Dear friends,
Thank you for two hours and 32 minutes of joy today! I am overwhelmed with appreciation for what you are bringing to this collaboration, and you are continuing to more fully inhabit this amazing piece that Brahms has written for us. Tomorrow will be a wonderful day to be together!
For those who are willing to continue working with your scores (which I hope and trust is ALL of us!), here are a VERY few notes I can share from today's recording.
GENERAL:
1. WHAT AN IMPROVEMENT in terms of not pushing and forcing our singing-- WORLDS BETTER! Keep focusing, trusting the process and preparation, even when the spotlight is on tomorrow.
2. The two choirs are sounding like one-- that is a small miracle, and one we should all be proud of and grateful for! We must also stay vigilant and focused, even when the spotlight is on to protect the boundaries of our ensemble.
SPECIFIC:
Movement I
ms. 34-- let's have a first-class Abendmusik Chorus N' at the end of mourN! That gives that word such meaning and makes the crescendo so much more passionate.
ms. 52-- basses, even though this is a high note, be gentle, stay in the sonority-- you are tempted to push here. Be expressive but BEAUTIFUL!
letter C-- remember the 'h' before Who in this section as your parts enter, and exploit the hairpins of "weep" in the middle of the page...don't miss an opportunity to communicate!
Movement 3
ms. 137-- fully engage in the V of vanity as you melt into the cadence.
p. 34-35-- put a capital K on every Comfort that you find here...Also, capital D at the end of lorD. Practice this in your Julia voice!
Movement 6
a beat before L and a beat before M-- don't forget the D-- anDIH might
top p. 78-- first measure-- sopranos and altos-- lots of F to start this phrase.
OTHER DETAILS FOR TOMORROW:
1. Please don't smell particularly good or bad-- take a shower, use deodorant, but avoid perfumes, colognes, and fragrances
2. Please wear ALL black...if you have a question about it, reread it again! : )
3. Please use black folders
4. We will meet in Mayflower Hall downstairs at 3:00 p.m. to gather our voices and spirits.
5. If your mobility is good, please park in one of the far parking lots tomorrow so that those who need to park close can.
6. If you wish to sing in the morning for worship, all are welcome! We will sing movement IV and a few small pieces of service music, and we will assemble in the choir room at 9:45 a.m. to prepare for that.
WHEW! I'm exhausted, but in the best possible way. I hope you get a lot of rest and space before what will be an awesome tomorrow. I am so thankful we get to share it together!
Grace and peace,
TT
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Dear friends,
Thank you for an incredibly beautiful and peaceful rehearsal tonight. I am thankful for your patience and focus, and I am very excited to hear our vision coming to be heard and seen and experienced.
Having just reviewed the recording from our rehearsal, I can offer you these comments to please consider and notate in your scores before Saturday. I have the opportunity to share these in person with the U Singers tomorrow, so we will all make some progress this way.
GENERAL IDEAS:
1. There is not a single instance when the orchestra overwhelms you. In some cases-- many cases-- we can sing truer dynamics-- more pianos, more pianissimos when the composer invites them. We do not have to worry about outsinging the orchestra. We only have to worry about oversinging as a choir.
2. We are tending to ignore and neglect our concept of the 'softest, sweetest, warmest, most beautiful' note at the end of phrases-- there are billions of opportunities to succeed at this. Let's be more aware of the many hairpin crescendos and diminuendos that Brahms shares with us. Again, we simply often end phrases with too much sound, and not enough curve, grace, and nuance.
3. Our overall diction is EXCELLENT, so keep honing your contributions! Consequently, we set such a high standard, it is VERY apparent when we are lazy in certain places. We must be vigilant and constantly engaged with the text.
SPECIFIC SUGGESTIONS:
FIRST MOVEMENT
1. The initial consonant of the word BLessed is very difficult to detect in movement I and VII-- please make a note of this each time you have this word...it is such an important part of the piece.
2. men-- in measure 25, please be very careful to make the last syllable of comfort MUCH lighter, even though it is a higher note.
3. all- in measure 23-25-- engage in sharing the V of have as it appears in your part.
4. At letter A-- remember we want to make three not phrases-- like the rock making circles in the pond. each note softer and sweeter and warmer and more beautiful than the one before.
5. At letter B- basses-- please be sure you begin on an A-flat, even though the accompaniment in the previous measures has had a naturals-- listen to this transition on your recording-- VERY important
6. women-- measure 62-- you need to share your NG' release. The men exceed your diction here.
