Welcome


Welcome to Renate's Baton. This blog is mostly for and about my choir, The York Region Community Choir.

But, While I'm holding the baton, I'm in charge. So, if I want to talk about other parts of my life, I will. :)

The choir itself is a community and I'm discovering that we have a lot in common with one another besides our love of music and singing.

When I go off on a tangent, there is always a crowd coming along. Join us!

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

YRCC Rehearsal 06-Nov-2017

Tickets are on sale. Pick up tickets for friends and family.

Poinsettias are on sale. Order them for yourself and as gifts for friends and family, especially those who are coming to the show. This is a good fundraiser and we will have a beautifully decorated concert space. The quality and size of the plants is outstanding.

6:30 Pentatonix Silent Night

1. Song for Canada: We worked on dynamics. Be sure to save some Fortissimo for the crescendo at the top of page 12. We get loud at 81 on page 8 but we have to save some for page 12. And, we can't be loud before page 8. We made the first verse soft and pretty instead of strong, so that we can build to loud and strong at page 8. Page 8 to the end is very proud and big.

2. River: We sang all the way through to get used to where we sing and how the repeats work. We learned that the timing isn't always as written. Don't worry. We will sing with the soloist and under the soloist mostly, so focus on your notes and the timing will work itself out. We learned the second ending oohs and the coda. Don't forget to mark the coda "way on" to remind yourself that it's very long.

3. Noel Nouvelet: Don't forget that Tenors and Basses sing where it says Alto. We talked about how the piece is in cut time even though it's not fast. The time signatures are 3/2 and 2/2 (4/4 cut is 2/2) so the half note gets the beat (we count the half notes), and you'll feel extra weight on the third quarter note.  The cut time gives a special motion, a different drive, to the piece that's not about speed. Where there are 3/2 bars and then 2/2 bars, count 1and2and3and1and2and3and1and2and1and2and...

4.We Rise Again: Such an awesome piece! We looked at the tenor part on page 11. There's a special bit that is very effective at bar 53 and 55. We looked at the ending too, and some of the tenors move there so that we've got tenors in the tenor line, tenors on the top of the bass line and Bass on the very bottom. Check out this recording of Lydia Adams leading her Amadeus Choir on her arrangement of We Rise Again, which is our arrangement of We Rise Again! You have to be able to sign in on Facebook. I don't know if it's anywhere else.

Next week, Monday, November 13

Barenaked Small Group at 6:30

Hockey Song
River
Somewhere A Child is Sleeping (if Philip can bring the cello)
We Rise Again
Surprise

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