Rudsamblog

Sorry these are late. I forgot I'd done 'em til I looked in my file!

We shook a leg for warm up....literally one leg.

ECCE - we are NOT doing Deck the Hall (boo!) We are doing Ecce Novum

Verse 2 - Claire I; Claire II; Chris and Arno
Verse 3 - Alison; Anne; Douglas and John

JUL

Basses try to look up. Everyone read ahead and look at Ollie. There are things called dynamics which we need to watch him for.

An a with two dots on its head is an e
An u is an oo
An o with two dots on its head is an ur as in blur or fur (I'm sure you can think of more!)

Concentrate on the vowels - darker sounding than tallis, especially the oo sound

IN THE BLEAK MID WINTER - A given

Think snowy feelings
When it splits into three parts, the SOPS split, not altos
All altos are on bottom line
LOOK UP for phrasing. You're only singing Ah in verse 1 so Ollie will be giving lots of directions regarding unimportant things like dynamics.
Prepare the ah so it doesn't scoop
WAIT for the break at end of bar 16
The equivalent bar at end of piece is a different break
V.2 - needs to be scary, but not heavy, snow
ALTO & TENORS - emphasise SNOW has FALLen
Page 2 is PP until there's an F
Remember - Our God (BREAK) heaven cannot hold him

TALLIS

Learn it fast as it's tuneful that way and easy, really
Watch vowel sounds - NO WIDE MOUTHED FROGS but at front of mouth tadpole-wise

3 KINGS - with BRASS players

The Brass players will give us an intro from Westward leading... - So
CROSS OUT CROSS OUT CROSS OUT first four bars. NOONE is humming anything.

Verse 1 - Tutti and Brass
Verse 2 - Robin (I think) and Brass
Verse 3 - er...sorry...I was asked to inform Ollie II he'd be singing a verse but which one I've forgot....
Verse 4 - er...sorry...Chris is singing the other verse what Ollie II's not... (that, by the way, is an apology to the choir that Chris is singing at all;-p)
Verse 5 - Tutti with Brass
EVERYONE sings the REFRAIN

ANGELUS AD VIRGINEM - should be on your list.

Kay is doing the first verse. Susan is doing the second verse. (I should say singing not doing)
Men - AVE just before ..... (I've written spit, but maybe it should be split. Have a look and try to work it out!!)
- I've also written SANET - diddledidoo. (Maybe I was losing it by this time)
Verse 3 - Women - S I; S II; Alto
Verse 4 - Men - T I; T II; Bass

SASS (German Klang-y thing)

Feel the beat. Don't go fast and do the dotted crotchets properly.
Watch the D Sharps in bars 7,8,9
Bar 5 - Altos be on the beat. Have to hear the i sound, not the sss
Bar 10 - Tenors it's Sooder not Zoo
LOOK AT IT FOR WEDNESDAY 3RD (especially tenors bar 8)

IMMANUEL

Men whip it over quick!

O NATA LUX

$ beats given - 1 2 3 4 / 1 OH (green grow the rushes oh..)
LEGATO - LOOK UP every three bars or so. There are RITS which means if we don't look up some of us will finish the piece earlier than others.

MONDAY - EXTRA REHEARSAL for as many who can make it as possible. From 7pm. If you can't come, or don't want to, make sure you do your H/WK

Lists from Ollie forthcoming followed by Introduction allocation.

NEXT WEEK - that's the 3ird December - REHEARSAL is in PRIESTFIELED CHURCH at 7 for small group or 7.45 PROMPTLY ON THE DOT. for the rest of you. I'm collecting £5 from each person (or £3) for the usual gifts of acknowledgement and appreciation.