7. all-- ms. 72-76, we need to be more expressive with these hairpin phrasings.-- that idea continues into the next section.
8. Sopranos-- ms. 87-- can you sing a very clear D' on the second half of beat two. SeeD'
9. Women-- we need a clearer M' release in measure 95. The men exceed your diction here.
10. men-- in measure 117, please be very careful to make the last syllable of comfort MUCH lighter, even though it is a higher note.
MOVEMENT 3:
1. measures 28 and 31-- it sounds like muss perish. instead of musTPerish-- please be aware of the T.
2. measure 82 and 85 and 90 - same note as above. musTPerish
3. Basses-- some of us are muscling and pushing the tone in measure 132-- be loving and beautiful, graceful here. Easy does it.
4. All choir at letter F and through this section-- please put a HUGE C at the beginning of each CAHmfort in this section-- these are invisible. Also, be very mindful of the word LorD-- often it ends on a rest, and it can be finished with Conviction and presence. Share the D!
5. ms. 146- tenors please sing the first two or three notes with the altos in this measure to help them project an important entrance in such a low register. Practice this so you know the new intervals.
6. ms. 157 and 158-- please offer an incredibly huge C at the beginning of Cahmfort as the orchestra is in a frenzy here.
7. basses-- be really careful not to rush measures 167-168-- always think of singing numbers inside the long notes-- particularly the ties!
MOVEMENT 4:
1. The main idea here is that we are not shaping the phrases as beautifully and thoughtfully as we can with the hairpins that Brahms offers us. Practice these on Friday before our Saturday run through.-- especially notice ms 9-23, 38-41and 80-84
2. tenors-- let's be dolce as we approach measure 90- no pushing. Floating! : )
3. All sing a true piano, please in bar 89 through 100.
4. Important to release our D together in bar 117 on beat 3.
5. altos, tenors, and basses-- please release with a strong "NG" in bar 123, beat two.
6. Sopranos and basses-- please release name with a strong M' on beat two in measure 132
7. the last sound of piece is ngZ rather than ngS-- measure 173. Be aware.
MOVEMENT 7:
1. Basses-- VERY important that your first pitch in measure 17 is a B-flat not a b natural-- it is a different twist than in the women's solo earlier.
2. Sopranos-- VERY important-- please study your pitches in measure 94-95-- you have sung a b natural the previous measure, and we must come back to it. NOTICE: this is different from (though similar to measure 55-56-57 area. Study carefully the difference between these two spots-- IT'S A TRAP!
3. This is a movement to notate BL at the beginning of each Blessed.
4. Please be very definite with the final D of DeaD throughout, but particularly in measures 23-24 and 116-117.
5. Look over your notes and rhythms in ms. 130-131and 140.
Thank you all for your gifts to this process, and I look so forward to the next step forward on Saturday! : )
Peace,
TT
Thank you for an incredibly beautiful and peaceful rehearsal tonight. I am thankful for your patience and focus, and I am very excited to hear our vision coming to be heard and seen and experienced.
Having just reviewed the recording from our rehearsal, I can offer you these comments to please consider and notate in your scores before Saturday. I have the opportunity to share these in person with the U Singers tomorrow, so we will all make some progress this way.
GENERAL IDEAS:
1. There is not a single instance when the orchestra overwhelms you. In some cases-- many cases-- we can sing truer dynamics-- more pianos, more pianissimos when the composer invites them. We do not have to worry about outsinging the orchestra. We only have to worry about oversinging as a choir.
2. We are tending to ignore and neglect our concept of the 'softest, sweetest, warmest, most beautiful' note at the end of phrases-- there are billions of opportunities to succeed at this. Let's be more aware of the many hairpin crescendos and diminuendos that Brahms shares with us. Again, we simply often end phrases with too much sound, and not enough curve, grace, and nuance.
3. Our overall diction is EXCELLENT, so keep honing your contributions! Consequently, we set such a high standard, it is VERY apparent when we are lazy in certain places. We must be vigilant and constantly engaged with the text.
SPECIFIC SUGGESTIONS:
FIRST MOVEMENT
1. The initial consonant of the word BLessed is very difficult to detect in movement I and VII-- please make a note of this each time you have this word...it is such an important part of the piece.
2. men-- in measure 25, please be very careful to make the last syllable of comfort MUCH lighter, even though it is a higher note.
