PROGRAM ORDER PROGRAM AND REHEARSAL NOTES. MSVMA SATB Honors Choir MMC 2016 Rehearsal and Repertoire Notes Dr. Kimberly Dunn Adams

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1 MSVMA SATB Honors Choir MMC 2016 Rehearsal and Repertoire Notes Dr. Kimberly Dunn Adams PROGRAM ORDER arr. Shawn Kirchner, Unclouded Day Hugo Alfvén, Uti vår hage Daniel Gawthrop, Sing Me To Heaven Rene Clausen, O My Luve s Like a Red, Red Rose Haydn, The Heavens are Telling Sarah Hopkins, Past Life Melodies PROGRAM AND REHEARSAL NOTES Haydn, The Heavens are Telling from The Creation The Creation, Franz Josef Haydn s most acclaimed oratorio, depicts the creation of the universe as described in the Bible s Book of Genesis, Book of Psalms, and Milton s epic poem, Paradise Lost. Scored for full orchestra, chorus, and solo trio, the oratorio is structured in three parts. The Heavens are Telling, the electrifying and triumphant conclusion to Part 1 of The Creation, is based on the text from Psalm 19: 1-3. This movement concludes the fourth day of creation, which establishes the birth of the sun, moon, and stars, as well as the separation of light and darkness. The choir and trio of archangels (Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael) sing exalted, joyful praises in the bright key of C major. This gleaming key, in large contrast to dark, chromatic harmonies of the Overture, represents the triumph of light over darkness. The private and public premieres of The Creation in 1798 and 1799, respectively, were a resounding success, and the work was performed more then 40 times over Haydn s lifetime. It remains one of the most performed and celebrated masterworks in the choral repertoire. Diction Notes: Initial and intervocalic R s are to be flipped throughout. Students who are unable to flip their R s should substitute with a d. Final R s or R s preceding consonant clusters should be dropped or sung as a schwa ( wonder, firmament )

2 Resounds = rih- sounds [I] Revealed = rih- vealed [I] Other: Final consonants should be put on the following rest (if one exists). Text stress should be observed. (HEA- vens, TELL- ing) Only breathe where there is punctuation, unless otherwise indicated. A wonderful recording: Jkktpp9QI m. 10 All No breath m. 16 All No breath m. 41 TB quarter rest on beat 3 m. 42 S quarter rest on beat 3 m. 42 B lift between beats 3 & 4 m. 44 SB quarter rest on beat 3 m. 46 All No breath m. 52 All No breath m. 98 TB quarter rest on beat 3 m. 99 B lift between beats 3 & 4 m. 99 S quarter rest on beat 3 m. 101 SB quarter rest on beat 3 m. 103 All No breath m. 110 B No breath m. 113 T No breath m. 117 S No breath m. 118 A No breath m. 122 TB No breath m. 125 S quarter rest on beat 3, consonant/cutoff on beat 3 m. 128 T quarter rest on beat 3 m. 131 A accent on beat 1 m. 131 B quarter rest on beat 2, t on beat 2 m. 132 B half rest on beats 3-4, final consonant on beat 3 m. 133 T quarter rest on beat 3 m. 134 S consonant/cutoff on beat 1 m. 136 ST no breath m. 142 B t on beat 1 m. 147 SAB quarter rest on beat 3 m All No breath m. 153, 154 T accent on beat 1 m. 154, 155 S accent on beat 1 m. 155, 156 A accent on beat 1 m. 157 STB quarter rest on beat 3 m. 159 All No breath m. 160 B k on beat 1

