Recordings from Rehearsals (2016-2017)
4th September 2016
18th September 2016
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Sopranos - please note that in the last recording (to the left) you did not sing the first phrase of the second verse ("wonderful star") correctly. Please make sure you learn it so you don't sing what Susan will be singing! Thank you....
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9th October 2016
Below: Silent Night. The request was made that you listen to the Silent Night Guidetracks before our next rehearsal to ensure that you are reminded of your parts and the timings of the words (especially verse 2). This piece is tricky but it needs to sound effortless by all. I think we can achieve this better this year!
16th October 2016
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This is starting to sound really very good. Go over the guidetracks and listen to these recordings. Make sure you know you parts well and all of your entries. Well done!
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30th October 2016
Today we ran through the whole programme from start to finish. The majority of it was passable; on top of what I said on Sunday I will provide some "MD notes" for you on each recording. We are now at the position in our rehearsals that we need to polish each performance. Individually, we need to go over the guidetracks often, listen to the latest rehearsal recordings, and make sure we are sure of all our "entries". We need to make sure we are always breathing properly and engaging our brains to ensure that we do not lose focus and gain more consistency in our singing.
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Away In A Manger
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Notes: Unison verse - keep this ultra-smooth, join all the words together.
"Head" MUST be brighter, Sopranos - it was very flat! "Hay" MUST also be brighter. Vs2, could we have a little less Soprano volume (but keeping it in tune!) and more in the other parts, to balance. "SKY" needs to be kept in tune as well as it is in this recording.. I'll try to keep it moving rather than pausing too much at this juncture of the piece. LAST VERSE - please be quieter :) it is marked pp I think! "Pray" IN TUNE PLEASE - BRIGHTER, OPEN MOUTHS, MORE BREATH etc. "CARE" needs more breath and better tuning Sopranos!! Hence my strangled cat impression.... Please take the proper breath in preparation for that last climatic phrase. THANK YOU :) Overall, this has the potential to be very moving and very beautiful. But it needs control from all members and really good tuning. A little more of both will make it work very very well. |
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The Christmas Way
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Notes:
VERSE 1 Barbara - lovely harmonising - great notes, just try to be a little louder. CHORUS 1 Sopranos you must make sure you take a big breath and keep the notes for "your head to the manger" IN TUNE, brighter! Open up your face, bigger mouths, raise eyebrows etc. This chorus could be much quieter. Basses please make sure you are sure on your notes when you start. VERSE 2 Good start Sopranos - well done! Just be sure of that first note. And remember, you are accompanying the tune. Therefore please don't belt it out - individually sing gently (with breath!) and it will sound great. Be sure on "Christ The Saviour". MEN be sure on the "Incense and Myrrh" bit. We ALL NEED TO check out The "Love" chord! CHORUS 2 Much better because its louder! Good tuning, mostly :) VERSE 3 Sopranos - a little quieter to balance the Altos Men - be positive! Soloists - doing the "hallelujah" bits - we need to be sure on this! CHORUS 3 You really sound as if you're enjoying this! Hooray! Be sure on the ending though! CHORUS 4 We need to check the beginning of this (the aahs). MEN - you must get your notes!! LAST NOTE!!! Sopranos!! BRIGHT!! ENDING GOOD - just fade out at the end. |
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Silent Night
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Notes: Opening:
Verse 1 Sopranos - "Silent Night" Be sure of the first note. Otherwise good. However on "Holy Night" you were flat. Keep it bright! Altos - "All Is Calm" must be better in tune. Don't force it, breathe better and keep bright. Sopranos "all is bright" was awful - the "all" was VERY not right! Do not go too high - its a small gap. GO TO THE GUIDETRACK and LISTEN CAREFULLY. If individuals get the wrong note when most get it right it will be terrible and ruin the piece. Sorry to be blunt... :) The rest of the verse was pretty good. Sopranos - please make the "sleep" and "peace" bright but gentle. Verse 2 Altos - be more sure of your tune - I felt there was unsurety though this verse. Men - "Shepherds quake" needs to be accurate, as discussed last week. LISTEN TO THE GUIDETRACK AND FIX. . "Glories stream" - this section isn't bad but sounds messy because you are all trying to fight against each other! Sopranos - less volume please, Altos - be more confident! MEN - sort your notes out :) The rest of the verse is pretty good, well done! Verse 3 Good start! Love's pure light was very well in tune, Sops, well done! Radiant beams and "with the dawn" was still a little dodgy... not sure why! GRACE = BRIGHT and IN TUNE Sops" Jesus LORD = the LORD needs to be IN TUNE Sops! Not bad ending. MEN - your "Holy Night" needs to be in tune - just one note, F... The very last phrase needs to be much quieter. Overall, piece this needs tidying. BUT it has the potential to be beautiful, with a little more control and a few more dynamics. Something to work on next rehearsal. |
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Gaudete!