3. all- in measure 23-25-- engage in sharing the V of have as it appears in your part.
4. At letter A-- remember we want to make three not phrases-- like the rock making circles in the pond. each note softer and sweeter and warmer and more beautiful than the one before.
5. At letter B- basses-- please be sure you begin on an A-flat, even though the accompaniment in the previous measures has had a naturals-- listen to this transition on your recording-- VERY important
6. women-- measure 62-- you need to share your NG' release. The men exceed your diction here.
7. all-- ms. 72-76, we need to be more expressive with these hairpin phrasings.-- that idea continues into the next section.
8. Sopranos-- ms. 87-- can you sing a very clear D' on the second half of beat two. SeeD'
9. Women-- we need a clearer M' release in measure 95. The men exceed your diction here.
10. men-- in measure 117, please be very careful to make the last syllable of comfort MUCH lighter, even though it is a higher note.
MOVEMENT 3:
1. measures 28 and 31-- it sounds like muss perish. instead of musTPerish-- please be aware of the T.
2. measure 82 and 85 and 90 - same note as above. musTPerish
3. Basses-- some of us are muscling and pushing the tone in measure 132-- be loving and beautiful, graceful here. Easy does it.
4. All choir at letter F and through this section-- please put a HUGE C at the beginning of each CAHmfort in this section-- these are invisible. Also, be very mindful of the word LorD-- often it ends on a rest, and it can be finished with Conviction and presence. Share the D!
5. ms. 146- tenors please sing the first two or three notes with the altos in this measure to help them project an important entrance in such a low register. Practice this so you know the new intervals.
6. ms. 157 and 158-- please offer an incredibly huge C at the beginning of Cahmfort as the orchestra is in a frenzy here.
7. basses-- be really careful not to rush measures 167-168-- always think of singing numbers inside the long notes-- particularly the ties!
MOVEMENT 4:
1. The main idea here is that we are not shaping the phrases as beautifully and thoughtfully as we can with the hairpins that Brahms offers us. Practice these on Friday before our Saturday run through.-- especially notice ms 9-23, 38-41and 80-84
2. tenors-- let's be dolce as we approach measure 90- no pushing. Floating! : )
3. All sing a true piano, please in bar 89 through 100.
4. Important to release our D together in bar 117 on beat 3.
5. altos, tenors, and basses-- please release with a strong "NG" in bar 123, beat two.
6. Sopranos and basses-- please release name with a strong M' on beat two in measure 132
7. the last sound of piece is ngZ rather than ngS-- measure 173. Be aware.
MOVEMENT 7:
1. Basses-- VERY important that your first pitch in measure 17 is a B-flat not a b natural-- it is a different twist than in the women's solo earlier.
2. Sopranos-- VERY important-- please study your pitches in measure 94-95-- you have sung a b natural the previous measure, and we must come back to it. NOTICE: this is different from (though similar to measure 55-56-57 area. Study carefully the difference between these two spots-- IT'S A TRAP!
3. This is a movement to notate BL at the beginning of each Blessed.
4. Please be very definite with the final D of DeaD throughout, but particularly in measures 23-24 and 116-117.
5. Look over your notes and rhythms in ms. 130-131and 140.
Thank you all for your gifts to this process, and I look so forward to the next step forward on Saturday! : )
Peace,
TT
Dear friends,
I look so forward to seeing and hearing you all tonight as we join with the University Singers and our orchestra to continue our journey with Brahms. I am grateful for your continuing commitment to one another and to this exciting collaboration. While there is always room to grow and evolve (i.e. we could work on this piece FOREVER and still not be done!), we are coming to performance time at a good point in our process. As I think back to our first encounter with one another in August for the Brahms' SUMMER SING, through our first program as Abendmusik Chorus in December, to this special moment when we are approaching our first major performance together, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for your patience, commitment, trust, energy, spirit, devotion, focus-- so many things to be thankful for. May we all be one as we continue along through this exciting week.
A few logistical considerations:
1. We WILL use black folders for the performance. If you do not have one, let Jeremy or me know well before 7:00 tonight, and we will get one for you. These folders are easier for to hold-- particularly since many of us have crumbling copies of the Brahms REQUIEM. Further, the U Singers have a different color score than ours but have the same folders we have, and all these peculiarities make it sensible to match. We WILL use black folders.
