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!

My Favorite Things

Julie Andrews' song "My Favorite Things" 

got a cute parody that was attributed to her in 2005, but had nothing to do with her.  Now that I and many of my fellow choristers are aging, it relates.  Maybe we should start singing thus:
 
Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favourite things.

Cadillac's and cataracts, and hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favourite things..

When the pipes leak, When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favourite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.

Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favourite things.

Back pains, confused brains, and no need for sinnin',
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin',
And we won't mention our short, shrunken frames,
When we remember our favourite things.

When the joints ache, When the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad.

Child of Our Time, May 11, 2016

A Child of Our Time poster

My people at Portland Symphonic Choir offer this rare work on May 11 at 7:30 at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall  here in Portland Oregon.

As tenor section leader there, I've taken it on myself to made a set of choral learning tracks of movement 29 using Finale PrintMusic program and posted them to SoundCloud with a new account today.

Does it work?  We'll find out.

Love, Gary.

Beethoven Ninth Notes, 2015

Again, being a singer in the delightful Oregon Symphony Orchestra concert 2015 year end concert,
 I cannot write a review, but I can relay what Maestro Carlos Kalmar told the Portland Symphonic Choir singers during their one (!) choral rehearsal with him on  Dec 27, 2015

Generally,

"Beethoven is just horrible to voices, even in this masterpiece, he didn't care about the singers, he just wrote it and, eh, they just have to make it happen."

"When your voice breaks - yes, I heard one there (m601) - it's just you are trying to apply too much pressure.  Know yourself, know your limits, and sing always beautifully."

Choral notes by measure.

237 somewhat harsher, then
261 longer, more connected

284-5 strong "JA" from everyone
288 don't rush the "und", lead to
289 sfortsando on "nie"
290-1 all one phrase, no breath here

313 Sopranos are in the drivers seat, don't drag, and Kiss me (with a loud k)
312 make those half notes to quarters and all similar:  No one early.

426 very fine, even a bit more than the first two "freudig"

546 Bass, tenor, alto, help me understand the eighth-note clearly.
549, 553, 557, really give me the sforzando, all the rest will be a little bit less.

595 Make it lighter with more phrasing, um-SCHLUNG-en mil-(crescendo thru)-li-O-nen.

603 Soprano and Alto, lyrical, leading to -SCHLUNG-en,
       Tenor and Bass, detached, make the half notes a quarter note and rest thru 606

606 to 609 we crescendo

616  Basses crescendo as you go down, but in
617 Tenors, that note is yours.  Own  it.
619 Swing into the second note on "brü-der!", go with that till "-zelt" 622

623 crescendo to 626 with less on (milliO)-nen

630 "stürzt", the Ü is between oo and ee, very closed.
        Make very clearly the final t: see my percussionists there?  They should need umbrellas.

635 continue the crescendo.  I want a compact, concentrated sound from the chorus.

650 nobody scoops up to ü-.
651 I want a very clear rhythm.

654 - the fugue -

Everyone has the three themes:

"Freude, schöner" is like dancing in a bierhall, a little lighter.
I want more on "Seid umschlungen":  that has the power, strong  and clearly defined and keep  going thru um- SCHLUNG-en mil-li-O-nen.  they are like the Oregon Ducks football players.
The "Freude" is like the cheerleaders on the sidelines (CK demonstrates a pom-pom gesture with his hands over his head) and I need to hear them.  (CK used the same entertaining gesture in concert, looking at each section as they exclaimed "Freude!")

680 the basses and soprano are having a contest, "diesen küsse", "diessen küsse" then at
693 the altos just take over.

728-9 is the peak of the fugue, everything is going on.  But he's nasty to the sopranos who have to just sit on that high A forever, but might give a little more there, too.

748 open the sound, keep the pace, and no schlepping
753 both T's in -(t)zelt, please.