Thanks, Jenny

Heeyho,

here notes from 19/11/2008:

Warmup: Ollie with rubber chicken, step snap moo snap step and african round

- Taladh Chriosda:
- repeat verse 1 from beginning at the end in pp
- don't forget soft gaelic t
- Alleee-luu--iii--a (not alleyluia)
- mifhein should sound like meeheyn
- lionmhor should sound like leee-uuun-vor in two separate crotchets on lee-uun
- each u is actually a "shwa" loud, like a
- Sanctus:
- in the second system have the feeling of opening up sssuuurb
- soprano/tenor: orhnootyoon with an open o sounding like all new tune
- Bogoroditse:
- tyi v zhenakh - akh like loch not like nutch
- radussja has no t in it [it's actually радуйся, more like ra-doo-eess-ya - Ed.]
- 2nd page more legato
- No slow down on last page until last phrase jaku
- O nata lux:
- "D" given
- beware of dynamics
- develop long notes musically, not just hold
- basses hold bar 16
- Run Toboggan:
- bar 53: careful with split of voices in tenor/bass
- bar 32: all tenors and basses sing the bracketed lyrics Run Toboggan Run
- Süßer die Glocken:
- German is funny says Jenny...: Vater (father) sounds like farter
- correct typo: replace and in bar 11 3rd verse with und
- I will prepare more help with lyrics, but:
- think all z replaced by tss, all of them!
- think all w replaced by v
- think all v replaced by f
- ch can have two sounds in German depending on the vowel before:
- sich, lieblich (soft sound)
- Weihnacht, like loch

- Chris has or can prepare more CDs with song recordings and MIDIs

- Sell tickets and spread flyers, tell all your friends about Canongate!
- Some people will go flyering on 6 Dec. Saturday morning - contact Chris if you want to join

- There will be no singing at wedding in Dec. and no brain battle on TV (although we would have won...)

- Check the Sweden choir email and think about it - but it is just an option
- Don't forget end of June 2009 in York

Cheers,
-Sebastian

Before the main rehearsal, those of us who are doing the Merchants' Hall gig tomorrow night sang through most of the stuff rather quickly.
Remember to engage the audience, look as if we're enjoying ourselves etc and it will be fine.
This is the running order:

• Ae fond Kiss
• Gaelic Set
• Visur Vatnsenda Rosu
• Cauld Blaws The Wind
• Amazing Grace
• La la la Je ne l'ose dire
• Dindirin Dindirin
• Fhir a Bhata (only in an emergency)
• Auld lang syne

Sebastian - you left your music behind! We'll bring it with us.
I'll copy Anne's instructions at the end of the notes in case anyone's lost her email.

Now for the notes proper:
And we start with the quote of the night from Douglas - "So many notes!"
He did the warm-up including the 1, 121, 12321 one which I can ONLY do with my eyes shut.

There aren't many notes because we spent most of the time note-bashing what Ollie promises are the last two new pieces he will present us with before Christmas. I have witnesses.

O Nata Lux - very Morton Lauridsen. There are one or two dodgy bits which need a bit of homework. We need to observe dynamics and watch Ollie for rits etc.

Süßer die Glocken nie klingen - lots of bells involved. We sang it to la - German next week.
There are some tricky bits, particularly at the end, and check that you know what bars you're singing at the ends of the 3 verses.

Bogoroditse - Ollie recommends 5 minute chanting sessions.
Change to pronunciation - it's Ty v-zhe-nakh (not nahtch) in both 2nd bar of p2 and 3rd bar of 2nd system on p3.

Apple Tree Wassail - the sops know which bits they need to check!

O Nata Lux once more - without piano. Dodgy bits made themselves known again but pretty impressive for the first rehearsal I reckon.

Ollie is going to send round a complete list of Christmas music in the next couple of days. This will include several traditional carols which we're going to sing with a brass ensemble!

Chris is going to put O Nata Lux and the German piece on the web - he has, and also Bleak Midwinter.

Notices from Anne:
There are leaflets about Scottish Music Group workshops on the table.
Please forward the email Susan copied to you with all the Christmas concert details to all your friends. We must sell lots of tickets for Canongate.
Posters will be ready next week - be prepared to do some distribution.
CD is well on its way to being ready for pressing. John still wants suggestions for the strap-line which appears on the back of the CD - at the moment he has "27 songs, 10 languages, 500 years" but can you do better? It needs to be short and snappy - no more than one line.
There will be the usual deal for choir members - one free each then £5 for subsequent copies. Everyone else pays £9.
Kay is looking for someone to play carols for her playgroup's Christmas fair - no payment as it's a fundraising exercise. Fair is Sat 6th (same day as Canongate) from 12.30 to 3.30. If you know anyone who might like to do this please let Kay know. The person who did it last year played the violin but any instrument welcome. She's not sure if there's a piano available. (Anne has nobly volunteered if no-one else is forthcoming).