3 m. 162 B ndz of resounds on beat 1 m. 163 T quarter rest on beat 2 m. 164 A quarter rest on beat 3 m. 169 SAB quarter rest on beat 3 m. 170 All No breath m. 171 SAB quarter rest on beat 3 m. 171 T quarter rest on beat 2 m. 173 T quarter rest on beat 3 m. 174 TSA Same accents as m m. 178 S quarter rest on beat 3 m. 178 A quarter rest on beat 2 m. 180 T quarter rest on beat 2 m. 182 T crescendo through m. 183 m. 183 A final consonant d on downbeat m. 186 B quarter rest on beat 2 m. 190 All quarter rest on beat 2 m. 192 All quarter rest on beat 2 Hugo Alfvén, Uti vår hage Hugo Alfvén, one of the most prominent Swedish composer- conductors, composed a considerable amount of orchestral repertoire, including five symphonies, three orchestral rhapsodies, a ballet, and an oratorio. Most significantly, Alfvén wrote over 100 works for choir and he is perhaps most noted for his choral arrangements of Swedish folk songs. These folk- song arrangements are universally known and beloved by the Swedish people and exist in the permanent repertoire for nearly every Swedish choir. Alfvén s music is colorful and rich, featuring the picturesque harmonies of the late Romantic era. The longevity of his arrangements is undoubtedly due to his great compositional skill, manifest in brilliant voice leading, color palate, direct drama, and organic expression of the Swedish culture. Uti vår hage (1923) is possibly Alfvén s most cherished song. This nostalgic love ballad celebrates both love and the Swedish summer, or midsommar (summer solstice). Fluid melodies in triple meter give way to a lilting dotted rhythm on the chorus that depicts the many beautiful flowers blooming in the Swedish summer. At the close of the piece, the wistful minor key transforms into a heart- warming major tonality, much like the darkness of winter yielding to a temperate, sunny spring. A love song that evokes the Swedish summer. Features an old (possibly centuries- old) strophic text.

4 Learn rhythms and notes first, paying special attention to precise dotted rhythms (not triplets) and full- value half notes. Carefully tune all unisons/octaves. Leading tone motion is especially important. Choral tone for Swedish folk songs is generally without vibrato. Divisi follows the stem direction and written splits. If balance issues persist, we will make part shifts in the rehearsals no part is too difficult to allow for quick adjustment. Please have your students mark the translation in their scores, keeping as close to a word- for- word as possible. We will sing all three verses. Translation: In our garden the blueberries grow, Come, heart s delight! If you want me, we shall meet there. Come lilies and columbine, Come roses and salvia, Come lovely catmint, come heart s delight! Lovely little flowers there invite us to dance, Come heart s delight! If you want, I will make you a wreath. Come lilies In our garden there are flowers and berries. Come, heart s delight! But of all you are dearest to me. Come lilies In some prints, the measure numbers are incorrectly listed until measure 19. There are 26 measures in the piece (counting both the first/second and third ending as the same measure #). The following should be correct: First Page, First System, Uti- vår m. 1 First Page, Second System, hjärtans m. 5 First Page, Third System, träffas vi m. 9 Second Page, First System, roso och m. 13 Second Page, Second System, hjärtans m. 17 Second Page, Third System, aquileja m. 20 Second Page, Fourth System, ljuva krus- m. 23 m. 1 All Ej för långsamt = Not too slow m. 4 All Breathe between beats 2 & 3 m. 6 All d of fröjd on beat 3

5 m All Rubato from beat 3 of m. 9 into m. 10 m. 10 All Breathe between beats 2 & 3 m. 12 SA Observe stem direction voice crossing for S and A (beat 2) m. 12 TB Observe stem direction voice crossing for T and B (beat 3) m. 12 STB Small lift between beats 2 & 3 m. 14 All Rubato m. 14 STB Breathe between beats 2 & 3 m. 14 SA Observe stem direction voice crossing for S and A (beat 2) m. 18 All Third ending fermata over beat 3 m. 20 SA Observe stem direction voice crossing for S and A (beat 2) m. 22 SA Observe stem direction voice crossing for S and A (beat 2) m. 22 All Breathe between beats 2 & 3 m. 22 All Rit. m. 25 All molto rit. Pronunciation: Make sure that r s are lightly flipped or rolled with the tip of the tongue. American r s will NOT work in this language. Double consonants are pronounced doubly, like in Italian. Ex: träffas in m. 9 has a longer f sound. Listen carefully for the difference between the [u] ( ooo ) vowel, the [U] (as in book ) vowel, and [y] (a combination vowel involving an [i] eee position with the tongue and an [u] ooo with the lips. All three must be distinct and correctly formed. (best sung recording, conducted by Eric Ericsson) (This one speaks slowly and syllable- by syllable. Best spoken recording to use.) (A video, has a small speaking accent, which makes it more difficult for teaching purposes but still acceptable.) Daniel Gawthrop, Sing Me To Heaven Published in 1991, Sing Me to Heaven was commissioned by VOCE, a community choir located in a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C. It is composer Daniel Gawthrop s most famous piece, and one that has captivated choirs and audiences alike. Gawthrop s composition puts the text at the fore, and his melodic and harmonic languages highlight the melancholy eloquence of the poetry. Gentle dissonance, rising and falling lines, and compact voicing serve to remind the listener of the lullaby, love song, and requiem.

