Hi everyone,

Just a few thoughts for the weekend as we prepare for another week together.  The repertoire is well underway for the concert on December 9th. Some thoughts as you prepare for Thursday:

- practice speaking the French in Noel Canadien.  Get the "sound" of the rhythm of the language in your ears.  Pay close attention to Cable's dynamics and know where they are going before you arrive there.  This piece needs to be completely learned on Tuesday as we only have two more rehearsals together before concert week.

-I will email you a really good recording of First Snow.  Please listen to it for the shape of the piece.

- sopranos please know descant for "Once In Royal David's City with the corrections I emailed you earlier in the week.

Everyone please be aware of the short time frame until the concert and take personal responsibility to have everything learned this week.

Have a great weekend.

Good morning

I think I might have to change the title of the Blog from Thursday Thoughts to Friday's Fictional Fantasies but that might garner a whole different set of subscribers!  It might be wiser to try to fit this in on Thursday!

Good rehearsal on Tuesday. I think the effort put in on the nuts and bolts of vocal technique paid off. The rep is learned and I want to run all the pieces for the concert next Tuesday.

As well, I would like you to be prepared to work on Howard Cable's Noel Canadien on Tuesday. This is a 12 minute work made up of French Canadian carols for choir and brass quintet. We will spend time on it on Tuesday. Also on Tuesday, Bo Holten's "First Snow."

Thank you again for your hard work. I hope the people who were ill Tuesday are feeling better and back on your feet. We missed you!

So to send you on your way to a great weekend, here is a little something completely different (as Monty would say!). Give a listen to these street musicians:

http://www.wimp.com/thatvoice/

Have a great weekend.

Thursday Thoughts but on Friday!

Good rehearsal on Tuesday.

The next time we are all together (to rehearse both the November 11 and December 9th repertoire) will be on Tuesday, October 9th at First Baptist.   With the exception of the Howard Cable piece, you have received most of the December 9th concert rep last Tuesday. Please give special attention to the Bo Holten "First Snow" before our next rehearsal as it is challenging, especially for the women. As I mentioned in rehearsal, we will use three women per part.

For October 9th:

Kyrie - Nickel (complete)
Dvadtsat Vosyem Shtikivikh - Nickel (complete)
In Paradisum - Allan (needs work:  I want to finish the piece, please prepare accordingly)
Tonight Eternity Alone - Clausen (complete)

First Snow - Holten - (please prepare and women, practice singing your parts in rhythm)
Rosa Mystica - Balfour
Noel Canadien - Cable (I will have scores for you)

I will see most of you on for the upcoming Creation rehearsals and performances.

Take care and happy weekend!

Thursday Thoughts

Thank you for a great evening last night. It was so good to hear the sections in the choir coming together - especially with so many new folks in the line up. I hope the new singers feel welcome. In the introductions last night you didn't get the opportunity to welcome back baritone Michael Hodgett. Mike sang with us for a while in the past but his work commitments took him out of the country a lot. Now that this has changed, he is able to sing with us again so we also welcome him back to HCS.

The rep for November 11th is pretty straight forward and not too difficult. I'd like to get most of everything under our collective belts by the end of next Tuesday so I can begin adding in pieces from "A Child's Christmas in Wales."  We will be rehearsing the rep for two concerts simultaneously, and I will alert you which rehearsals that will happen. Right now I want to get the rep from November 11th learned as quickly as possible so please prepare accordingly for next week.

If you would like to listen to a Russian speaking the text of Twenty-Eight Bayonets or listen to a good recording of the piece, click here: http://larrynickel.com/CanuckComposer/Requiem.html

It was also good for me to be able to share with you some of my hopes and dreams for the future. I hope this was also exciting for you too. Organization-wise, the calendar here on the Blog has been updated and all rehearsal info up to Christmas is included.

Thanks again for a great night and see you next Tuesday.

Last rehearsal of the season!

Thank you everyone for a great rehearsal last night and a good, healthy meeting/discussion afterwards. I was glad to have this time with you to just chat - it doesn't happen often.  Our future, the next couple of seasons and Camerata life in general were some of the topics we touched on and I appreciated your comments and will try to help solve scheduling problems for 2012. 

