Author: Siobhan Jones

Hi everyone, an excellent 90 minutes of singing this week, very encouraging. I must apologise for forgetting to bring the stand for my phone, which means that I don’t have recordings of your performances. But the fact that we are now talking about dynamics, phrasing and sound rather than notes is great.

We started with our encore piece, Underneath the Stars. Note-wise, this now seems pretty much learned. Rhythms are the thing here. There are a couple of spots where we are not quite together. If you can, sing along to it with your hand tapping your thigh. But overall a very nice sound.

Another piece we have not spent a lot of time on, O Holy Night, we tidied up knowing which notes to sing, and making sure we can hit them. The harmonies are pretty simple, but need to be totally solid. Again, it sounded close to where it needs to be for the concerts.

Lully, Lulla, Lullay is one that we need to be doing without the piano, and although we drifted a little flat, the sound was good. Plenty of dynamics, including the entire second verse in loud and angry mode. And thining about phrasing – Lully Lulla – COMMA – Lully Lullay; By by lully lullay without a break.

In the Stillness was a big improvement on last time. Those last lines of each verse, which go very low, were much better. Keep checking that you know your notes there. And keep those lines moving. The slower ‘in the calmness’ and ‘in the quietness’ can make the music drag and that makes it harder to keep the harmonies together. Sopranos, the rising arpeggio of the coda, ‘There’s a patience as we wait for a new morn’ is still a challenge – getting up high enough on each note is hard. That phrase for everyone could be improved, so if you have time sing that a few times.

The big Dark Night came together very well. The piano part will mask a few bits of uncertain notes, but it would be better if we felt 100% certain that we know them. But again, the sing through from start to finish was almost performance-ready.

In place of our repertoire piece, we sang the two pieces that we worked on last week at the end, once through in performance ranks. Sleep was the best we have sung it. While I would love to be able to sing it without Robert’s support on the piano, I think we have found a way to do it that sounds right. And Sure on this Shining Night was also very nice. Speeds were generally ok – basses and tenors, just make sure you don’t lag in the very first section, and everyone needs to be watching me as we ‘meno mosso’ our way down to a ‘sense of wonder’ towards the end. No breath where Mr Lauridsen specifies no breath, and we are fine tuning for a performance rather than worrying about notes.

Very encouraging, but not there yet, so keep using the practice tracks if that is your thing, and please do your best to be at as many of the THREE remaining rehearsals before the Holly Lodge concert kicks off our winter season.

Have a good week

Chris

Dear All

A few notes on our upcoming concert.

Huge thanks to Simon, David and Douglas for organising, flyers, programmes and bar.

Introductions:

As I mentioned at rehearsal the programme for our Christmas concert will include members of the choir giving a short introduction to the music we will be performing.

I am looking for volunteers to give the introductions as per the list below (there are four).  The idea would be to talk about your thoughts on the piece(s): why a particular piece is special to you; how its grown on you (hopefully!); what was tricky about learning it etc. Whatever you want.

Please email me (jonezfamily658@virginmedia.com) if you’d like to do this, specifying which introduction (1-4) you’d like to do. If I’m inundated with more than one volunteer per section then I’ll draw names out of a hat.

INTRODUCTION 1:

O Nuit- Rameau

Bogoritse Dyevo from Rach Vespers

Sure on this shining night – Lauridsen

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INTRODUCTION 2:

Abendlied, Rheinberger

Sleep – Whitacre

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INTRODUCTION 3:

Dark Night – Gjeilo

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INTRODUCTION 4:

In the stillness – Beamish 

Lully, Lulla, Lullay -Stopford

O Holy Night

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Timings:

I’ve moved these 15 minutes earlier to give time for audience to go to bar before concert starts:

16:15 – set-up ***PLEASE COULD I HAVE VOLUNTEERS TO HELP WITH THIS

17:00 – start of short rehearsal

17:30 – bar opens

18:00 – concert starts

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Dress:

Black + Red &/or Green 

Many thanks

Siobhan

Hi all

For those singing on Dec 8, other logistical details to follow, but in terms of music, here is what you need to know:

We are singing the three Christmas pieces from our own concert: In the Stillness; Lully, Lulla, Lullay; and O Holy Night. That last will be sung along with the choirs of Sheen Mount and Clarendon schools, which will be lovely. In preparation for this, we aim to try to hold a rehearsal, probably at Sheen Mount, some school day before the concert. When that date/time is known I will let you know, and if we can get even a small group together to go and sing, it will help us all get a sense of singing together. For those who don’t know Clarendon, it is a special needs school and their children will be performing in various ways including signing (not a misprint of singing). If anyone would like to sign as they sing, I have a video of the signs they will be using for O Holy Night and can share it with you.

