Don’t Wallow in the Darkness
Our Charming Chairman arrived early to give the Sops the benefit of her talents and had a very informative and useful vocal coaching session. Don’t want to give too much away at this stage as the Altos are next to have this great experience on 20 October followed by the Tenors and Basses on 27 October. The only info to be divulged is it is best to arrive by 18:30 (if possible) so you can warm up your voice before the main event.
Elliot started us off with a new song to learn this week. Once Upon a December. It is a song from the 1997 20th Century Fox animated film Anastasia. The song and its lyrics are heard three times through the course of the story, twice as a lullaby, and once as a complete song with a bridge.
The melody of this song reprises a lullaby sung to Anastasia herself by her grandmother:
On the wind, 'cross the sea, hear this song and remember
Soon you'll be home with me, once upon a December
The Dowager Empress commissions a music box that plays the lullaby as a gift for young Anastasia, to comfort her while her grandmother is away. The recurring melody serves as a narrative device in the film since Anya's memory of the lullaby, and the music box's necklace key are her only ties to her forgotten past.
The full version of Once Upon a December is sung by Anya after entering the now derelict Catherine Palace. The repressed memories of her past are stirred by her unknowing return to her childhood home, triggering a musical dream sequence in which the palace is returned to its former glory, and she remembers singing the tune as a child with her grandmother.
The synopsis of Anastasia: In 1916, at a ball in Saint Petersburg, Russia, celebrating the Romanov tricentennial, Dowager Empress Marie gives a music box and a necklace inscribed with the words "Together in Paris" as parting gifts to her youngest granddaughter, Grand Duchess Anastasia. The ball is suddenly interrupted by Grigori Rasputin, the Romanovs' former royal advisor who was exiled for treason. Seeking revenge, Rasputin sold his soul in exchange for the power to kill the Romanovs, which manifests in an unholy reliquary that he uses to start the Russian Revolution. As the palace is attacked, Marie and Anastasia flee through a hidden door opened by a servant boy. However, Anastasia drops her music box in the process. Rasputin confronts the two royals on the frozen Little Nevka river, only to fall through the ice and drown. The pair reaches a moving train; Marie climbs aboard, but Anastasia falls and hits her head while also trying to board, giving her amnesia.
Ten years later, rumours of Anastasia's survival spreads throughout Russia, and Marie offers 10 million roubles for her safe return. A conman named Dimitri and his partner-in-crime, former nobleman Vladimir "Vlad" Vasilovich search for an Anastasia look-alike so they can collect the reward. Elsewhere, a now grown-up Anastasia (now called "Anya") leaves the rural orphanage where she has been living since her amnesia. Accompanied by a stray puppy she names Pooka, she decides to head to Paris to uncover her past, inspired by the inscription on her necklace, but learns she needs an exit visa. An old woman advises her to see Dimitri at the abandoned palace; there, Dimitri and Vlad are impressed by Anya's resemblance to the "real" Anastasia and decide to take her to Paris.
Rasputin's immortal albino bat sidekick, Bartok, is nearby and notices the reliquary revived by Anya's presence; it drags him to limbo, where he finds Rasputin has survived. Enraged to hear that Anastasia is still alive, Rasputin sends his demonic minions from the reliquary to kill her. They sabotage the trio's train as it leaves St. Petersburg by overheating the train engine, but they survive. The trio transfer to a boat, where the demons try to lure Anya into sleepwalking off the ship, which also fails. Rasputin and Bartok are forced to travel back to the surface to kill Anya themselves. Meanwhile, as Dimitri and Vlad teach Anya court etiquette and the Romanov family's history, Dimitri and Anya begin to fall in love.
The trio eventually reaches Paris and visits Marie, who had decided to give up on finding Anastasia after meeting numerous impostors. Despite this, Marie's cousin Sophie quizzes Anya to confirm her identity. Though Anya gives every answer taught to her, Dimitri finally realizes she is the real Anastasia when she vaguely recalls him helping her escape the palace siege. Sophie, also convinced, arranges a meeting with Marie at the Palais Garnier where they watch the Russian ballet version of Cinderella. There, Dimitri tries to establish an introduction but Marie refuses, having heard of his initial scheme to find an Anastasia lookalike. Anya overhears their conversation, confronts Dimitri and leaves. Dimitri abducts Marie in her car to force her to see Anya, finally convincing her when he presents the music box which he has been keeping as a memento. As Marie and Anya converse, Anya regains her memories; the pair sings the lullaby the music box plays and are joyfully reunited.
