Kandinsky deployed colour, line, shape, and texture to create a rhythmic visual experience that evoked an emotional response. Not surprisingly, Kandinsky gave many of his paintings musical titles, such as Composition or Improvisation.
We have two working weeks left to learn the new songs and refresh the old ones for our mini concert on Elliot’s last night with us on 25 March.
We have high standards to keep up with and want to impress Elliot, who has faith in us with his challenging arrangements and Eamonn on his return. He will want to include these amazing songs in our summer concert by showing that we can achieve high standards.
It is up to us to put in the work and experience the great satisfaction that comes when we come together and harmonise beautifully.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM-K2xVFyk0 Gene Kelly, I Got Rhythm
I Got Rhythm is composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was published in 1930 and became a jazz standard. Its chord progression, known as the "rhythm changes", is the foundation for many other popular jazz tunes. It came from the musical Girl Crazy. It was also sung by Gene Kelly in An American in Paris in 1951.
The song melody uses four notes of the five-note pentatonic scale, first rising, then falling. A rhythmic interest in the song is that the tune keeps behind the main pulse, with the three "I got..." phrases syncopated, one beat behind in the first bar, while the fourth phase "Who could..." rushes in to the song.
As usual, George Gershwin wrote the melody first and gave it to Ira to set, but Ira found it an unusually hard melody for which to compose lyrics. He experimented for two weeks with the rhyme scheme. He felt the music called for sets of triple rhymes but found that the heavy rhyming "seemed at best to give a pleasant and jingly Mother Goose quality to a tune which should throw its weight around more". Finally, he began to experiment with leaving most of the lines unrhymed. "This approach felt stronger," he wrote, "and I finally arrived at the present refrain, with only 'more-door' and 'mind him-find him' the rhymes." He added that this approach "was a bit daring for me, who usually depended on rhyme insurance". Ira also wrote that, although the phrase "Who could ask for anything more?" is repeated four times in the song, he decided not to make it the title because "somehow the first line of the refrain sounded more arresting and provocative."
This song has lots of repetition, with just a few changes to notes to make it more interesting.
Keep a note of the rests and use them to start off the beat. Tenors, you start off the beat with ‘I got…’ and remember ‘rhythm’ is on the beat.
We are all in harmony on ‘Who could ask for anything more’. There is no syncopation; all the notes are even, although ‘Who’ is slightly before the beat. Keep ‘more’ bright– smiling helps!
Ensure the entries are energised, bright, and perky!
Altos, keep ‘in green pastures’ bright
Watch out for the change in rhythm at the end ‘I got rhythm’ is all on the beat with a short breath before ‘Who could ask for anything more’.
This song is quick and fast!
Please practise before next week!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euCRkvCbJDg Dolly Parton, Walking on Sunshine
Walking on Sunshine, we started in the middle and worked to the end. Sops and Alto's echo, ‘I used to think maybe…’ and ‘Just a waiting…’
There is no ‘Hey’ after this ‘don’t it feel good’. There is a build-up with Sop 2s starting with ‘I feel alive, I feel the love….’ Altos then joined in, and Sop 1s brought up the rear.
The ending is abrupt, with ‘and don’t it feel good’ and is short and sharp.
Ensure there is a gap between the ‘Ah’ and the ‘Whoa-oh-oh.’
And So It Goes is in a good place. Just check your notes. Eamonn will establish the dynamics as he has his interpretation, and we will follow his lead.
Remember there is a gap for the count of two after ‘silence’ and before ‘made you leave.’
Get into the rhythm and practice each day with all the songs. Concentrate on the parts you know are tricky for you.
Remember how far you've come whenever you doubt how far you can go.
Dates:
End of this term: 08 April 2025.
Start of next term: 29 April 2025.
End of Summer term: 15 July 2025 with Summer Concert on 17 July 2025
I Got Rhythm
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