Summer Term : Joint Rehearsal #3: Trinity URC
|
The recording here is to help you "get" how it fits altogether. I've spliced the good bits together. Please remember what I've said about the ending and, Sops, please remember to sing your own part at the end of each chorus. Otherwise, I think this sounds rather good! Well done!
|
I love the energy you start this with. It's really very good. Listening back to it I'd just like you to be a little more sure of your notes in places. Remember to keep watching me especially at important points in the piece. I would love for you to keep the energy going all the way to the end - it's almost there! Sing your heart out!
|
|
Wimoweh simply needs you to know what is going on when. So here's a quick recap:
Intro (Men, then Sop2 & Alto, then Sop1, then UYS) Verse 1 ("in the jungle") Chorus x1 Intro "link" Verse 2 (children sing "in the village" - choir do longer "wimoweh"s - just follow me) Chorus x2 "Break" "Wimo...weh" bit Verse 3 ("hush my darling") Chorus x2 "Break" 2 - x2 "Break" 3 - x4 (piano gets groovy) ENDING - watch! Remember that "weh" is SHORT - do not sing it "way" :) This is largely OK. I think I would like more clarity in your words, they need more definition. Enunciate more clearly the consonants please. This will help them cut through the organ accompaniment even better. Altos - just check through your line a little more this week, there were some odd notes there. Otherwise, good!
|
The choruses are much more vibrant, well done. Soloists - keep the movement going, don't drag or dwell too much on the notes. BUT I want the end of every verse to be confident, accurate and eyes up, ready to take over from the soloists. There should be no waiting, simply a "takeover" of the tune.
Remember to keep the "Aahs" quiet at the end BUT THEN THE VERY LAST LINE SHOULD BE FAST AND EXCITED! Learn the words off by heart and it'll be much easier. This will work very well but please sing with a little more gusto and please make sure you are looking up for the last section. You will not need your folders for this piece at all!
Much of what I could say here I've said on the recording. Just please make sure you remember where to breathe, where to NOT breathe! Please make sure you KNOW THE ENDING :) Overexaggerate the "Gl" in Gloria, spit out the words so they sound both exciting and exhuberant! You can do it - just believe!
|
Summer Term : Joint Rehearsal #2
|
Susan: must be careful not to drag the first verse - it needs to move forward. Keep the crotchets moving - watch my beat as best you can. I think I'll be pushing the tempo forward a little, to give it a little more zip. In general it is working well but we need to make sure the dynamics are more effective. Basses you MUST sing the bass line in the repeat of the verse. Many of you are singing the tune an octave lower. Sacrifice has an "s" sound at the end - please watch. Also "Cross" at the end of the choruses - you must watch me to stop hissing. Susan - I'll try to help you with the solo sop line there - I did have the thought that perhaps Alison could join you in that final chorus to give a little more weight to the descant?
In general you need get the words a little more confident. Basses you need to know your lines much better and know where the notes are in your range. Overall, the piece is OK at the moment but performance standard is a little lacking - due to confidence, mainly; I need more energy in the piece to make it work the best it can. Remember to breathe silently. Basses - straight on the off you did not have the correct notes. You MUST listen to me more. It will be easier with Dad around with a strong voice leading but you need to really step up in the next couple of weeks. SOPRANOS - please make sure you are ALWAYS bright in your sound. The end of the first verse was flat. Better breathing, in general, well done! Some effective dynamics coming through!