795 the crescendo keeps going.
801  This and later with fire.   You know how a vortex goes around and around, but it goes down?  This is a vortex that goes up.  I don't know a word for it.
810 forget all about the poco adagio until you are in it, until then it's all energy and speed.
812 This is very good poetry on top of amazing music.  "sanfter" means "tender". Think about that.
       Sopranos, please keep the pitch up.

865 with intensity, stress the beginning of each bar thru here.

915 the T of Tochter is very hard, roaring powerful, molto fortissimo thru
916 "aus" you put the "s" on the eighth note so there is a separation.
        Subito pianissimo for "Elysium"
920 very clear rhythm, do the last "-funken" with me, not insanely fast, just normal fast.
      
So that's what we did.

Rose of Tralee

The Irish folk ballad "The Rose of Tralee" was likely written by poet C. Mordaunt Spencer and London musician Charles William Glover in 1846, but the Tralee town council endorses that it was composed by one William P. Mulchinock, a young Protestant man who fell madly in love with his parents' Catholic maid, Mary O'Connor. The less-likely second story is far more charming.

The pale moon was rising above the green mountain,  

2014 Rose of Tralee, Philadelphia's Maria Walsh

The sun was declining beneath the blue sea;
When I strayed with my love to the pure crystal fountain,
That stands in the beautiful vale of Tralee.
     She was lovely and fair as the rose of the summer,
     Yet 'twas not her beauty alone that won me;
     Oh no, 'twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning,
     That made me love Mary, the rose of Tralee.

The cool shades of evening, their mantle were spreading
And Mary all smiling sat listening to me;
The moon through the valley, her pale rays were shining
When I won the heart of the rose of Tralee.
     She was lovely and fair as the rose of the summer,
     Yet 'twas not her beauty alone that won me;
     Oh no, 'twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning,
     That made me love Mary, the rose of Tralee.

((The following inferior verse is not in many versions:))

On the far fields of India, mid war's bloody thunder,
Her voice was a solace and comfort to me,
But the cold hand of death has now torn us asunder.
I'm lonely tonight for my rose of Tralee..
     She was lovely and fair as the rose of the summer,
     Yet 'twas not her beauty alone that won me;
     Oh no, 'twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning,
     That made me love Mary, the rose of Tralee.

The inspired-by-the-song "Rose of Tralee" International Festival seeks the world to crown a young Irish (or descendant) lady "lovely and fair as the rose in the summer."  Surrounded by global celebration of Irish culture, the  Festival takes place mid-August in Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland with street entertainment, carnival, live concerts, theater, circus, markets, funfair, fireworks and an internationally renowned Rose Parade. 


We Portlanders are reminded of another Rose Festival.

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

Beethoven Ninth notes, December 2014

Having just participated in Oregon Symphony Orchestra's annual New Years Eve Concert on 2014 Dec 30 and 31, rather than write a review of the concert (which I didn't really hear, being in the tenor section), I thought I'd post the performance notes given to the singers in rehearsal by OSO Music Director Carlos Kalmar and our rehearsal director, Ethan Sperry.

Meeting with and working under Ethan is the reason I decided to do this concert.  I've had plenty of Beethoven 9, and even with Maestro Kalmar before.  Dr. Sperry, though, is new to me, despite my having connections to Oregon Repertory Singers and Portland State University that he's now led for years.  He did not disappoint, bringing new ideas to the piece, its significance, and singing and music in general, all while preparing 130 singers (many of whom were new to B9) in only two long, but well paced rehearsals. 

Generally:

"It is especially fitting that members of so many choirs, Portland Symphonic Choir, Oregon Repertory Singers, Portland Gay Men's Chorus, Pacific Youth Choir, and Portland State University's Chamber Choir and Man Choir, (am I forgetting anyone?) are joining forces to present this music all about brotherhood and the community of all humanity."  ES

"Portland should, once a year, get everyone together for something like this.  Thank you for being here." Carlos Kalmar

"Recent scientific research tells us that our ears recognize instruments not by the ongoing sound, but by the initial attack.  When they edited out the first instant of a trumpet blast, a violin bow-stroke, or sung consonants, few could tell one on-going sound from another.  Singers can take advantage of that by putting their consonants ahead of the beat, so that entire sound of the doubling instruments supports the choir."  Ethan Sperry.

