Thank you every single one of you for putting in effort and hard work for yesterday's workshop!
Though it wasn't the best, I know we will continue to improve and to improve is to take note of all the details that your SLs, Ms Teng and Ms Lim said!
SO PRINT THE FOLLOWING OUT [only your section's]
SOP 1
Rapata Pa
Tall and cheeky and a chase-like atmosphere
Take note of pitch, accents, and dynamics
Life Defends
Tall and mature sound. Be aware of other sections and the chords. Sing to the audience with emotion and feel each other to breathe together. Sing in unison!!!
Climax - do not start too loud, intensity should increase and never drop. FEEEEEEEEL
Ascendit Deus
Rejoicing feeling and exuberant during Alleluia. In voce tube should sound like trumpets overlapping. Change of colour when singing in unison. Must always keep in mind the meaning of the words
Ave Maria
Supported focused sound but lighthearted. Solemn joy. Phrase nicely and do not end prematurely. Form chords and sound beautiful like the Vienna Choir Boys :)
Dahil Sa Iyo
Loving and romantic and have the same intensity of emotions as the loo loo part
Ants Summer
Firm, focused tall sound. Sing with life and enthusiasm. Take note of accents and rests and pitch.
*Louisa says even though it's not wordy and a lot, you all know what to do already. So keep all that she said in mind and LISTEN TO HER.
SOP 2
~Ants Summer
LIVELYYYY! & rhythmic. FEEL THE PULSE
Bar3 (when we come in)- Soft and crisp. Take note of rests. Don’t go flat on C and Bb. PITCHH
Bar 5 (before sop1 come in)-CRESCENDO
Bar 14 (when we change to C#)-mp. When a1 gna finish melody liao crescendoooo
Bar 19(A#)-suddenly soft. Intense.
Bar22 (when sop1 holding f#)-LOUDDD!
Bar 27-ZA must be accented. Form the chord with choir =D
Bar 27-ZA must be accented. Form the chord with choir =D
Bar 35-HIMAWARI!!!!! LOUD & FOCUSed. Take note of rest but don’t chop ‘no’
Bar 37- aft himawari, DON’T GO OUT OF TUNE FOR ZA. Pitch properly
Bar39-Matsuba bota n wokugu LOCK with each other
Bar 41- LOUD!! Aft the 3rd ‘za’ that rest MUST REST. Your ‘za’s must form chords with choir
Bar 42-last za don’t go flat
Bar 43-take note of the rest. AND HOLD THE Bb!!
Bar45-‘doke’ go back to the light soft crisp mood
Bar51 (Eb doke)-start softer and crescendo all the way till next page
Bar55-58 INTENSE!
Bar 58- accent on the last beat ‘za’ & lower part louder
Bar 59- go back to crisp and lively mood
Bar 63-crescendo “gira gira’
Bar 67- gira gira LOCK CHORDS with each other and with alto 2s. lower part (C and Bb) louder
Bar 69- “ku” must have that > < effect
~Rapata
Roll “r”s. lively, chasing feel. This is about a toy dog chasing a rabbit
Bar 15- come in loud. Accent 1st beat of bar (ps count yourselves when you all come in)
Bar22- sing SOFTER when sop1 come in
Bar 30- cresc
Bar 39 (Bb)- come in LOUD to signify our entry. Cont to cresc
Bar 57- GETLOUDER FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Bar63- clear entry but come in softer
Bar80- when holding the F, get LOUDERR
Bar84- loud and clear entry. SLOWLY decresc
Bar 102- “rapido” accent on “ra”, “sal”, “lieb” (1st beat of bar). STRETCH the 1st beats.
Bar108-109- aft holding “lin” the 1.5 beat rest is for you to PREPARE. DO NOT TUNE OUT. Come in “por el ca” ON TIME
LOUD ALL THE WAY cresc at Bar 124 on wards (la es tam pi da)
Bar 129 – accent on PA TAS.
Bar 154- come in properly after sop 1s
Bar 156 onwards- cheeky, playful, soft and crisp
Bar 173(after clap)- suddenly LOUD.
