"New" Timberliners' Songs

The RoseCity Timberliners Chorus, that I have the honor of directing, has just premiered three songs in their song set.

The jaunty song "Harmony Leads the Way" simply asserts that music and harmony can bring a better world,  but doesn't give much evidence, so it takes other songs to make the point.  With [bass pickups] and (other guys), the words are:

[One way to live](One way to live), one way to be.
[We are one}(One people joined) in perfect harmony.
*[For ev-ry race](For ev'ry race) for ev'ry creed,
[Yes indeed](for what we need) is perfect harmony.
Arm in arm and heart to heart, soul with soul right from the start.
*[Let it begin](Let it begin) with you and me.
[We'll create](We will create) a world of harmony.
Harmony leads the way, a lifelong cabaret,
Ev'ry day's a harmony holiday.   :||
Ev'ry day's a harmony holiday. Harmony leads the way.

When we :|| repeat from the beginning and sing "loo" between the stars *, our EmCee says:

    "Joined in Harmony" is a pretty good description of folks getting along despite their differences. We barbershop singers make harmony with each other every time we get together. And we make harmony with all you folks when we sing together. So let's make harmony.

"Amazing Grace" was the 1779 result of British sailor and slave-trader John Newton's epiphany in 1748.  He set aside that life in 1755 to join the clergy.    Truly, "a wretch like me, I once was lost."

"Battle Hymn of the Republic" started as a anonymous camp meeting song around 1850 as "O, Brothers will you meet me... on Canaan's happy shore", later gathering a "Glory, Glory, hallelujah" chorus.   The tune became a US. Civil war marching song  as "John Brown's body lies a-mouldring in the grave...his soul is marching on" with every regiment adding lyrics of their own.  The song still keeps getting new lyrics.   You might have heard "John Brown's baby has a cold upon its chest", or "I wear my pink pajamas", or any one of a dozen variations that sports teams use, but the best-known nowadays is Julia Howe's lyrics written in 1861 after hearing the soldier's ditty on the request the regiment chaplain.   That tune still keeps bringing people together. 


The long 24 song set still includes "In the Good Old Summertime" and "God Bless America" and "Darkness on the Delta" with histories that are only a little less interesting, but are pure Americana.


We're just starting to learn the classic 1939 tune "(Somewhere) Over the Rainbow".   Our performance will be more like the Oscar winning song Judy Garland song in "Wizard of Oz" than the medal-winning "Second Edition" quartet" performance, and completely unlike Israel Kamakainwo'ole's 2010 platinum rendition because it's more familiar and easier to learn and sing.    We might even premiere it in 2017.

Timberliners Yuletide 2016

The Rose City Timberliners  Chorus does sixteen performances this December.   The guys wear a colorful collection of winter sweaters, vests, scarves, red hats, and even antlers as they travel all over the Greater Portland area with half-hour and hour concerts of Yuletide favorites. 

Winter 2014 Timberliners

Hear them in a lovely public setting 7 pm SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18 at

The Grotto Festival of Lights

8840 NE Skidmore, Portland Oregon

It's not too late to invite this group to your event.  Merry Christmas!

Timberliners performance routine

I've never quite written up the Timberliner's routine for a performance before, but this is a good opportunity, since we have, instead of a regular rehearsal, 2 gigs:

First:  The Pythian home, 3406 Main St, Vancouver Wa

6:00 pm arrive and gather.  Find a warm up room

6:05 Do an easy warm up in four steps.
    +++And if a singer runs late (traffic will be thick), one can do these solo on the way.
    +++ And if I'm running late, any assistant or section leader can run these
1 ~ breathe in, sing and hold long E, F or G  on  "aw" for 15 seconds,  Make it beautiful, easy and loud.  Several times.
2 ~ while you do that, relax jaw, face, shoulders, stretch.
3 ~ Next, slide that beautiful note around low and high, loud and soft.
4 ~ Next, several 9 note scales key of B, C, C#, D, E, F, F#, relaxed and easy and in tune.

~  Get in something close to our standing order, se we can hear each other and 
~  Sing MayMeMyMoMu, balance and blend and tune, keys G, G#, A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E.

6:12  Confirm our EmCee and Pitcher and Conductor.   
6: 13 Get out the song list for this gig and sing the starts thus:
    take a pitch, take the chord,  sing two measures.
If it's good, go on.  If it's not, try again.

During this, run one or two songs that likely need it: 
   (This week, though, we likely have them all well :)
6:25  Look at uniforms, gather stuff, then head to the performance room.
 
