Rudsamblog

Well we started with a warmup that included seals, gorillas and JS Bach. Bet you weren't expecting that on a Wed night! Cheers Arno.

Cloudburst...we spent a good long time on this last night. We did the first few pages.

• watch whether you are singing llu via or just a - that's you vee-are not loo vee-are btw. Apparently there aren't any lls. Try it in Welsh..that makes it jolly.
• keep an eye on pitch in these opening bars
• take a big breath at the start and don't let it escape...well do let it escape otherwise combustion might be a problem but only let it escape in a note.
• you can take a breath on this first page (phew!) but listen to what other people in your group are doing.
• bar 4 we are singing sentences (Ooo) at random...which shouldn't make any real difference to normal conversation in Rudsambee.
• look up from where the tenors come in so you know when to sing gua
• big f at the end of bar 7
• from bar 8 to 9 there shouldn't be any breath as you are crescendo-ing
• the men only bit on page four should be flowing.
• it is not hay but hi [ eye is more like it - Ed. ] which makes a big difference to the meaning of course
• drive forward on the triplets

LOOK UP FOR PHRASING AND TAKE BREATH MARKS

From Behind a Caravan
Now from what I remember from family holidays what my father said when stuck behind a caravan on a boiling hot day on a country road in Wales should probably not be repeated much less sung about. However this wee piece from Betinis (just for the ladies don't you know) was great fun.
There are lots of parts so for any who weren't with us it would probably be best to ask Ol. On the opening lines the huh is attached to the previous word rather than standing alone which sounds a bit weird...or like the gorilla warmup.

O Bone Jesu
I was concentrating so hard on not messing this up (a fruitless endeavour I might add) that I didn't write many notes. I think probably the sentence 'practice at home on your own' might help. There is a rehearsal on Monday night for anyone who wants to do some extra practice. Just let Ollie know if you want to come.

We discussed the visit from the Finnish choirs and have decided that a musical extravaganza is beyond all of us except Jenny so although we will support them by attending the concert we won't be singing along...unless we know the words and then hell nor high water will stop us singing along from the stalls.

I hope everyone has a very happy day especially Rach who we hope to see next week :-) . Hugs lovely lady.

Well I reckon I got off lightly by offering to do this week instead of next! 8 people were not there, all for good reasons, so we had an intense session with the piano of the first 5 pages or so of O Bone Jesu for the National Library concert. Ollie is hoping to have some extra rehearsals so we can learn this well, and not just struggle through the notes, so watch this spot.

No notes really other than to ask everyone to look at the music for half an hour or more this week and go over your part. It's important to count all the time, mark your copy with the beats if that helps, and don't get put off by the frequent changes from 2/4 to 3/4 etc, just count crotchets [or whatever they are for non-UK people!] If anyone wants me to come early and play their line on the keyboard then let me know.

The women also looked at some more Tormis songs, sounded a bit Japanese actually! Get your "real" copy from Susan.
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Notices:

1. The Library concert will at popular request, start at 8pm on Wed 8 October, with a warm-up/rehearsal at 7pm.

2. Ollie will confirm whether we are doing the Cloudburst concert before Christmas, it may be postponed until spring 2009 but we might start rehearsing it this autumn.

3. Weekend of 27 June 2009 confirmed for the concert in York with Soon Amore.

4. If we weren't doing the Cloudburst concert in October, John asked if anyone was interested in going to a concert and/or workshop in Glasgow with Northern/Village Harmony, mid-October on their email to John, and a possible shapenote workshop, all details as John forwarded previously [24 July]. I see from their website [www.northernharmony.pair.com] that they are planning to come to Edinburgh 15 - 16 October for a workshop and concert sponsored by Voicehouse. So maybe Glasgow is off, but this was updated in April so is probably not accurate. Please note that the 15 October is a Wednesday so Ollie may not be too pleased if we all desert him that day! No idea what the cost of the workshops or concert might be. I suggest you contact John if you are interested. They may also be looking for accommodation.

These are from last Wednesday. I think there are some note(!)worthy things in here to keep in mind for Sunday's performance:

La la la.....
Keep the speed up, remember quiet and bouncy

5 Hebrew Love Songs (Whitacre):

II Kala:
ALTOS watch the phrase in bar 56, make sure you're sure (seemed fine when we went over it)

In the transition between movements II and III, i.e. going into Larov, Ollie will beat 1, 2, 3 and the SOPS come in on the 3, i.e. he's beating quavers.

III Larov:
More f in bars 6,7. In particular, ALL VOICES should attack their U in U-vey-ney in bar 6 by means of a bouncy emphasis.
Some pronunciation:
_ch_ = dry & throaty, a favorite in dutch and arabic
ch = hard
the e in she and bey is like the e in red

V Rakut
Right at the end, Ollie will bring the SOPS off their final note.