2. We plan to start promptly at 7:00 tonight. The students are scheduled to arrive around 6:45, and Jeremy, Pete, and I will help everyone find a spot. Please be patient, pleasant, cooperative, collaborative, and understanding as we try to fit many blessings in a small, tight space. Know that we will do everything we can to make things as comfortable as possible. We won't do any better accommodating everyone's needs by being impatient or frustrated with one another. BREATHE! SMILE! Share grace, and we will all make the best of the opportunities we have to share this experience. : )
Tonight we will all have a lot of new things to experience-- a doubling of the choir, an accompaniment from the orchestra, a crowded choir loft, a lot of standing-- let's continue to trust our process, and do what we've practiced and prepared. Remember, also, that I will have the same amount of new things to experience, so we all share these challenges and opportunities together. I promise to continue to offer what I can to help us collectively share in communicating the profound message of this amazing piece. I am confident that your contributions will enable Brahms' voice to be heard! Think about it: we are sharing in creation with Brahms. It's like painting with Michelangelo, writing with Shakespeare, dancing with Fred Astaire! Treasure this gift we have been given to be together with Brahms and one another.
Peace,
TT
I look so forward to seeing and hearing you all tonight as we join with the University Singers and our orchestra to continue our journey with Brahms. I am grateful for your continuing commitment to one another and to this exciting collaboration. While there is always room to grow and evolve (i.e. we could work on this piece FOREVER and still not be done!), we are coming to performance time at a good point in our process. As I think back to our first encounter with one another in August for the Brahms' SUMMER SING, through our first program as Abendmusik Chorus in December, to this special moment when we are approaching our first major performance together, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for your patience, commitment, trust, energy, spirit, devotion, focus-- so many things to be thankful for. May we all be one as we continue along through this exciting week.
A few logistical considerations:
1. We WILL use black folders for the performance. If you do not have one, let Jeremy or me know well before 7:00 tonight, and we will get one for you. These folders are easier for to hold-- particularly since many of us have crumbling copies of the Brahms REQUIEM. Further, the U Singers have a different color score than ours but have the same folders we have, and all these peculiarities make it sensible to match. We WILL use black folders.
2. We plan to start promptly at 7:00 tonight. The students are scheduled to arrive around 6:45, and Jeremy, Pete, and I will help everyone find a spot. Please be patient, pleasant, cooperative, collaborative, and understanding as we try to fit many blessings in a small, tight space. Know that we will do everything we can to make things as comfortable as possible. We won't do any better accommodating everyone's needs by being impatient or frustrated with one another. BREATHE! SMILE! Share grace, and we will all make the best of the opportunities we have to share this experience. : )
Tonight we will all have a lot of new things to experience-- a doubling of the choir, an accompaniment from the orchestra, a crowded choir loft, a lot of standing-- let's continue to trust our process, and do what we've practiced and prepared. Remember, also, that I will have the same amount of new things to experience, so we all share these challenges and opportunities together. I promise to continue to offer what I can to help us collectively share in communicating the profound message of this amazing piece. I am confident that your contributions will enable Brahms' voice to be heard! Think about it: we are sharing in creation with Brahms. It's like painting with Michelangelo, writing with Shakespeare, dancing with Fred Astaire! Treasure this gift we have been given to be together with Brahms and one another.
Peace,
TT
Monday, April 5, 2010
Dear friends,
We turn our focus back to Brahms this week and for the next thirteen days. As our performance approaches, I hope you will allow yourselves to be immersed in this amazing, radiant masterpiece. Every moment you spend with Brahms these next two weeks will enable you to more fully communicate and experience the meaning and message of our performance. The more we invest in our careful and thoughtful preparation, the more we can receive from having invested.
As a gentle reminder, I will be here tomorrow evening (Tuesday) from 7:00-9:00 p.m. to sing some Brahms with anyone who would like to come for some extra practice in community. If you have particular spots you are struggling with, bring those, and we will address all your concerns and hope to build some confidence before we reassemble Wednesday evening. You are NOT required to come on Tuesday, and I will NOT be disappointed in you if you don't come. I will be grateful for having the opportunity to share with any of you who do wish to be here. : )
To guide your personal practice in the meantime, Wednesday evening's rehearsal will focus on:
movement III
movement IV
movement V
movement VII
Grace and peace to you all. I can't wait to see and hear you soon!
