16 September 2025
Dear Singers,
Good session this week, well done, and a hearty welcome to yet more members, thank you for joining us!
Thank you David for help with pronunciation, and to members for chipping in, our first efforts with singing the text were sounding confident.
WHAT WE DID ON 16.09.25
The warming up focused on producing a bright and 'forward' sound, making the 'ya ya ya' sound come from behind our noses - known as 'the mask'. This gives our words the tone and sound we hear in southern European and Latin American voices.
We concentrated on Navidad Nuestra this week:
Movement 1 - The 'la la' sections were sounding tighter and more punchy - keep them short!
Words: Soy la-esclava del Senor ll-van-do cor-a-zón is pronounced Soy lass clava dell segnor eel van doe corra Son.
The elisions become one syllable, Z's are pronounced S, and all S's are hard.
Movement 3 - We started this and had sectionals - good progress. This is a lullaby which needs to flow gently, with a sustained sound to bring out the rich harmonies
Words (bars 3-16):
No chair deear more.
Petarloyee floor.
Passaloss ombress, ess narveedard
(Bars 19-32):
Mee redentoRR
dare passyarmore
Yen soss brarseetoss, Kresoonar crooss
(Sops & altos bars 33-36):
ArnCHeles (as in 'loch') carnten sore brell poortarl
(Everyone bars 36-39):
Deeoss har narseedoe ess narveedard
(Bars 43 - end):
Ke prormeteeyore
Eee yar yairgore
Deeoss harnarseedoe, deeoss estar kee
Movement 5 - Without words we revisited this and tidied up some inaccuracies and joins between sections.
We added a pause to each of the opening 3 notes for T & B.
The 'pick up' notes - the low ones at the start of each phrase - need to be gripped firmly, rather than guessed at! The sound is not focused yet so make sure you know where you're heading.Practise it s-l-o-w-l-y!
ALTOS bar 29 into 30 - check the leap from A to D
Practice work: Listening to the music as much as possible will help with notes. Speaking the Spanish you already know, slowly, will help. Have a go at the text for movt. 5, you are familiar with some of the sounds now.
THIS MOVEMENT IS NOT FAST - Make the pulse crotchet = 60 (one a second!!) at the most.
WHAT WE WILL DO ON 23.09.25
Navidad Nuestra:
Nos. 1 & 3, revisit and tidy up
No. 5 - start work on words
Misa Criolla:
Kyrie, pages 26-28 (getting into the groove!) & p59 Amen
REMINDER PLEASE
If you have your carol booklet from last Christmas, please find it as I would like to include the VENEZUELAN CAROL by Andrew Carter. We didn't do it in 2024 and this programme is perfect for it! I will provide extra copies before we start practising it later in the term.
Have a good singing week, thank you.
Peter