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First Soprano rehearsal notes

November 20 Rehearsal Notes

Please note for next rehearsal: first sopranos sit in back. Also, the next rehearsal starts at 9:15–at Trinity, as usual. Our orchestra rehearsal (December 4) will also start at 9:15–at Trinitarian Congregational Church. Bring patience and a sense of humor (and a stool, if need be). 

A personal note: I will be away on Tuesday (November 25). If anyone would like to cover for me and take notes, please be my guest!
Here are my notes from today's rehearsal:
Forrest: Lux (entire piece)
  • Universal: ENERGY–never let up; think of it as calisthenics
Forrest V: Creator of the Stars of Night
  • Universal: LOOK UP
  • Universal: Effect a creamy sound, longer in the body
  • Universal: Don't expect Jane to give the cutoffs–cut off as written (she has other things to do)
  • Universal: Observe the crescendi/decrescendi, and again, don't put Jane in the position of having to give them to us
  • Opening section: Enter under the dynamic and crescendo to the prevailing dynamic on the downbeat; also: no vibrato
  • In general: Crescendo as the phrase rises, and decrescendo as it descends
  • Beginning: Jane is in 4; 3/2 bars are in (subdivided) 3
  • Measure 18: Jane's beat is a subdivided 4
  • Measure 19: Watch Jane and be prepared for the entrance; keep the A-flat high
  • Measure 21: “Creh-” (not “cray-“); dynamic is mp
  • Measure 21: 3/2 bar is in a subdivided 3
  • Measure 24: Put an “h” before “ae-“
  • Mm. 5-55: Observe natural text emphases (GOD, HON-or, MIGHT, GLO-, AGE/AGE)
  • Measure 58: Entrance is forte with an immediate crescendo
  • Pages 7-9: Watch Jane for tempo changes; no vibrato
  • Measure 61: The vowel is “aw”
  • Measure 98: Half note gets the beat
  • Mm. 99-101: Decrescendo–listen to the beautiful piano
  • Measure 115: Close to an “nnnnn” here
Forrest II: Lux in Tenebris
  • Universal: Creamy tone
  • Opening section: I like Jane's image of the sound rising and taking shape out of the dry ice mist of the accompaniment
  • Measure 30: Put some “ooo” in the “ee” vowel of “qui”
  • Letter B: Jane is in 2
  • Measure 59: Breath at the comma
  • Mm. 64-65; Crescendo ends with a forte
  • Mm. 68-71: Good “oooo” on “Lux”
  • Bottom of page 7: Don't follow Simon's playing here; be prepared to come right in after the page turn (and turn early)
  • Letter E (measure 109): A tempo–watch Jane; keep as staccato and marcato as possible, but bigger in the body here
  • From measure 129: Convey the sense that something's about to happen here
  • Measure 133: We've been singing “tenebris” a lot–note that this is “tenebrae”
  • Measure 134: “Eh-am”–no diphthong
  • Measure 142: Note the ff dynamic, and make sure you're secure on the entrance pitch; this section is majestic–“we have arrived”
Forrest IV: Gloria in Excelsis
  • Universal: Creamy tone, long in the body
  • Universal: Resist the temptation to recede in the staccato sections
  • Universal: “Deh-o” (not “Day-o”)
  • Measure 19: Soft entrance
Forrest I: Illuminare
  • Universal: Note all crescendi/decrescendi
  • Measure 2 + pick-up to Letter D (measure 71): If you miss the entrance, don't come in until the chord changes
  • Mm. 5-9: If you feel the sustained E getting tight, drop out
  • Measure 30: Watch Jane
  • End of page 11: Prepare for the page turn–very different music on page 12
  • Section beginning page 12: Stronger
  • Pages 12-13: Entrances need more confidence
  • Mm. 82-83: Keep the B and C# high
  • Letter E: No vibrato
  • Section beginning page 14: Stronger still
  • Measure 130: Watch Jane
  • Measure 167: Only Amanda puts the “x” on “lux” (and the “l,” too, for that matter)

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