Simon Carrington at Birmingham Southern

Simon Carrington, Professor of Choral Conducting at Yale University, will offer a lecture/demonstration with the Birmingham-Southern College Concert Choir on Thursday, April 16, at 7:30 PM in Hill Recital Hall on the BSC Campus, 800 Arkadelphia Road. Carrington, an eminent choral scholar and conductor, was founding musical director of The King's Singers, and during his tenure at Yale has brought its Schola Cantorum international recognition. There is no admission charge, and all are welcome. For more information, call 205.226.4957 or email lseigel@bsc.edulseigel@bsc.edu>.

Bluff Park Methodist - Sunday, April 19th, 2009

In case you've missed it, we are singing at Bluff Park Methodist Church on the Sunday morning after Easter. They are feeding us between the services. We'll wear our outfits.

Our program:

Os Justi
(Anton Bruckner)

Glory be to God
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)

Alleluia
József Karai (b. 1927)
Kiyoshi Scissum, tenor

O sacrum convivium
Vytautas Miskinis (b. 1954)

Beautiful River
William Hawley (b. 1950)

Oxford program

Alleluia
József Karai
(b. 1927)
Kiyoshi Scissum, tenor

Os Justi
Anton Bruckner
(1824 – 1896)

Trois Chœurs
d’après des comedies de Molière
Patrice Bernard
(b. 1952)
1. L’orviétan
2. L’amour qui nous attaché
3. Je ne veux point me marier



Three Choral Ballads
Wilhelm Stenhammar
(1871 - 1927)

1. September
2. The Garden of Seraglio
3. If I Had

Go Lovely Rose
K. Lee Scott
(b. 1950)

Beautiful River
William Hawley
(b. 1950)

Garota de Ipanema
Arr. Clovis Pereira
(b. 1932)

Working on translations

Here's a better version of the French translations.

Look at them. Write them in your score.

Oxford Housing

Look here: more people need to sign up.

Email me additions/changes and I'll post.

The H. Schutz Perpetual Trophy: Adieu

Today we bid goodbye to the Heinrich Schutz Perpetual Trophy.
Choir, please repeat after me:

1. We bid the beautiful Heinrich Schutz Perpetual Trophy farewell
2. We send it, and our good wishes, back to Ireland.
3. In Ireland, You honored our German pronunciation . . .
4. You honored our careful attention to the baroque style . . .
5. We credit our German tutor Martin Schultz for a portion of this fine award
6. We also credit our own innate musical skills.

13. Indeed, we rejoice
14. As we deliver this trophy back to your fine country.
15. Long live the Cork International Choral Festival.
16. And God bless America.

Tweeter watching

Pretty cool.

Fall 2009 Calendar Dates for Choir

Fall Classes begin Tuesday, Aug. 18
Fall Break Oct. 15-18
Fall Choral Concert Sun, Oct. 25, 3:00
Thanksgiving Holidays Nov 25-27
Last Day Class - Thursday, Dec. 3
Christmas at the Alys, Sun. Dec. 6, 3:00 with rehearsal night before (Sat, Dec. 5, 8:00 pm)

L'orvietanr with IPA.doc

Text with IPA (microsoft word document)

L'amour qui nous attache (from Le Tartuffe)

Text with IPA symbols (microsoft word document)

L'amour without practice spaces

L'amour with practice spaces

Je ne veux point me marier

HARPAGON: Oui, un homme mûr, prudent et sage, qui n'a pas plus de cinquante ans, et dont on vante les grands biens.



ÉLISE. Elle fait une révérence: Je ne veux point me marier, mon père, s'il vous plaît.



HARPAGON. Il contrefait sa révérence: Et moi, ma petite fille ma mie, je veux que vous vous mariiez, s'il vous plaît.



ÉLISE: Je vous demande pardon, mon père.



HARPAGON: Je vous demande pardon, ma fille.



ÉLISE: Je suis très humble servante au seigneur Anselme; mais, avec votre permission, je ne l'épouserai point.



HARPAGON: Je suis votre très humble valet; mais, avec votre permission, vous l'épouserez dès ce soir.



ÉLISE: Dès ce soir?



HARPAGON: Dès ce soir.



ÉLISE: Cela ne sera pas, mon père.

ÉLISE: Non, vous dis-je.

ÉLISE: Je me tuerai plutôt que d'épouser un tel mari.



HARPAGON: Tu ne te tueras point, et tu l'épouseras. Mais voyez quelle audace! A-t-on jamais vu une fille parler de la sorte à son père?

ÉLISE: Mais a-t-on jamais vu un père marier sa fille de la sorte?


TRANSLATION:

ELI. (_curtseying_). I have no wish to marry, father, if you
please.

