This was our second live rehearsal and in all we welcomed 13 new singers who are trying us out. We hope they are enjoying singing with us. Good to see so many of our regular singers back with us too. Altogether we made a good sound!
We are preparing for a concert on the 30th of October. Last week we sang through the Mozart Requiem. This week we focused on the Salieri. We sing where the score says ‘tutti’.
Pronouncing the Latin
Sam gave us a crash course in pronouncing ‘Italianate Latin’. As in modern Italian there are only five vowels, all pure – no nasals or diphthongs!
A a roughly as in ‘cat’
E e as in ‘egg’
I i pronounced ‘ee’ as in ‘see’ (NOT as in ‘tip’)
O o as in ‘song’
U u pronounced ‘oo’ as in ‘too’
Eg ‘Christe’ is pronounced ‘Kreesteh’; ‘Kyrie’ is pronounced ‘Kee-ree-eh’
When we have ‘ei’ (as in ‘eleison’) treat it as 2 separate vowels: we hang on to the ‘e’ and pop the ‘i’ in at the last moment.
Roll your ‘Rs’ if you can. Start ‘Kyrie’ and ‘Christe’ with a good K.
Put the ‘gl’ of ‘gloria’ early – just before the beat.
‘H’ is not pronounced
We need to move our mouths as if we were Italian! No British reticence!
Sam’s tips on the music
Kyrie
P1 watch for unexpected first note – not in main key
Land gently on ‘son’ at end of ‘eleison’
In last bar turn page early – we are straight in on p2!
P2 suddenly quiet on bottom line
P5 mark up last 2 bars as ‘piano’ (quiet). ‘Dolce’ means ‘sweetly’
P7 make crescendo and quiet again in bars 83-85 more exciting
Mark quiet in bar 88 till end
P 8 Gloria – Sam will focus on this next week
Pp 10 and 11 – some altos are singing sop2; most sops to sing sop1
P 10 Bars 25 and 26 – be ready to come in
Quick page turns needed between pp11-12 and pp13-14
P 23 don’t panic in the fugue – Sam will sort it out next week!
P 29 Credo
Lots of words in this movement – try to read through them a few times as homework to familiarise yourself
P36 Tutti entry at end of line 1 – think minor. The choir is changing the key here.
P37 bars 66, 67,68 and start of 69 are still loud
P 38 correct a mistake in the score. Cross out the quaver rest at the end of bar 77 and put a pause mark over the note in that bar.
P47 Sanctus
Starts slow and stately
The note spacing is not helpful – be careful.
P 48 new faster speed set by Tenors and Basses in bar 9
P49 – breathe with energy between the ‘osannas’
P 51 Benedictus – mostly soloists only
We have a little passage on p 54 which should be gentle and precise
Then we sing pp56 and 57