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Notes: This might be a touch slower, to allow better breathing! TRY not to get faster when we get louder..
Good pronunciation but always remember "veergeenay" .... V1 There is one word in this first verse that is incorrectly pronounced. "laetitiae" SHOULD be pronounced as LAY-TI-SI-AY... otherwise this was pretty good. It is really important that all your words move at the same time. If some people are not singing at the same speed it will sound very odd. I will try to direct you more clearly to help you with this. V2 Again, you weren't ready to start this verse! But once started, this was good! V3 MEN - you MUST LEARN YOUR WORDS! V4 Not bad. Make sure your Ts and Ds and all the consonants are well enunciated. ALWAYS REMEMBER VEERGEENAY!!!!!!!! NB: At the end of each chorus that leads into the verse, the last note will be two beats long with a TWO beat silent gap before the verse starts (two beats to breathe!) In between the verse to the chorus, there'll be a "3 - 4" beat before the chorus! GOOD ENDING BUT WATCH!! :) |
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Little Donkey
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Notes: Verse 1/2 - will be sorted out with the girls.
CHORUS! Lovely attack to this but Sopranos please make sure you all are ready for the first note. The first phrase seemed quite unsure. We don't need to belt it, the loudest chorus is supposed to the last one. Verse 3 Much better. Sops just watch out for the tuning on the higher notes - most of you were on the note but a few of you need a little more breath! Verse 4 Good but the transition to Verse 5 needs a little work Verse 5 The Humming may disappear... I don't think it works. CHORUS 5 Good ending of this chorus. Just needs to be a little more confident and controlled. I'll sort the last phrase out with the girls..... |
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My Soul Is Filled With Joy
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Notes: Opening - lovely but needs a little more breath in the Sopranos to get it a little sharper in tune!
Lovely chorus - Sops always remember keep it bright! 2nd verse - much better and 2nd chorus - lovely! KEEP "NAME" REALLY BRIGHT for whole length of the note at the end of every chorus. Lovely descant verse 3, Sops, well done! We need to NOT speed up in the "Bridge" section (MY JOB!). Last chorus - Sopranos must keep it bright, especially the top notes - take bigger breaths! Ending - Sopranos please be READY for the last phrase! OVERALL - Well Done! With a little tidying this will be excellent. |
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Gabriels Visit
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Notes: Softer start please Sops - good tuning.
Ladies - Keep the tuning bright always. Just think higher, open mouths, more breaths and open up your faces.... "Grace" and the first "lord" was flat. Big breath, Think about how you are singing these words. "Grace" - GRES ; "Lord" - LAWD. "You" - keep it an OOO sound and bright. Focus the sound to exit between your eyes! :) "Amongst women" needs to be tighter. Not everyone sang it at the same time. Men: we need to go over your part. It was dodgy coming in. Doesn't actually speed up going into the Gloria bit. The Gloria bit is generally fine, just needs to be more joyful. This will also mean the Sopranos will hit the highest note in tune with brightness and excitement! Emphasise the consonants and syllables a little more: "GLoRia" Generally, this is fine. I would like the first part to be a little less "forward", sing more gently (with definition and control though) until you build to the first "Jesus" and dying a little on the second "Jesus" before making the "most highly favoured lady" more exciting, |
13th November 2016
Today we spent the first part of the rehearsal going through what I had identified as being issues in each piece. The second part of the rehearsal was our first "runthrough" of the pieces, in order, in our performing places. Please remember where you were standing! I would just like to say how pleased I was today. Yes, there are some things to iron out but, overall, what a lovely sound and what an improvement from this time last year. You have all worked so hard and are producing a good sound. Now, we can make our performances professional-sounding by paying attention to ALL the dynamics. We can make a great impression by knowing our parts, individually, and be confident with our words and entries. To achieve a semi-professional standard in two years will be a huge achievement!
