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Hi,
Make yourself a cup of tea and prepare for a long column.
I poured on the steam this week, and you were right with me until about 9:00, when I felt all of us hit the wall! It was actually funny, the way the air went out of our collective balloon! I will try very hard not to do that to us again. It's just so exciting to have so many dedicated voices in this term's group of singers that I forgot that we are also human beings! But boy, did we ever accomplish a lot.
First, here are some reminders of the main takeaways from our work in mvt.2:
- The headmotif (ex., bass entrance, m.1-2) must always dominate, with long notes and full tone at forte. The final note must be given full value. Go through and bracket or underline your section's turn "at bat' throughout the movement so that you can gas up and really deliver it. But somehow, when doing that in my own score at home, I neglected the very last statements in mvt.2! Basses begin in syncopation in m.39; likewise altos, in syncopation in m.43. Those two seem like they're coming out of nowhere, which they are—that's what makes them so cool!
- The secondary motif, the melismatic passage introduced in m.2 by the altos, must be about a notch less prominent, and with a much lighter character, lifting itself along on a wave. We need to recognize it throughout, as well, emerging from the general texture.
- Now don't get huffy when you find yourself singing something which is neither the primary or secondary motif. As John Milton famously said in his essay "On His Blindness": "They also serve who only stand and wait." There must be harmony and texture at all times! The piece could not sustain itself with only the primary and secondary motifs. So whatever you're singing, it's always important. Mozart has seen to that.
- The same incremental volume principals apply in mvt.15's dynamic lines as they had in mvt.2. On Tuesday you immediately caught the mirror image comparisons, with one exception: upon examination, you'll now realize that the entrance of the secondary motif only involves two notes, not three! You begin squarely on beat two, with two 8th notes. Why? The text is different! (Oh, that pesky text, still making us pay attention!) Please go through mvt.15 and bracket your section's primary and secondary themes.
Next, as part of your home study (you do set time aside for that, right?), please go back and mark all the commas clearly in the movements we've worked on as well as those you just encountered last Tuesday. I had asked you to do that after our first rehearsal, but it was pretty clear at last week's rehearsal that very few singers had actually done that. It's basic preparation for us to be aware of and to make the texts clear by their phrasing.
HERE'S WHY: There is a difference between MUSICIANSHIP and MUSICALITY. We're at the musicianship stage right now, where we're learning the nuts and bolts of the music: entrances, dynamics, time values, actual pitches, and PHRASING (achieved by commas or rests, just as in speech)...all the rudiments of the music. That has to be in place and obvious to us all before we can turn our full attention to the really exciting work: musicality! I'm itching to get to this creative aspect, and the sooner you do you homework assignments (i.e., showing the commas or providing a connecting line where you need a reminder to connect rather that take a breath) the more time I'll have to begin really making music, rather than having to remind everyone to do their personal reminder marking.
A couple of final points: Please come 15 minutes early next week so that we can go through the first process of seating by height. With such a large group, that's only fair. To make it fast, please be SILENT while the section leaders coordinate the process! Over the coming weeks I hope to position everyone to their best advantage within their height row.
The plan for next Tuesday: learning mvts. 5, 7, and 8, with hopes of having time for a run of mvt.9, the Amen movement.
I wish that all of you could have the opportunity of hearing what I hear on the podium! After just two rehearsals we're beginning to jell as a group, and the sound is rich from every section! It is truly an honor to be working with you.
Take care, stay safe and healthy, and see you next Tuesday.
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