THIRD VERSE - the quiet bit at the start - MUST BE IN TUNE. Sopranos you were terribly flat and so you must lift your eyebrows and open your mouths more and take in more breath to support the notes. Overall, this has improved very much. However my concern is no longer the way you are singing it - it is working, especially with the dynamics coming through. My concern is with the tuning of the sopranos. Just because it is an easy tune and you know does not excuse you from not concentrating fully on how you are producing every note. Think more, engage yourself in the piece and make sure you are singing with a brightness in your voice. Basses- bring out your line a little more please. You won't overpower the rest of us. However, the rest of us must be quieter at the start. We can swell in the middle of the verse but please remember the dynamic drops at the end of the first verses. The interlude should be quieter. Verse 2 - Bass you have the tune. Sopranos and Altos must be quieter on the long notes. Swell again as you do in the middle of the verse but then come back down for the end of the verse please. This will mean we can build into the final verse. Soprano descant needs some work - and the rest of us need to be coming up to the descant volume and the sopranos need to be a little quieter. Ending will work really well if you watch me. I need the last chord to have the altos and tenors a little louder to enrichen it. Thanks.
Words are good - balance is a little off - can't quite always hear the tenor line (this might be because I was having to try to sing the bass line loudly enough for the basses to hook onto me). In general, I would say the problem with this piece is that it sounds a little messy in the choral sections. Note-wise it sounds more-or-less there except in the bass part which is still, like many of the pieces thus far, fluctuating somewhat in terms of correct pitch. A shame because I know how hard you are working - perhaps it will be easier with Alan and Dad who were both missing today. Strangely, I could do with a little more of the soprano line throughout, to create a better balance. This is a perfectly acceptable performance but I know you can do this better. Please try to be more confident with your words and I'm sure you'll be able to look up more and get the delivery more definite.
Remember to attack each word/syllable. Sops, Altos and Tenors - I think you are confident with your parts. Basses - again, you are a little unsure of your notes. I was carrying the entire bass part throughout - I shouldn't have to do that at this stage. Please make sure you get your notes better pitched.
Remember to come in well at the end, Sops and Tenors - be confident - you have the notes. Just follow me with your eyes up! Learn the words a bit better? :) This is a hard piece for a small choir. You are doing very well with it and so believe in yourselves! |
Susan: a good start and a generally much more confident solo. You must get that little bit of the opening correct (libertatem!) - don't forget the syllable "ber" should be sung a little closer to the word "bear". Watch out for the timing on the phrase "Amorem" and the dotted rhythm at that foot of that page.
The rest of the choir - it's not bad at all! To improve the men must know their part (especially at the "Quidquid" phrase which is in the highest part of their range); everyone must be more clear with their diction. Every syllable must be heard. This is because although the main focus is on the soloist the choir words are reflecting and supporting the soloist so we need to hear what you're singing. Everyone must know their entries and be sure of coming in on them. Most are OK but it still sounds unsure.in places. The final Amen must be correct in the soprano part. In general, watch for dynamics a little more - which means possibly knowing you words a bit better? ;) Overall not bad - still has room for improvement (but at least its only polishing). This is a psalm and, at the moment, the choir's contribution is sounding a little like a Sunday morning. Please make sure you sing the refrain (In The Lord's Own House...) with gusto and as if you mean it. It is an easy melody and in unison so there is no excuse to sing it badly! Engage your brains throughout and make sure that each word is sung with importance. Also please remember the last refrain is harmonised - especially the basses (whose notes were either creative or singing the tune...). Otherwise, choir, not bad at all.
Soloists - I though, actually, this is a good rendition of the piece. I think the balance needs to be a little better - Alison, could you bring your part over the top of Barbara's a little more? You have the tune and we need to hear it over the harmonising part. Both parts flow well and you come across well. However it is easy to slow a little and dwell on the verses so please keep the tempo. There is a pause in the middle - please pick up the tempo immediately after the pause or the whole piece will drag. Try to pay more attention to the dynamics and this piece will improve dramatically. Well done - it's a good stage at the moment (but please do remember how the ending goes - we can check that on Sunday!). I urge you to listen to this recording before digesting what I've written below..