Below are the recordings of the second half of our rehearsal today with my comments. I hope they help!
Below are the recordings of the second half of our rehearsal today with my comments. I hope they help!
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Notes: Good start. Much better tuning than before. Keep the last note of "you" in tune. Less sound from Sops when you get to "blessed" to balance with the altos. Men - be sure of your entry, don't be reliant on me! Good "Jesus" from all, though the first could be louder and the second a little less loud. Please get the word "most" obvious. Also, men, don't rely on me for the "Gloria" bit! Otherwise..... please make the last "Gloria" something that the audience will remember - lots and lots of attitude!
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Notes: Except for the stops (the first being something in the piano part putting the choir off, the second being my fault!) GENERALLY this is very good!
What a lovely clean and bright sound we are starting with! And very nicely enunciated words. The first two verses and choruses were very good. The third verse needs confidence in coming in. Lovely descant but the altos were drowned out. Good bridge section. I need to have a think about how best to get you into the last chorus. Might adjust the piano part slightly to help. I also need to work out a good way of helping you get the last phrase performed so it doesn't feel rushed. These are all tiny points. I think, if we can get through without stops, this song will be excellent. Good job - keep up the standard! P.S. Yes, I know I've not spliced it well at the end and the chorus is half-repeated... ah well.... |
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Notes: Intro will be a little more laid back on the day. Lovely start from the girls. Lovely harmony section!
On the chorus, Sopranos please make sure you hit the "Middle" of the note on "Ring out". Its not that high and some of you were "scooping" into the first note of the chorus. Good bass line, men! Well watched at the end of the 2nd chorus into the 3rd verse. The slow up will be bigger at the end of the verse 4, into the key change. Please learn this one bar off by heart so that you can watch my every move. Please don't forget the ending of the last chorus! Potentially, another excellent piece. Just iron out these small points and all will be well! Good job! |
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Notes: Beautifully in tune at the beginning, including most of the word "head". Good job. It sounds controlled and not forced. This is especially evident on highest note in the piece, which is "lay". However, please keep "hay" bright.
Verse 3: Sopranos, a little less; Altos and Men a little more please. Try not to speed up when singing about the children... we are probably going to slow down toward the end. And please remember the ending!! :) This will be lovely on the day if we can maintain the feeling of control, calm, and reflectiveness that you achieved on Sunday. Well done! |
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Notes: The first note MUST be confident! Ensure you listen carefully to the given notes from the piano and hum them before you start. When you start ensure the note is "clean".
