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REHEARSAL GUIDE 3/16/20

Hi, Variations-

Here are some things to rehearse on your own to prepare for the time we come back together. (Stay well, everyone!)

It’s always important, but at rehearsal times when we can’t be together, YOUR PENCIL IS MOST IMPORTANT! MARK YOUR MUSIC!


Use Chorus Connection to listen to recordings. Look for part recordings on Mama Will Provide and Seasons of Love in the next day or so.


SATB Variations

Water Fountain

  1. Take your pencil, go through and circle all dynamics, crescendos, etc. and all time/tempo changes!

  2. Check last week’s (3/11/2020) email for some detailed information, especially SATB regarding “Water Fountain” and the changes/additions. TAKE YOUR PENCIL AND MARK ALL THESE BELOW (NUMBERS 2-22). Email notes listed below for reference.

  3. In addition to the changes above, ladies, change the Bb in m. 14 (no-WHERE) to a C.

  4. Ms. 9-19- circle dynamic marking of mezzo-forte, keep the phrases pretty “flat” (no real changes in dynamics until m. 21)

  5. M. 21- Slight crescendo on both “Old Molly Hare”, then back to mf and slight crescendo “watcha doin’ there”

  6. “Wooha!”s are loud (forte), but then back to mf.

  7. Ms. 25-30- dynamics drop back to mezzo-piano; again, keep the affect pretty flat (not much dynamic changes) in the ladies; men, very VERY slight crescendos on the dotted half notes “no”

  8. Ms. 31-32 slight crescendo everyone (altos bring out your extra “I’ll kneel” we added in the email), then back to mp in m. 33-38

  9. Ms. 39-40 Crescendo from mp to mf

  10. Treat m. 45 the same as m. 21 above

  11. M. 47- “gotchas” start on beat 3 this time (see item 23 below)

  12. Ms. 48-49 decrescendo back to mezzo-piano

  13. Ms. 49-52 decrescendo to ends of phrases (both sopranos when you start and altos when you take over)

  14. Ms. 53-54 mezzo forte but flat affect

  15. Ms. 55-56 crescendo to forte for the spoken part

  16. M. 57 Jump AND clap on beat 1!

  17. Ms. 57-64 start mezzo-forte, gradual crescendo (should be at forte at end of m. 68)

  18. Ms. 59-60 se pou zanmi mwen- men take the lead, that should be forte with a slight crescendo. Ladies, your “se pou” notes are “effect”notes; it is neither sung exactly on pitch nor is it completely free of pitch (like the wooha!), but something like a “shouted pitch.” Bottom line- I’m more worried about rhythmic accuracy there than pitch accuracy. We will HAVE to work this out when we get together.

  19. Ms. 65 SUDDENLY back to mezzo-forte!

  20. Ms. 65-68, mezzo-forte with pretty flat affect

  21. Ms. 69-70 crescendo

  22. Ms. 71-80 forte- pretty flat affect until the shouted “off with his head” at the end of m. 80 starts the crescendo

  23. M. 80 crescendo to fortissimo; pretty flat affect to the end. (Whew!)

  24. For these next set of places to practice, I suggest using a metronome (you can get free metronome apps from the app store on your phone, I’m sure they are all fine- I think mine is MetroTimer). Set the metronome to 176 for the eighth note (setting up subdivision in the measure). Eventually, work your way up to 220 beats per minute. This REALLY helps solidify rhythms (and drive everyone crazy!).

  • M. 15- Ladies, make sure the “gotcha” comes AFTER beat 3, not on it.

  • M. 23- Everyone, make sure the “gotcha” comes AFTER beat 3, not on it.

  • M. 47- make sure the “gotcha” STARTS on 3 (A&B), AND of 3 (S&T) (this is CRITICAL to nail with the metronome to make sure you don’t drag!)

  • M. 56- DON’T practice this with metronome- we have changed the rhythm to triplets (as in the video), so don’t try to dissect these rhythms; you’ve been doing it right, don’t overthink this measure

  • LETTER E TO THE END- EVERYBODY work parts with the metronome (TB, whole notes are not critical, but you have to NAIL “se pou zanmi mwen.”) Ladies, break this into sections: ms. 57-64; ms. 65-72 (see f below); ms. 73-80 (see g below); ms. 82-end

  • M. 71-73-EVERYBODY WORK WITH METRONOME!

  • M. 79-81-EVERYBODY WORK WITH METRONOME!

That should get us started… LOL- thanks!


3/11 Email notes for reference:

  • a. M. 31-32 ALTOS- add an extra “I’ll Kneel” at the end of m. 31 into 32 (it would be two eighth notes: one on “4 and” and the other on “1)

  • b. If you have not already done so, add claps in mm. 42 and 44; the rhythm is the same as that of the TB claps in m. 7; m. 44 only uses the first 3 claps)

  • c. Change the last note we sing in m. 46 to a “C” on the word “bear”

  • d. Ladies, m. 59: change the last eighth rest to a sixteenth rest and sixteenth note tied to the first beat of m. 60 (you’ll hear this easier than you’ll see it...)

  • e. Ladies, m. 61 w/pickup: the “se pou” notes are as written, but please circle and I will explain more at our next rehearsal

  • f. Tenors: m. 72 cut “thing a caress” (the 4 sixteenth notes)

  • g. ALL m. 79: change the last sung “gimme your head” to a loudly spoken “off with his head”


A MUSICAL

  1. Take your pencil, go through and circle all dynamics, crescendos, etc. and all time/tempo changes!

  2. The best thing you can do with this is work it with the track- get the words down, even if you need to speak them through with the track a few times before singing. (I’m hoping Caroline can get this one done for us.)

  3. Bill C and Ashley M, work on those parts (especially Bill with all the spoken parts in the middle) for timing

  4. Ms. 15-26, 45-65- mezzo-forte; as you sing, slight crescendo emphasis to beat 1 of each measure. Not too loud, but with excitement/intensity

  5. M. 45- circle/mark your lines- S&T on top lines, A&B on bottom line through m. 52; then it changes ON A PAGE TURN! (grrr…)

  6. M. 54- watch the pickup to 55, it’s a sixteenth note, not an eighth note!

  7. M. 85- Mark the Rubato, notice we are slow until the accelerando starts at m. 90 until we are back a tempo at 94.

  8. M. 85 dynamics should be mezzo-piano with a crescendo starting at 90 to a forte at 94

  9. M. 105 rallentando- slower as we go into the “kick line tempo” m. 107

  10. M. 117- faster


SCHUYLER SISTERS

  1. Take your pencil, go through and circle all dynamics, crescendos, etc. and all time/tempo changes!

  2. Mark your parts where you sing (as opposed to solo lines…).

  3. Sing with the recording!!!!

  4. M. 21- crescendo to cut-off

  5. Ms. 46-47, 50-53- ladies, listen to and work on solidifying the rhythms- where does the emphasis in the words fall in relation to the beat of the music?

  6. Ms. 54-54, 66-67 RHYTHM! Get the style by listening/copying the recording


MAMA WILL PROVIDE

  1. Take your pencil, go through and circle all dynamics, crescendos, etc. and all time/tempo changes!