Although this piece is vastly improved from last week now I have listened to the recording, I have to say that I am not convinced it is going to work or be performed to the standard we normally achieve. Essentially, this recording shows the sopranos and altos are far more sure of their parts (not just words, timing etc but also with good accurate pitching). However the men's parts I have real concerns about - in this piece the discrepancies in pitch in the lower part are huge and they detract hugely from the performance. In this recording I was absolutely holding the men's part from start to finish. I cannot do that on concert day. I don't think it would be fair on any of you to have the pressure of this piece in the concert for the reasons given above. Therefore it is with regret that I am withdrawing it from the concert. This is the final piece of the first half and we need to all sing it with a degree of enthusiasm. Even when you're echoing the children please spit out the words a little more - pretend you are indeed inviting the Spirit Of The Lord to "come down"! Your responses need to be as excited as the children sound. The ending is relatively easy note-wise but please remember it keeps going, there are no breaks nor any slow-ups. Belt it out with gusto - its a Gospel Style anthem so be OTT evangelicals! Above all HAVE FUN with this piece. I will making ALL of you sing this with NO folders (after all, you've only got to learn the last page of lyrics!).
|
Lovely start, everyone! A good tempo and clean words, well done! Men - careful about your hippopotamus! These words need to be clearer. All - watch out for that key change! It's there but needs confidence. Ending good but watch me! Also we need more dynamics - a good piece at this stage, more light and shade would make it work better.
Perhaps we'll take it a smidging slower for the poor Altos who highlighted the difficulty of the words at that speed... Gentlemen - not bad - try be sure of your notes (when you're not singing the tune!) and you'll be fine. The timings were good though, There is a good energy about this song - but I agree it is a little fast! :) I think I was overexcited ...... careful of the key change though (will check through on Sunday)! And we need a much better MOO men! .... Oh yes - and when we all slide on the word "die" - can we hold the higher note a little longer so we slide together with some drama? Thanks.
Please make sure the "weh" in Wimoweh is SHORT not sounding like "way". Thanks. You can emphasise the "weh" a little, as well, to give the rolling rhythm,
Generally we need more dynamics - so be louder on the choruses and quieter in the verses. Always bring out the tune if you are singing it. Make sure you are watching me for the changes. I might be indulging in some drum playing so knowing what is going on and watching me is going to be crucial. The most important part is when we go to the "cut down" sections. All eyes must be on me and there should be no-one looking at the books after we sing "Hush my darling"... Good piece! Lovely bright opening. Men - PLEASE - find your notes :) the energy is right but I'm leading again in this recording.
Verse 1: Karen - lovely work. Well done! CHOIR - "you will please excuse" needs to be MUCH clearer. Please pay attention and be ready! Verse 2: Karen - again, well done. Very nicely put across. CHOIR - better entry at the end of this verse. More Soprano though, please. Verse 3 - Karen - I missed your first couple of words. Be careful. When the choir comes in you must all be much quieter.... BUT when we go into the last phrase it has got to be OVER THE TOP - faster and louder and with complete exasperation! We need to make the audience laugh at the joke - at the moment they'll be rolling their eyes like a teenaged daughter witnessing yet another "dad" joke..... This is the start we need on EVERY PIECE!!! What a fabulous opening. Well done! Keep the volume down for the children's bit. Build in volume up to the chorus - to do this sing the line before the chorus a little quieter.
Verse 2 - I need to hear more of the alto line. Any tenors who can add their voices to the alto part at this point would be appreciated! Verse 3 - make sure the words are clear at the start! Please also make sure the harmonies are correct after "SPLOSH" and then through to the end! This piece is, by far, the best of the concert. We're saving the best to last. Piano could be played louder, too, to bring better balance with the singers. |
Summer Term : Joint Rehearsal #1
Summer Term : Rehearsal #3: 2nd June: Final before Joint Rehearsals
I will listen to the individual recordings and add my comments. As said yesterday, overall, they are all heading in the right direction. Well done! Many just needs more confidence in your lines, your words and these will end up in singing up and out to the audience. All will be well - just needs some hard work between now and the 29th. If you need individual help you can contact me and arrange for 1-2-1 or a small group rehearsal - but you'll have to fit around my rather busy schedule....