6 The poet, Jane Griner, wrote, There are times in life when only music can truly express our feelings. This piece speaks of music through the singers eyes. Sing Me to Heaven is a beautiful example of how words and music and the voices and hearts of so many young musicians seamlessly merge to create something unique that touches and heals our spirits. Clear and quick initial American r s are fine in this piece (truths, response, wraps, requiem, etc.) R s following a vowel (Comfort, heart, chambers, words, heard, pleasure) should be sung towards a schwa sound. Consonants should be pronounced clearly and lightly, never dropped unless specified. God = really round aw vowel (towards oh just a little bit) Sing = pure [I] ih sound, not at all ee [i] Heaven = second vowel a schwa shaded towards [I] ih m. 2 SA No breath m. 3 SA truths with a voiced th m. 4 SA s of gloss on beat 2 m. 6 SA No breath m. 8 SA t of mute on beat 2.5 m. 8 TB response pronounced rih- sponse [I] m. 10 TB No breath m. 11 TB No breath m. 14 SA poco poco diminuendo to beat 2, s of eloquence on beat 2.5 m. 16 All No breath sing through ng m. 17 All sing through n of in m. 19 All a bit faster m. 22 All breathe on beat 4 m. 26 All ng of song on beat 4, breathe m. 30 All d of God on beat 4, breathe m. 30 All vowel of God round like aw (not ah ) m. 32 All small breath at end of measure m. 37 TB lift/breathe after pleasure m. 38 All No breath m. 40 All t of comfort on beat 4 m. 43 All mp on downbeat, p by beat 3 m. 44 All pp by beat 3 m. 53 All ng of song on beat 3, breathe on 3.5

7 Rene Clausen, O My Luve s Like a Red, Red Rose Grammy award- winning composer René Clausen is the conductor of the Concordia Choir and Professor of choral conducting at Concordia College in Minnesota. In this arrangement of A Red, Red Rose, Clausen imaginatively resets the words of a famous 1794 Scots song to a new melody, accompanied by a rippling piano part and soaring stringed instruments. Clausen s arrangement features a variety of vocal timbres as well men s voices, women s voices, and a series of love duets in various combinations. The piece closes with a passionate, then suddenly intimate promise. The poet, Robert Burns - - who was widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland - - wrote both original poetry and collected folksongs from Scotland. (In fact, we have Burns to thank for our New Year s favorite: Auld Lang Syne.) The text tells the story of a whirlwind romance, where the couple must be parted soon after falling in love. In the poem, they make three promises to love each other forever and then vow to reunite, no matter the distance. Flipped and schwa r s throughout. Tall diphthongs and very long primary vowels (ex: I is a tall ah and small ih at end, same as mile, dry, and so on) Schwas should be round, unemphasized, and thousand isn t thousehnd or thousihnd or thousuhnd but a really subtle thousoend All divisi as written (SSAATTBB) m. 5 AB Warm and full tone m. 8 AB z of rose on beat 3 m. 12 SAB No breath, elide z of rose with th of that s m. 16 S n of June on beat 3 m. 16 AB n of June on beat 3.5 (on an eighth rest) m. 17 T small and tasteful crescendo leading through m. 17 into 18 m. 18 All elide k of like with a m. 20 SA small lift between melodie and that s m. 23 All tune pronounced tyoon [tjun] m. 24 All n of tune on the eighth note (beat 3) m. 24 All rubato m. 26 TB poco crescendo into the downbeat of m. 27 m. 28 TB s of lass on beat 2.5 (8 th rest) make the s very small and quiet! m. 31 TB quarter rest on beat 3, deep and silent breath m. 35 TB breathe on beat 2.5 change dear to a dotted quarter with an 8 th rest breath m. 37 TB z of seas on beat 2.5 m. 39 TB z of seas on beat 2.5 m. 43 TB cutoff on downbeat m. 50 SA mature and full sound

