It started off shaky, this rehearsal. We had tenors and basses sitting and waiting for Donna and me for 20 minutes or more, while we were each stuck in traffic trying to cross the railway tracks from the west side of Newmarket to the east. How bizarre! So frustrating! It also took us all some time to settle down to get started, so I just skipped warm-ups and we sang Canon of Joy once through as a warm-up. Maybe a little Spring Fever?
1. Canon of Joy: Important performance notes: you must smile and keep good posture as you sing this. The joy is bouncy and light, not heavy and serious. Bounce on the Joy, Joy, Joy parts. Just clearly enunciating is helpful because the "dj" sound kind of pops anyway. Those slow Canon notes can drag. It's easy to get too heavy in the Beethoven, too, so be mindful of the lyrics and raise your eyebrows as you smile. I was very happy to see nobody get lost with the page turns, at least I didn't see it if you did ;-)
2. Imagine: Our timing is a little different from what is written in a few places but I'm going to roll with it. When everyone is doing it, it sounds perfect. At bars 21 and 23, we come in just after beat one, not on beat two as written. It's fine. I like it. The important thing is that we're together. The notes are coming along nicely. It sounds really good already.
3. We Rise Again: My goal was to review all the oohs and the top of page 9. We did it! The oohs on pages 7 and 8 are the hardest. Please listen to the recordings for help with these. I listened to the tenor part and it's correct. Be aware that the full accompaniment is there and your part is on top of it, so you'll want to count to where you come in. Remember that we've simplified it this season. Tenors and Basses always sing the melody in the chorus. It's in the alto line the first time, but after that you can read the bass line, because it's there in the rest of the choruses.
4. Thank You for the Musicals: We surpassed my goal. We did all of Beauty and the Beast and Joseph. I'm happy to hear that many of you remember your parts. We didn't spend enough time on the ending of GoGoGo Joseph, but we'll review it all, don't worry. Donna and I still have to figure out some transitions, but it's coming along well. You always have to watch for beginnings and ends, so you'll be fine. Nadine and Todd sang the duet, and it was beautiful! I'm going to need back-ups for them, so you'll let me know if you'd like to try one of those next time. I've already heard from one other "Belle".
Next week: Tuesday, March 25th.
6:30 We will be starting a new small group: Lean on Me! It will be somewhat improvised, or self-arranged. Donna will be joined by 2 guitars accompanying us. We will have some sheet music inspiration, but will be singing from a lyric and chord sheet. (memorized for performance)
- All the Little Rivers of Canada
- Song for the Mira
- Thanks for the Musicals
- You'll Never Walk Alone
Here's this for Lean on Me inspiration. I want that kind of energy, please. You can see Kevin playing guitar in the video, and I've asked Michael (second from left) to also play guitar. They both have a long history of adding guitar playing to our concerts, for which I have always been very grateful.
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