REHEARSING BITS AND BOBS:
The following audio files are simply the intensive part of the rehearsal where we've focussed on the pieces that needed the most work. They are longer recordings - be patient!
Summer Term : Rehearsal #1: 5th May
This is the newest piece and, I am pleased to say, one you picked up very quickly. Have a listen to the guidetracks and this recording to learn this piece really well. MEN - you especially!
We did not spend long on this piece - basically because it is easy to pick up. Sopranos make sure you know when you are singing the tune and when you are singing the accompanying "Wimowehs". Listen to the guidetracks and recording from previous concert (if you have it). We will spend more time on this when we have all the choirs together at our joint rehearsal.
|
This recording is 35mins long... but you should be able to fast forward/rewind to find the sections you need to listen to. The notes for this piece are not hard, nor the rhythms, so please listen to the middle of the recording to go through the second verse. DO listen to the guidetracks as provided in the normal place...
This recording is about 25mins long. Do fast forward/rewind as necessary. BUT also listen to the guidetracks in the normal place. This piece is not a difficult melody (with the exception of about 4 bars). Next rehearsal we will work on the tricky bars and finish "Ain't No Mountain". ALL PARTS must know their parts (as best they can) for the first two songs by next rehearsal. Thank you.
OK - I listened to this in its entirety today. First thing to say is that it is the first piece that the USCE are singing on its own and, because it is well-known, it needs to make a good impression. SOPRANOS and ALTOS: you have definitely made a good impression here. Generally secure lines (except for one bar in verse 3) all through. All you need to do is to deliver the emotion behind the words, to try and connect phrases more confidently. MEN: I am VERY concerned. There were more wrong notes than right ones even when I was singing in your ears. We will have to address this is issue which is going to be a challenge in the rehearsals we have left. Overall, if the men get themselves sorted, this will be a very effective piece.
| ||||
Sunday 14th April: End of Spring Term Assessment
|
In Christ Alone
As said in rehearsal, this is sung very "nicely" with some good musical lines but we need to sing it with much more energy - put your faith in the words. Men - your line is there but needs to be more secure; there are moments of wobble which are quite obvious as the line is in the higher part of your voices. I'd like to hear crisper words and we need more accurate dynamics - from pp to ff - you will only be able to do this by watching. LOOK AT THE THIRD VERSE - especially the part where you "burst forth" and the phrase after that which is definitely the weakest part. Fourth Verse - Men, secure your part - remember it is different than the other three verses. This piece is on the verge of being complete to a good, high, standard. We just need more life and more of "you" in the words. The choice of singing sacred music in this concert was based very much on the knowledge that many of you have a strong faith which I thought might help you sing the pieces better... Gloria (please listen to the whole track as it includes some detailed rehearsal)
The First entry needs to stronger from all parts. In general, this piece needs much more ATTACK, as I demonstrated after the run-through. You will have to apply some clever breathing techniques to keep the excitement of the singing matching the exciting piano part Tips to help you improve: 1. Secure your parts! Make sure you are singing all the notes accurately. Most importantly, make sure the first note of every entry is correct. 2. Plan your breathing places. Put a tick on your score where you are going to breathe (and join words together where I've told you NOT to breathe!). Stick to the breathing places every time you practise and you will be able to maintain the long notes that I need to be strong throughout. 3. Learn the words! Ironically, the words are very easy : "Gloria in excelsis Deo!". 4. Work your mouth more. Go over the top in producing every single word. Open your mouth more on long notes (this helps you use less breath) - focus on the vowel sounds in the long notes. Get your consonants nice and crisp. Again - this is not far from being complete. Could do with more Tenor and Alto parts, please, so bring them out more. Animals
