Dear friends,
Thank you for all that you contributed to a wonderful gathering with dozens of singers, stringed instruments, winds, brass, timpani, and organ. There is a lot for each of us to adjust, process, and navigate when all the parts finally come together. Know that your focus, presence, stamina, energy are all appreciated. The Mozart excerpts we sang last night were mostly movements we had not rehearsed recently-- they were many of the first things we covered. It was enlightening to see how by the second-time-through we could achieve such a thoughtful and insightful performance. Hopefully we can start with the 'second-time-through' and continue to build upon all that we have experienced with, truly, each and every phrase of the piece. What you see below are mainly suggestions of things that can be improved. Keep in mind that there would be far longer list of things that are already beautifully communicated by our beautiful choir.
Here are a few thoughts for you to consider as you practice today. Please mark these into your scores before our rehearsal on Saturday morning. There are some things we need to address together, but these are suggestions that can be incorporated if all 120-some of us enable them to happen individually.
1. Please take some time to process how you will personally excel in singing the opening pitches for the movements that do not have introductions: Requiem into Dies Irae; Recordare into Confutatis (basses); Lacrymosa into Domine Jesu; Hostias into Sanctus
2. In LACRYMOSA-- take a look at the shape of all the phrases you can sing. Allow your body to sing them-- a lot of flow and shape is needed here.
3. in LACRYMOSA-- Also, please practice snapping on the releases to be sure if the final note in the phrase is an eighth note or a quarter. Please do not guess-- be specific, accurate, and also musical!
4. in LACRYMOSA-- from 2 after I to the end of the movment is a gradual, steady, intensification/crescendo, so please continue to spin the air, feeding the sound all the way to the final M in the 3rd bar to the end. Write some words in these measures to encourage yourself. FEED. SPIN. KEEP GOING. GROW. INTENSIFY. Be a cheerleader for yourself!
5. DOMINE JESU-- the downbeats of measure 9 and 11 are the end of a phrase. THESE NEED TO BE SOFTER, SWEETER, WARMER, AND MORE BEAUTIFUL. We are pouncing on them still. Draw in a slur over the barline, a diminuendo, whatever it takes.
6. DOMINE JESU-- at letter N-- please exaggerate your final "T" consonants at the end of ne cadanT-- imagine projecting these to the back wall of the sanctuary. This will help make the rhythmic energy of this section be even more exciting.
7. DOMINE JESU-- from letter O to the end-- let's be our own cheerleaders again. Give yourself some positive reminders about diction. TEXT! WORDS! CONSONANTS! DICTION! KW! PRRRRRRR! throughout this section-- not just at our opening entrances.
8. DOMINE JESU-- from O to the end-- figure out how you can be more aware of the dynamics from the annotations that are in your vocal line. While maintaining clarity and conviction in the consonants and in the rhythm, can we allow for more dynamic variety?
9. HOSTIAS-- How can you be more rhythmically present in this movement? How can we enable more beautiful and compelling dynamic contrasts? Can we really trust one another to sing piano that is far different from forte? Let's try! Practice this. Here is a place where we can be ordinary or extraordinarily sensitive.
10. HOSTIAS-- you have several markings encouraging you to have quiet 's' at the end of phrases. We achieved this in rehearsal by allowing a small space before the soft 's'. Practice this. Here is a place where we can be ordinary or extraordinarily sensitive.
11. HOSTIAS- from Andante con moto to the end: let's be our own cheerleaders again. Give yourself some positive reminders about diction. TEXT! WORDS! CONSONANTS! DICTION! KW! PRRRRRRR! throughout this section-- not just at our opening entrances.
12. your OSANNNA fugue at the end of BENEDICTUS-- AWESOME...just saying... keep thinking sunny, salad, watermelon, gazelle, etc.
13. AGNUS DEI-- can we once again really trust one another to sing piano in the 'dona eis requiem' sections at I, L and N. This will allow us to have room and space to make more beautiful phrases with your expression markings.
14. AGNUS DEI-- at the opening, let's continue to think about intensifying and keeping the center of energy in the tone on our diminuendos in phrasing and shaping the 'agnus dei....qui tollis' sections.
Tomorrow, we will review a few things from these movements, but we will also cover REQUIEM (movement 1), DIES IRAE, REX TREMENDAE, and SANCTUS. YAY!
We will again line up at 9:50 in the chapel (men) and choir room (women) and enter as we did yesterday. Please do your best to come on time so we can have a stress-free, relaxed opening to our day. If anyone would like to have a morning vocal warm-up, I will be in the choir room at 9:30. You do not have to come for this, but if you wish, I would be happy to help get us prepared and focused.
Grace and peace, and ongoing thanks for bringing all that you are to this moment!
TT