Bar190- come in soft but intense. You and alto1 are supposed to be the rabbit’s footsteps, playing with each other
Bar 231- CRESCENDO TO FF WITH WHOLE CHOIR
Bar 235- CLIMAX. DAMN LOUD
Bar 239- end on time
At piu mosso, feel the beat of alto 2s. get faster with them after that.
Last part RA PI DO SAL TA LA LIEB RE LIN FFFFFFFF. Stamp in time
~Dahil sayo aiyoyo
Feel! You are singing this song to your loved-.- SING OUT TO AUDIENCE. DON’T KEEP TO YOURSELF
Come in that time vowels mus match altos. TALL VOWELS DUDES. Esp “pa”, “ta” all stuffs with “a”
Bar2 do not break >(
Bar5 SING LOUDER. Only sop2s changing notes o.o feel the change in chord :)
Bar12- “big” go down to F#. listen to altos changing notes also
Bar14- “at nang lumi gaya” cresc
Bar16- at “na” feel the emotions swell within you
Bar19- “sinta sinta” change of colour, FEEL HOPEFUL
Bar21- “sa” going up by semitones, E-F-F# cresc, don’t so barbaric. More refined
Bar22- dahil sayo BECAUSE OF YOU!!!!!
Bar23- hold the “yo”, refresh at Bar24 cos altos changing notes
Bar27- hold “yo” for all 3 beats
Bar29- cresc at “tay”
Bar30- “da pat mong” just feel all the emotions bursting out of you
Bar36-37- “rin” go down to F# (but be softer) at bar 37
Bar37- dahil sayo CHANGE COLOUR
Bar38- cresc at “yo”
Bar 42- “pag ma ma hal” CRESC
Bar 43- Triplets!!!! (YAY 8D) cresc here GET LOUDER, GET READY FOR CLIMAX
Bar45- “KA” is the climax. LOUD but DO NOT BLAST. LIFT soft pallet. Move with whole choir
Bar 50- looooo pitching from F to G# (Ab)
Bar53- loo at the last 4 notes (B-D-G-C) FOCUS.
End song nicely. FEEL~~~
~Life defends
You all are too open~
Tall and dark sound
Bar 5 crescendo (< )and darker. Lower part louder
Bar 11 crescendo (< ). Don’t get off tune for kebedake esp lower part
Bar 13 build up feeling
Bar 15-16 DON’T BREATHE
Bar 18 LOWER PART COME IN SAME INTENSITY AS SOP 1
Bar 20 embrace with choir. Don’t go out of tune and lift soft pallet
Bar 25 high note sing properly, covered and supported
Bar 28 come in less shaky~. Land at “B’ properly. Build up feeling
Bar 34 use chest voice, press down don’t go sharp
Bar 35 lower part (G) lock with alto’s Db. Here, life is empty.
Bar 36 start soft. Crescendo on the taka u (< ). Breathe together. Getting louder.
Bar 39 get louder for taka u (<). breathe together
Bar 40 same loudness and intensity. Embrace with alto 2s but in the background
Bar 43 crescendo (<) and hold and form the last chord
Bar 44 same intensity as bar 43. Lock with choir
Bar 46 sunshine chord :D lower part A don’t go flat, be stable. We’re the most important!!!!!! :O
Bar 48 getting settled but don’t cruise. Lower part louder
Bar 53 hold the note let altos and sop 1s change their note. Be stable.
Bar 54 bar rest is meant to be silent pondering for audience. Have the right facial expression
Bar 55 come in soft. Take note of the clash before the final note. Final chord be softer to let the alto 2s come in (THEIR BEAUTIFUL LOW F :O)
~Ascendit dues
This song is about God ascending and then we praise Him and rejoice :D then after that is saying how majestic God is with the sound of trumpets~~~
Take note of your vowels!‼ TALL VOWELS
Ok the first part, sing with a LIGHTER HEART, but still have a thick sound.
Bar4 the “la ti o ne” the “o ne” DONT SCREAM. Just lift soft pallet and support, we can all reach it with ease ;)
Bar 5 “alleluia” there’s a change of word here so it must be evident when we sing it. More REJOICE here. It’s PRAISING God. START and END each phrase well
Bar14 “et dominus” change of colour here. GENTLER + SWEETER
Don’t end “bae” so loudly
Then all the “in voce tu bae” layering be BRIGHTER + VIBRANT. Listen to the other sections!