TT
We turn our focus back to Brahms this week and for the next thirteen days. As our performance approaches, I hope you will allow yourselves to be immersed in this amazing, radiant masterpiece. Every moment you spend with Brahms these next two weeks will enable you to more fully communicate and experience the meaning and message of our performance. The more we invest in our careful and thoughtful preparation, the more we can receive from having invested.
As a gentle reminder, I will be here tomorrow evening (Tuesday) from 7:00-9:00 p.m. to sing some Brahms with anyone who would like to come for some extra practice in community. If you have particular spots you are struggling with, bring those, and we will address all your concerns and hope to build some confidence before we reassemble Wednesday evening. You are NOT required to come on Tuesday, and I will NOT be disappointed in you if you don't come. I will be grateful for having the opportunity to share with any of you who do wish to be here. : )
To guide your personal practice in the meantime, Wednesday evening's rehearsal will focus on:
movement III
movement IV
movement V
movement VII
Grace and peace to you all. I can't wait to see and hear you soon!
TT
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Dear friends,
Thank you all for your beautiful offerings to First-Plymouth this weekend. This Easter morning at First-Plymouth reaffirmed my confidence in God's plan to bring us all together and gave us a beautiful glimpse (three-times-no-less) of what God wants us to share. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for Jeremy's creativity and collaborative spirit. I am thankful for Becky's dedication and commitment to her behind-the-scenes efforts that make so many scenes possible. I am amazed by the grace with which the First-Plymouth Choir has welcomed me this year. I am humbled to be a part of the First-Plymouth community, in all aspects of what that means. WOW, and thank you!
What happened this morning was not just singing snazzy music with impressive instruments surrounded by pretty flowers and hundreds of people. It was not a stand-alone success. It was not a random act of beauty. It was not a drive-by hit performance. This morning was a celebration and culmination of everything we have experienced together thus far-- an example of what can happen when we humble ourselves, and invest our time and talent in the process of becoming one. This morning, every conductor, singer, and instrumentalist offered his or her body, mind, spirit, and voice to a Divine purpose of communicating with God and neighbor. We did our work well-- we prepared with energy and enthusiasm as we trusted one another and believed in our calling. Then God came to transform our offering of song and spirit, taking us from this world to that amazing, transcendent place where we are free and whole. I don't know where we were, but I saw you all there when you told us that death was 'swallowed' in victory and that hell would not triumph. WOW, and thank you!
Easter is over. May our collective memory of those alleluias inspire us to continue to be fully engaged in the ministry and music we share together-- and how many opportunities we have these next few weeks to go from this world to that amazing, transcendent place, and what a gift that we can go together. WOW, and thank you for taking me along on your journey.
Soar we now where Christ has led...ALLELUIA!
TT
Thank you all for your beautiful offerings to First-Plymouth this weekend. This Easter morning at First-Plymouth reaffirmed my confidence in God's plan to bring us all together and gave us a beautiful glimpse (three-times-no-less) of what God wants us to share. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for Jeremy's creativity and collaborative spirit. I am thankful for Becky's dedication and commitment to her behind-the-scenes efforts that make so many scenes possible. I am amazed by the grace with which the First-Plymouth Choir has welcomed me this year. I am humbled to be a part of the First-Plymouth community, in all aspects of what that means. WOW, and thank you!
What happened this morning was not just singing snazzy music with impressive instruments surrounded by pretty flowers and hundreds of people. It was not a stand-alone success. It was not a random act of beauty. It was not a drive-by hit performance. This morning was a celebration and culmination of everything we have experienced together thus far-- an example of what can happen when we humble ourselves, and invest our time and talent in the process of becoming one. This morning, every conductor, singer, and instrumentalist offered his or her body, mind, spirit, and voice to a Divine purpose of communicating with God and neighbor. We did our work well-- we prepared with energy and enthusiasm as we trusted one another and believed in our calling. Then God came to transform our offering of song and spirit, taking us from this world to that amazing, transcendent place where we are free and whole. I don't know where we were, but I saw you all there when you told us that death was 'swallowed' in victory and that hell would not triumph. WOW, and thank you!
Easter is over. May our collective memory of those alleluias inspire us to continue to be fully engaged in the ministry and music we share together-- and how many opportunities we have these next few weeks to go from this world to that amazing, transcendent place, and what a gift that we can go together. WOW, and thank you for taking me along on your journey.
Soar we now where Christ has led...ALLELUIA!
TT
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