Rudsamblog

Well if you didn't come you probably avoided germs from me, Helen and Douglas! Then again you probably had your own so didn't need any more! Anyway here's what we did or rather they did as I had no voice

1. Apple Tree Wassail

They tried it from memory, pretty well-remembered! Remember it begins with the men [and, when Jenny and Claire 2 -second altos - protested - also "manly women"!]

• S and A1 have a different end to each verse, i.e. bars 15/16, 31/32 and 53/54, although the word "apples" is ALWAYS two As despite all attempts to sing the phrase as though it's up a scale. Claire 2 was the honest one with "I've never sung THAT in all my life!" after Ollie played bars 53/54.
• S and A1 also look at bar 49, wassail is not what you expect.
• The men, having listened to the lovely women's parts then joined us but promptly completely forgot their notes!

MORAL of the evening -look at your part and bash it out on the keyboard if you can before next week.

2. Trees of the Field

I'm sure this WILL be beautiful, when we know it [we always say that, don't we!] So a good note-bash.

• Bar 5 = F# altos
• Bar 22 = C natural, altos
• Last bar, Arno and Robin sing the middle men's notes, the rest sing what you would normally [if you were singing the correct part, that is....!!]
• All need to look at bars 32 to the end, especially altos bar 34 F# and men from bar 36 on.

3. O Magnum Mysterium, Lauridsen

Jenny will sing Tenor 1 with Douglas for this and Rachael will join Claire 2 on A2.
We sang it through after which Ollie ominously asked "Has anyone not sung this before?" No-one admitted this, but he did ask us all to look at it before next week!.

** Page 6, bar 46, sung from the bottom note as follows - I hope!--:

• John and Seb on bottom D,
• Arno and Angus on A,
• Chris on F#,
• Douglas [and Jenny?] on Tenor 2 D,
• Claire 2 and Rachael on Tenor 1 E [with Rachael singing A2 from bar 45 to help the join],
• me and Natalie on alto line,
• sops split as normal.

Don't ask me what happens in bar 51, when we have 9 parts for one bar!!
Ollie was particularly impressed with John's lovely bottom............

Bar 40, more bass on "viscera"

All --breathe where marked [with small commas above your stave, which all parts need to mark as they are sometimes different for each part]

4. Runnnnn, toboggan, runnnn

Yes, lots of nnn on "run" but PLEASE no scooping up to "run" with rrrrun. Men should be quite heavy on their 3-part chords

"Normal people sing tops" [or was it bottom or middle? anyway Chris is normal apparently].
Seriously, men sing as follows:
Bottom = John, Seb and Angus
Middle = Robin and Arno
Top =Chris and Douglas

All -- remember the bright tone of Margot, support the sound well, and put energy into the notes not just noise, I'm sure you know what he means.
Sops, watch you sing the right words in bars 31/32, you have a different layout to the lower 3 parts for "jubilation" and "daring".
Altos watch tuning on the chromatic bits, bar 16 to 22 and same in other verses. Bar 19 seemed to be where you forgot to go up from C to C# on "So"

Again, no scoops or vague approximations to the notes! It needs drilling, or sing like Swingle singers or a synthesiser and sing the correct notes. Sounds like another bit of homework on the keyboard.

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Notices

1. Rachael's sent a separate note re Saturday's party.
2. Watch emails in case we're at Priestfield next Wednesday, I'm waiting to hear from the boss.
3. Tickets available now for Augustine Church Sat 12 Dec.
4. Flyers next week, ***AnnaLauren will come with note of where to take flyers/posters.
5. Susan won't do a mailing, just email advert.
6. We agreed to do tea/coffee and mince pies in the interval of 12 Dec concert, so we need lots of helpers, washing-up etc.

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See some of you on Saturday, with food, drink, wood, scary costume if you want.....