But for now we  have one more concert to sing - at St. John's Anglican 4pm this Sunday in Lunenburg.  The call for the choir is 2:45 pm and we will wear standard concert dress. If you like, bring a change of clothes for the BBQ at Barbara Butler's after the concert.

The church's address is: 58 Townsend St. , Lunenburg and directions to the church can be found by clicking on the link below. Please allow yourselves pleanty of time as I need you there, ready to sing by 2:45pm.

https://maps.google.ca/maps?saddr=Bayers+Road,+Halifax,+NS&daddr=St.+John%27s+Anglican+Church,+Townsend+Street,+Lunenburg,+NS&hl=en&ll=44.544484,-64.020081&spn=0.482521,1.352692&sll=44.544484,-64.021454&sspn=0.482521,1.352692&geocode=FfVWqQIdOz01_Cm5ciLWoSFaSzGhZI3DraYKVg%3BFbEnpQIdRa8q_CFcdPxzQZ9HQw&mra=ls&t=m&z=10

I also have updated the Camerata Calendar for the 2012 season. As far as I know, all rehearsals and concerts are now up on the calendar, and if you have questions or if there looks like there is an error, please bring it to my attention. Please organize your personal calendars now - I have given you the calendar this early so that there are no surprises for next season.

Thank you again for a great year.  As I said last night,  my passion is making choral music at the highest possible level and I am lucky to have such an instrument to do that each week.

See you in Lunenburg.

Thursday Thoughts

Thank you for a great rehearsal on Thursday. It was a lot of fun!

Next week I will be at Podium but Christina will review the scores with you in preparation for the fundraiser coming up in two weeks.  She will also rewiew portions of the Celtic Mass - take a look at the Second Reading and the Kyrie before coming on Tuesday.

Please remember the Xara concert on Friday nightat the Maratime Museum. The Xara folks have been working really hard on thie project 

I leave you with a wonderful Ted Talks video I recently watched. Michael Tilson Thomas, the celebrated conductor and educator talks about the wonder of music as it evolved through history. Well worth listening especially for the last 6 minutes.

 http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_tilson_thomas_music_and_emotion_through_time.html

Have a great week.

Thursday Thoughts (just a little earlier!)

I wanted to thank you all again for such great work on the Faure Requiem concert. But more importantly thank you for your commitment to Camerata - for all the rehearsals and balancing your time with your work, family and friends. It has been such a busy season and I know you must be getting weary!

I have carefully gone through the blog calendar and made sure all the details are correct - especially rehearsal dates, times and venues. I have done that as of this morning and have found a couple of venues which needed to be corrected. So the blog calendar is correct. In the meantime I have outlined the schedules for both Celtic Mass and the Fundraiser below in a list form:

Celtic Mass Rehearsals: 
Saturday, April 2: 10 am -12:30 pm  (Bethany)
Tuesday, May 1: 7-9:30 pm (Bethany - note venue change)
Saturday, May 5: 10 am -12:30 pm (Bethany)
Tuesday, May 29: 7-9:30 pm (Bethany)
Saturday, June 2: 10 am -12:30 pm (FBC - note venue change)
Tuesday, June 5: 7-9:30 pm (FBC - note venue change)

Fundraiser Rehearsals:
Tuesdays, April 24, May 8, 15, 22 (all at FBC)

Please note that next Tuesday, May 1, we will meet with the selected SNSC singers at Bethany to rehearse the Celtic Mass. We have a great start on the fundraiser rep last night and I want to leave it with you to work on your own for two weeks before looking at it again.

The other thing to note is that it is my intention to take the final 30 minutes of each Tuesday Celtic Mass rehearsal, and work the fundraiser rep so bring all your scores.  Next Tuesday, May 1 we will spend 30 minutes on the Liebeslieder, so for those who struggled last night, please do some work on the score.

Finally to reiterate our chat together last night, Camerata really needs your help to sell out this fundraiser. I am committing to sell tables and I would ask that each of you take this challenge on. this will be a fabulous party complete with champagne, great food, fabulous desserts, wonderful silent auction items not to mention your great singing and the piano stylings of our own Cynthia Davies. Let's contact choir alumnae,  friends, family, our concert patrons...anyone we can think of, and make this a fabulous party. What a way to celebrate our 25th birthday!

