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First Soprano rehearsal notes

April 7 Rehearsal Notes
Please note for next week's rehearsal: first sopranos sit in front. Also, please remember that there is an extra, optional rehearsal on Thursday. 
OK, on to the notes. 
Things to bear in mind during the recording
  • Silence is mandatory before and after we sing, every time. No clearing of throats, coughing, shuffling feet or papers, moving around, adjusting clothing, dropping things, etc. This is especially important at the end of the piece, to deal with reverberation. 
  • If you feel a need to cough and can't help it, raise your hand, and the piece will be stopped.
  • We won't be singing entire pieces at a time, but rather passages.
  • We'll be standing in the chancel, as for a concert. Keep your knees soft. The orchestra requires a ten-minute break every hour, so there will be chances to sit.
  • No talking between takes. Here's incentive: the more chatting there is, the longer we'll have to stay on our feet. 
Grown Wild
  • Universal: Stay engaged, active, and rhythmic–not too legato
  • Universal: No “r” in “girl” 
  • Measure 9 “You conjured” (and wherever it occurs): Keep the intervals high, and drop the “r” of “conjured”
  • Measure 30: “me” is a 1/4 note followed by a 1/4 rest; no “r” on “hear”
  • Mm. 35-46: Listen for the dialogue among the voice parts
  • Measure 37: Drop the “spr” of “spring-“; the vowel of “-time” is “aw”
  • Measure 44: No breath
  • Measure 47 (and wherever the pattern occurs): Watch Jane
  • Measure 52: First beat of the measure is a 1/4 note, followed by a 1/4 rest
  • Measure 56: Beat 3 is a 1/4 rest
  • Measure 59: Vowel of “climb-” is “aw”
  • Measure 63: Hold “-ness” out for three beats
  • lMeasure 65: Watch Jane
  • Measure 80: “I” is a 1/4 note followed by a 1/4 rest
  • Page 11: 1/4 rest after every “up”; no breath after “wild”; and keep the F#s high
Alway Something Sings
  • Universal: Keep the “ih” vowel (e.g., “will” in measure 4) pure–don't close to the “ll” too soon
  • Opening phrase: Breathy–but no breath in measure 3
  • Page 4: Needs forward momentum–watch Jane
  • Bottom of page 13: Turn the page early
  • Page 14: Watch Jane
  • Measure 89: Vowel of “foul” is “aw,” and keep it light
  • Last held note: Vowel is a pure “eeee,” and don't close to the “-ngs” at the end; if you run out of breath, decrescendo out
Birds of Passage
  • Universal: No personal inflection
  • Opening: Breathy and elegant, and keep it soft
  • Measure 7: Breath on the first 1/8 note
  • Measure 12: Vowel of “sky” is “aw”
  • Measure 19: Breath on the first 1/8 note
  • Measure 23: Vowel of “round” is “aw”
  • Measure 24: Vowel of “lie” is “aw”
  • Measure 28: Vowel of “light” is “aw,” and look up
  • Beginning measure 31: Soft but move
  • Measure 36: “Hit it!”–dynamic is mf, and note the accents
  • Mm. 53-54: “Don't get lost in the dreamily”
  • Measure 58: Watch Jane for the tempo change
  • Measure 62: Observe the staccato marks, then keep “wings of birds” legato; don't flat the C#
  • Mm. 69-70: Get right off the “s” of “pleasures” and “pains,” and be less dramatic here
  • Measure 72: Observe the pp dynamic
  • Measure 73: No “r” in “words”
  • Measure 83: A hint that our sung entrance is coming is that Jane will turn to Simon on this measure, then turn to us for our entrance in measure 84
  • Measure 84: Everyone should come right in here–ignore the composer's direction to waft in
  • Beginning pick-up to measure 90: Welcoming, not hysterical, and keep it in the body
  • Measure 94: Vowel of “fly” is “aw,” and watch Jane–she gives us a good breath at the end of the measure
  • Measure 96: Vowel of “clime” is “aw”
  • Measure 98: Vowel of “flight” is “aw”–don't close to the diphthong too early
  • Measure 99: Don't slow down
  • Measure 100: Vowel of “light” is “aw”
  • Mm. 108-9: Vowel of “rhyme” is “aw”
  • Ending: Keep the whisper going after the piano cuts out
Concord Fragments: In Some Dry, Dry Earth
  • Universal: More consonants and sound, and keep it in the body
  • Opening section: No Minnie Mouse here–connect to the breath
  • Page 1: Transform the mood from arid despair into the warmth and promise of heartsease–give the sense that the piece is going somewhere
  • Mm. 7-10: No breath until “up,” which is now an 1/8 note with an 1/8 rest
  • Pages 2-3: “root” is always short
  • Measure 19: Watch Jane
  • Measure 20 (and wherever it occurs): Vowel of “dry” is “aw”
  • Measure 21: Turn the page early
  • Measure 47: “-ease” is a 1/4 note followed by an 1/8 rest
  • Measure 49: Beat 3 is a 1/4 rest
  • Measure 51: Vowel of “light” is “aw”
The Tree House: Orchard
  • Mm. 14-31: Pitch problems
  • Mm. 83-87: No vibrato
I think that's it! Hope to see most (all?) of you on Thursday.

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