We are also responsible for leading the audience in 5 well-known carols, with the organ:
Once in Royal
While Shepherds Washed their Socks
Good King Wenceslas
Hark the Herald
O Come All Ye Faithful

We do not have time in rehearsals to work on these so I am taking it as given that we can all sing along adequately to these, if not in perfect harmony, then with a strong melody line. We will be using Carols for Choirs Book 1. If anyone not coming to the concert has a copy we can borrow could you please bring to rehearsal?

We have plenty of Sopranos and Altos (though happy to have more), but are sparse on the lower parts. If anyone has any singer friends who might lend weight to the tenors or basses with minimal rehearsal, please let me know.

Hi everyone, thank you all for a very good session last night. And a big Thank You from Emma for the generous donations for the cookies.

As you know, we made recordings of three pieces, so you can hear for yourselves how things sound. Here is what we worked on:

Sure on this Shining Night – This is starting to sound very good. For those who were not there, speeds are a big thing we worked on. It starts with movement – the first verse cannot be sluggish! – and then, in the second half, steadily steps down in speed until the coda is genuinely slow. Watching for those entries and following the new speeds is key. Note-wise, I don’t think there is a lot more we can do as a choir. But as individuals, using the practice track to cement the notes would be a great use of time. We will record this next time, time permitting.

Abendlied – We ran through more than I intended to, in order to tidy up uncertain notes. For all parts, the confidence in the notes is not as quite good as it needs to be. Without that confidence we sing with uncertainty. The very first chord proves the point. Have a listen: https://youtu.be/kuMwaNDB2qg. Definitely worth some home learning if you have time and inclination. It won’t take much work to lift this from shaky to lovely.

Sleep – This came along well, but it needed Robert’s support on the piano to keep it together in places. Great improvement in the long build-up to the climax across all parts. The tenor/bass ‘dark and deep’ part came out perfectly on one occasion, and was better every time. If you have time, just keep listening to your part and let it seep into your musical consciousness.

Bogoroditse Dyevo – This is becoming a favourite. It sounds very good in places. You know this well now. Sing it for enjoyment and it will become a thing of beauty. Have a listen: https://youtu.be/qFgAVzi19Ys. As you listen, watch where it sounds to be drifting slightly flat, and think about how to combat this.

O Nuit – We did this as a once-through at the end, no run-through to check the notes, and it is sounding very nice. We open the concert with it, so it is good to have it sounding confident and relaxed. Here it is: https://youtu.be/O172DudDxUw

Next week we need to give some time to the Christmas pieces and we need to finish note learning on Darnk Night. We have 4 rehearsals before the Holly Lodge Concert, one extra one before our own. Please try to be at all of them if you possibly can!

Have a good week

Chris

Hi everyone, I hope you are enjoying the deluge.

For this week’s rehearsal, nothing new to print off – but hopefully by now everyone has their own copy of everything we are singing. Expect some time on Sleep and Sure on this Shining Night, so if you have time, give those a good listen.

See you then

Chris

PS – if you ordered the Dark Night book and never got it and have not claimed your £5 refund from me, accost me after rehearsal!

Hi, sorry for the proliferation of mails. At the suggestion of one of you, I have organised the practice trackes into playlists by part. So you can just hit Play and you cycle through all of the pieces for your own part. Useful for those who like to learn by listening in the background by absorption, without necessarily needing to have the music open in front of you.

The links are below and on the website in the usual place.

The Lauridsen track is not mine and I don’t think it is very good. If there is demand I will make one – it’s a bit of an effort for that piece hence my not having done so to date.

Soprano 1
Soprano 2
Alto 1
Alto 2
Tenor 1
Tenor 2
Bass 1
Bass 2

The score is a little confusing. This is how to mark up your score so you know which is your line.

First thing to know – the whole piece repeats, and the second time around is not the same as the first.

Bars 1-15 first time – All sopranos and any adventurous altos (it’s not too high) sing the tune with the top line of words, up to…

Bar 16 – the top line now belongs just to Soprano 1, with the top line of words, through to bar 27

Bar 17 – We now have three staves for choir (plus two for piano). The second stave is Sop 2 and Alto; the third is Tenor and Bass. Top set of words for everyone.

Bar 27 – Everyone is on the second and third staves. Stave 2 All Sops and Altos; Stave 3 Tenor and Bass. Top set of words.

REPEAT

Bars 1-15 second time – Tenors and Basses with the bottom line of words, up to…

Bar 16 – the top line Soprano 1 as before, with the bottom line of words, through to bar 27

Bar 17 – Same as before, the second stave is Sop 2 and Alto; the third is Tenor and Bass. Bottom set of words.

Bar 27 – Same as before, stave 2 All Sops and Altos; Stave 3 Tenor and Bass. Bottom set of words.

Hope that helps you know what to sing when. It always helps. 🙂

Morning everyone, thanks to all who made such a good sound last night. We are now in the second half of the rehearsal set for this term’s concerts, and things starting to sound very nice in places – but still some shakiness that we need to address in the remaining sessions. We have 5 Tuesdays left before the Holly Lodge concert, 6 before our own concert. It would be fantastic to have as many of us there at as many of those as possible please!

