If you missed any of our polishing rehearsals, below are notes for each of our pieces. Please make notations (in pencil!) in your music.
Zion’s Walls
Overall: Dynamics as marked; note contrast at subito piano sections, m. 16 and m. 49; tall vowels throughout; Eighth note triplet sections need to be very light and dancing, while dotted-quarter sections should be legato and evoke clear, bell tones; stagger breathing on all held notes
Breaths: m. 10 – tenor/bass after Zion; m. 16 and 49 all – treat last syllable of Zion as an eighth note and eighth note rest before subito piano on last beat
Down by the Riverside
Overall: Imagine a group of travellers slowly approaching from far away; each verse gets just a little louder; be careful to observe 16th notes and differentiate them from swung eighths; Chorus I at end be careful not to punch the “jah” of “Hallelujah”
Breaths: Always no breath on “Study war no more” phrases, even long whole notes at end; at ends of phrases, omit tied quarters and cut off on beat one with quarter rest instead, except for last chord; lift between “more” and “I” on repeated “I ain’t gonna study war no more” phrases so that vowels do not turn into a diphthong
16 Tons
Solo m. 36-37 (no alto!) and m. 58-60 (Andy)
Overall: keep it light, with special attention to syncopation, sharp consonants, and quick cutoffs; at m. 7 all close to “m” on “some”; watch carefully at end for timing; only breath other than rests is after fermata in m. 66
Simple Gifts
Overall: Music is simple, so pay careful attention to dynamics, starting and stopping together, and rubato as directed
Breaths: as marked and as follows: 4th measure after B, after “ought to be”; last measure before C, after “delight”; 2nd measure after C, after “gained”; last measure before D, after “right”; 2nd measure after D, after “gained”
Slight lift, but not a full breath, to differentiate the end consonant of “ashamed” from the beginning consonant of “to” in both the 4th measure of C and the 4th measure of D
No breath after “delight” in either last measure of page 4 or third measure before end
Laura Lee
Solo m. 39-46, m. 51-54 (Barry)
Overall: 4 measure phrases, very hushed and smooth throughout; loudest spot is mezzo-forte at m. 88; watch for rubato
Oh! Susanna
Solo m. 47-54 (Eddie)
Overall: careful rhythms- watch for dotted eighth/sixteenth pairs; “Lousiana” is pronounced “Loo-zi-a-na”; enunciate clearly, the words go fast!; do not slow down before m. 62; back to fast a tempo at m. 70 and don’t slow at end; quick cutoff of “banjo” in m. 82
Breaths: as marked; no breath after “South” in m. 59; cut tied eighth and change to eighth rest in m. 29, m. 33, & m. 77; changed dotted quarter to quarter with eighth rest in m. 73
Gentle Annie
Solo m. 21-28 (Mike)
Overall: very rubato, smooth, holding back throughout; sopranos be careful at m. 31- should be very quiet and floaty; do not scoop on rising intervals
Breaths: as marked, plus breaths after “Annie” in m. 18, m. 34, and m. 50
Americana
Solo at Rehearsal A (Ben) and Rehearsal B (Carol)
Overall: careful watching on tempo transitions, especially at K, measure before L, and last page; at rehearsal F, Sopranos/Altos sing melody only first time through; at rehearsal O, Sopranos/Altos sing second time only
Breaths: In Shenandoah sections, breath only at rests except: two measures before M after “I’m bound away”; to measures before V after beat 3; in Skip to My Lou sections, 4 measure phrases or breathe at rests; in Betsy from Pike sections, 8 measure phrases or breathe at rests