Rudsamblog

They say brevity is the soul of wit so be prepared to be disappointed
on all accounts. Eyes down for a full house and so we begin...

Warm-up: There was a distinct lack of a teutonic warm-up. (Don't worry
S., that's okay.) so we sang O Lux Beatissima instead.

O Lux Beatissima:
- Keep the Es sharp (when different parts come in on them Altos, tenors etc)
- Make sure that you get through the phrases so take big breaths
before the phrases (or perhaps as don't wheeze like a traction engine
when you are trying to discreetly breathe)

So then, the choir was split along gender lines (I'll have to check
with the legislation to see if this is lawful), with the men looking
at Zikr with the aid of Varsha (spelling?), Douglas's kind friend, and
the women doing many and varied things in the other room with Oliie.

Zikr: I have written in my notes meaningfully, "You had to be there".
I suppose the best thing if you weren't there is to listen to the
recording Arno sent round. I am finding them very useful. I listen to
them on my iPhone which is very convenient, although repeating the
same three phrases in Urdu under your breath is not the the best way
to make friends on a bus. Gordon isn't appreciating it either.

Women: I won't weary you with what my fertile imagination would
suggest Ollie did with a room full of women (very little, perhaps?).
The only thing that I have definite evidence for is the woman sang
evidence Usnijze mi Usnij which I heard through the wall (it must have
been quite loud for a lullaby...)

Back together...

Une Puce:

- Everyone sing everything so learn the 4th verse (good luck with that)
- My line at the end of chorus won't be missed (sniff, sniff)

Komitas Set:

- We won't be singing "Garoon a"

Among the many things that I learnt on Wednesday was that you can't
just whip out a cello so while S. was preparing himself and his
instrument we sang:

Kiissu Miissu (Yo check the spelling, I typed this into Goggle and the
third hit down was Rudsambee singing this very song. Luckily enough,
it is unlikely that someone would do that by accident.)

- Ollie doing solo at Portrait Gallery
- Men try to get the note more so the chords can be heard. Make less
of the rolling 'r'. The effect should be reminiscent of a contented
cat rather than a feline armed with a machine gun.
- I also have a note that you should pay attention to Kirsty's face.

Luly pieces:

- Chris to do the solo in No. 2 (I think) and all basses to sing the
solo in the other one.
- Make the 'no.s' very dry (like a sick dog?) and staccato.
- The basses should make their solo bit forte.
- There will be lots more repeats and things to watch out for, so pay
attention.

Usnijze mi Usnij:

- Ollie wasn't too perturbed by our mangling of the Polish (as in
language from Poland not the stuff to make things shiny) but he did
point out that "gęsi" should be pronounced with a nasal sound and it
would be better to hold on to the 'e' sound if in any doubt.
Strangely, "gęsi" is the only word in the piece for which I know the
meaning. It means geese. I am sure that will help you find the right
express for that phrase.

Notes and Sundries

- We (you) will be singing the Gaelic Set at the Portrait Gallery. In
you are new to choir, you will be excused from this "pleasure". The
words are a bit tricky to learn.
- On Hillisuvi might be taken off the programme as we have quite a lot
to do in the time.
- Next week's rehearsal might be at Priestfield Church (tbc by email
from Heather).
- Dates for a Spring (Early Summer) concert were discussed (See
Heather's email of 09/02/12 - possible dates are 18th,19th, 25th and
26th May)
- Some people are going out for a meal afternoon the next concert,
email Heather if you aren't the list in her last email.

Thanks Robin

Nikos led a brief and effective warmup.

We then refreshed our memory of three pieces from recent repertoire:

Fōg elnā khel (Flu kept Arno away, so Nikos did a rather stylish solo)

Bars 51-58 in the slow section: the accompanying parts must be
restrained. Each two-bar phrase must start and finish very p. There's
a strong swell to the beginning of the second bar, fading away in the
second half of the second bar, but at the loudest it must not
overwhelm the soloist.

Cheenar es

"Ny" - sing "nāāi", holding the "ah" sound for most of the length of
the note before ending on "i".
"Yar" - hit the note with "y" and move IMMEDIATELY and cleanly to the
long-held "āā" or "ah". Like "yard" without the "d".

Desh

Avoid hard "t"s.
"Tho-m' Ta Dom" should sound like "Tho-muh Ta Dom".
Bars 110, 112, 116, 136: don't rush the three-dotted-quaver patterns.

Lully 3me entrée de ballet (with Nikos on guitar)

Like so many things that look simple, this needs accuracy and
precision to make its effect. Concentrate on beginning each note
clearly, well-supported, on pitch, with the right vowel and tone, no
wobbles, no "gathering the crowd together". And at the exact instant.
After the last "non star fabbola": start f, and alternate f and p
"pigliar schiabbola"s until the middle of the top system on the last
page. From there on, it's all f. The final "schiabbola" is ff,
shouted.

Zikr

There were a few pronunciation issues. See the guide on the back page!
We were mostly note-bashing. For something that looks quite simple and
hypnotically repetitive, this has some tricky corners. Bars 85, 86,
89, 90, 102-110, 152-159 are worth a look.
The timing in bars 124-143 gave us trouble too.

Dilmano Dilbero

I know nothing. Good luck!