3/10/25 Rehearsal Notes

There will be NO REHEARSAL next week for Spring Break.  During the time off, please become a lot more familiar with all of the pieces so you can look up from your music from time to time.   We will run Gospel Mass all the way through at the next rehearsal.
 
We started a new song, "I Hear America Singing" by Andre Thomas.  Here's the official Youtube video for the song, where you can follow along with the music:

Here are the section notes for this week:

​Soprano
I Hear America Singing

• Pay attention to the syncopated rhythms

 
Gospel Mass
V. Sanctus 

• Pay attention to all cutoffs

 
Alto
I Hear America Singing:

• "Don't you" NOT “don’t chew”
• Alto 2s sing with tenor 2s at meas. 30 (middle note)
• Alto 1s sing with tenor 1s at meas. 30 (top note)

 
Gloria Mass:
Sanctus and Angus Dei

• Watch for vowels and changing dynamics
• Pay attention to repeats 

 
American Tapestry:
IV: Expansion West

• Annunciate the words
• “Old yeller dog” not “old yellow dog” on meas. 20
• Be careful of notes of meas. 23; “…evening quite early they…” the “ly” on early goes down.
• Meas. 79 speeds up; watch Michelle

 
Tenor:
I Hear America Singing

• Whenever the men split into three parts
• Tenor 1 takes top, Tenor 2 takes middle

 
American Tapestry
IV: Expansion West

• Measure 20- old yel - ler dog, not old ‘yellow’ dog

 
Gospel Mass

• We are going to try and run it our next rehearsal on the 24th.
• Solos are due by next Monday
• There’s lots of solos throughout Gospel Mass & American Tapestry.

 
Bass
I Hear America Singing

• Say "A-me-ri-cah", not "A-me-ri-cuh"
• When you see the words "don't you", don't say "don't chew".
• Anytime there's a 3-part division, go bass/baritone, tenor 2, and tenor 1 (from bottom to top)
• Examples: Pickup of m. 34 to m. 44 and m. 69-72
• Sforzando piano and crescendo m. 45-48
• Rit. at beat 3 of m. 71

 
Gospel Mass
Sanctus

• M. 44 bring the letter "d" of "Lord" to beat three 

Agnus Dei

• Pickup to m. 6-25, sing only on the 2nd time
• M. 49 on the "men" of the word "amen", sing "men", then sing just on the consonant "n".

 
American Tapestry
IV: Expansion West

• M. 20, sing "old yellow dog" as "old 'yeller' dog".
• M. 34-end, sing with a more traditional choral tone.
• M. 37 and m. 62, watch out for the eighth note rest on beat 4.