Alto Rehearsal Notes

 

If you missed a rehearsal, search for the date you missed to see which pieces were rehearsed. Questions or additional notes, please don’t hesitate to contact Liz Berk berkden@comcast.net or Cynthia Sorn cls208@comcast.net. Music below not in concert order. 

 

 

1. Concord Fragments

 

I. In Some Dry, Dry Earth

1/14, 1/21

– M4: “Dry” is “drawh.”

– M5: “Earth” is “eahth.” No “r.”

– M10: Forte.

– M11: Change starting quarter note to eighth note, eighth rest.

1/28

– M35, 36: Note altos, S2 unison.

– M38: “remembrance” is “reh-mem-brawhns.” Just slight R.

– M38:  breath after “discoverer”

– M48: Same C as in 47.

– M50: “reappear” is “reh-ah-pearh.”

– M53: “Ah” is “aw.”

 

 

II. This Day I Am Eighteen

 

 

III. Walden

 

 

2. The Moon Bridge

1/14

– Mark “end” on bottom page 9 so you don’t look for the “next” page!

2/4

– M4: Note G# in piano just before we enter.

– M8: Breath after “bay.”

– M10: Breath after “beams.”

– M10-12: Note B-flat to C-flat to whole step D-flat. Note E# repeats.

– M12: Get G# from S2.

– M14: Be ready to move A in M15.

– M15 – 20: A bit slower, crescendo, decrescendo, watch.

– M18: Breath after “bridge.”

 

 

3. Night

1/14, 1/21

– M24: Note that the F is same note as page turn.

– M31: Low G-natural.

– M33: MF.

– M34: Breath after “shades.”

– M37-42: For now, stagger breathing.

– M42: Breath after “track.”

– M49: Breath after “themselves.”

1/28

– M23-25: “White” is “hawaht.” No breath. Right in the F on the next page.

– M26: Watch the cutoff. Short!

– M28: No breath.

– M34: Breath after “shades.”

2/4

– M7-10: Stagger breathing.

– M9: Note the B-flat on “oth-.”

– M10: Breath after the C of “by.”

– M11: Note “other” is quarter note, eighth note. Don’t reverse them!

– M15: Don’t slow.

– M16: Watch rhythm on “gold,” maybe mark out the beats in 6/8. Breath after “gold.”

 

 

4. To Sit and Dream

1/14, 1/21

– Note first and second pages are unison.

– “About” is “ah-bawt.”

– M13: Louder.

– M15: Note A-flat.

– Pages 6 and 7 – review. A2: Especially M23.

1/28

– M31: Breath at end of measure.

– M32: Higher on the A.

– M38: “Found” is “fawned.”

2/4

– M26: Note starting unison A. Note alto1,2 unison G-natural.

– M28, 29: Note unison altos.

– M31: Breath at end.

– M32: Note unison.

– M33: Note emphasis for “I,” “hand,” “you.” Repeat throughout.

– M42: Breath after “you.” Note same “E” in next measure. Mark the G of the next measure in the margin.

– M62: Watch Jane for retard.

 

 

5. Grown Wild

1/14, 1/21

– We read through it.

1/28

– M73 – 76: Strong, in the body. Unison, not too loud. No breath.

– M75: Watch A to F, don’t flat. No R in “girl.”

– M77: Note unison D entrance with S2. No breath until 81.

– M85 – 88: No breath.

– M88 – 95: Breath after “up” only.

– M96: Breath after “wild.”

 

 

6. Birds of Passage

1/21

– Beware of diphthongs.

– “Aw” sounds: Fawl (fall), rawnd (round), flawt (flight), wahl (wall), etc.

– M4, et al: “Fall” – sing vowel until M5, then add “L”. Repeat in any place with ending “L.”

– M7: Breath after “tall.”

– M12: “Sky” is “skah.”

– M15: Quiet.

– M24: “Lie” is “law.”

– M27: Note we all start on D#.

– M31: Note unison.

– Pick short phrase for pages 12-13.

1/28

– M40:  Breath – change “fleet” to 1/8 with 1/8 rest.

2/4

– Have your phrase ready.

– M3: All unison.

– M36 – 40: Just A2 – create the strong beat by stressing each note up to first note of 40. Then smooth.

– M40: Breath.

– M40 – 43: No breath.

– M48: Full sound.

– M51: Breath after “high.”

– M52 – 54: A2, fiercer and stronger.

– M56 – 58: Unison, requires perfect rhythm to hear words. Watch Jane, slower in 58.

– M59: Heavens, we start above the Sops.

– M63: Staccato and slower – careful! Jane will give each word. Memorize.

– M66: “Freely” means “watch Jane constantly.”

– M73: Back to tempo primo.

 

 

7. Flight

 

I. Sky Song

1/21

– It may be helpful to mark all unisons.

– M43: “Tops” is short.

– M45: “Soar” is held to next measure.

– M50: Note key change.

– M52: No vibrato.

– M60: “What” is “hwhat.”

2/4

– M25: Note alto entrance is above S2.

– M29- 30: The G in 29 is the same as in M30.

– M33- 34: Now in 5/4. Hold “-ness” for four beats, and then observe the two rests.

– M34: Back to 4/4.

– M40 – 41: E-flat should be high and strong, hold through for eight beats. Breath at end of 41.

 

 

II. Come, Spring

 

 

III. This Sky Falls

1/14

– We sang through it.

1/28

– Don’t accent “the.” Accent “sky,” “lake,” “sil-.” Etc. “silver” is “sil-vah.”

-M11, 12: Sing the “K” in “like.”

– M19: Shhh.

– M21: Louder.

– M27: Higher on the “D.”

– M36: Keep pitch up.

– M66: Softer.

– M68: Soft, note unison.

– M73: “Fire” is “fah.”

– M95: Altos can let the sops have this high D.