Hi everyone! I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving. I was planning on writing up notes for every piece, but my efforts were interrupted by little fingers that couldn’t stay away from the power button on my computer and upon starting to rewrite, I realized most of them were not necessary. Here are a few things to pay special attention to before Thursday’s rehearsal:
Vowels: Especially on pieces like Of the Father’s Love, Maria Walks Amid the Thorn, and both O Magnum Mysteriums, be very careful to keep vowels tall and pure, with minimal dipthongs.
Watch for cutoffs/special direction: Carol of the Russian Children, African Alleluia, I Wonder as I Wander, Of the Father’s Love, Christmas Day, and the Powell O Magnum have a lot of rubato and/or fermatas that require watching carefully!
Syncopation: particularly in African Alleluia, Rise Up Shepherds, Riu Riu Chiu, Jingle Bells Festivo, and He Is Born. Make sure you’re aware of which rhythms are syncopated and which are not. Don’t “punch” quick phrase endings, as in African Alleluia
Please mark breaths in Maria Walks: m. 2 after thorn; m. 8 after thorn; m. 12 after bear; m. 18 after there; m. 22 after near; m. 28 after appear
We will run through the entire program on the 5th, start to finish. I will record this and provide any additional needed notes afterward. Please plan to remain at rehearsal until 9:30.
Thank you for all your hard work this season! I’m very much looking forward to our concerts!