Kanarbik (Tormis):
BASSES watch Ollie (*!!!*), he will give us our cues for starting and coming off the two phrases Kurb lila..... and Pai ke se....
EVERYBODY ELSE remember that at the end of page 1 Ollie first brings the basses off their Pai ke se....., then everyone else off their long held notes.
Page 2: *COUNT* *TRIPLETS*! Don't drag!

On Hillus suvi / Autumn Landscape (Tormis):
Slightly louder */mf/* in bar 9 than we have been doing, so that there's something to decrescendo into in the next bar.
More f on the Ja seda suve entry bar 14, i.e. a more weighty poco pesante.
Remember dynamics in bars 15 - 18, which are:
Ja seda suve - f
ei tule enam - dim. (softer)
ei tule enam - growing again, though not back to f
sede suve - dim. to p

ALTOS - nice melody bars 10-13 - give it the love it deserves

Morgenstern (Pärt):
Good. Remember what you look like, standing there singing in front of people.
HENCE
Look up, especially right at the beginning.
Ollie will give us all our notes for the opening chord I believe

Envoi (Bettinis):
Remember the all important Crescendo start of page 2, bar 11. If it doesn't happen, it's not so much like the soufflé not rising as it is as if we forgot to turn the oven on in the first place.
Staying synchronised is everything in this piece.
HENCE
LOOK AT OLLIE

En une seule fleur (Lauridsen)_:
Attack the En in Enchantée whenever you sing it, in a timely fashion (i.e. on the first beat of the bar). The whole idea is that this clear articulation and timing will mean things don't fall part so much, especially on page 2 when the ALTOS are offset by one beat.
Remember there are quite a few speed changes throughout this piece, so keep your eyes on the traffic warden or he'll write you a ticket.

The choice of potential encore was briefly discussed but I think Ollie settled on the Crow and the Frog, wanting to get it out of the way so we have it under our belt.

Hebrew Love Songs--> keep pitch (this will probably be easier with a piano)

Air a Ghille-> Ol gave us a Gaelic words sheet (yey for him) to make it easier for us. Keep your vowel sounds nice and don't swoop. We are going to speed up and slow down on this one to keep everyone awake!

Tormis-> sopranos just need to calm down a little and remember to sing quietly. Remember dynamics and don't slow down when you are singing quietly. A long vowel on hili-soo-vi. Turn your pages early.

Frog and the Crow-> practice notes. We are going to pretend we are doing this for St Giles so try and learn it over the next few days.

O Morganstern-> nice but stop making stoopid faces. Yes, it is weird but we need to sing it as if we are rattling off a nursery rhyme!

That's about it. Seems like there isn't much to say. Sorry about that - we must just have been brilliant!

Well, having realised I've not been swimming for a while due to Claire's warm up, I took the boys. Aren't changing rooms minging? And the cubicles at our pool don't have curtains. Which means it's quite interesting for me but perhaps not for everyone else...hmmm. Anyway...

KANARBIC No7, Tormis

SSSSHHH!! and think of the p as pp
Men get exactly in tune
Women have the same movement as the men going on.
Sopranos - aim high
Sops, Alts, Tens - pp when Basses come in
Hold on FERMATA much longer than the basses
NOT need - n-air-d with an English accent.
Men DON'T scoop the mui of muidui koi kon
Basses - keep the d, flat but not too flat.
Men DON'T drag; count 1.2.3 and come in straight on the ainult Bar 12
Stay legato, flowing
Come off exactly together on bars 2 and 8
LOOK UP LOTS. There will be speed changes
Bar 16 - allargando means lengthening out

ON HILLISUVI

Hold the beginning chord on and support it.
Count 4 somewhere but it's wise to count anyway!
Soo-ve. NOT Soo-vay
Men watch dynamics - mf to p
NOT f at bar 14. Try mf!
Bar 15/16 - etulle enam - legato and softer
Bar 16/17 - a bit more energy
Bar 17/18 - quieter than other bars.
(In other words make a difference between how you sing each small bit between Bar 15-18)

O MORGEN

pp and basically we sang it like its supposed to be believe it or not!
Tenors it might help to think of a fanfare only pp It's the E to B third (?) system down

(Shepherds pie is burning. Hang on a mo)

AIR A GHILLE

Pronounciation. I'm not going to try and write it all here. There are a lot of different opinions as to what the tape was saying cos it was muffled. I'm sure we'll be going over it again

FROG AND CROW

Watch and think about the key changes
NB - we're holding on the rests between each section so WATCH OUT! and don't come in before you're meant to
At bar 16 make a difference between the chords we've just sung and the doo doo doo flowing legato bit
Come on shore - a bit quieter.

HEBREW LOVE SONGS - we will be singing in St Giles with another violinist cos bi-doo-ron ron ron - is away

KALA - Listen to speed of violin and piano and WATCH Ollie
EYZE - Helen was naughty singing bonk not bong