Good clean words in the verses we sang. Nicely enunciated. Make sure all the verses are sung in the same way! Make sure you pay attention at the end when repeating the chorus. No books at this stage - eyes up to me throughout every repeat. When repeating the chorus it goes straight back, no waiting. We only wait between the chorus/verse & verse/chorus. This may go a little faster (a smidging) as the chorus dragged a little this time around. As long as you sing this with lots of enthusiasm and joy then it will come across brilliantly. |
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Notes:
Verse 1: Tenors - please sing the same tune as I am at the start! Good start - could be a little quieter, more gentle if possible. SOPRANOS - please MAKE SURE "ALL IS BRIGHT" IS CORRECT :) thank you. Otherwise - lovely first verse. Just make sure your "sleeps" are quiet! Well done. Verse 2: The beginning of this verse needs to be much quieter in the Sops and Alto parts. Please do not belt out the "Silent Night" and "Holy Night". You can get louder later on, but not at the beginning! Lower voices - well done "on shepherds quake". Lovely movement through the middle of the verse - well done Sopranos! Well remembered on "Saviour is born" bit - we're getting there! This verse has a lovely feel to it. Excellent. Just iron out the little issues and I'll be 100% happy! Verse 3: Men - make sure of your opening notes please. Ladies - very good start. The radiant section was good; and the following section was much better - well done! "Jesus Lord" was much better, too. HOWEVER the second "Jesus, Lord" was FLAT Sopranos - and the ending was a little dodgy. We will check through this on Sunday. The last phrase seemed a little unsure. As I said at the end - we just need to iron out the little things and, with you watching me for the louds and softs, it will be BRILLIANT! |
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Notes: Verse 1 - this will be better balanced when Tim is at the sound controls! Chorus - start a little quieter, and remember, Sopranos, that you each need to sing a little less loudly to balance with our Altos. Altos, you could sing up a little.
Verse 2 - Sopranos remember to drop your volume to balance. Also, please could have "Christ the Saviour is born" sung as smoothyl as you can. Thank you. Chorus 2 - again, Sops drop your volume (not enthusiasm!) and the whole thing will balance really well. Verse 3 - Altos - you need to be louder. Good "Angels chorus!".... Mary - your Hallelujah, I can't hear it very well so I might get you some backup for volume. End of last-but-one chorus - the "peace to your heart" - Sopranos please sing this as quietly as you can so that the soloist words can be heard over the top of you. Thank you. Aahs in the slow chorus - need to be a little quieter, too, When we slow down we will get a little quieter (as a choir) too. The ending was lovely. Well done! This is a great piece and we are almost at the point of singing it brilliantly. Just need some control, confidence and balance. |
27th November 2016 @ St Bede's (recorded by Tim Cummins)
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Cilla you read these really well! Thank you! The only comment I have to make is that, particularly in the acoustics of St Bede's, you can definitely afford to read every single word a little slower. Take your time! Every word is important so please make every single one count. And please do not worry if your regional accent comes through - I rather like it!
Note - just remember the piano wasn't the best so not all the notes were easy to get out! Piano is a little too loud in this mix.
What a lovely sound we're starting with! Bright and generally in tune. Altos you could be a little louder when you split. Sopranos, on "Blessed" - please remember there are twice the number of you than Altos - just sing a little quieter (still taking good breaths etc), just to make the balance a little better. Sopranos - make sure "amongst" is sung quicker - there are no longer notes in this word. ALSO "blest is the fruit OF YOUR womb" - the "Of Your" is QUICK not slow. It is really important you are together on these words. Finally, in this phrase, Sopranos, make "womb" bright and better in-tune please. Altos & Men - "of your womb" - notes need to be more secure. We can get away with it if we do it like in this recording but I'd prefer a more confident delivery. I know it was harder with the church's piano but I am just commenting on this recording. Well watched on "Jesus" where were in danger of going out of time. "Most Highly Favoured Lady" was FLAT Sopranos - Bigger breath and get that sound bright! Once into the last section it worked very well BUT SOPRANOS you "glo-ri-A" - the last syllable was constantly flat. Please remember Glory-UH - drop your jaw, relax everything and keep the eyebrows up to deliver a really well-tuned note. Overall - we are smidging under a great performance. I know it will improve with a better piano accompanying you and we'll have time before the concert to perform it a couple of times. Lovely start, really good Unison, good bright sound. Well done! Be careful not to go in too loud into the chorus - "And" shouldn't be too loud - aim for "Holy".
