4 March 2025
Hello everyone,
Great work again this week, thank you.
Here's what we did on 04.03.25:
Hummel Credo (specifically pages 36 to 42). If you missed the rehearsal it's worth looking at this section, particularly bars 133 to 173 (the Crucifixus section). Two important things to mark in your scores please:
This movement is fast, with TWO MINIM BEATS PER BAR! So- bars containing just one note are only 2 beats and don't hang about long! Where a whole bar is tied to the next (eg p43 bottom) it's crucial to COUNT so that you move when necessary after this.
PAGE 45: The soloists sing from bar 244 to 288. Chorus returns in bar 288 with Et expecto.
Hummel Quoniam (Fuga) (p20). As promised, this goes quite fast and we tried the new tempo, which makes the music easier to sing, on the whole! Well done - this was quite successful and we will return to it soon.
Mozart Rex tremendae (p24) Quietly speaking the text was a useful exercise, getting the rhythms really snapping together. Bars 18 & 19 - we worked on making the legato (smooth) and expressive - use your tongue on sa-L-va to help.
Confutatis (p36) Focusing on the snapped and energetic rhythms again.
HEADS-UP NOTICE
SPRING WORKSHOP on Saturday 5 April 1.30 - St David's. Printed flyers will be available next week. Please come (only £10 for a great afternoon + cake), and invite a friend to join us (£15 for non members). This will help our continued learning and confidence for the concert, and will be a relaxed afternoon of singing, with some vocal surprises. See electronic flyer below from Yvonne with link to Ticketsource to forward to your friends.
WHAT YOU WILL DO ON 11.03.25
MD: Matt Cann Accompanist: Ian Curror
Mozart only - put your Hummel in a hammock for the night!
Opening movement - Requiem aeternum and Kyrie (p6), start learning.
PLEASE NOTE: Pages 4 to 11 are exactly the same music as pages 77 to the end (an Amadeus special 'two-for-one' offer). Kyrie becomes Cum sanctis on p79, that's all.
Check out: Sing-through and tweaking of the 'festival numbers' - Hostias (p54), Quam olim (p57), Sanctus (p62) and Hosanna (p63)
Enjoy next week's rehearsal, and thanks to Matt and Ian in advance.
I will write some notes next week with a rehearsal schedule for the 18th.
Inspiration slot....
Having recently signed up for Spotify Premium (late to the party) I now spend hours exploring many rabbit holes, discovering so much wonderful music. I came across this beautiful lullaby from an album Invisible stars - Choral works of Ireland & Scotland by the Choral Scholars of University College, Dublin.
This is Sleepsong, sung by a father to his teenage daughter who is about to leave home for university. It's a pretty tune, great arrangement, and I find the image of a lullaby sung to an adult quite moving. Our hopes and dreams for our children never change....
https://open.spotify.com/track/3OTVDPAOZeYgCdKdVuybXD?si=f21b6385e22648b2
Lay down your head, and I'll sing you a lullaby
Back to the years of 'loo-li lai lay'
And I'll sing you to sleep, sing you tomorrow
Bless you with love for the road that you go.
May you sail far to the far fields of fortune
With diamonds and pearls at your head and your feet
And may you need never to banish misfortune
May you find kindness in all that you meet
May there always be angels to watch over you
To guide you each step of the way
To guard you and keep you safe from all harm
Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay
May you bring love and may you bring happiness
Be loved in return to the end of your days
Now fall off to sleep, I'm not meaning to keep you
I'll just sit for a while and sing loo-li, lai-lay
Sleep well
Peter