From The Blog

[soprano 1] First Soprano rehearsal notes

October 7 Rehearsal Notes

Please note for next week, first sopranos sit in back.
Please also note regarding the notes below: many are reinforcements of notes that Jane has given in previous weeks. I am including them here as reminders.
Grown Wild (whole piece)
  • Mm. 5-8: Note the dynamic arc
  • Universal: Note that a crescendo is not an invitation for vibrato
  • Measure 10: Keep the A high and open; “time” is taw-m
  • Measure 11: Keep the A high
  • Measure 15: We are in unison with the S2s here, so back off the dynamic a bit
  • Measure 37: Consider not singing the “spr” of “springtime”; if you do sing it, make sure the vowel is on the downbeat and on pitch
  • Measure 38: Keep the C high
  • Measure 47 and wherever the pattern occurs: Watch Jane on “months” “years”
  • Measure 54 into 55: Deemphasize “her” and keep the high notes on “tendril” light
  • Measure 56: Put the “ch” of “touch” on beat 3 and don’t bash the A on “and”
  • Measure 59: The “climbing” vowel is aw
  • Measure 65: Watch Jane for the tempo change
  • Measure 72: Note the ritard (i.e., watch Jane)
  • Measure 76: The vowel of “I” is (you guessed it) aw
  • Mm. 81-83: Don’t go wild on the dynamic
  • Mm. 83 & 86: Eighth out after “sky”
  • Mm. 93 & 95: Keep the F# pitch high, and remember, there’s no vibrato; if you can’t do it without vibrato, don’t sing it
Siyahamba
  • Universal: If notes are on the beat (especially “hamba”), resist the urge to syncopate; sing as written
  • Universal: Remember to crescendo a bit when the “ham” of “hamba” is a held note
  • Universal: Any “oh” (e.g., measure 20) should be in the body–“be an adult”
  • No ritard at the end
Forrest IV: Gloria in Excelsis (page 7 [letter D] to the end)
  • Letter D to measure 60: Keep it light, and think in terms of the line
  • Measures 51-52: Listen to the S2s
  • Measure 51 into 52: Keep the A-B-C pitches high and light
  • Measures 57-60 (top of page 8): Pay attention to the rhythm
  • End of measure 60: Get a good breath so you can keep the following phrase energized and in the body
  • Universal beginning measure 61: Emphasize (but don’t bash) the “De” of “Deo”
  • Universal beginning measure 61: Don’t be complacent–be aware that the patterns aren’t always consistent
  • Universal beginning measure 61: A related note–always be looking forward in the score so you’re prepared for what’s coming
  • Measure 69 to the end: Staccato marks aren’t written into the score, but the staccato pattern remains the same as measures 61-67
  • Page 10: Practice–make sure you know the pitches
O Come, Emmanuel (page 7-end)
  • Universal: Think ENERGY and in the body
  • Measure 37: Entrance dynamic is piano, but begin crescendo immediately; the vowel is aw
  • Measure 49: Emphasize (but don’t bash) “drive”
  • Pages 8 & 9: All releases are as written–watch Jane
  • Measure 69: Entrance dynamic is pp, but begin crescendo immediately, the vowel is aw
  • Measure 101: No vibrato (probably true for all the long held “come”s)
  • Measure 108: Watch Jane for the ritard
What Child (whole piece)
  • Be aware of the roadmap–measure 71 repeats back to the previous page (measure 62)
  • Universal: This is not a funereal piece, but also don’t enjoy it too much (let the audience do that)–keep up your ENERGY and keep it moving forward
  • Universal: Pay attention to pitch–this piece is a cappella
  • Universal: Don’t forget to close the “bum”s immediately
  • Mm. 23-24 decrescendo: Keep it in the body; don’t lighten up the tone too much
  • Beginning measure 29: Be aware that we are in a duet with the S2s
Stars I Shall Find (whole piece)
  • Universal: Again, be aware of the roadmap; paper clips might be helpful for finding your pages on this one
  • Universal: Think pitch, rhythm, tempo–all voice parts need to line up and blend; LISTEN
  • Universal: Again, don’t enjoy it too much (let the audience do that)
  • Mm. 1-3: Jane conducts these bars in 4 to establish the beat, then begins conducting in 2 at measure 4
  • Measure 17: No hissing the final “s” of “stillness”–hold the vowel until the end of the beat and keep the “s” light
  • Measure 20: Observe the rest on beat 2
  • Mm. 22-23: All text has the vowel aw
  • Measure 23: No vibrato
  • Measure 32: Observe the crescendo

Related Posts

Back To Top