Rudsamblog

Jenny did the warm-up. I think you had to be there really, but we did mmm aaa ooo nnnng etc and breathed in as if we were sucking through a straw, after which we could sing the alphabet with better breath control (or so I'm told).

AVE MARIS STELLA
Sang it once through - not bad but a bit of a rabble in the middle.
Think smooth phrases, dynamics, no vibrato.
Shape the first vowel as you breath in before you start singing.
Emphasis on the ta of tatis, chay of coela.

Quote of the evening: Rit means "look at Ollie"!

Sops - watch you don't swoop in the Claritatis line (after first apparuit)

Watch Ollie to avoid t-t-t at end of phrase (I think this was apparuit again).

FLOW MY TEARS
Keep p for "chorus", (i.e. repeated "Flow flow my tears, Fall from your springs")
Crescendo through There (of "There let me live...") to bring out some lovely clashes.

DUM SPIRO SPERO
Not as easy as it looks - you need to be absolutely sure which notes you're singing so check. Jolly!

AURORA RUTILAT
Watch timing. Where were the fortes?
"loosees" not "loochees"

The whistle-stop tour ended with ...

BONNY AT MORN with Peter1 on flute.
We'll draw a veil over the preliminaries. I obviously have because I can't remember what they were but that's what it said in my notes.
It was really lovely with little bird twitters but couldn't we have some baas and moos as well?
We need to keep the volume down so that everyone can hear the flute.
Remember phrasing in the chorus particularly -
"Canny at neet bonny at morn"
"Tha's ower lang in thy bed bonny at morn"

Ollie pointed out we were singing in Aeolian mode - the scale you get if you play all the white notes from A to A. He then sang Kyrie Eleison with the notes in the same order as another illustration - I think.

AVE MARIS STELLA revisited.
To see if we remembered what we'd been doing - all parts must be moving together.

SLEEP
We separated M/F to note-bash the final bars. When we got back together it sounded amazingly good for the first time all the way through and I think we were all pretty pleased with ourselves!
COUNT! There's no shame in writing in 1..2..etc so do it where necessary. There's a tricky page turn so make sure you know where the words come.

Keep phrases smooth - attend to end of phrases.
Watch for end of phrase at bar 43 (pause marked...)
Bar 40 - take a BIG breath or you won't make it - write this in. Basses must come in in time - wherever it was they were a bit late.

But generally, for the first time through - fantastic!

N.B. one of the choir choices for this year is Vårvindar Friska - if you have a copy please add it to your folder.

BUSINESS STUFF:
Czech visit. St Georges turns out not to have an entertainment licence so would be too expensive. Anne and Ollie looking at alternative venues - Canongate Kirk, St Marks, Reid Hall?

Rachael has been asked if some of us would be willing to sing at a "Songs of Praise" service (without the cameras) at St Marks on Sunday 4th March at 5pm. She's already emailed us about it. Please drop her an email if you'd like to do it.

Social dates and what would we like to do - forms were going round. Ask Jenny if you didn't put down your preferences.

Sorry this is rather late - I knew there was something I was suppose to be doing over the weekend!