See you all next Tuesday at Bethany.

Thursday Thoughts

We are coming down to the wire for this concert. I am pleased at the way we were able to fit things together in the Monteverdi. That was a big improvement. I know we are coming into March break and there will be an absence or three. My concern is that if you miss for any reason, there will be changes given to the choir of which you will not be aware (eg in the Monteverdi bass line this week). Remember it needs to be your responsibility to note the changes from the Blog  (I will post them) and prepare accordingly for the rehearsal.

For this Tuesday
Chichester  Psalms - Mvt I & II - run through. Especially review Mvt. 1
Blazhen muzh (Rachmaninoff) - get used to longer, more sustained phrases. Feel the quarter note. Consonants in text need improvement.
Taaveti Laul (Kreek) - run through w Tristan. Review text w recording and have a real feel for it. 
Laudate Pueri (Monteverdi) - mark in your score  how we changes many phrase endings. Note basses: everyone sings B1 part in solo sections.
Exultate Deo (King) - good sectional work. Please review (men: especially 7/8 section!) - complete run through on Tuesday. 
Second- storey Sun - (Enns) complete run through
Sicut cervus (Palestrina) - complete run through from memory

Please remember to put up your concert posters and let's get active on FB and Twitter and promote this concert.. Have a great weekend!

Thursday Thoughts

There were a number of lovely musical moments on Tuesday: the Bernstein is coming along (way to go men!), the Glick is really coming along, and the two Renaissance motets are REALLY coming along. The Monteverdi, however, is not coming along....yet.  Please spend time getting these notes in your head, especially the the solo (tenor and baritone) passages. I would ask that everyone take a look at p. 9 to the end and make sure you have this ready to go on Tuesday. In addition, you are reminded to listen and review the texts to "Taaveti Laul" and "Blazen muzh,"  (These were all emailed to you and should be on the choir website)  Please  look at the rep list for Tuesday, and note the pieces which need individual work. We have four rehearsals until the concert so let's everyone buckle down and not waste a minute of the precious time we have together working on things which are more appropriately learned at home. Also remember to memorize the two Renaissance pieces. Have a great weekend!

For Tuesday:

Exultate Deo (King) - finish putting it all together
Chichester Psalms (Bernstein) mvts II & III
Tavetti Laul (Kreek)
Laudate pueri  (Monteverdi)
I Was Glad (Parry)
Second storey-Sun (Enns)
Blazen muzh  (Rachmaninoff)

Thursday Thoughts

I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with Ted Talks but it is a series of web chats of various lengths by remarkable people who have something to contribute. They are often inspirational, always thoughtful, sometimes controversial, but undoubtedly interesting. I'd like you to take 6:20 of your day before I see you next and click on this link. It's about leadership - and I suspect that each of you are the catalyst of some "lollipop moments" in your life.  (You'll understand when you watch the video.) You will also hear a shout out to a certain Maritime University of which some of you are alumnae. 

http://www.ted.com/talks/drew_dudley_everyday_leadership.html 

Now on to business. First of all thanks to everyone for embracing the sectionals the last two weeks and to Michelle and Christina for leading the women. We got a lot accomplished and guys you are doing well getting the Hebrew under your belts.  We'll not do sectionals next week as you now have the tools to learn on your own.

But for this concert you need to have a fluent knowledge of texts in Latin, German, Estonian, French, and Hebrew. The success of your singing this concert brilliantly is directly proportional to how convincingly you can interpret these languages. Period. We have a great deal of expertise within the choir of people who have a working knowledge of many of these languages and a language diction coach (Christina) who is very generous with her time and has recorded text pronunciations. Now you need to get the sound of the languages in your ears texts sooner rather than later. I'll not revisit the Mendelssohn  Psalms for a while but when I come back to them,  they need to be fluent. Ditto for the two memorized a capella Renaissance motets. We don't have the time right now as other pieces need more reheasrsal. Practice intelligently at home - speak the text of the Exultate Deo out loud in rhythm, the same with the Bernstein. Listen to the recorded texts of the Kreek and the Rachmaninoff  (I emailed the Kreek to you last week and Christina will record the Rachmaninoff and it will be emailed to you by the weekend).  Listen to good recordings of the repertoire - search You Tube and iTunes. All of these resources will speed things along but only if you make use of them.


