We are singing "And Can It Be" by Dan Forrest for Easter, and I have joined the choir for this, as I also did at Christmas. At first rehearsal, even though I have received a link to the piece and even a link to the bass part alone, I have not seen the music, and so am only very approximate in my knowledge of the piece. When the director is telling the whole choir about subtleties of the dynamics I wonder a bit about that.
"You have to sing the question mark."
Hmm. But okay, some of the sopranos seem to either sight-read or know the piece, so maybe this means something to them. But let me assure you that the basses do not yet know what the notes and entrances are, and we are putting all our effort into that.
"Notice the tempo change at measure 28 (from 66 to 72). And it's with movement."
And I am looking for the notes in that measure.
"I don't want to hear any "r's"
I would like to find my notes. And then work on my entrances. It reminds me of of taking Interpretive Dance in college. (23 girls in leotards in a mirrored room. Yeah, you guys go out and beat each other to death on the soccer field.) Dr. Carole Sherman, with some sort of a one-hand drum would tell us to imagine we are floating in free space. Or that our arms were two feet longer. Lady, I am sure you are a very nice person who knows her business, but I am looking where to put my feet so that I match everyone else at least 90% of the time.
Tomorrow night is second rehearsal, I now have the music, and rehearsed with it daily. I almost have the notes and entrances, though I will need to start almost from scratch when I have the other two basses, one on either side, who know it about as well as I do, singing in my ear. I am confident of little, except that I am not yet ready to consider what consonants I shall elide.
The lyrics are based on the familiar Charles Wesley hymn, but the music is quite different. It's a nice piece. I'm giving you a version with more basses, some of whom are presumably singing the question mark. Though how would I know?
BTW, the entrance of kettledrums is always stirring. It would be nice to have kettledrums installed in my life. I would start by using it for my entrances.
5 comments:
I was a treble for a brief while. Trebles are ephemeral but I was in our choir for a bit. I remember loving descants, and our little barely pubescent group learned to do this quite well.
The same chapel I read Christian books in.
Pronunciation guide
James, this is the sort of thing that I just put up for entertainment value and visual variety on my own site when it comes up. It is good that you never attempted a career in marketing, if you aren't even as good as I am.
Remember back long ago when you were young and this kind of thing caused, wait for it,
stress?
Yeah, me neither.
When I was young I was actually pretty good at this, which reduced the stress considerably, and I could just enjoy the sound and feel of it.
It's one of the few stressful things left in my life, don't take it from me. I don't want to be cut off from the rest of humanity that completely. Not just yet.
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