Maestro's Notes

Get your pencils out!

Please look at the blog for comments from David MacKenzie following Sunday's rehearsal. (If you're at the blog, you might need to click "older posts" at the bottom of the blog page in order to cycle to the next page of posts.)

Writing in notes and preparing David's comments before Saturday is essential to a smooth and productive rehearsal, so please look at your section's comments before Saturday. (I know, I know...it's a holiday week...)

Also, please do the following:

• EVERYONE: look at the bold print comments at the top of the Soprano 1 comments
• Soprano 1: you have enough to look at so, just look at your comments
• Soprano 2: in addition to your comments, look at the Soprano 1 comments and see if you can implement any of them into your part
• Alto: Compare your comments to Tenor/Bass
• Tenor: Compare your comments to Alto/Bass
• Bass: Compare your comments to Alto/Tenor

There is a thread of similarity running through the comments, so that's why I've asked you to check to see the similarities.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. See you Saturday!

Maestro's Notes for Soprano 1

“a” = the open, forward 1st sound of “father”,

 “e” = the sound of “bed”

“ɔ” = the sound of the Standard English vowel in “call”. Used for the Latin “o”     sound

BACH

Mvt I   

Bar 57-58    on the top A modify the vowel to “a”, then modify “-sis” to “-sas”

Bar 78        “-ri-” becomes “-re-”, same in bars 82, 98

Bar 93-94    “in” becomes “en”, remove the “x” AND the staccato from “ex-“ and modify the vowel to “a”. “-cel-sis” becomes “-chal-sas”. (entire phrase: “en a-cha-sas”) This allows a more legato approach to the high “B”.

Bar 99        “-cel-sis” becomes “-chal-sas”. (as at bar 94)

Bar 101    The tempo relationship between the 3/8 and the 4/4: the 8th note of the two sections is almost equal. The hemiola grouping of the 3/8 sets the quarter-note pulse of the 4/4.

Bar 106    “pax”: avoid “pox” like …well the pox! The “a” must be open and forward. The pitch here is quite a problem because of the “uh” in the sound. Same at bars 111, 132, 133-134, (in other words EVERYWHERE.)

Bar 107    “hominibus” should be sung as “ɔ-me-ne-bus” (see key above for how “ɔ” should sound). Pitch problems are resulting from a closed “o” sound on “hom-“ like the sound of “rote.”  Keep the “o” open and forward, should more like Standard English “jaw”. This is true of the first vowel of “bonae” and “voluntatis” as well!

Bar 127    Here is a better suggestion for the high A: for “-mi” use “ma”, here and at 86, 149, and at 173. NOTE: This is specifically for the approach to the high “A”. In other cases, we modify to “me”, as below.

   

Bar 129    Modify “-tis” to “-tes”, here and at 151, and 175.

   

Bar 135    “-mi-ni-bus bo-” becomes “-me-ne-bas ba-“.

   

Bar 158    Modify “ho-mi-“ to “ho-me-“, same in 164.

   

Bar 159    Modify all of “-ni-bus bo-“ to “-na-bas ba”. (all “a”)

   

Bar 175    “-lun-“ becomes “-lan_”.

Mvt III

Bar 1-2    “prin-ci-pi-ɔ”, not “prin-ci-pi-oh”

Bars 7-9    Modify “-o-“ to “-a-“, same at 17-19, 82-84, 119-121

Bar 12        If you are not already doing it, “-ci-“ become “-ce-“

Bar 13     Last note, modify to “-ca-“

Bar 20        Modify the entire bar to: “-ram en se-ca-la se-ca-“

Bar 29        add a cresc mark, as a reminder

Bar 53        As mentioned in rehearsal Sunday: “nunc” becomes “nanc”, also at 86, 101.

Bar 57        Last note modify to “-ram”, also at 90

Bar 74        The last note each time is late. The < > should be more sharply defined.

Bar 79        Modify this bar to: “et en se-ca-la se-cu-“

Bar 81        Modify to  “-ca-la se-ca-“

Bar 132-3    Modify to “en se-ca-la se-ca-la-rum”

Maestro's Notes for Soprano 2

BACH

Mvt I   

Bar 101    The tempo relationship between the 3/8 and the 4/4: the 8th note of the two sections is almost equal. The hemiola grouping of the 3/8 sets the quarter-note pulse of the 4/4.

Bar 136    “pax”: avoid “pox” like …well the pox! The “a” must be open and forward. Pitch problems are resulting from a closed “o” sound on “hom-    “ like the sound of “rote.”  Keep the “o” open and forward, should more like Standard English “jaw”. This is true of the first vowel of “bonae” and “voluntatis” as well!

Mvt III

Bar 5        If you are not already doing it, “-ci-“ becomes “-ce-“ (“cheh”), also the “o” is open and forward like “jaw”, NOT like “oh”.

Bar 12        As mentioned in rehearsal Sunday: “nunc” becomes “nanc”, also at 75, 101

Bar 29        add a cresc mark, as a reminder

Bar 85        Last 2 note modify “-cu-“ to “-ca-”, also at 98

Bar 74        The last note each time is late. The < > should be more sharply defined.

Bar 105    Last note modify to “-ram”

Maestro's Notes for Alto

BACH

Mvt I   

Bar 101    The tempo relationship between the 3/8 and the 4/4: the 8th note of the two sections is almost equal. The hemiola grouping of the 3/8 sets the quarter-note pulse of the 4/4.

Bar 124    “pax”: avoid “pox” like …well the pox! The “a” must be open and forward. Pitch problems are resulting from a closed “o” sound on “hom-    “ like the sound of “rote.”  Keep the “o” open and forward, should more like Standard English “jaw”. This is true of the first vowel of “bonae” and “voluntatis” as well!

Bar 130    Modify “ho-mi-ni-“ to “ho-me-ni-“ (like “-meh_”), same in 153, 156.

Bar 135    Look closely at the rhythm here, there is a tendency to misread the 3rd beat.

Bar 159    “-mi-ni-bus” should be modified to “-me-ne-bas”

Last bar     Keep the A high, it tends to be flat. Same at last note of Mvt. III

Mvt III

Bar 5        If you are not already doing it, “-ci-“ becomes “-ce-“ (“cheh”), also the “o” is open and forward like “jaw”, NOT like “oh”.

Bar 10        Place accents on “sae-cu”

Bar 29        add a cresc mark, as a reminder

Bar 46        “nunc” becomes “nanc”, also at 59, 107

Bar 74        The last note each time is late. The < > should be more sharply defined.