So for next Tuesday - everyone rehearses together at 7pm:
Exultate Deo - Robin King
Chichester Psalms - mvt 2 & 3
Taaveti Laul - (review the recorded pronounciation emailed to you on Tuesday)
Blazen muzh - trio (work on text of the verses - check divisi sections - S2, A, T. 
Laudate pueri - Monteverdi (go over text and notes)
Sing Unto The Lord - Glick  (review)

Good luck and have fun working this music out. It really is fantastic and  promises to be an exciting concert.  Finally...remember those lollipop monents!

Psalm 112: Latin-English

Please make sure you have this translation in your Monteverdi scores:
 
Psalm 112

{112:1} Laudate pueri Dominum: laudate nomen Domini.
{112:1} Praise the Lord, children. Praise the name of the Lord.

{112:2} Sit nomen Domini benedictum, ex hoc nunc, et usque in sæculum.
{112:2} Blessed is the name of the Lord, from this time forward and even forever.

{112:3} A solis ortu usque ad occasum, laudabile nomen Domini.
{112:3} From the rising of the sun, even to its setting, praiseworthy is the name of the Lord.

{112:4} Excelsus super omnes gentes Dominus, et super cælos gloria eius.
{112:4} The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory is high above the heavens.

{112:5} Quis sicut Dominus Deus noster, qui in altis habitat,
{112:5} Who is like the Lord, our God, who dwells on high,

{112:6} et humilia respicit in cælo et in terra?
{112:6} and who gazes upon the humble things in heaven and on earth?

{112:7} Suscitans a terra inopem, et de stercore erigens pauperem:
{112:7} He lifts up the needy from the ground, and he urges the poor away from filth,

{112:8} Ut collocet eum cum principibus, cum principibus populi sui.
{112:8} so that he may place him with the leaders, with the leaders of his people.

{112:9} Qui habitare facit sterilem in domo, matrem filiorum lætantem.
{112:9} He causes a barren woman to live in a house, as the joyful mother of sons.

Wednesday Whinings!

Fun time last night. Thank you!  Your hard work is paying off. I hope the sectional was worthwhile for you. Remember that a sectional is not the place for learning notes and pounding parts - that is done at home. But rather it is a place to build ensemble and really get to know the other voices in your section all the while working on challenging repertoire. We'll give it another go this week.

Please remember:
- auction items for fundraiser silent auction  (contact Tenille)
- fill out google form re June/July concerts

For next Tuesday: 

7-7:30 pm - sectionals
men: Bernstein II - work on text with recording - build speed;  Exultate Deo (King)
women: Exultate Deo (King) ; Sing Unto The Lord (Glick)

7:30 -9:30
Sing Unto The Lord (Glick)
Exultate Deo - (Robin King) - visit website to listen to a good recording
Chichester Psalms movement III
Taaveti Laul (Kreek) - visit HCS website to review text & recording
Blazhen muzh (Rachmaninoff ) - visit HCS website to review text & recording
Laudate pueri Dominum (Monteverdi) - solos will be sung by entire sections

Check this recording out:

Bernstein movement III:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TKLWHshPEo&feature=related

Have a great week.

Thursday Thoughts

Thank you for working as hard as you are on this concert. So many notes!  It is human nature to work on what we know gives us trouble, however it is my experience that if in one of your home rehearsal sessions you sing (or in my case, conduct)  through the rehearsal list for that week you might be surprised at what causes you trouble (eg sopranos last Tuesday in "Denn er hat - Mendelssohn) . Fixing it at home would take a minute rather than 10 when we are together. This is especially an issue when dealing with texts which require different vowel colours.  After you really know what is problematic for you (as opposed to thinking you know something) then you can get on to the business of dealing with what needs the real work. I realize you are aware of all this, but sometimes a reminder helps. Good luck this week.

In other news that's fit to print,  I received a notice from FBC, Halifax inviting you all to a Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper on Tuesday, February 21st, from 5-6:30 pm. On the menu are sausages, fruit and of course, pancakes. Tickets are available at the door: $6. per adult, $4. per child, or $20. per family. Some of you come to rehearsal from work so  you might like to take advantage of this.