At the end of the chorus, Altos, make your underneath part a little better in time. "Holy is your" - the emboldened syllables are quicker - don't hold them on. This is true for the second chorus too. Second verse wasn't as good as the first - just keep the top line nice and bright. 2nd Chorus sounds great! Verse 3 - Sopranos - the descant was good but it needed to be much brighter. Otherwise, good! Mid-section. The piano fell apart but you kept going. Well done" This will be much better next week. Final chorus - just get the top notes bright! AND WATCH AT THE END - SOPRANOS NO TURNING PAGES UNNECESSARILY! Bottom Altos - please get your last note right. VERY PROMISING - if we can iron out these little bumps it will be very good. Jeremy - generally, pretty good. Make sure "A Donkey" comes out. In general, the inflections are very good. I would like you to SLOW down :) take time between each word. The echo at St Bede's can swallow the words if spoken too fast. You can definitely take your time! Do not worry - you're going to nail this. Well done!
Erui & Lyra - the first verse is really very well sung. In tune, and sung very well together! When you split, it comes out very well. Erui you could afford being a little louder in your harmony.
CHOIR - can we come in on the first chorus a LITTLE quieter, so it matches the quietness of the opening verses. 2nd Verse - this should open with JUST the men. Perhaps our stand-in Tenors can refrain from singing this little bit. I'd like this to be lower in tone. 3rd VErse - not sure what happened at the beginning. Sounds really good BUT PLEASE WATCH AT THE END FOR THE KEY CHANGE - I WANT TO SLOW UP VERY MUCH! 4th Verse - excellent girls, just get that last note! Good humming underneath. Lovely last chorus. Please get quieter, quickly, so the last notes you sing are REALLY QUIET! So, on the last syllable of "Bethlehem" push less sound out so we "fade out". This will make this sound really good. Paul this is generally very well read - some lovely moments and good inflections delivered. Overall, though, I'd like you to SLOW DOWN. Especially as we went the listeners to understand all the words. Try not to swallow the smaller words. I missed "as" and "And" a few times, which made other words seem quick and the rhythm of the text was lost.
Please also make the "booking.com" line join a bit quicker into the previous sentence - it is supposed to be an afterthought regarding the fact they couldn't find a room.... You settled down by the last two/three paragraphs - it would be great if you could do this for the whole of the reading. Well done! The unison verse could be started a lot more quietly. I felt that we started too loud. SOPRANOS please keep "head" and "hay" bright - I have said this many times, please try to keep your mouths open, using the right mouth shapes as discussed previously, and your breath right. If need be take a sneaky breath before "head" and "hay" just to give that extra confidence. Not all of you will need to do this but I just want those notes really well in tune!
Verse 2 - slightly less from the Sopranos please so the harmonies can be heard better. MAKES = needs to be better in tune, Sopranos! GOOD "Sky" people, well done! "nigh" - good :) Make this verse slightly louder. Verse 3 - start this verse quieter, please EVERYONE. You can get louder from "bless" BUT WATCH at the end. "but fit us for heaven" needs to be quieter, and you need to watch for the slow down and break as we go to the SECOND TIME bar - please remember Altos and Sops must all sing more quietly as you are all singing the same note and I want to hear the Tenors and Basses (especially the Basses). If we can iron out these tiny things and ADD more EFFECTIVE Dynamics (basically you need to watch me more) then this will be beautiful. Joan, make sure "baby" comes out as "baby" and not "lady" - just take your time over the word... otherwise this was delivered very well, clear and definitely understandable. Lots of good inflections and more-or-less the right speed. You could take it a touch slower but I'm being really picky! Well done!
Great start! And MOST of you were remembering the "veergeenay" :) Don't forget I'll conduct "3, 4" and bring you in. Make sure you know the first couple of words of the verse you are singing. Be careful not to speed up, which we did in the second chorus. ALTOS - make sure you are READY to go - I can only hear one voice... should be ALL of you. MEN - we need to just check the beginning of this verse. LAST VERSE - we might take this a little slower so all the words can be enunciated well.
Lovely overall. Don't forget we will sing the last chorus FOUR times. #3 will be QUIET. #4 will be LOUD and we will wow the audience with our ending! WATCH and PLEASE LEARN ALL YOUR CHORUSES OFF BY HEART! You don't need to read the music for the choruses.... Clarissa, this was beautifully read, you really told the story well! Do the same thing again next week! Just reiterating what I said on Sunday. Simply take half-a-step away from the microphone when reading. You don't need to read directly into the microphone itself; it is very sensitive and it picks up very well from a good foot or so away from the lecturn. You'll avoid the "pops" etc by doing this and the sound will be easier to hear in the church. But well done - excellent!
