We started as usual with warm activities. We then practised the following:
- Ring the Bells
- From B starting at Bar 12 note the different rhythm for sops, observe the rests in each bar between phrases for sop, alto and tenor lines and crescendo for all.
- Bar 16/17, be careful in each part to sing the accurate rhythm on ‘harmony’
- I’m Dreaming
- Bar 8 sops and altos, sing syncopated rhythm for ‘of a white’
- From B to C, tenor and basses practised the notes and rhythms – sing out this section (f) with sops and altos accompanying above (mp)
- At B, altos sing ‘Doh’ etc as in sops line
- At E all parts to hold the minims and dotted minims on ‘dreaming’
- Jazz Gloria
- Refer to the table at the top of the sheet for who is singing what in each of the 5 verses.
- In part B, Bar 4, breathe after ‘Messiah’.
- In part D, note the split for sops 1&2 and tenors 1&2 in last 2 bars
- Note the repeats in all parts
- In the bleak midwinter
- Take care to sustain the minims and dotted minims.
- Crescendo or (depending on position in the phrase) decrescendo smoothly through the long notes to create a legato effect.
- First time: altos and basses begin Bar 2 to Bar 10, sops and tenors sing Bar 10 – Bar 14, all sing Bar 14 – 1st time Bar 22, sops and tenors pick up ‘snow had’ in Bar 22 and go back to repeat Bar 11-14 and all sing again Bar 14 – 2nd time Bar 22.
- Second time – the Canon round: alto 1 and bass 1 start in Bar 2 (‘in the bleak’) and sing to Bar 10, alto 2 and bass 2 start to sing (‘in the bleak’) from Bar 2 immediately after alto 1 and bass 1 and sing through to Bar 10. At Bar 10, sop 1 and tenor 1 start to sing ‘snow had fall..’ and carry on to Bar 14, sop 2 and tenor 2 start to sing ‘snow had fall..’ immediately after sop 1 and tenor 1 and sing through to Bar 14. At Bar 14, choir 1 (sop, alto, tenor and bass) start to sing ‘in the bleak’ and continue to 1st time Bar 22, choir 2 (sop, alto, tenor and bass) start to sing ‘in the bleak’ at Bar 14 immediately after choir 1 and continue to 1st time Bar 22. Repeat this Canon pattern once more from Bar 11 to end Bar 22.
- The Gift
- Chorus 4, Bar 82 onwards – we practised how parts fit together for this section with the ‘Ah’ accompaniment in top 2 lines. Take care to observe the rests.
- We practised v3. Breathe after ‘know’ in Bar 76, do not breathe after ‘gifts’ in Bar 78
- Kyrie Eleison (When Christ was Born)
- We sorted out who was singing which part
- Note change of dynamics for different verses.
- In v4, breathe after ‘Christ’