"Never sing louder than lovely"  Ethan Sperry, quoting his teachers.

"You don't have to sing every single note.  You will need extra breaths in the fast and loud passages, and there are a lot of them in Beethoven 9.  It's okay to drop out two or even four notes so you have a well supported and beautiful sound."

"Carlos is a fantastic choral conductor. He will show you everything you need.  And he changes things.  Do the study you need to get out of your score so you can keep your head up and watch him."  ES

~ This proved to be great advice.  Carlos' wife Raffaela went into labor on Dec 30, and resident conductor Paul Ghun Kim took the podium with no rehearsal or prior experience conducting Beethoven 9.  The choir and the orchestra followed him flawlessly in new tempos.  Paul's comment on the choir: "Wonderful".  The baby was announced as a healthy girl, and Carlos got a standing ovation on entering the stage on Dec 31.

Specific Notes for Beethoven's Ninth, "An die Freude"

m 238-240 EVERYONE, men and women both, sing "FffRrrrEU-de" on the A below middle C please.  KC
   Do not sing angrily loud; it's a bright explosion of joy.  ES

m 257- 264 Sopranos, double the alto.  Tenors, double the bass.  The tenor, as Ludvig wrote it, is UN-singable. ES
"This is your music that tells the audience why you have been waiting for 45 minutes in full view; make them joyful that you did." CK
m 264 make the half note a quarter note with quarter rest.  CK

m 286 Basses JA! is full agreement. CK
m 287 everyone else agrees, too. CK
m 289 "nie" the "sf" is not an explosion.  Beethoven uses "sf" to say "this is the important word in the phrase"; lead up to it then come back from it.  ES
m 292  make the half note a quarter note with quarter rest.  CK

m 313 in "Küsse" the K is strong before the beat and  the "ss" is even longer before the beat with a break.  CK
m 313 - 319 Elegantly please.  No forcing, especially tenors and sopranos.  UN-accent beats 2 and 4 almost always.  ES
m 320 -234 all half notes are quarter notes with quarter note rests. CK
m 330  "Carlos makes this a loooooong fermata"  ES
m 330 "this is a loooooong fermata."  CK.

m 411-431
"What is English for 'Bierhalle'?  Oh, Bierhalle works here?   Ah, of course, this is Portland!"  CK
"Get out your beer steins! "  Both gents
"Maybe it's that we Portlanders take our beer in cups, so we don't slosh them around.  Maybe it's that they don't mind spilling beer in Germany because beer is cheap."  ES
m 411 the L of Laufet must be well before the beat.
m 417 etc.  "Held" needs his "t". Omitting it makes "ein Hel", something completely different.  (thank you, Doro)
m 431 Some scores have a tenor D.  It should be a Bb.

The Famous Chorale

m 545-590
"Joyful, loud, exuberant, mit bier" CK
"Where you have them, bring out the eighth notes by backing off the prior quarter just a little"  CK
"All the syllables are not equal.  Beethoven put the unimportant syllables on the off beats.  Let them be unimportant."  ES
m 535 "There is no English word for Feuertrunken, and most modern Germans don't know the word either.  When you use it they just look at you, but feuertrunken, happy drunk with fire,  is what you have to convey"  CK

m 595 "Don't come in early.  Circle the rest!  Make less of the unaccented closing syllables."   ES
"Gentlemen: sing tall, commanding, and rather separated" CK
m 601 (and 608) "make Kuss half "u" and half "ss" with a break"  both gents
m 604 (and 610) "Welt is a whole note with "t" on beat three half rest." both
m 605 "Ladies are very lyrical here.  Men make four rather detached notes, then accented singing" CK

m 620 "Very warm and loving here for "Brüder!"  CK
m 622 "-zelt" is a half note for everyone, then stress your next 'muss'.  ES

