Dear Ensemble and Vocalise Singers and Families,
Fall is officially here, which means we're just over two months away from the holiday concert!
A couple notes:
- Many of you are leaving water bottles and music binders (!) behind. Please make sure that you have all of your belongings with you before you leave. You can't practice very well without your music!
- Don't forget to sign in when you arrive! The sign-in table is placed right at the door and you must visit it before coming in to put down your stuff.
What to Practice
VOCALISE
The Snow: We talked about infusing some drama into the piece! Think of it as a mini opera and tell the story in an exciting way. To do this, you must first of all pronounce every consonant - especially the ones at the beginnings and ends of words. The audience will not get excited about a story if they can't understand what you're saying! Use the consonants to add character to the words - the ft in soft, for example, actually makes the word sound soft. Next, remember that quiet does not have to equal boring - you can still put intensity behind your sound on dramatic phrases like "O snow in thy soft grave" and "thou'rt white no more". And finally, think about the mood you are trying to create in each moment. For example, add warmth and richness in your tone on the word soul. Be gentle and light in "then as the snow all pure" to reflect that purity in your sound.
We talked in general about times in the music when a crescendo is happening across different parts. An example is on page 6-7, where the S2s enter first, followed by the As, then the S2s again, and then the S1s. Each time a new voice part enters, that part's line must be louder than the previous part's line in order to create the crescendo. You must always listen to what the other voices are doing and react/build on what you hear musically. You cannot perform your lines in isolation of the other parts.
We also talked about how to approach moments where the music is peaking in excitement. During these moments, the S1s often have high notes, while the other parts have notes that are in their normal range. This means that it's easier for S1s to notice when an "exciting part" is coming. S2s and As, it's important to notice when the S1s are leading up to a high note so that you can also get musically excited by crescendoing simultaneously with them. For them, a crescendo will be automatic - you will have to create one more deliberately. Examples are measure 13, 37, *49*, 53, and 67.
The Angel: We added words this week. Practice your part slowly with the text and make sure you are shaping the vowels in the way that Elena showed you. In general, you will use many dark, and round vowels.
ENSEMBLE
Call of Wisdom: Keep listening to the youtube recording to help you. It's coming along nicely, but it could be more secure.
Call of Wisdom on youtube
Donkey Riding: S1s, practice page 43 to the end and make sure you're secure with the notes by next week. Here was the recording I posted last time:
Donkey Carol on youtube
Both parts - practice the last page. Make sure you know your notes on "alleluia, Christ is born today".
Agnus Dei: Page 8 is the most challenging, so focus on that this week. A few points:
- In your score, change the eighth notes in measure 32 from a straight rhythm to a dotted rhythm.
- Remember that the D in measure 34 comes on beat 2!
- In measure 36, you land on the B natural on the first beat.
- In measure 39, we practiced the rhythm of the "mi-se" (of "mi-se-re-re") - it's "three-and-a".
That's all for now, folks! Have a great weekend, and happy practicing!
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