Sorry for the long note. Read as much or as little as you have time for.

This week, we worked on:

Dark Night – we only really started working on this the last rehearsal before half term, so this was some note learning. It came across well when you sang with the intricate piano part, but I sense that there is some uncertainty under the waves in the lower parts. The chords are the star of this piece, so perhaps some work with the practice tracks would remove any doubts. And for all parts, entries are worth looking at. Make sure you can hit the first note of each new section with total confidence.

O Nuit – big improvement from last time. I think Robert’s piano part helped a lot, but also the way you sang with heads much more up meant that we avoided the ploddery and sounded much more musical. Suggestion for you here – learn the words by heart. There are not that many and it will make your job far easier if you are only glancing at the page for note reminders.

Abendlied – not quite as assured as O Nuit. It’s a more intricate piece, so confidence that you know your notes is vital. Homeworkers, this is one to focus on this week please.

Bogoroditse Dyevo – I was very pleased with how this sounded. Much better flow, much less ploddery, and generally very assured for notes and holding at pitch. Excellent work. Now we can work on adding the bucketloads of expression and yearning that is the hallmark of Rachmaninoff’s choral music. If you have 5 minutes and a highligher pen, go through this one and mark all of your dynamics. You’ll be amazed how many there are.

In the Stillness – this was the least confident of everything we sang this week, but it needn’t be. There are just those little, super-low bits at the ends of phrases. A combination of uncertainty and low notes ends in wobbly grumbling sounds. So, if you are so inclined, this is the most important one to be practising this week. And sops – sing the rising arpeggio of ‘There’s a patience as we wait for a new morn’ to yourself, taking care to get on top of each note. Basses, the same phrase is not quite right yet. If we can overcome the doubts, then the flow will come as it has for other pieces. Which is essential. Ploddery in this is so disrespectful to the lovely words. Lightness, skipping, dancing through the notes as if you were reading a poem – that is our goal. As for O Nuit, maybe try memorising the words. That takes one piece of uncertainty out of the picture and means you can divert your brainpower to the music.

Next week is the last chance for a bit of note-focus work on Sleep and Sure on this Shining Night – so if you have time, those long, climax-building phrases in the middle of both works that we have spent time on in rehearsal are the bits to look at. Until then, have a good week.

Chris

Hi all

For the first rehearsal after half term, please bring everything plus, for our end of practice piece, the Chilcott Irish Blessing which longer-serving choristers should have somewhere, or if not, you can print a temporary copy here. If you have not sung this before, you might like to hear it – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO3j6Hl_-Yw

Enjoy the extra hour’s sleep, Happy Halloween, and see you on All Saints’ Day.

Hi all

Thanks to everyone who has responded to the question of a tour next summer. By my records we have 13 Yesses and a couple of Maybes for the most popular choice, the trip to Vienna for a massed choir sing of Haydn’s Creation with Kunst and Kultur, the same organisation that we have sung with on previous tours.

IT IS NOW TIME TO COMMIT AS IN CONFIRM NUMBERS WITH FINANCIAL CONSEQUENCES. SO PLEASE CHECK THAT WHERE YOUR NAME IS BELOW IS CORRECT!

YES: Roger Blitz. Teresa Henderson, Tricia Joshi, Clare Wright, Sue Eustace, Caroline Cuss, Douglas Brewster, David Corless, Agnes Corless, Trish Bulmer, Barbara Brown, Simon Renton and me.

Maybe: Stephanie Wood, Siobhan Jones, Sarah Mackenzie

Definite No: Marilyn Tyler, Gareth Nugent, Bex Slack, Claire Michallet, Aliston Sherwin

IF YOUR NAME IS NOT IN ONE OF THESE LISTS THEN I HAVE NOT REGISTERED YOUR REPLY.

From the Yesses I need your confirmation that you are still definitely good to go, and that the slightly lower number of travellers does not change your mind. There is one other factor that you need to consider. The original plan was that the tour would effectively select our summer work. But on further consideration, I don’t feel that I am up to putting on a work of the scale of the Creation, with an orchestra, soloists etc as my first major work as a conductor – not least because I have never sung it, I don’t know it, and so leading and conducting it as a my first effort at such an undertaking is more than I can be confident of. Therefore, the touring party would need to be doing the majority of learning of the work either independently, or in small workshops. We would put on a different summer concert. Sorry for this significant change of plan, and for the short time to consider how it affects your intentions.

From the Maybes I need to know if there is any change in your position. It MAY be possible to join the tour after tomorrow, but that cannot be guaranteed.

If I have you as a No or not on the list and you intended to come, please let me know asap.

Emails to me please when you have an answer.

Thanks

Chris