Nice confident start from the Sops & Altos. Men need to be more confident at the start. Sopranos - be careful that you don't sing the tune when singing "Hoorah"... some of you are waivering! Men - your verse needs to much BOLDER - just like the hippopotamus! I'm losing some of the words because they need better enunciation (I think I made a comment on this yesterday). Last verse - I completely lost the words in the first part of this verse! I also did not have the dramatic ending that I'd like. If an audience heard that yesterday they would comment along the lines of "they gave it a good try". I think it is closer to being finished that that. You all need to know your parts more and the words better. You need to "spit" out the words much more - and work your mouths hard. Please make sure you know the route through the key change as we go into the last verse. PLEASE LEARN THE ENDING! The only way to do this is to listen to the guides and then LEARN IT OFF BY HEART so you can WATCH me! :) Very promising! The Hippo
We didn't get to do a full run-through of this song. This means we're going to have to definitely look at this more carefully in the summer term rehearsals. I am going to have to try and insist that you put some effort into the learning the words for this song - all of the words! It is difficult, I know, but you should be able to manage at least some of them. Briefly: Vs 1 : Start as you mean to go - tell the story with good musical lines and sensible breathing. Get the "aahs" accurate and quieter (the Youth Choir have the tune). Watch me for the breaks ("ignoramus" bit). CHORUS: NO EYES DOWN - sing up, look at me and the audience! Crisp words please, especially emphasising the Ms and Ds in "MuD". Make your breathing sensible and do not get quieter as you get lower in pitch - open your mouths to get that bottom Bb out on the last "MUD". Verse 2: Crisper words please ladies and more accurate notes - 2nd soprano part was M.I.A a little... when the thunder comes in - all parts MUST be LOUD and ACCURATE. Sopranos, know you words over the page and sing about the "song they sang" as smoothly as you can. We will work on the last verse in the summer term. This piece does need a lot of work to get to the standard that I want to achieve. It is in a promising state but I do feel you all need to spend a little more time on it before our next rehearsal. Thank you. |
Jesu Joy
Hit the first word cleanly... "Je".. in the middle of the note. Also, I'm missing the first word of each entry; we need to more definite with the words. This could be said all the way through: enunciate all the words more clearly. Watch out for the phrase "life impassioned" - Sops - the notes weren't accurate. To improve - LEARN THE WORDS better - you know the different parts well enough - so you can look up and follow me a little more. Again, use the idea that the words are sacred and linked to your faith - even just the fact you're singing about Jesus and how he is special to you (in whatever way he may be). Finally - I need you to be louder than the piano always, and I will also ask Ash to turn it down as smidging. Having said that, he'll be playing the organ on the day so it'll be a different sound altogether. I would also say I'd like to hear more of the Tenors & Altos. This piece is, again, very close to being complete to a good, high, standard. Again, this needs more attention to the clarity of the words and to more effective musical dynamic lines. Suscipe Domine
Susan - don't worry about the solo: I'll put time aside in May to correct the issues you have with it. OK. The choir parts, underneath Susan's solo, are generally there - as in you have the right shapes throughout - and there are some "nice" parts. However this piece needs MUCH MORE WORK to get the parts accurate and confident. I will put time into our rehearsal schedule to work on this BUT you can easily get your own parts more confident by practising with the guidetracks on the website. We have three weeks, now, until our next rehearsal (unusually) so you have lots of time to get these right. I think the main issue is knowing which note to come in on with each entry. The only suggestion I have is to sing each part of your line without the gaps. If I have time I'll try to fabricate something from the guides to help you all. Ostrich
Lovely start! And some lovely clear words, in general! Men needs to be more sure of the notes in the chorus (or sing them up a bit). Joan - well done! End of the 1st verse - not bad but, again, needs to have more surety. And a little more clarity in the words. When we go back to the chorus: Men - I shouldn't have to sing with you... see paragraph one! I spoke about being ready at the end of the second verse yesterday.... "single plume". - Good Sops & Altos - Tenors - be more sure of that D. Aahs - need to be FAR Quieter! Ending needs to be bolder and brash. Attack the word "'ead" -voice the "eh" more. This song is in a very good place. It is the closest to being finished in the pieces we've looked at since January. Only small corners need to be sorted out. Again, I'll recommend you learn the words better so you can look up and be more sure of your entries and the delivery of the story (which I need to be more cheeky by the way). In The Lord's Own House.