8 m. 54 SA 4 part divisi here SSAA m. 56 SA tenderly sung m rubato m. 64 All s of lass on beat 2.5, make small and soft m. 67 All quarter rest on beat 3, breathe m. 71 All breathe on beat 2.5 (dotted quarter and 8 th rest) m. 73 TB observe the text stress on THOU- sand make it thou(sand) m. 74 TB nd of thousand on beat 1 m. 75 SA observe the text stress on THOU- sand make it thou(sand) m. 75 TB beat 3 entrance float the sound on entry m. 77 All full forte m. 79 All l of mile and cutoff on beat 3 m. 85 All rubato m. 86 Fermata on beat 1, choir cued to entry arr. Shawn Kirchner, Unclouded Day Unclouded Day, the opening movement from Shawn Kirchner s bluegrass triptych, Heavenly Home, is a 19 th century gospel hymn written by the circuit- riding preacher Rev. Josiah K. Alwood ( ). This beloved folk hymn has been recorded by artists such as Willie Nelson, Don Henley, the Gaither Vocal Band, and Johnny Cash, and is widely considered a gospel favorite. Shawn Kirchner s inspired arrangement of this piece features a straight- forward introduction to the melody accompanied by clear and ringing harmonies. The second verse, inspired by the vocal timbre of Dolly Parton, is followed by an exciting fugal treatment of the third verse. At the end, the eight- part voices converge, building to a powerful and rousing conclusion. Be sure to be precise about learning the arpeggio notes correctly be vigilant about tuning the thirds! (Ex: soprano melody in measure 7, the triad outline must stay in tune and be sung with accuracy.) o s throughout should be really round and prepared in the breath Put final consonants on the rests unless otherwise indicated Divisi as written P carefully rehearse entrance pitches, paying particular attention to the unison/octave intonation between parts. Point out voice crossing and dissonance where they occur. On the word unclouded (ex: measure 45) emphasize the strength of the syllable cloud to make the rhythm really dance. m. 2 S z of skies on beat 4 m. 3 T small lift at end of measur m. 4 ATBar small lift at end of measure. m. 5 B tenuto on beat 3

9 m. 6 SB crescendo to mf by beat 3 m. 6 SB z of rise on beat 4. m. 6 AT breathe on beat 3.5 m. 8 All quarter rest on beat 4 m. 10 TBB enjoy the text stress and sing CLOUDless, CLOUDless days m. 11 TBB z of days on the rest m. 12 ATB small, 1 beat diminuendo on O m. 14 ABar z of rise elided with beat 4 m. 14 STB z of rise on beat 4 m. 15 ABar No breath m. 16 SATBar diminuendo after beat 3, connect to written dim. in m. 17 m. 16 B 8 th rest on beat 4 (turn dotted quarter into a quarter note and 8 th rest) m. 18 B diminuendo from beats 1-3 m. 18 T m of home on beat 4, small breath m. 19 Bar 8 th rest on beat 4 m. 20 T 8 th rest on beat 2 m. 21 Bar 8 th rest on beat 2 m. 21 T 8 th rest on beat 4 m. 23 T 8 th rest on beat 2.5 m. 24 TBarB tenutos over both 8 th notes on beat 4 m. 25 TBarB each note fully sung and connected to the next m. 26 TBarB No breath for the men connect into beat 1 m. 30 All meno m. 32 ABar z of rise elided with beat 4 m. 32 ST z of rise on beat 4 m. 34 Bar breath on beat 4 (dotted quarter becomes quarter and 8 th rest) m. 34 SATB cut off on beat 1 of m. 35 m. 35 Bar Melody should be sound with an open, bouncy sound m. 37 T Careful here! It s different! Also, breathe on an 8 th rest on beat 4 m. 37 A2, T2, B quarter rest on beat 4 m. 40 S, A2, T No breath m. 40 S2 Careful here! It s different! m. 42 All Watch will take some time here. Release d with small shadow vowel. m. 44 SA z of days on beat 4 m. 45 TB z of days on beat 4 m. 48 S1,A1,T, B2 z of rise on beat 4 m. 48 S2, A2, Bar z of rise elided with beat 4 m. 50 All Breathe on beat 4 (feel a long beat 3, though don t clip it) m. 52 SA z of days on beat 4 m. 53 TB z of days on beat 4 m. 56 All Watch poco rit m. 58 All Crescendo on final note