Rehearsal plan for Tuesday: 
7-7:30 pm 
Women's sectional: in downstairs hall working on Glick mvt IV; m. 25-33 of Second-storey Sun
Men's sectional : in sanctuary working on Bernstein mvt II; mvt IV of Glick
7:30 -9:30 pm 
Sing Unto The Lord - Glick (basses please spend time working on this, esp p. 41-45)
Chichester Psalms - mvts I & II
Denn er hat - Mendelssohn (quick review)
Taaveti laul - Kreek
Blazhen muzh (# 3 from Vespers)- Rachmaninoff  (those who have full scores please bring them.  The plan is for Dave and Joe to record Joe speaking the text so watch for the email.)
Chantez a Dieu - Sweelinck (quick review as this will be memorized for the concert)
Sicut Cervus - Palestrina (quick review as this will be memoized for the concert)

Please note the concert program:

Chantez à Dieu– J. P. Sweelinck (Psalm 96)   2

Sicut Cervus – G. Palestrina   3

Laudate pueri Dominum – Claudio Monteverdi    5:30

[Solo set by Andrew Pickett (10)]

Denn er hat seinen Engeln befohlen – Felix Mendelssohn  3:30

Richte mich, Gott – Felix Mendelssohn (Psalm 43)  3:30

I Was Glad (Psalm 122) – C. H. H. Parry (5:30)

Chichester Psalms – Leonard Bernstein (18)

Exultate Deo (Psalm 81)  – Robin King *  (2:20)

Second-Story Sun  (premiere)  – Leonard Enns  * (6)

Taaveti Laul (Psalm 104) – Cyrillus Kreek (2:40)

Blazhen muzh (from the All Night Vigil) Psalm 1 -  Rachmaninoff (4:30)

Sing Unto The Lord A New Song (w harp) - Psalms 95 – S. I. Glick *  (5:30)

           

Thursday Thoughts

Thanks for great work Tuesday night. My intention on Tuesday was to work on specific section of the various pieces and for the most part much was accomplished. You all know the areas which need work both collectively and specific you your own parts, so I'll not dwell on that.  Next week Tristan will introduce the "Taaveti laul No. 104 (Kreek) so please look over that before rehearsal. If you are interested in hearing a performance, you can click on this link and hear our own Vancouver Cantata Singers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfLUVdAXoXI
 
I would like to also really dig into the Glick "Sing Unto The Lord" so do some hard work on the text, and rhythms of that piece as well.

The rehearsal list for Tuesday will look as follows:
Sing Unto The Lord - Glick
Chichester Psalms - Mvts 1 & 2 - men will please begin to memorize the 56 measures of "choral hell!"
Second-storey Sun - Enns - now that pages 2-5 are in place we will complete the piece.
Mendelssohn Psalms - text needs to be reviewed and we need to finish these pieces next week.
Taaveti laul No. 10- Kreek - Tristan will introduce & teach
Chantez a Dieu- Sweelinck - much better work last night; basses please be certain of notes and phrase shapes.

 This will keep us all very busy. I really appreciate your all taking ownership of this music, your committment to the scores, and to these timeless texts. This is a really fabulous program and I, for one, can't wait to share it with our audience. Have a great week!

Thursday Thoughts

Tough night. Usually the second rehearsal of a new program is rough - the first night everything is new, we begin from nothing and at some level,  make music. But often for the second rehearsal, some choristers neglect to put in the work needed to take the music further. It is the human condition, but I don't have the time, nor do I build the time in my planning, to teach notes. That's your job and couple that with difficult texts and the mountain seems high.

So please read my "thoughts"  today carefully as I am trying my best to equip you with the tools you need to give an exciting performance of this program. Budget your "home practice time"  and guard that time in your schedules carefully. 

For next Tuesday:

Chantez a Dieu - Sweelinck:  Practice singing your part slowly and centre all the vowels. Pay attention to strong-light syllables. Know the text intimately. Think of it as  a madrigal and always feel the dance. I said last week sing as if you are preparing a solo - not many of you heard me,  as there was a lot of fumbling around. Finally sing it at tempo.

