Dear Singers,
“Fabulous!” My exclamation after you sang movt 4 of the Brahms last night at the end of a very good rehearsal. It was well-deserved. Although not yet concert-ready, your singing was beginning to sound more confident with some nice lyrical lines, and heading towards the expressiveness we need – well done. Please keep supporting this by following up between rehearsals with practice, or listening, it really helps.
There was a good balance of voices too, and I hope we have now settled on our choir for the term. Please avoid missing rehearsals from now on. We have a lot to do, and a great performance is within our reach if last light was any guide to the future!
There was a good turn out for the 7.00 start and we sang through the three concert carols. Please bring the booklets every week.
SATURDAY WORKSHOP: Numbers are encouraging for this, thank you. There will be a mix of exploring our vocal technique to support the singing, and applying it to the choruses, which will definitely include movt 4. Wrap up warm and bring plenty of water.
THE CONCERT: The Requiem will form the first half of the concert. In the second half our soloists will sing some solo items and we’ll join soprano Catherine for O holy night. This popular tune, composed in 1847 by French opera composer Adolphe Adam, set words by a French wine merchant and poet (!), Placide Cappeau. In 1855 the American abolitionist John Sullivan Dwight adapted the words to emphasis themes of human equality and freedom from oppression. Incidentally, it was one of the first musical pieces ever broadcast on the radio, in 1906 (useful pub quiz fact!).
We are also singing Stille Nacht, composed by Austrian teacher Franz Gruber, and O Tannenbaum, a German folk melody and traditional text symbolising the evergreen fir tree as a demonstration of faithfulness.
WHAT WE DID ON 03.11.26
At 7.00 - Sang through the two additional carols and spent some time on pages 88 and 90 checking out notes in response to a singer’s request.
Movt 3 (pages 28-38) – This music is not difficult note-wise, but IS expressive with the dynamics. The text is Lord let me know mine end, and the number of my days, that I may know how frail I am….mine age is nothing before thee. PLEASE watch out for the entry on p30 – turn the page early, as the baritone sings wie nichts. Page 34 should be strong and confident – check out the more chromatic crotchet lines in bars 133 to 137. There are some rhythm challenges on page 36 – be sure which beat of the bar you enter on! Bars 164 to 173 need revisiting next week.
P 38, bar 173 to the end – We sang through this tricky section which barely held together, so will revisit. Very good work on this movement, please back up your learning as much as poss.
Movt 4 – Sing through, really good. I referenced a technical point about breathing, which Peter Adcock highlighted from his session and I am constantly ‘going on about’ – that is PREPARING A GOOD BREATH BEFORE ENTRIES. This is consistently required of course – you need a clean ‘attack’ and enough air to sustain the lines. In a contrapuntal section (where all the parts are moving separately), the ‘attacks’ ( ‘onset’) are hardly noticeable, but when everyone starts together, as in this movt, they are very obvious.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP THIS – Set up a little exercise for yourself: Establish a steady pulse (tap out a beat); breath out fully then breath in over 4 pulses and speak a word (anything!). Repeat and breath in over 2 pulses, then try after 1 pulse. It’s important to be ‘empty’ before breathing in. If you prepare your breath effectively your entry will be confident and have appropriate tone and presence rather than sounding palid and a bit of an afterthought, which they sometimes do!
NOTE that in movt 4, most of the entries are an upbeat or pick-up notges, which requires a bit more attention. For example Wie lib-, deine Wohl, Meine See-, verlanget, wohl denen
WHAT WE WILL DO ON 10.11.26
7.00 – Oh Holy Night, any trouble-shooting requests
7.15 – Movt 3 p37 to end
Movt 1
Movt 5
Sing through movt 7
Thank you and well done everyone.
Peter
PS Please find linked HERE, Elke's final pronunciation guide for ALL movements. Thank you Elke!