Bar 29 “tu” layer with other sections listen to their entries. END “BAE” PROPERLY.
Right aft that Bar 31 whole choir (except sop 1) sing tgth. GRAND HERE.
Here the “in voce tu bae” is all chordal, so SING TGTH AS 1 CHOIR
Bar 40 take note the “ja” (3rd beat) land properly on the C
Bar 43 onwards hold the “ja” tall sound
~Ave Maria
This song is about worshipping God. Just envision whichever God you worship and use this song as a form of prayer to thank them. Holy~
Oh yeah pls sing louder cos we have like 9 ppl but we still very soft ~_~
TALL SOUND. ROUND TOO
When we first come in “ave maria” come in SOFTLY but broadly. DO NOT BLAST. This is a holy song
Link all your words tgth
When at higher notes like high C, LIFT soft pallet. For eg 2nd page 1st bar 1st beat “tu”
Listen to other sections and choir 1, cos we are all singing as 1 CHOIR. Fit into each other and listen to the chords we form
3rd page “sancta maria” PITCH PROPERLY. Don’t out of tune pls ~_~ DEEPER sound here, support. Link words tgth, don’t be choppy
Aft that “mater dei” don’t be pitchy
Last pg 2nd stanza the “Amen” (C-D-E-F) cos we are the only section singing it, be more confident! TALL sound. CLEAR ENTRIES. Come in softly (but not so soft) then cresc immediately then sop 1 comes in.
And then all the Amens at the back‼‼ DONT BREAK. LINK. WE NEED TO LINK AND THEN CHOIR 1 CAN TAKE OVER AND WE TAKE BACK KINDA THING. SO DONT BREAK! Ok sorry for caps. And then the last “amen” end the beautiful chord nicely :’)
ALTO 1
DAHIL SA IYO
Bars 1-5 (The Loo Part): Do not waste too much effort singing this part because the other parts after that is MORE Important. However, you still have to sing this part well!
Bar 10: Take note of the quaver rest before the ‘Ng’
Bar 16: ‘Na’ must hold! Watch Miss Teng! Also, since we’re the only section moving notes, must make it more obvious!
Bar 19: ‘Kaw’! It’s a clashing note! So must make it obvious. ESPECIALLY THE HIGHER PART
Bar 20: ‘Pag a sa’. Take note of pitching! We tend to go flat
Bar 24: (only applies to lower part). When you move from the note ‘C’ to ‘E’, make it more natural and gradual. Sometimes, we are quite flat there as well!
Bar 25: The three notes for ‘hay’. PRACTISE UNTIL PERFECT. We also tend to be flat there + always cannot hear the last note ‘G’. Also must be more refined!
Bar 29: ‘tay, ma ma’. In between the tay and ma, CANNOT BREATHE!
Bar 36: In between ‘kaw’ and ‘ooh’, there’s a break! But do not break so abruptly. Make it more natural. Also, must be softer
Bar 38: CHANGE COLOUR for the Dahilsayo.
Bar 41: The 3 notes for Ya! Same as bar 25 so take note.
Bar 53: (The Loo Part) Get your note from SOP 1s. But you must also be sure of the note too. And because we are singing with SOP 2s, so we must sing louder but not aggressively. It must sound musical!
Bar 54: After the first loo, there is a break
Bar 54-55: The last 2 Loos you must form a chord. Esp last chord! Look at conductor as to how long you have to hold!
LIFE DEFENDS
Bar 1-4: A WARMER SOUND. Higher part must be much louder!
Bar 5: A darker sound but don’t sing too far back in. Remember to crescendo from end of bar 5-6
Bar 9-10: CHANGE COLOUR
Bar 11-12: INTENSITY at the ke bi da ke part! Again, higher part must be louder
Bar 13: Bu Ki Wa, change colour again
Bar 17: First ‘u’ chord. It’s a diminished 7th chord
Bar 18: 2nd ‘u’ chord. It’s a F MAJOR chord so you must lock the chord together so it sounds like one. Also, the higher part for the ‘i no chi wa’ must be MUCH LOUDER. Some lower part people will help you sing
Bar 19: HOLD THE LAST CHORD. FYI it’s an INTERRUPTED chord.