Denn er hat seinen Engeln befohlen - Mendelssohn
Richte mich, Gott - Mendelssohn
Text and melody. Know the German. Go online and listen to good recordings of these pieces to get the feel. As I mentioned in rehearsal, stop trying to sing in such a legato style when the text dictates that the consonants separate the notes.

Chichester Psalms mvt I:  This all comes down to you not only being able to speak the text in rhythm at tempo, but buying into the notion that Bernstein knows what he is doing by writing ma molto marcato for each of the men's entrances (beginning at m. 14) and then marcato for the women (m. 22)  I asked you to carefully mark the 18 measure theme beginning at m. 14 and for those of you who were away or need a review. I have attached it here:

 
If your scores are marked and you memorize the "order" of the thematic material, you will be able to see Bernstein's working through the A section via the various voicings of the choir. For those of you who are still having trouble with the text, I have attached a link to a Hebrew speaker speaking the text. He speaks rather quickly but you can get the word stress of the rhythm. Play it over and over if necessary. Please copy the following link and paste it in your browser.:

  http://paysonchorale.org/audio/virtualchoir-index.html


Chichester Psalms mvt II: This movement is the soloist singing a lovely,  lyrical, floating setting of Psalm 23 The composer's directions suggest a young boy strumming his harp and almost idly improvising on the melody. The sopranos pick up on this melody at m. 32 and then in canon with the altos at m. 48. Then all hell breaks loose when the sublime SA duet is interrupted by the thunderous voice of the Almighty and asks the repeated question: Why do the nations rage?  M. 64-120 contains the most difficult material of the Chichester Psalms and it is said that men who were forced to memorize the Allegro feroce sections will be able to recall it at will 20 yearls later as it stays with you for life. NB:  The words of this entire section must be memorized by all of the choir and that memory work must take place at home. We will begin it next week. so again, listen to the sound clip  (Mvt II) of the text.
   
Sing Unto The Lord  (only mvt IV) - Glick:  We will begin this next week. Learn the notes. 

Second-Storey Sun - Enns: m. 1-33 needs work. Please prepare. 

Final thoughts: For some of you this is the toughest rep you have ever sung while for others it is all in a day's work. Most of you are somewhere in the middle. This will be a brilliant concert but I'm not waiting for people to catch up. Please be prepared every rehearsal. 

Thursday Thoughts

Good beginnings Tuesday night.  We made headway on a program spanning seven centuries and cracked the notes on a commission which promises to be a significant part of this program's landscape. We welcomed 4 out of the 6 new YMP singers, introduced new alto Erin MacIntyre, and welcomed back Danielle, Garth, and Bill after their "sabbatical. "  Not a bad way to begin 2012.

For the time being we're going to learn notes as quickly as possible and each week try to get out of the scores along the way. It is going to take a little time to jell as a new choir but with everyone listening and concentrating it will happen.  My New Year's resolution is to take care of more of the details and get more from the score and that is my expectation for you as well.  You, in turn, need to expect more from your colleagues and depend on them to "have your back" musically. I love the quote I read to you last night in reference to performing Renaissance polyphony: It applies to all of choral music and is you get serious about it, this is going to pay big dividends in performances: " What the musician needs is a listening ear, an open and critical mind and a feeling for group unity. It is this continuous group dynamic that really brings polyphonic compositions to life. Every member of an ensemble is creatively involved in the development and realization of polyphonic works." 

On to next week. Please prepare the following:

Psalm 96 - Sweelinck
Sicut Cervus - Palestrina (review)
Laudate pueri Dominum - Monteverdi 
Second-storey Sun - Enns
Chichester Psalms  - work on text and notes of mvt 1.
Two Mendelssohn Psalms

Note: Everyone please check the program order. If you are missing any of the scores (except the Rachmaninoff which so one has) email me so I can put them in my briefcase and bring them to you for next Tuesday.  

For help with the Chichester Psalms you might find the following links helpful. Use them as needed. There are also good recordings of the Mendelssohn Psalms on You Tube if you want to search them out.

Have a great week!

Cyber Bass - help learning notes for Chichester Psalms:

http://www.cyberbass.com/Major_Works/Bernstein/bernstein_chichester_psalms.htm

Good recording on YouTube:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEnYf_aQUnc