Opening - be sure of when to come in! Please be awake and watch. The opening was much better last week! Altos - "all is calm" could be quieter...
otherwise the first verse was very good - well done! Could we have "mild" a little more accurately sung? Sing "mild" and "mulled"... Verse 2 - female tenors, if you harmonise at the start of this verse, that's fine as long as its tune. I'd prefer it to be a unison sound, though. If you can match what I'm singing and what my dad will be singing, that would be great. Otherwise, the rest of this verse was pretty good - needs more quiet bits in it though - please watch. Verse 3 - Good start - Sopranos, keep "light" bright. The radiant section went funny today, due to the lack of notes on the piano (physically), but well done for picking it up. Alto pick up "Jesus, Lord" needs to more confident. PLEASE BE MUCH QUIETER in the last two pages. MEN - please watch me for the last "Holy Night" as I want it to be there. THE REST OF YOU - once you have sung your last "Silent Night/Holy Night" please drop your own individual sound so the next "entry" can be heard. The LAST SILENT NIGHT needs to be sung as quietly as possible. Thank you! This is much better than last year - you sang it better last rehearsal, by the way, we just need to iron out these tiny bits! No comments from me on this one, other to say I wasn't taking my time and I will do so next time :)
Obviously, please excuse the piano quality - not Mike's fault! The instrument couldn't handle the high notes! The intro does need to be slower. The piano is high in the mix so the duet doesn't come across as well as it did on the day.
Sopranos - be sure of your first notes in the chorus. EVERYONE - not too loud when you start that first chorus. Try to follow the marked dynamics. Well watched at the end of the chorus. Verse 2 - "wonderful star" - those who are singing this entry must hit the first note accurately and not too loudly! Today, the other entries were slightly out of time - possibly due to the piano accompaniment being slightly different than usual. Donna - please look carefully at your solo - get the B not the C# please. Sopranos doing the interlude bits - please sing brightly, every phrase was a little under the note! Incense and myrrh was not as secure as last rehearsal. Please concentrate in this section and get your notes right - Men, I think you need to be confident with your octave jump. Donna & Susan, can we find some time in the next rehearsal to check through this little section? Its OK but lacks a little confidence. The next chorus needed to be brighter - Sopranos, you dropped tuning, especially on "King" and then on the next section... all the way to "bring" and especially flat on "heart". PLEASE maintain the brightness - when you do it sounds SO good! Verse 3 - starts really well, now the Sops have got hold of that tune. Susan - you need to make sure you stick to the beat and not dwell on certain words. I know you would as a soloist but it needs to be much more accurate. The word I noticed as too long was the "the" after the first "King". This needs to be short to lead into the next word. Move on "the King born to us", too. Notewise it is lovely and really well sung. Just keep it moving - make sure you always hit the first beat of every bar. CHOIR - "Christ the Saviour is born" - please drop this RIGHT down. Then make "Tell out the story of old" much louder. The ending of the penultimate was GOOD but sounded nervous. CHOIR - please keep your parts QUIETER so that the soloists can come out over the top of you. Think "peace" as being "really" peaceful! :) Soloists, take your time, We will get you together to make it easier. LAST chorus will start a lot slower. So be prepared. I'll conduct two beats before I bring you in so you know the tempo. Susan, I'll look at that solo bit in the middle of this chorus - we might need to fine tune it so it is easier to sing. THE REST OF YOU - PLEASE KEEP it in tune - especially the Sopranos as you sing "hatred." Please keep everything up! The last "peace" is too loud by the choir. Please almost whisper this one. The ending will sort itself out with a better accompanying instrument - just remember to keep it quiet. This seems a lot - but most of it is down to confidence. With confidence you breathe better and all notes will stay in tune! It will sound great! SOLOISTS I will try and get you together (nearer each other) for this piece to make it easier to hear each other. |