This song is, essentially, a duet with the choir singing the refrain. Duettists - I'll work some time into our rehearsal schedule to get your confident with your parts and delivering them. Choir - please learn the ENDING really well; again, to the point where you can, essentially, put your books down and simply sing your parts whilst looking up at me. The piece will go a little faster on concert day. Musical Director's End-Of-Term ConclusionOverall, ladies and gentlemen, you are in a better place than you were at this stage last year (you can visit last Spring's assessment HERE): well done!
The thoughts recurring in all the pieces we sang yesterday relate to "words" and "confidence". Musically the pieces are OK (for the most part) and known well-enough for us to work on the strengthen of your performances. The good thing is that I feel I don't need to "note-bash" as much as I had to last year but we do need to work on "eyes-up" and "dynamics" and "delivery". Essentially, you need to take advantage of the next three weeks and work hard with the guidetracks and the rehearsal recordings to give yourselves a lot more confidence in each of the pieces. Consolidate what we've done this term so we can get the final pieces up to a good standard in the rehearsal time we have left before the middle of June. |
Sunday 17th March
|
Please do take the time to listen to some, or all, of this recording - we covered the Gloria once more in detail. We won't be looking at it again in this way. Please make sure your parts are more secure and you have planned where you are breathing! Lots of good clear text please - clear enunciation of all consonants and good, quick, moves into each vowel sound.
This showed great promise today, especially as we completed learning this song. Karen - great job on solo - I know you'll bring character to the verses. The rest of you - don't forget that this has to be sung with a tongue-in-cheek attitude ESPECIALLY the chorus. Please try to learn it off by heart and concentrate on excellent enunciation and clear words. So important I can't stress it enough. Check your parts - especially the Basses.
|
Some good moments here. Have to say that the second verse was musically more successful than the first verse - the opening verse seemed messy. Please learn the words off-by-heart, if you can; this will ensure you can concentrate on the confidence in your individual parts. The part that needs most work is the Bass part. It is not convincing at all and needs more work. TEXT is most important - all consonants and vowels please.
|
So this is a hymn. The words are speaking of something that many of you believe in. So I need you to tell the audience and convince me that you believe every aspect of the story behind the lyrics. From what I could hear from the piano there is much to be positive about regarding harmonies and general musicality of the piece. However the WORDS are not clear enough and not sung in a way that is believable. BASSES - you need to learn your part properly and sing it out well.
|
Sunday 3rd March
|
Suscipe: It is definitely worth listening to the whole of this recording if possible, as we cover the whole of this piece in detail. Please refer to the guidetracks, too.
|
|
Sunday 17th February
Sunday 3rd February
Sunday 20th January
A good rehearsal, today, I think. I was pleased to be able to spend a good amount of time on the four pieces we covered today. Essentially, we were able to complete two pieces "mechanically", as such, so we can sing all the way through them. Your work over the next fortnight is to secure the words and parts for "In Christ Alone" and "Gloria". If you can learn the chorus of "The Ostrich" off by heart, that would be a great step forward. Hopefully we'll have more of the membership in attendance next time.
Sunday 6th January
A lovely first rehearsal, I thought. I thought you all got the gist of my madness in swapping people around the parts and coped very well with the music presented to you. Well done. Do visit the resources page for the guidetracks and get the pieces we've covered comfortable in your ears (as best you can with me singing!) and get some good idea of your parts. I will be wanting to finish at least one of the pieces we looked at today, next time. Till then - have fun!
|
|
