From:
Rachael KingStart of Year discussion Jan 8th 2020 - a brief note.
Christmas 2019 was positive – concerts went really well. Helpful audience feedback received, Rosslyn should be made aware of challenges experienced by wheelchair users and choir should be mindful of setting a friendly and welcoming tone.
Repertoire suggestions from Derrick include Mealor's Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal, Whitacre's Five Hebrew love Songs, Weelkes' When David Heard, Bingham's The Drowned Lovers, and Stanford's The Blue Bird
Concerts:
suggested concert in Coldstream June 2020 (Derrick has contact with church). Charity concert, suggested we support a mental health charity.
Haddington June 14th, 4pm.
St Giles' summer – suggested Aug 16th (tbc)
Joan Szymko performance for Alzheimer's Scotland October 17th/31st St. Cuthbert's (tbc)
Rosslyn – suggested Dec 12th (tbc)
St Giles' Christmas – suggested Dec 13th (tbc)
Sub-committees:
1) Marketing to ensure Rudsambee appears on google searches (first sub-committee meeting Jan 22nd, from 6.30pm) and more generally the website and social media.
2) the organising of the Alzheimer's Scotland concert in October (first sub-committee meeting Jan 29th, from 6.30pm). Please come if you can help with either
Recording:
Suggested we could use some time in first half of year to record a piece(s)
Rehearsals:
Derrick will be away for some weeks in first half of year, we shall continue to rehearse weekly, but we shall also have 2 x weekend day rehearsals during this period. Please complete doodle that Marie Claire circulated:
Further afield:
Cumbrae – possible visit / bonding exercise this year to sing in the Cathedral of the Isles in Millport
Burgundy 2021: We are welcome should we wish to return
Ireland?
Germany?
If there is appetite for a trip in 2021, we should book dates in sooner rather than later.
Sorry for the delay. Have been rather taken up with cake making.
Denise started us off with a warm up covering the first section of the piece we will be performing in October.
Reminder:
Emily Dickinson poem, first line : I felt a cleaving in my mind as if my brain had split.
Sopranos, all on an F.
Altos F Eb Db C C - changing note on CLeaving, mind, brain
Tenors F F# G G# A - changing on CLeaving, mind, brain, split
Basses F F F F F# - moving to F# on split.
Five Hebrew Love Songs
We began with number IV, Eyze Sheleg
Think Song of Sorrow on the bongs. The idea is to create a vast possibility of bongs. Try changing the speed at which you sing them.
Basses - circle bar 7 and make sure you stop bonging before everyone else.
Starting the bongs again at bar 18 the BPM (bongs per minute) should NOT match the crotchet beat of the previous bars.
Tenors - you start on a C, bar 10, top of page 20...the altos have a C so listen to them.
V. Rakut
Tum - tuhm- not toom or any other variation. Close to the m quickly.
2nd alto, more of the D at bar 11 onwards.
Everyone, make sure you know where the semi-quavers go, they were slightly early each time.
Altos, really dig out the G natural at bar 35.
Basses - engage with what you are singing or it will go flat.
I. Temuna
This will be beaten in quavers.
Watch the timing.
Look up at the tenutos.
II. Kala Kalla
Watch out for the heffalump traps eg bar 3, notes not what you may be expecting and bar 39 where it is faster than expected.
Altos, need to practice, faster sections messy at the moment. Think Teddy Bear's Picnic.
Need more alto at bar 55.
Watch out for the change of tempo at bar 58, it is tricky.
Basses, no guessing. Learn your notes.
Bar 58 on, generally there is a temptation to make crotchets and quavers the same. Even with staccato notes a crotchet is longer than a quaver. If the crotchets are cut short there is a rush to the following bar and all goes to hell. Give crotchets their full value.
However, Basses, don't peck like chickens at your quavers.
Altos and Sops, crescendo through your first, paused, note.
Tenors and Basses, lighten up at bar 26, it is supposed to be TENDER.
DON'T SCOOP.
III. Larov
Basses, to help with tuning centre around D. D sounds all the way through the bars.
We will go over pronunciation but 'ch' should be soft as in 'loch'.
When David Heard - Weelkes (Book of Tudor Anthems, page 343)
This is hard stuff. Work on it at home. Memorisation will help.
While doing homework, have a look at Sing Joyfully, page 287 of same book.
A general note: when sight-reading don't slow down in the difficult bits, it doesn't help. Keep going even if you are getting it wrong and try to get the next bit right. Simples.