6:28 Set up chairs, say hello to folks, get in position.
6:30 We sing, EmCee, Pitcher and Condutor get us thru it.
7:00  We stop and greet this audience real friendly.

Note:  One thing we DO NOT DO is criticize our performance where any audience member can hear, EVER.  If you have to tell somebody about a mistake we made, tell us sometime when no one outside the group can possibly hear us.  On the other hand, ALWAYS COMPLIMENT what is WELL DONE in front of anyone you like. 




7:08  Drive to the next gig:
Second: Kirkland Union Plaza, 1414 Kaufman, Vancouver
 
7:13 Set up chairs, say hello to folks, get in position.
7:15 We sing.
7:45  We stop and greet this audience real friendly.
7:55  Drive to  wherever you like next.


Yours,  Gary

"Backgound" style gigs

Two kinds of performance styles are "Concert" and "Background".

Concert Style is where an audience is attentive to you the entire time.  Then, you do all the staging, narration, jokes and whatnot that make the most engaging performance you can make.  For concerts, audience response is predictable, whether it's the wild dancing cheers of a hard rock concert, or the retrained quiet of classical chamber music applause or anything in between. Nearly everything in a singer's training, craft and technique assumes you're doing concerts.  

 

But there are times where the audience is changing, or have other things to do while you perform.   Outdoor gigs in entryways or walkways often are like this:  people have business to do and can enjoy you at most for a few minutes, then on they go.  If folks are mingling over drinks or dinner while you're performing, they might listen a bit, and even shush each other so they can pay attention to you, but the social pressure to mingle often rules the room and it seems you're not a center of attention.

 

This is were you use "Background style", where all you do is sing the songs beautifully and smoothly without demanding that anyone pay much attention.  In these, you don't do the patter, moves or jokes, just sing pretty and look pretty as you can.  This removes the pressure of the audience to split their attention for you and leave it on each other. If people are noisily chatting, you don't try to overcome them with loud music:   all they can be louder than all you.  Rather you simply make relatively soft, beautiful background music and sing "under" the noise.   Think "Elevator Muzak"

Background style gigs can be disheartening.  Passersby mostly look away from you, and the room seems devoted to ignoring you.  Maybe you are being slighted or taken for granted, and you'd wonder why, with all your talent and preparation, you are doing THIS.  Still, if this is a paid gig, remember that someone has made your music a gift for these people.  Give it.  By all means, smile and sing well, despite the apparent put-down.  There is one little artistic reward: it's rather like an open dress rehearsal for the music only.    

 

One variation of the background gig is the "Table stroll", used where the room is large and filled with chatty people and there is no way the people on the far side of the room can hear you.  What you do is move your group from area of the room to area of the room every few songs.  By the end of the set, you might have walked all around the room so that, while no one there heard everything, everyone heard something.  This turns a "background" gig into a series of mini-concerts.  

 

Sometimes a booking changes from "background" to "concert" if an audience gathers, or you find a few people who are very interested in what you are doing.  While they're there, you do a "concert", then when they disperse, you go back to "background" style.  Shifting to "concert style" or to "background" requires the Emcee and director notice who is listening or not and how intently, then make a judgement call which to do.  When in doubt, use "background style".  If it's clear the audience is responding to you, switch over to concert style, then back when they are not.

  

 Street performance, or "busking" style just about between concert and background:  you want to be present enough to get paid, but not demanding enough to be unapproachable.  With luck and skill, you can take a page from the busker's book to make a background gig into a concert gig by reading and working your passersby into an audience by demanding their attention thru superb performance and presence.

This all comes down to giving your customers what they need and want, whether it be a blowout enthusiastic concert, or simple songs to set a mood.  

Leonard Bernstein's Mass

Performing once only with
Bravo! Vancouver Chorale and Orchestra
Feb. 12, 2012 •2:00 pm

Commissioned in 1971 by Jacqueline Kennedy for the opening of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Leonard Bernstein's "Mass" blends sacred text, human emotions and musical styles - from Classical to Sacred, Rock, Blues and Jazz. Broadway baritone Douglas Webster produced the 30th Anniversary of Mass at the Vatican for Pope John Paul II, and will sing the lead role in our production. Join the Bravo! Chorale, guest soloists, and Chamber Orchestra for a 40th anniversary concert performance of this musical masterpiece.


I'm in the role of "Preacher". Here's a version of my jaunty song, "God Said", that won't give away the surprises in the lyrics.