Bar 20: Change colour again. A more touching sound! HIGHER PART MUST BE LOUDER!!! Even though only a few people singing, but you must be louder!
Bar 23: Both lower and higher part singing same thing so you must make sure it sounds the same
Bar 27: The ‘ma’and ‘mo’ chord is the same. However, the ‘ru’ chord is a B MAJOR chord. So it must sound like a B Major chord!
Bar 28: The ‘do’ chord is a G MAJOR CHORD
Bar 34: A MA E MO NA- DON’T BREAK THE WORDS
Bar 35: The higher part, when you shift down from B flat to G, must make it obvious
Bar 36: AGAIN CHANGE COLOUR. START SOFTER SO THAT YOU CAN GET LOUDER!!!
Bar 37: Ta Ka U- remember to swell the U
Bar 38: The last Note A ‘ta’ must still be as loud as the other notes I NO CHI TO
Bar 39: The last U remember to swell
Bar 40-41: A TA RA SHI I- must be louder because we’re the octave of SOP 1s
Bar 42: The last 2 ‘ta me’ is very important. It is the starting of the climax
Bar 43: The AH part must be in tune. Especially the last ‘A’ note we are singing. MUST BE IN TUNE BECAUSE WE ALWAYS FOLLOW THE SOP ONES AND SING THEIR NOTE
Bar 44: A TA RA SHI I- CLIMAX!!! INTENSITY
Bar 45: Applies to lower part only –‘ta me’ must show obvious ‘E Flat’ change
Bar 45: Applies to lower part only –‘ta me’ must show obvious ‘E Flat’ change
Bar 46-47: The chord has the fullest sound but it does not mean it must be loud
Bar 48 onwards change colour again. DON’T FLOW!!
For lower part: When you hold onto the note, don’t be shaky. Just hold it still. Higher part must be MUCH louder!
Bar 53: Lower part when you move up to ‘D’ must be more obvious. And for both parts, you cannot have a dead sound
Bar 55: See Miss Teng’s conducting. The last 3 chords must get the chord right= get your note right.
Bar 56: LAST CHORD IS SOFT BUT INTENSE. Depending on how long Miss Teng wants to hold, look at her!!
AVE MARIA
Choir 2: Bar 1: MUST BE STRAIGHT IN. Don’t creep in or have a ‘n’ sound before coming in.
Bar 8: Be...ne. That part must crescendo!!
2nd page 2nd stanza first bar. ET BE NE DIC... must be softer!! But also don’t creep in!
3rd stanza: i, Je....sus. MUST CRESCNEDO. The next Je where we hold the G for 8 counts is THE CLIMAX!
Remember Louisa is singing before we repeat again
3rd page. SUS SANC TA MA RI A take note of that part!
3rd page 2nd stanza 3rd bar TO RI BUS- LOUDER!!
4th page DON’T RUSH! AND NO BREAKTHING IN BETWEEN THE FIRST MEN to another A
4th page 1st stanza 4th bar: Ra mort is: MORE OBIOUS
4th page 2nd stanza 2nd bar: A....men. CRESCNEDO. The 2nd Amen: INTENSITY
4th page last stanza 2nd bar: Notes E,F,G,A that sings to MEN, must stretch
3rd bar: HOLD THE A!!
2nd last note of the song to last note must join. LAST CHORD IS A C MAJOR CHORD SO FIND THE CHORD!
· AMEN IS ALWAYS ONE CONTINUOUS LINE! Do stagger breathing but don’t breathe at inappropriate times.
· LOUDER BASS TO SUPPORT THE SOPRANOS
ANTS SUMMER
YOUR PULSE MUST BE THERE! DO NOT RUSH!
As usual, bar 15: Ariwa part must be louder. It’s difficult because of the placement but do not keep thinking that this melody is a hindrace of our part. Think it in a positive way: this is only one of the 2 melody lines we’re gonna sing! After Ari wa, rest. Wa ki me- TAKE NOTE OF PITCH. MO -> rest then continue! You must be able to change from head voice to chest voice and vice versa
Bar 19-22: MUST KEEP INCREASING THE INTENSITY!
