Rudsamblog

Welcome to our new Bass, Arno! Watch out boys, you're almost expendable now.

We had a quick Tourdion as part of the warmup but it wasn't nearly up to normal speed so it hardly counts...

O Magnum Mysterium (Lauridsen version)

Just to confuse you, I think the small group is looking at Victoria's O Magnum Mysterium. So try to pay attention, this is the Big one.

1. MAGNUM - Man-yoom not Mag-num
2. JACENTEM - Ja-chen-tem not Ja-sen-tem
3. CUJUS - Coo-yoos not Coo-juice. This isn't about milk.

Bar 37: Hold the note under the Sops.
Bar 45/46: don't pause here, the Basses are singing and you need to keep going
Think about the phrasing; e.g. the first line would naturally peak at 'o magnum mysTErium'.
Dynamics. "Remember those", as Ollie so deftly put it.

Dark-Eyed Sailor
Nothing noted, I think it was just a bit of a sing through it mostly...

The Lamb
No time signature;
Probably beat 3 crotchets in to start.
LIsten to this, especially the sections with the countermelody.

Notices
We'll get programmes for St Giles and Whithorn next week. There will be LOTS OF NEW MUSIC over the next few weeks, and there's no spare time between now and, well, next year, so you REALLY NEED TO LOOK AT YOUR MUSIC AT HOME.

Forthcoming concerts:

19 August - St Giles; 35-45mins
22 September - Whithorn; full concert (What are they, again?)
6 October - Juniper Green; Shortish, Scottish/;work songs etc
30 November - Mansfield Traquair thingie; UNCONFIRMED; 45mins(?) Jolly Scottish Songs. Eek!
7 December - Glasgow Cathedral; 5mins, and poss a little bit extra
8 December - Rosslyn; the usual Xmas stuff
15 December; Cranshaws UNCONFIRMED
16 December - St Giles; 35-45mins

IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS COMING TO ANY OF THESE CONCERTS MAKE SURE ANNE KNOWS (and probably Ollie too)

We tried the new formations for the concert - check the new leaflets:
Note the change of the formations in three steps for "Mihi".
Different than on the leaflet:
After "Son ar Chistr" go back into the "Mihi" formation for "Sleep"!

Singing:
"Visur": More definite entrances into phrases
"Mihi": Stay quietish til bar 16, then louder
"Rorando": The song is generally sang in two groups
as a canon - second group has its entrance at the cross.
But we don't know yet whether we will sing first or second.
"Sleep": look at Ollie's face (he will make funny faces to imitate),
more tension in the phrases, sing phrases properly

Ollie offers extra rehearsals on Monday and/or Tuesday 7pm at the
Wexlers!!!
(But give him some notice before you show up, otherwise he may not be
there...)

Czech visit:
- see attachment of this email with updated version of the itinerary
(added stuff in red!)
- It's too late to email your guests now because they are already on the
way
- Make sure that you check Chris' driving list (see attachment)
- Don't assume anything about how your or your guests get from A to B -
it's all on that list!
- Ring Anne if any problems

- Big thanks to Anne and Chris and everyone who helped to prepare!

WARMUP
Jenny gave her best warming us up, making us doing funny noises (which
actually is a very good excercise for the voice), making us sing a
non-breathy pp, and in the end we sung "Twinkle, twinkle little star" --
you wouldn't believe, I didn't know the words. Finally we did jolly old
arpeggios.

The rest of the rehearsal was in formation for our next concert.

SON AR CHISTRE will be off by heart.
Learn the words, watch the timing (i.e. Ollie), look up and smile.
And ... Good luck, Sebastian!

IRISH BLESSING
Bases have a E natural, tenors in bar 1, it's not a B flat.

ESTRELLA BRILHANTE
Percussionists are Alison, Rachael and Douglas. Remember, the percussion
rests at the last chord.
Smile!
There is some dynamics in there, but don't exaggerate: Bar 8 slight decr
-- bar 9 cresc.
Diminuendo from bar 15, back to mf in 18 ... don't take it too literal,
just do it as it feels natural.

DINDIRIN
We had another memorizing session with the pretty hand-drawn flash
cards. It's "treetop" not "treetops", do not sing breathy, tenors: don't
go flat on that C.
Verse 2 will be sung by a quartett.

TOURDION
The usual pronounciation problem: tourne = toornö, not toornä, faisons =
föson not fäson. If your reader does not show the umlauts correctly: ö =
oe and ä = ae.
You will have the words but try not to look in your folder. The audience
will be fluent in French, so pretend you know what you sing = sing it
with some expression.

RORANDO COELI
Don't sit on the consonants, faaa not fffffa, definite entries on the
vowels.

J'AI CUILI LA BELLE ROSE
I haven't written anything down, so either it was good or I was too busy
with singing -- hopefully a bit of both.

AVE MARIS STELLA
Tenors tend to go flat. Dynamics: don't shout but make it more interesting.

MIHI AUTEM NIMIS
Sopranos have a lovely upper F which they should bring out more.
Don't think in terms of bars but rather in terms of phrases, sing it
with more flow.
It's a bit too loud

SLEEP
Nothing written down, I suppose it was good.

[POSTERS]
Make sure the posters become visible in time. We also got a few flyers
for the French Institute.

[WHITHORN]
Anne needs your answer to her mail, I think by next week.

[EXTRA REHEARSALS]
Ollie offeres his time tonight, Sat at 7.00 and Mon at 6.00. It's not
compulsory but surely helpful.

[THINGIES]
Ollie gave us musical thingies (maybe someone else remembers how they
are called). We doodled SLEEP and TOURDION with the thingies.

[BIRTHDAY]
Thanks to all for the lovely card and the most original "happy birthday"
song you thingied at me!

Two more rehearsals until French Institute thing. Ollie has already
sent round program for it.

- Tourdion

When singing the melody it goes really quite fast. Might be best to
practice it slow and speed it up.

Sing the first beat if the bar stronger.

For the pronounication:

Faisons is fuson (kinda) not fayson

Last line of section B ?Chantons et? we sing the ?s?

Donc has a ?c? sound at the end

?t?s are soft

The sop.s should sing the tune louder.

- Dindirin

It is not major. (Sop. take note)

Words

Tree top (not tree tops)

Dana is more danya

When singing try to remember the structure

Visualizing the story helps you remember the words.

Chorus should be mp then 4/4 bit is mf then 3/4 bit should be clearer
as something interesting is happening.

- Irish Blessing

This piece has dynamics. Bit complicated to write down. You might
need to see someone?s copy.

Start mp then p at bar 3. Crescendo from the ?May the sun?? to ?the
rains?. Bring out the words ?sun, shine, warm, face?. On ?rains?,
altos and tenors keep quavers legato. Decrescendo to pp from ?fall
soft? to ?And unto?. Swell through ?fields?. Crescendo up to mf from
?until we meet? to ?God?. Decrescendo until ?hand?. Repeat is ?p?

Be aware of the ?d? at the end of hand and make sure you pronounce the
?g? of god.

Don?t slow down- watch the up-beat

- Aurora Rutilat

From bar 14 to bar 30 it stays forte.

In bars 1 and 30 where it goes quiet, try for a warm sound

Men should practice bar 14, page 2.

- Puddock

Men- Bar 10: make sure that the ?dock? comes in the right place.

Rhythm- most important

- Needs work

Hide and Seek

Page 12, extra SAT parts are Kay and Susan (S); Natalie (A); Chris (T).

Needs work.

Try and find a copy of this to listen to.