And finally, here's Anne's email with arrangements for Merchants' Hall:
"Ollie and I had a look at the venue today, a lovely building, 22 Hanover St, on the left if you come from Princes St, only a few buildings up. The event is part of a 3-day conference for the European Association of Tissue Bank specialists, ie doctors, mostly Europeans, some Americans and Australians too.
Details as follows:
6:30 warm-up and trying out location for where we will stand [so arrive before 6:30]. Room downstairs [archive room] to leave coats and bags, will be locked, and there will be fresh water there.
7:00 event begins, guests arrive in coaches [about 150 people] and go into main room for whisky tasting
7:10ish when all have a glass in hand, the President of the association introduces us and we walk in. Approx 20 - 30 minutes' singing, Scottish and other songs, Ollie to let us know songs and order. We will do brief introductions
[CHRIS: PLEASE NOTE].
7:30/7:40 we finish and are free to go.
The event goes on till 8:30pm or whenever people drift off to get dinner. If we're lucky we might be invited to have a wee dram, but don't bank on it!
Normal concert dress. No CD sales!"

Fingers crossed for the whisky!

Susan

Here's your homework for the week, boys and girls. Gold stars [and detentions] next week depending on whether you read it! All in all a very good rehearsal.

1. Claire 1 got us in the mood and warmed-up with combat lunges, deep breathing, and arms in interesting positions with our eyes closed [oh, the poor knees!]. We then focused on nice clear consonants [for use in Run toboggan run words] in that famous little ditty sung as a round, "Cheesy whatsits are all I eat" [well if that's true no wonder we can't remember our Russian words]. This was followed by baby boo and poos, sorry you really had to be there to understand. Anyway well warmed-up, thanks Claire.

2. AMUWORO
We did this with no folders , Ollie gives us 12,12 before we come in. Pretty good and well-remembered he thought, some entries are a bit awkward so men in particular, [and altos we have to admit!], check you know your solo bits or it will all crumble. Dynamics too, it isn't all forte, remember the quiet bits which Ollie indicates very clearly, so watch him. Keep the beat going in your head and then remember that it's often an off-beat entry. We finished with one sing-through at break-neck speed, and when you've been swaying in time to the music it was pretty break-knees too!

3. IN DULCI JUBILO - the octet went into the other room with Ollie to practise this, so basically practise it, I suppose! I have no notes from this. Meanwhile I was asked as a BIG FAVOUR to go over the new Tallis [Audivi...] with the duodectet left in the room [yes, I know that word probably doesn't exist but it sounded a good word for a 12-some if that's what we were]. A lot of note-bashing, and no basses as they were both octetting.

4.IN DULCI JUBILO
All back together we sang this. Remember it's not a dipthong "Ohoo" but a crisp one syllable "O".. that we were there.., and he wants a nice rich tone. Look up A LOT MORE he said, as it started to drag and also so you can see Ollie showing us the dynamics, including all the crescendos/diminuendos. It's pronounced "Princheps" not "ceps" as in the fungi. Sopranos in choir 2, verse 2, bar 47, "My" in "my prayer let it reach thee" is an A, someone was trying to sing a B flat as though it was a scale up from F, it isn't! The trio and octet were beautiful [well I thought so!]

5. AUDIVI VOCEM DE CAELO -TALLIS
We then all went through this and it was a lot easier with all 4 parts together. The main thing is to try to do some note-bashing at home, and write in the beats, remember it's 4 minims to the bar, and watch Ollie, sometimes he beats 2 to the bar. The penultimate note in the plainchant bits is a bit slower, watch him. Page 4, sopranos, altos and tenors put a circle round the B natural, by the end we had all got this. Like Amuworo the strong beats come on beat 1 and 3, so he said DO SOMETHING PHYSICAL [ no, Chris, Jenny] on those beats to remind yourself. This was more practice for those knees, all good stuff.

6. BOGORODITSE [commonly known as B...off, purely to remind you of the consonant order, I am not trying to copy a certain Mr Ross and Brand].
We did this from memory and we've nearly got it.

7. APPLE TREE WASSAIL
Similarly, a run-through without copies. A second reminder that we start stamping with our LEFT FEET.