m 631 "Ihr" is very warm and beautiful, then spit out at "stürst" CK
m 632 "nie-" is stressed and "-der" is less.  CK
m 633 the crescendo is good. CK
m 635 is subito pianissimo, building evenly to "Welt?".  CK
m 639 subito pianissimo again, then building again.  CK
m 643 "I rely on the altos.  The sopranos are impossibly high, the tenors are screaming, the basses are too high to sing well, but the alto is just right in the range and a beautiful leap I love to hear.  Please delight me." CK
m 645 (and other places)  "muss" has a short vowel, and "er" needs a space before it.  Practice this   "Mu-" (eighth) pause (eighth) "-ss" (eighth) pause (eighth) "er" (full value).  Here we go." ES

m 650 "Robert Shaw, to get louder or softer sounds from a section, would add or subtract people, not as a comment on their singing, but to get the sound he needed.  Sopranos, especially seconds, if you cannot float a relaxed, pianissimo, high g on "ü", simply don't sing it.  Second sopranos and altos, same for the the e: if you cannot float it, just open your mouth and pretend to sing, and it will be beautiful" ES
"That was simply beautiful"  ES    (It was.  GS)

The Fugue. m 655-729

"Altos, I really want to hear the main theme, and where ever else it occurs, please." CK
"Actually, Carlos doesn't really need the main theme really loud: it carries and I hear it completely cover the bouncy second theme, so please do this:  Bring out the bouncy, joyful "Freude" theme most.  When you have the main "Seid umschlungen" theme, pulse and sustain each note, especially the first few, but it's just a little softer.  Everything else is unimportant, marked down a dynamic or two.  The only exception is the bursting "Freude!" and you sing those out.  Can that be how we do it?"  ES
"Pity the altos.. the parts are harder than yours, and it takes them too low AND too high." ES
m 720 to 724 first note, a few (5 of 30) tenors on the alto, then back to tenor.  EK

m 730 "At Rudolph (rehearsal letter R), NO crescendo, tenors, til 738" CK
"The short notes are pick-ups to the half-notes.  Put them right on the beat.  Anyone may double the four bars before or after they sing softly and accurately"
m 745 the tempo broadens a little and this is full and warm and inviting.  CK
m 749 is a little folk song that ends at 762 lilting and lovely.  CK
m 753 breath after "-zelt" and ES
m 757 breath after "wohnen". ES
m 758 Alto, the first note should be C-natural, not C sharp.  CK

m 795 "don't worry, I will bring you in there."  CK
m 806 (and 827)  "Alle" is very bright and right in rhythm.  CK
m 806 "Give Alle a double accent, once when you enter and again on the tied quarter, almost "ahaaalle"  ES
m 811 "Brüder is the top of the phrase, swell to it and away from it with a breath. CK
m 812 Sopranos, make the little turn lovely and relaxed, but please do it together.  CK
          "Sopranos, when you sing that turn, wink at Carlos.  I mean, the turn is the wink." ES
m 814 "I will give you the cut off like this: CK demonstrates a downbeat and a second downward grabbing gesture.
m 831 "is right in tempo, please come in see the new tempo at 832 for the "Menschen"  CK

m 851 "is very, very fast.  Memorize."  ES.  (It was.  I did. GS)
m 865 "everyone separate the eighth notes so we can hear them.  Basses, stick to your quarter notes and make us notice them." ES
m 880 "All fortissimo, with accents on the down beats. ES
m  883 "Welt" gets a full quarter before the "t" and breath every time. ES
m 916 "the fortissimo is full and the piano is subito" CK
m 920 "Just watch,  You'll see right where "fun-ken" goes in two and please do not rush it.  But the orchestra is hammering loud there, no one will hear it."  CK

"Let's do this again sometime"

But we heard it, and we got it right both times.  Personally, I came of both performances fresh-voiced: those 130 voices meant the singers didn't need to struggle to balance, nor had we sung a long dress and warm-up on opening day: the dress was the night before.  It was a happy experience for me, and I'd do it again.

Yours, Gary.