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getting started in the choir season

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All in all, I was pretty satisfied with last night’s choir rehearsals. Notice the plural. I had two rehearsals scheduled.  Two 3rd graders showed up to be in the Kid’s Choir. I was pleasantly surprised. Eileen helped me by sitting with them during rehearsal and helping them practice process and singing while I was at the organ in the church. I have asked them to come this Sunday and process with the choir at the beginning and ending of the service.

I was also pleasantly surprised that I had so many returning members show for the Chamber Choir rehearsal. Actually only one person just didn’t show without bothering to let me know. One person called in sick. The rest was the crew from last year. We had a good rehearsal and started working diligently on compositions by Bach and Bruckner.

Part of the happy surprise is the ease with which this group of singers recommitted themselves to a weekly rehearsal after not having one for two years. Pretty cool.

I was slightly disappointed that not one of the many new people I sent letters to showed up. Four people bothered to let me know they couldn’t accept my invitation to join.

I’m thinking my musical (or maybe otherwise general) creditably is pretty low with people who might otherwise join the church’s choir where I work.  And I’m sure there are a host of other reasons, not the least of which is living in a passive and under educated culture that prizes appearances and busyness over living a bit deeper life.

Choir boys cartoons, Choir boys cartoon, Choir boys picture, Choir boys pictures, Choir boys image, Choir boys images, Choir boys illustration, Choir boys illustrations

But as I told the choir last night, I want to make some good music before I die.

I didn’t follow this comment with my strong feeling that people can either join in or get out of the way. It’s their life and it’s their choice.

If I sound bitter this morning, it probably has a lot to do with fatigue. I tried to pace myself yesterday. I did an early ballet class with a new (to me) teacher which went pretty well. Then I traipsed off to the  Farmer’s Market. Came home and folded and collated a couple of anthems. Had lunch with Eileen. Went off to church and did a bunch of tasks prepping for last night. Practiced organ.  Managed to come home and lay down and rest for about an hour and a half. Then I met Eileen at church with some take out supper for us and did the rehearsals.

This will be a typical Wednesday for me. I’m hoping this soon to be 61 year old can keep up the pace and learn and perform some good music this fall.

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mistake in the music, sooprise sooprise

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I think I just found a discrepancy between the vocal/keyboard score edition of the Bach cantata movement and the Bach Gesselschaft full score (both available online).

bwv139ms62vocakybd

The full score indicates that there is one A sharp in this measure.  As usual the person who has made the keyboard adaptation has had to alter the lines a bit to make them fit. In the adaptation there is a voice crossing which puts the tenor A in the path of the ascending bass’s A sharp accidental. In normal keyboard practice, this A would be sharped which is how I’ve been rehearsing it.

I did however think it sounded a bit odd. So I checked the score.

bwv139ms62score

As far as I can tell there is only one A sharp in this measure.  The second oboe (the second line) has an A natural in the first beat. The first violin (the third line) has A natural also in the first beat. And in the third beat, the spot where adapter has made up a tenor line (apparently out of thin air) there is no accidental on the A in the Viola part. In addition in the same spot in the figured bass at the bottom there is no sharp indicated on the 5 below the F sharp in the bass which would normally be there if the A was sharped.

As to the adaptation, I find it discouraging that the vocal/keyboard rendition also introduces a G sharp in the tenor line in the second beat where no G sharp exists in the original. This is the sort of thing I like to correct and just do a whole new little edition.

In this case, since I am hard pressed to learn this by the performance date of October 7th, I will probably only change the A sharp to A natural. This is pending an actually playing it at the organ and listening carefully.

As you can see, upcoming choral music is on my mind. This evening I have two initial rehearsals scheduled. At 6:30, Eileen and I will be sitting in the choir room waiting to see if any kids show up for the first Kids’ Choir rehearsal. I am pretty skeptical that any will tonight since no parent or child has indicated to me they will be there. But I am hopeful that in the course of the next few weeks some kids will drift in as their family begins to participate in our new weekly Wednesday education evening.

Eileen will be there because of the diocesan policy of not allowing only one adult in a room full of children.  It’s always handy anyway to have another adult present when you’re working with kids anyway.

At 7:30, I’m not sure who will attend the first Chamber Choir rehearsal. But I want to have folders ready and a rehearsal planned. (I will also have a Kids’ Choir planned and ready as well)

At this point I have all the Chamber Choir music ready to fold, assemble and stuff into 25 slots. That’s one of my tasks today. Another is to prepare this rehearsal. I have already begun some score study. When I’m doing such fine music, score study is essential to leading a rehearsal.

Another task is spending time at the organ console rehearsing upcoming preludes, postludes and accompaniments like the Bach at the beginning of the post.

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John Cage’s Music of the Unquiet Mind – NYTimes.com

Thanks to brother, Mark Jenkins, for pointing this article out on Facebook. I especially like the mention of Cage’s definition of an error: “simply a failure to adjust immediately from a preconception to an actuality…”

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When It Pays to Talk to Terrorists – NYTimes.com

Description of unintended consequences in US reaction to 1972 Munich massacre.

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Syrian Children Speak of Revenge Against Alawites – NYTimes.com

I heard Kofi Annan talk about Syria on the radio this week. He said there could be no peaceful resolution reached by armed conflict. This article sounds like any resolution is highly unlikely. So discouraging to read about hate.

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Different Varieties of Mustard Plants Have Unique Spice Genes – NYTimes.com

Genetics and cooking. Whoo hoo!

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‘Visual Strategies’ Transforms Data Into Art That Speaks – NYTimes.com

Some concrete suggestions for clear design and image presentation in this article.

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