NOVA Community Chorus

From Dr. Whitmire: Welcome to our 4th rehearsal of Spring 2015!

Please sign in.

Please proof the roster. Correct any errors or omission.

In the Leavitt Requiem we rehearse #6 and #7 tonight.

Next week we rehearse #8 and #9.

Thanks to all who auditioned last week
Here is the Small Group for Wake Up, My Spirit
S – Jennifer, Jesse, Michelle, Peggy, Rachael, Terri
A – Carol, Ellie, Halina, Jane, Joy, Kaylee, Mary
T – Estee, Francisco, James, Jimy, John, Kris K
B – David, Matt, Richard F, Sasha, Will
We will rehearse tonight at 9:20 pm.

FREE rehearsal tracks are available at http://www.novachorus.org/music-files.

Attendance
Please try not to be absent. If you miss more than two rehearsals during preparation for a concert, you will be asked to audition to demonstrate preparedness.
Please notify Section Leaders of absences:
Soprano-Peggy Harrison, peggyh@ix.netcom.com
Alto-Debbie Peetz, peetz@rand.org
Tenor-Larry Goldschmidt, lgold2@comcast.net
Bass-Ray Lombardi, rayjoyce2408@verizon.net

Tonight is our long-awaited refreshing beverage at Clyde’s. Don’t miss it!

Yours-DrW

From Dr. Whitmire: Dear Singers- Thanks for all the Go Down Moses auditions. There were so many outstanding auditions, especially in the alto section. I have limited this piece to four (or less) on a part and given special consideration to Music Majors.
Here is the group:

s1 – Terri, Judy, Nancy, Jessi
s2 – Michelle, Peggy
a – Dorothea, Kaylee, Debbie, Jane
t – Bill R, Mike, De Marcus, Francisco
b – David, Alan B, Matt

I’d like to rehearse as follows:
Saturday 2/8 4:15 – 5:00 pm
Tuesday 2/11 9:30-10:00 pm
Saturday 2/15 4:15 – 5:00 pm

We have little time, so do your very best to attend these specials rehearsals. Keeping working hard with your rehearsal tracks.

Clarification – These rehearsals apply ONLY to those who are singing Go down Moses. There have been no additions or changes to the full chorus schedule.

From Dr. Whitmire: Dear Singers-

Small Chorus Audition
I wrote previously that the audition for the Small Chorus in Cantata Academica would be Tuesday, February 5. I have moved the audition to Saturday 2/9, following the Women’s Rehearsal. The audition selection will be #12 mm 1-35 plus #5 for women.  I will select the Small Chorus from those singers that are able to rehearse on Saturdays. The Small Chorus will rehearse 4:15-4:45 pm on 2/16, 2/23, 3/2, 3/9.

Cantata Academica Analysis (feel free to ignore if this sort of thing is not your cup of tea)

I have talked about some of the structural elements in #8

-The opening melody employs all 12 notes of the chromatic scale. (Britten tips his hat to serialism)

-The successive fugal entrances starting with the basses at reh square 27 begin on each note of the chromatic scale: G F Eb E F# A D Bb C Db Cb (B) Ab

-beginning at rehearsal square 29 the exact same series of pitches reappears, now in stretto (close succession).

-Moreover, opening 12-tone theme of #8 dictates the overall structure of Cantata Academic, as each movement has as its key or tonal center the successive notes of the theme:

I-G, II-F, III-Eb, IV-E, V- F#, VI-A, VII-D, VIII-Bb, IX- C, X-Db, XI-B, XII-Ab (G#), XIII-G

One of my singers said, “the notes seem so random.” I know what she means, but, as your see, thev are systematically structured and actually couldn’t be less random.

Muscles
I am expecting a load of donated books to be dropped off this Saturday at 2:50 pm. If there are able-bodied women who could help me transport them, I would appreciated it.

From Dr. Whitmire: Dear Singers-

Thanks for a good rehearsal last night.
We covered the following:

Concert I
I’m gonna sing till the Spirit moves
Soon-ah will be done
Ain’t a that good news
We shall walk through the valley
Concert 2
Movement 1
Movement 8
Movement 11 (worksheet 1)

Next week we will rehearse #2 and continue to work on 1, 8, 11
Please spend time reviewing the musical ideas we worked on. Learn your notes.

This Saturday at 3 pm –men.

Auditions for the Britten Small Chorus will be Feb. 5.
5 (Women), 7, 12