Bar 31: ANOTHER MELODY J. After Hi ge de, rest! Don’t shout for this melody even though it’s easier to sing. For the se ka ku- don’t draw back at the B Flat
Bar 41: In between all the Za, there’s rests. Take note of the last Za of one bar to the next Za of the 2nd bar, there is A REST! SO SHOW IT
Bar 43: First za-> REST-> Za Za. HOLD THE F.
Bar 51-55: BUILDING CLIMAX. MUST REMEMBER TO CRESCENDO
Bar 55: DO AND KO are the same notes! Build from one chord to another. FYI 2nd chord is E MAJOR CHORD. All the 4 different chords must show it properly.
Bar 57: MO SHI KA SU RU TO. Slow down, BUT NOT TOO MUCH. The MO CHORD is a D MAJOR CHORD. But SHI CHORD is a clashing chord
Bar 58: The last ZA ACCENT
Bar 62: Don’t reach A, it’s low!
Bar 65: MA NA TSU NO. LOUDER BECAUSE WE ARE OCTAVE OF SOP 1s
Bar 68 to the end: REMEMBER TO DECRESCENDO BEFORE CRESCENDO-ING AGAIN (Inverted hairpin) you guys always forget that part!
ASCENDIT DEUS
YOUR ENTRIES must be evident. ALL THE ‘A’!
ALL LOW NOTES THINK HIGH, HIGH NOTES THINK LOW
Imagine this song like a conversation where you are imitating the sections. BUT DO NOT RUSH. There must be 5 independent clear phrase parts, as if it’s 5 soloists, BUT NOT A MACHINE GUN.
Make sure the a e i o u vowels are open and pure. TALL NOT JUST WIDE. Imagine like there are toothpicks and rugby balls in your mouth.
PHRASING IS IMPORTANT
CONNECT THE LU AND YA TOGETHER
Et Do mi Nus. The DO must ‘bounce’.
Bar 19: Bae-> BREAK-> in voc en tu bae
Bar 21: ALTO ONES. Bae is 2 counts, ‘in’ is another one count. TAKE NOTE OF TIMING. Don’t rush as well, for both sop 3s and a1s.
Bar 31: CHANGE COLOUR FROM THE PREVIOUS IN VO CE TU BAEs. Also after the bae in bar 31, must break before continuing with IN VO CE TU BAE.
Bar 35: A1s. The quaver ‘al’ is immediate! MUST COUNT!
Bar 41: A1s the semiquavers DON’T RUSH!
Bar 43: The high D for A1s DO NOT BLAST
Bar 46: LAST CHORD MUST FORM A F MAJOR CHORD
· The allelujah, Ascendit Dues, In Voce Tu Bae are for different expressions so show it differently!
RAPATA PA
Bar 8: Come in straight! Don’t creep in but don’t rush as well
Bar 38: The First ‘G’ you must accent. Because it forms a F, G, B flat, E chord
Bar 44: Accent on first G again. Applies for bar 50 first G too.
Bar 56: PA TA PA TA MUST BE LOUD!
Bar 62: ACCENT ON THE 1st D. Same applies for Bar 68 and Bar 74 first D.
Bar 79: Hold on to the PA FOR THE FULL 12 counts. Must be loud too
Bar 85: First D must be f. Bar 89, mf. Bar 93, mp. Bar 97, p.
Bar 102: Ra pi do sal ta la lieb re Lim. REMEMBER TO STRETCH. Accent on the bold words
Bar 109: Por el ca mi no por el ca mi no de vuel ta a ca sa
Bar 118: The note B must be in pitch
Bar 120: Before singing, queesun, there is a quaver rest. Perro Jugu e tón
Bar 125: Before singing laes tam, there is a quaver rest
Bar 127: ROR MUST BE LOUD
Bar 129: PA TAS MUST BE LOUD
Bar 126-167: DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN ‘A’ and ‘B’. The Pa ta pa ta PA PA- DO NOT RUSH!!!! COUNT!!! Sound cheeky too, not lethargic. Must have strong sense of pitch, notes and rhythm
Bar 172: THE CLAPPING MUST BE TOGETHER
Bar 173: RA PI DO.... the note is B SO STOP SINGING THE SAME AS ALTO 2 because we have to clash!!
Bar 176: PUT DOWN YOUR HANDS PROPERLY!