NOTICES
1. Next Thursday, 13 November, Merchants' Hall, 22 Hanover Street, it's on the left about the 3rd building you come to from Princes Street, a nice old-looking building, about opposite Lothian bus shop. As per my email last week, be there ready to try out the room and warm up at 6:30.
We start singing at 7 for about 20/30 mins. Ollie will email a list of music to bring. Practice for all doing this event next Wednesday will be EARLY, ie 7PM or as near to that as you can once babies are fed and watered.

I have the following people down as coming:
Sops: Kay, Susan, Helen. [Alison and Claire 1 as standby in case of illness].
Altos: Anne, Claire 2, Jenny [Natalie only if needed]
Tenors: Douglas, Chris, Ollie [Robin only if required]
Basses: John, Sebastian.

The following cannot make it even as standbys: AnnaLauren, Arno, Elaine.
Obviously I'll let the standbys know if they are needed so please check emails daily in case, or I'll give you a call. If anyone gets ill and can't make it, please let me as well as Ollie know ASAP.

2. CANONGATE AND CHRISTMAS CONCERTS

Susan will soon be ready to send out a mailing, and will do an email publicity thing. Chris has posters and flyers in hand for next week, tickets are now available for Canongate. So please start to warm up your potential audience, we need a good turnout particularly for Canongate or we'll look very lonely in that big church! I will contact Rosslyn to tell them to pass on info re our concerts to anyone who asks expecting us to be at Rosslyn Chapel as usual. The new CD will be on sale there.

3. SEBASTIAN'S TO SEE TOUR VIDEO, SATURDAY, 6PM

Time changed to 6pm, easier for some than the original 5pm. Bring food, savoury, salads etc. and a very good sense of humour [actually make sure you are not sober if possible when you watch it!]

Claire's hilarious warm up ... involved stretching, hokey cokey-ing (well done to our foreign members who gave it a good bash. Less can be said of resident troll who looked completely terrified and stood like a statue trying to metamorphose into the Wexler's furniture!)

A good exercise for Run Tobbogan. Try it at home. Sing to an arpeggio (tonic, 3rd, 5th, 3rd, Tonic) Zippers, clips and snaps. Sing it to the same arpeggio getting faster and faster. Do the same for all those tricksy words.

WASSAIL (the Apple one)

Find a space on your copy to write a heading - Aid to Memory
Write in:-
V.2 - women only, oh master.
end of V2 - Men, all year twice, STAMP. LEFT foot first
V.3 - RHYTHM - haaad anold. Not hadan ooooold
SOPS - when clapping starts think weird it's a slightly different tune.
Hear it - clap

IN DULCI

sing een for in. Come onto note straight away with a clear ee
Don't slow down
More attack on - oh - at same pitch and roundness. Don't over attack though. We're all in after solo/8tet bit so it needs to be clear, altogether, and come in blendingly
WRITE IT ON COPIES so Oliver doesn't have to say it again.
Tenors - bars 12-15 - Keep sharp! The A especially
Octet - John's doing Tom's bit and Ollie II is now Peter I

LUX

Start ppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp and edge up so it shimmers a bit.
Nice quiet breath in for control
Tune notes well.
CONCENTRATE
Sops - come in from behind rather than on top. I think this means try to blend your entry so it isn't prominent
Watch out for the - x - at ends of loooooooX
Calid-ah NOT Cali-da
Bar 29 - exact pitch, dynamic and vowel. Tenors don't scooooop. V. pp.
Straight onto AH. CONTROL is the essence here.

Recapped APPLE TREE. For those who weren't there please make sure you know as much of it as possible for Wednesday

DECK THE HALL SINGULAR - well remembered but please work on it at home (that's the song, not decorating your house!)

BOGORO - Without music! Tricky but not difficult except for the words, as someone so eloquently put it!

RUN TOBOGGAN - Look at it for Wednesday. Listen to it as Christopher sent it round.
Memorise the melody. It will help with the words.
SPLIT on last page goes:-
John and Sebastian - bottom
Arno - middle
Top - Tenors
Women split as normal for Sop I/II Alt I/II

WATCH OUT - Tenor I is lower than tenor II in bar 55

No notices. Remember Sebastian's dvd night on the 8th! Jenny