to my personal computer, and will therefore show changes in real time as they are made throughout the term - whether those changes be cancellations, changes in venue, or time changes. Every time I update it, I'll post an announcement to this blog and email an alert. CLICK HERE for the calendar, and I highly recommend you bookmark this URL.

We're also building some new admin systems this term and are formalizing the roles of section leaders. From now on, if you're going to miss or be late for a rehearsal (NOT recommended), need music, or have questions about what you may have missed or misunderstood, you should go first to your section leader. Section leaders will also coordinate sectional rehearsals as needed, and be providing me with feedback about specific issues such as seating arrangements, sightlines and more throughout the term. Section leaders for the balance of this season (this term and next) are:

SOPRANOS - Inez McGregor, kimcgregor@wavecable.com, 360-275-4749
ALTOS - Glenna Hagedorn, sghagedorn@wavecable.com, 360-275-8969
TENORS - Peter Candelin, canpeter@earthlink.net, 360-427-3476
BASSES - Eric Blegen, eric@harmonyhill.org, 360-898-6308

Section leaders will be reporting to me Monday afternoons with their attendance projections for the next night's rehearsal, and will follow-up with me Wednesday morning with any notes or issues that need addressing.
While we're on the subject of attendance, I should share with you all that the number one complaint I get from chorale members relates to inconsistent attendance, and how this dramatically slows our progress as musicians and as an ensemble. Please keep that in mind when planning your schedule and please, if you miss a rehearsal, connect immediately with your section leader to find out what you missed so that you don't slow the next rehearsal down for all!

Now, about the music we're going to perform...

As you all know we'll be working on Faure's masterful Requiem. The Requiem (from Latin requiem, accusative case of requies, rest) or Requiem Mass (informally, a funeral Mass) is a liturgical service of the Roman Catholic Church, Anglo-Catholic Anglicans, and certain Lutheran Churches. For this reason, "Requiem" is also the title of various musical compositions used in such liturgical services or as concert pieces as settings of the portions of that Mass which have been traditionally sung in the Roman Catholic liturgy.

Gabriel Fauré composed his Requiem in D minor, Op. 48 between 1887 and 1890. This choral–orchestral setting of the Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead is the best known of his large works. The most famous movement is the soprano aria Pie Jesu. Camille Saint-Saëns said of it, "just as Mozart's is the only Ave verum Corpus, this is the only Pie Jesu." (For this reason, we'll also be performing the Mozart work as well!) Unlike the more vivid funerary masses of Verdi, Berlioz and Mozart, Faure's Requiem disdains images of apocalyptic violence or hellish horrors. Rather, it is a comforting contemplation on the sweetness of death. Rather, its messages of death and resurrection are delivered for the most part in a solacing, velvety hush.

All in all it’s a glorious work that I’m confident you’ll not only enjoy, but perform very well. And I just can’t wait to get started!

See you all Tuesday night – please be on time!

MMB.