Bar 179-184: Stop talking! It’s singing so sing if properly
Bar 192: Note when to come in
Bar 230-233: KEEP PRACTISING THAT PART. You’re also talking all the time!
Bar 234: ACCENT!
Bar 235-238: PRACTISE AS WELL
Bar 242: Increase your speed but don’t rush!!
Bar 247 and similar bars: The PA-> PLEASE SING NOTE A NOT THE SAME AS THE NEXT NOTE (WHICH IS NOTE F sharp) TA PA. You all always sing wrongly.
Bar 263: Everyone must end together and there must be a silence!!
Bar 265: Last part FFFFFFFFFFFFF!
Bar 268: Step on right leg, then left. And strongly and confidently!ALTO 2
Rapata pa
Sound:
- light, but not airy. All syllables, vowels and words must be crisp and clear
- the sound must be active and constantly moving.
Dynamics and Phrasing:
- Beginning (Bars 1-101)
· Start lightly. When the A1’s come in, become softer until its almost a whisper, but don’t fade away.
· Emphasize on the ‘ra’ during the layering part. Crescendo during this portion too
· In the next section, there is a crescendo at the end of every phrase.
· Decrescendo from bar 86 onwards
- Middle (Bars 102-239)
· Have a steady beat, each phrase must be strong and settled
· Crescendo at the ‘Lin’ in ‘Rapido Salta La Liebre Lin’. This is to compliment A1s’ entrance.
- Ending (Bars 240-268)
· Don’t accelerate
· Sing the last phrase with ENTHUSIASM!
Expression:
- Beginning (Bars 1-101)
· Light and playful
· Lower notes symbolize the dog, who’s chasing after the rabbit
- Middle (Bars 102-239)
· The dog is trying to catch up with the rabbit.
· Even though this part is brisk and quick, it’s still very rhythmic, not rushed.
- Ending (Bars 240-268)
· The chase concludes
Other notes:
- Don’t rush. Keep a steady pulse in your heart
- Physically move more
- listen to other sections and be aware of other parts too
Ascendit Deus
Sound:
- Each voice is independent
- the colour of every phrase is different
- All phrases are to end nicely, not abruptly
Expression:
- Majestic
- Joyful, because you’re rejoicing
- Refined and regal tone
Vowels:
- 5 vowels (a-e-i-o-u)
· All vowels to be full and tall
· Project sound outwards to the audience
Dahil Saiyo
Sound:
- Refined, deep
- full and flowing
Dynamics and Phrasing:
- Beginning (Bars 1-21)
· Start out quietly. Don’t break after the first bar; break after the second bar, before the loo
· Join all the bars together. The music must be smooth and flowing.
· Get louder as you reach the ‘Dahil Saiyo’
· Hina – pause – ngo mo sa dusa
- Middle (Bars 22-37)
· Start out slightly softer, can more gently
· Don’t break between the sa’yo
· Ikaw – break – oohooh
- Ending (Bars 38- 55)
· Soft at first. Build up intensity towards the ‘Pagmama’
· Crescendo until ‘Ka giliw’, then start decrescendoing gradually until the p at bar 48
· 3rd last bar: looloo –break- looloo….
· Last 3 bars, decrescendo until the last note, end well. Don’t cut off abruptly.
Pronunciation:
- all the harsh consonants are to be softened
Expression:
- Dahil Saiyo is about how a person finds love and how this love changed his/her life forever.
- the music is sad at first, then becomes happier when the singer tells of how he/she discovered love in this world and the power and strength that his/her lover has given him/her/
- show these feelings to the audience and tell them the story. This song is bittersweet and amazingly expressive, so please put more feeling into it.
Other notes:
- while you’re imagining and picturing the scene and feelings the lyrics depict, remember that this vision, feeling or whatever is not to be kept to yourself; you have to let it flow out of you and to the listeners. Share the bittersweet feelings and help the audience feel the sadness, loneliness, and love.
Life Defends
Dynamics, intensity and phrasing:
- Beginning (Bars 1-19)
· Quiet at first
· Intensity starts building and volume starts increasing. The volume peaks at bar 12, then everyone goes suddenly soft. But the intensity is maintained
· The weight of each phrase slowly builds as the intensity increases. As you transit to the next phrase, the weight of the phrases start to decrease slightly.