Marie offers Dimitri the reward, recognizing him as the servant boy who saved them, but he declines. Intending to return to St. Petersburg, he bids Vlad farewell. At Anastasia's return celebration, Marie informs her of Dimitri's gesture, leaving Anastasia torn between staying in Paris and returning to St. Petersburg with Dimitri. Anastasia is then lured to the Pont Alexandre III, where Rasputin and his minions attack her, though Bartok refuses to help. Dimitri returns to save her but is injured and knocked unconscious. In the struggle, with Pooka's help, Anastasia takes Rasputin's reliquary and crushes it, avenging her family as Rasputin disintegrates and dies. In the aftermath, Anastasia and Dimitri reconcile; they elope, and Anastasia sends a farewell letter to Marie and Sophie, promising to return.
Once Upon a December is like a melancholic lullaby.
After each phrase of ‘Mm’ at the beginning, breathe. There are two short phrases and one long one. Although you are humming, make a lot of space in your closed mouth to give the sound room to resonate and be heard. This is like the low sounding string section of an orchestra.
Tenors & Basses do NOT slide on ‘..painted wings..’ and ‘..someone sings..’
Sops, although your notes are descending very slightly, think of them as if they are changing and they will not sound flat.
Keep the ‘Ooh’s very quiet and then singing the words, ‘Once upon a December’ can be fuller and richer.
Altos, do NOT slide on ‘once upon a December’
Keep the vowels long and join the words together in ‘Once upon a Decemebr’ so it sounds like ‘one -supon a December’
Sop 2s, build your ‘Oooh’s as you don’t have a moving note.
Tenors and Basses keep ‘Dancing bears….’ Light and not heavy even though the notes are deep.
Keep the notes bright, even though this is written in a minor key, don’t wallow in the darkness of it!
‘… across my memory’ ‘memory’ comes off at the bell sound in the piano part. This phrase gradually gets quieter towards the end after building it up slightly in the middle.
Keep practising and we will finish it next week.
The dark mood was then changed with Lovely Day.
Ken & David have volunteered to sing a duet for the solo part.
With the very long ‘day’, Sops and Basses dig deep to keep this going to the end. Don’t let it tail off.
Altos with your ‘lovely, lovely day’ make it loud so it can be heard! ‘day’ is slightly off the beat and syncopated.
Sops with the call and return section, make the ‘Ooh’s quiet and the words louder to give some contrast.
‘gonna be’ – the ‘be’ is shorter than you expect. Make the ‘ee’ sound more elongated rather than a stretched ‘ee’ sound.
This song has lots of repetition, so each ‘lovely day’ needs to have a different expression as you sing it so it is exciting, enthralling, thrilling, dramatic, intriguing etc
Mad World was next. Another song with a minor key which can lead to darkness so words need to be sung with excitement and spark.
All the notes are correct, so we just need to work on the dynamics.
There is no gradual build up of volume, it is sudden.
Don’t make it sound choppy, but keep the phrases flowing and smooth with the piano like waves underneath.
The ‘Nm’s need to sound percussive and not like a wasp!
Tenors start quietly as do the Sops when they join in.
‘I find it kind a funny…’ should be loud
‘I find it hard to tell you…’ should be even louder
Then drop the volume to a quiet, ‘Mad world’
‘Children waiting for the day they feel good…’ should be rich and melodic
‘Hello teacher, tell me what’s my lesson…’ should be very loud
Until ‘look right through me’ is quieter and the repeat, ‘Look right through – me’ is very quiet.
Perhaps understanding the film's themes of isolation, teenage alienation, and impending doom can help choir members shape their phrasing, dynamics, and vowel color to sound pensive rather than bright.
Donnie Darko, the teenage protagonist Donnie, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, experiences disturbing auditory and visual hallucinations, most notably a frightening figure in a rabbit costume called Frank, who appears to give him instructions and encourages him to carry out destructive acts. Although the film never gives Donnie a definite diagnosis, his experiences are often interpreted as symptoms of psychosis or a related mental health disorder. His difficulties are also shown through his isolation from others, the concern of his family, his sessions with a psychiatrist, and his use of medication. These elements help explain why it is sometimes difficult to know whether the strange events in the film are actually happening or are part of Donnie’s altered perception of reality.
Next week we will finish Once Upon a December and then sing through I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm and Song for a Winter’s Night. Plus anything else we’ve already covered.
See you on Tuesday
Comments