Rehearsal comments 03/11/24

Matt continues to emphasize pronunciation; see previous posts. He is also emphasizing proper note duration. Some of this seems to be related to notes on syllables where the note lengths are different from the lengths of syllables that we would use in normal conversation. For example, in Forever Young, Page 4, Measure 17, second time, ‘cou-ra-geous’ would normally be pronounced with syllable lengths of short, long, short. However, the music calls for syllable lengths of long, short, long. SILTMS – Sing It Like The Music Shows.

We are nearly at the time when we start moving the piano to Matt’s right side for rehearsals to prepare us for the piano placement in concerts. Expect more problems with proper timing when this happens. Moving the piano will lengthen the average time for its sound to reach the sopranos by 3/100 of a second and shorten average time for its sound to reach the altos by 3/100 of a second. It will not change the average time for the piano’s sound to reach the men, so they will bumble along as usual. The answer is WTFL, Watch The Fearless Leader. (As we are all aware, Matt spent a lot of time watching cartoon shows. In ‘Rocky and Bullwinkle’, Boris and Natasha, the villains who tried to thwart the flying squirrel and the moose, reported to a boss called Fearless Leader.)

Sunrise, Sunset – Well, we finally wore Matt down. In the word ‘sunset’, ‘set’ is supposed to be sung on a quarter note. According to Fearless Leader, about ninety-five percent of us persisted in singing it on an eighth note, so he has said that we should continue to sing it on an eighth note, although he is not happy about it.

Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In – You saw it here first (See the comments for the 2/5/24 joint rehearsal). Matt does indeed want us to do the optional hand claps in Let the Sunshine In. Buck up, Buttercup, this is not rocket surgery. The words consist of “Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in, the sunshine in.” These words are sung six times by the sopranos, altos, and tenors. The basses don’t sing the first time, so they sing only five iterations, starting when everyone else is on iteration number two. Before anyone starts singing these words, the piano has six measures to play starting at Measure 71. While the piano is playing, do something with your music so that your hands are free. Beginning with the third iteration for the sopranos, altos, and the tenors, and the second iteration for the basses, clap on beats 2 and 4 of each measure, and continue clapping until beat 2 of the measure where ‘=shine’ occurs in the last iteration of ‘Let the sunshine in’. Do not clap on the final iteration of ‘the sunshine in’. Clap precisely on beats 2 and 4.

You Make Me Feel So Young – Page 9, Measure 63, circle the rest in the first beat or do something so you don’t come in too soon. This is at least the third time Matt has mentioned this, and he is starting to sound testy.