- Middle 1 (Bars 20-35)
· Revert back to the same mood as in the beginning. Soft and stable.
· Settle each chord, make sure you listen and hook onto the notes of other sections
· At ‘Donna ma ya’, the sound is soft, but intense and steady. This feeling builds and overflows into the next section
- Middle 2 (Bars 36-47)
· The notes are now brighter sounding. Built intensity with each breath, don’t let go of it when you reach the next phrase and refresh.
· Gets louder as you advance towards the ‘ah-ah-ah…’ part
· Intensity peaks at ‘Atarashi-i’, make sure you move with the other sections and go at the same pace.
· Slow down and decrescendo at the ‘inochino tameni’
- Ending (Bars 47-57)
· Don’t cruise. Constantly move and refresh chords when other parts change.
· Focused, yet peaceful.
· Once again, make sure the chords at settles, and that the clashes are clear.
· Decrescendo towards the end, but hold intensity
· A2s be louder on the last chord
Expression:
- This song is melancholic and talks about the wonderful aspects and, at the same time, the hardships of life.
- it also speaks of how all our lives are symbiotic with the environment and how we are to adapt and accept it.
- even though life can be hard sometimes, there is always hope and one must have faith in a brighter day.
-convey these feelings through your voice by making it suitably sad. But when you reach the end, your tone must be hopeful and peaceful as you have accepted life’s hardships and are ready to continue your life and live it to the fullest.
Ant Summer
Sound:
- Active, picture yourselves as ants working in an ant hill, or marching across the grassland to find food.
Dynamics and rhythm:
- Beginning (Bars 1-44)
· Soft, but not wavery. Settle on the note nicely.
· Get louder, from p to mf when the note changes
· At the ‘doke doke’ part, go suddenly soft, but don’t lose any intensity. Because the notes are low, therefore you must be deeper and more grounded
· At our melody line, remember to be grounded and loud. the ‘ashi’ must be very direct, because we’re supposed to give an impression of an alert and wary ant who’s gathering food.
· ‘ashi –break- doriwa’. Have a clear, clean break.
· Emphasize on your syllables. ‘ji-shi-N-ni Mi-chi’
· Bar 43, ‘zazaza –break- zaza!’ make sure the break is clear and clean
-Middle (Bars 45-55)
· Crescendo from the ‘doke doke’
· Form the chord in Bar 37 NICELY
- Ending (55-71)
· Make sure you keep to the beat, count on your own. Follow the speed, don’t slow down on your own.
· Come in CLEARLY on the ‘Moshikasuruto’
· The chord on the ‘ZA’ must be together (with the other sections) and stable. Be careful of your pitch!
· ‘Ku—mo!’ hold for 7 counts (ku-2-3-4, 1-2-3 MO!) < wrong way of counting, but it’s easier (?)
Expression:
- pretend you’re an ant, a busy, tiny ant, scurrying around, gathering food. Imagine the activity and the commotion in a single ant hill with millions and millions of ants and all those small little jobs like gathering food and looking after the baby ants. So picture yourself as a busy ant, singing and working!
Other notes:
- make sure all the rests are clear and the breaks are together.
- when singing ‘za’ try not to do too much of the ‘zz’ and drop your jaw for the ‘ah’ sound
Sound:
- Rich, full and deep.
- flowing
- holy(?)
Dynamics and phrasing:
- Quiet in the start, but still deep and rich
- intensity and volume increases gradually, until ‘tuin mulieribus’
- returns to p at ‘Ave Maria’, crescendos to ‘Jesus’
Repeat
- house/box/whatever 2, Sancta Maria, mf, not p
- gradually get louder as you reach the 2nd Sancta Maria
- get softer at ‘Amen’ so as not to drown out the Sops and Alto 1s.
Expression:
- this is a prayer and it is supposed to sound rich, thick and meaningful. Sing your praises, your wishes and hopes and your thankfulness to God and express your joy and awe.
- picture that you’re in an old, yet majestic and beautiful church, singing this song. Your voices echo down the aisle, between the pews, and fills the entire hall. Let your sound resonate and let it reach out and touch the audience’s hearts.