10 Sarah Hopkins, Past Life Melodies Past Life Melodies was composed in 1991 by Sarah Hopkins for St. Peters Lutheran College, a high school in Brisbane, Australia. It was commissioned specifically for the St. Peters Chorale compact disc Until I Saw: Contemporary Australian Choral Music. Sarah Hopkins is a renowned and respected Australian composer who has created a very distinguished place for her unique music on the world stage. The materials for Past Life Melodies evolved over a period of years, the process commencing well before St. Peters Chorale requested a piece. The melodic ideas of the work, like those in all of Sarah Hopkins music, are simple in structure and reach deep into the soul. The first melody was one which haunted the composer for many years a melody which came to her at moments of deep emotion. The second melody reflects her considerable interest in the music of various world cultures, and in this particular case her eight years of residence in Darwin in the north of Australia, where she had much contact with Australian Aboriginal art and music. The third section of the work utilises a concept called harmonic- overtone singing, which is as ancient a technique as singing itself. Here the separate harmonic voices weave and dart like golden threads above the earthy drone sustained by the main body of the choir. The richness and subtlety of colours and the earthy hearty quality of the voices, along with an inner rhythm of very simple ideas and materials, offers the listener a communication with the very heart and soul of music itself. Program Note by Stephen Leek Morton Music (Note for MSVMA: The publisher licenses choirs which are performing this work to use this note in their programs. The copyright notice must be included.) Much of the specific divisi will need to be determined in the final joint rehearsals the singers will need to be flexible and, ideally, prepared to sing their surrounding parts. (A Part 2 Soprano should be prepared to sing Part 3 or 4.) That said, the following is a basic guideline for which part will draw from each section: Part 1 Soprano 1 (a few voices) Part 2 Soprano 1 and 2 Part 3 Soprano 2 Part 4 Soprano 1/2, Alto 1/2, Tenor 1 Part 5 Brighter Voices - Soprano 1/2, Alto 1/2, Tenor 1 Part 6 Soprano, Alto, Tenor 2 Part 7 Soprano, Alto, Tenor 2 Part 8 Bass I

11 Part 9 Bass I Part 10 Bass I, some Bass II s Part 11 Bass II Tips for Beginning, Rehearsal A, Rehearsal B: Have all of the students learn the melody accurately, even those not singing it. All of the drone notes throughout the first few pages are taken from the melody, so hearing the drone s interaction with the melody will help those notes stay in tune. Rehearse leaps accurately and without reaching for or blasting the top pitch. Be vigilant with the singers about refreshing and brightening the vowel on each beat. Vowel unity greatly aids intonation. Train silent breaths. Focus on 8ve intonation. It is key to creating great overtones. Tips for Rehearsal D: Carefully tune the chromatic pitches by practicing slowly and checking pitch against the piano (or improvised chord progressions). Note that the 2 nd measure of the melody features 2 repeated notes and one chromatic pitch many singers overlook this, singing 3 chromatic pitches instead. Be precise with the leap to F- natural the tritone often goes flat. Students should practice holding their drone note against the other pitches and they should practice steady and energized breath motion to increase pitch consistency. Solos at end: All of the singers in the choir will have the experience of overtone singing. However, auditions will be held to pick 6 singers as soloists to end the piece.

Voice : Review posture, breath, tone, basic vowels. Theory: Review rhythm, beat, note values, basic notations, other basic terms

Voice : Review posture, breath, tone, basic vowels. Theory: Review rhythm, beat, note values, basic notations, other basic terms Year At a Glance ic Grade Level I FIRST SEMESTER TEXTBOOK: Essential Elements for Choir, Book I by E. Crocker & J. Leavitt. Hal Leonard Co. Milwaukee, WI. 3 Weeks 1 st 3 weeks 2 nd 3 weeks 3 rd 3 weeks