It was such a good feeling to be back in The Room amidst all the buzz of In Flagrante. I was challenged going through Have You Ever Seen the Rain, which started last week. I had to sing the notes out loud as I was singing to myself on Zoom, where no one could hear if I had gone wrong.
It is an advantage to hear the other voices around me, not just other sopranos but other voices, which helps me know where my voice fits in. Sometimes, types, too, as it is easier to find the right notes when you can hear everyone.
Sometimes, you just have to be brave, open to listening to the mix, and not shut your ears to everyone else.
Blending together, we make a beautiful sound.
Have you Ever Seen the Rain (well, there was plenty of it last night!). The Sops must be ready to start on ‘Someone told me long ago…’
When we get to ‘Have you ever seen the rain? ' Basses know their place. You are not as important as the Tenors and need to tone it down a little.
At the top of page 7, the ‘Oohs’ turn into ‘Ohs’. I know it is just one less letter, but it makes all the difference to the sound!
Tenors listen to the Sops to get the right rhythm for ‘I wanna know have you ever seen the rain’. However, the last time this is sung was Altos, Tenors and Basses have a long ‘I’ on I wanna know.’
Sops do NOT breathe on the last phrase, ‘coming down on a sunny day’.
What the World Needs Now (version 2024) was next and something a little different.
This is a 1965 popular song with Hal David lyrics and Burt Bacharach music.
Co-songwriter Burt Bacharach revealed in his 2014 autobiography that this song had among the most difficult lyrics Hal David ever wrote, despite being deceptively simple as a pop hit. The song's success caught the two songwriters completely by surprise since they were aware of the controversy and disagreements among Americans about the Vietnam War, which was the subtext for David's lyrics. Bacharach continuously used the song as the intro and finale for most of his live concert appearances in the 2000s.
You have permission to breathe slightly at each rest to get the jazzy waltz rhythm. Make it bright and light and frothy and bubbly. Take advantage of being allowed to breathe!
Emphasise the ‘v’ on ‘love’. The first ‘love’ is short, and the second one is slightly longer.
Beware of deflating tyres on ‘ just too little of’ and to avoid this, make it ‘ju stoo little of’
‘Everyone’ is long, so smile as you sing it.
Altos, when you sing your verses, keep the phrases long and do NOT breathe. Make it warm and rich.
Basses you are not singing the tune when you get to ‘til the end of time’ Mark it on your music score!
This song ends with one of Eamonn’s famous extended endings.
Take a big breath after ‘some’ and then do not breathe until you reach the last word, which is short.
Do not slow down, but get naturally quieter as the gentle ending drifts away to the piano notes. Everyone is completely still and motionless until the last note is played.
Practise this stillness. You will need it at the end of every song, so get used to it.
Your Song (Version 2024) is a song written by musician Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin and performed by Elton John. It was his first international Top 10 chart single.
Your Song was released in the United States in October 1970 as the B-side to Take Me to the Pilot. Both sides received airplay, but Your Song was preferred by disc jockeys and replaced Take Me to the Pilot as the A-side, eventually making it to number eight on the Billboard chart. The song also peaked at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart,
Altos and Sops 2s start us off, and then all the Sops join in with lovely Oohs from Altos and Tenors. We all sing ‘My gift is my song, and this one’s for you’ in one breath, and then you can breathe before singing ‘And you can tell everybody...’
Altos and Basses smile when singing your Ahs.
At the end, Sops and Basses, don’t be too quiet, but nobody takes a breath when you get to, ‘now you’re in the world ooh.’
We have only 10 more rehearsals until the concert. You will find the complete music scores and voice parts in Dropbox. Print and listen and do your homework,
Next week’s highlights will be From Now On, What’s Up, Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat and Crossing the Bar.
Please bring ALL your music with you each week from now on (that would make a good song title!) as we will be working our way through everything.
Trillers on the Perch
To breathe, or not to breathe; that's the question
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous Fashion,
Or to bear the scoffs and ridicule of those
Who despises the Bloomer dresses?
A principled journalist named Amelia Bloomer emerged as an unlikely champion for… Bloomers, which became a symbol of women's suffrage in America in the 1850's
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