HAR. (_imitating_ ÉLISE). And I, my little girl, my darling, I wish
you to marry, if you please.

ELI. (_curtseying again_). I beg your pardon, my father.

HAR. (_again imitating_ ÉLISE). I beg your pardon, my daughter.

ELI. I am the very humble servant of Mr. Anselme, but (_curtseying
again_), with your leave, I shall not marry him.

HAR. I am your very humble servant, but (_again imitating_ ÉLISE) you
will marry him this very evening.

ELI. This evening?

HAR. This evening.

ELI. (_curtseying again_). It cannot be done, father.

HAR. (_imitating_ ÉLISE). It will be done, daughter.

ELI. No.

HAR. Yes.

ELI. No, I tell you.

HAR. Yes, I tell you.

ELI. You will never force me to do such a thing

HAR. I will force you to it.

ELI. I had rather kill myself than marry such a man.

HAR. You will not kill yourself, and you will marry him. But did you ever see such impudence? Did ever any one hear a daughter speak in such a fashion to her father?

ELI. But did ever anyone see a father marry his daughter after such a fashion?

L’amour qui nous attache

L’amour qui nous attache
Le Tartuffe, Acte III, scène 3

L’amour qui nous attache aux beautés éternelles
N’etouffe pas en nous l’amour des temporelles.
Nos sens facilement peuvent être charmés
Des ouvrages parfaits que le Ciel a formés
Ses attraits réfléchis brillent dans vos pareilles;
Mais il étale en vous ses plus belles merveilles.

Il a sur votre face épanché des beautés
Dont les yeux sont supris, et les cœurs transporteś;
Et je n’ai pu vous voir, parfaite créature,
Sans admirer en vous l’auteur de la nature,
Et d’une ardente amour sentir mon cœur atteint,
Au plus beau des portaits oú luimême il s’est peint.

From Google books: The Plays of Moliere

Our love for the beauty which is eternal does not stifle in us the love for things fleeting; our senses can easily be charmed with the perfect works which heaven has created. Its reflected loveliness shines forth in such as are like you; but in you yourself it displays its choicest wonders.

It has lavished on your face a beauty which dazzles the eyes and transports the heart, and I am unable to gaze on you, you perfect creature, without adoring in you the author of nature, and without feeling my heart seized with a passionate love for the most beautiful of the portraits in which he has delineated himself.

L’orviétan

Updated 3/27/2009

L’orviétan
L’amour médecin, Acte II, scène 7
Link to Google Books

A dialogue between Sganerrele and The Quack

Sganerrele:
Holà! Monsieur, Holà!
Je vous prie de me donner une boîte de votre orviétan,
que je mén vais vous payer

L’or de tous les climats qu’entoure l’Océan,
Peu-til jamais payer ce secret d’importance?
Mon remède guérit par sa rare excellence,
Plus de maux q’uon peut nombrer dans tout un an:
La gale, la rogne, la teigne, la fièvre, la peste, la goute
Rougeole,

Ô grande puissance de l’orviétan

Sganerrele:
Admirez mes bontés et le pey q’uon vous vend
Ce trésor merveilleux que ma main vous dispense;
Vous pouvez avec lui braver en assurance
Tour les maux que sur nous l’ire du Ciel ré pondi

Translation from Google books:

Sganarelle:
Hey! Good sir, I pray you give me a box of your orvietan, and I will pay you for it.

The Quack (sings):
The gold from all the shores washed by the sea,
Would it ever buy this precious secret?
My remedy can cure, with its rare and excellent power,
More ills than one could number in a year.
Scabies, Itch, Mange, The fever, The plague, The gout, The pox, Hernia, Measles.

O, the mighty power of orvietan!

Sganarelle:
I dare say, Monsieur, that all the gold in the world is not sufficient to pay for your remedy, but, nevertheless, here is a shilling which you may take if you choose.

Quack, (sings.)
Admire, then, my bounty; for twelve paltry pence
A marvellous treasure to you I dispense;
With this you may brave, quite devoid of all fear,
The ills which poor mortals are subject to here.

Scabies, Itch, Mange, The fever, The plague, The gout, The pox, Hernia, Measles.
Of orviétan such is the excellence rare.

hmmm. b u s t e d

L'orvietan diction

Special thanks to Dr. Kris for her knowledge, skill, and work to help us here.

Diction practice MP3's here:

L'orvietan I
Lorvietan II (space for practice)

Samford at HT

Samford HT Concert Canceled. Please disregard the previous post. (i removed it)

Former Ole Miss Singer in Chanticleer

Here's former student Gregory Peebles in a Chanticleer performance. His is the beautiful soprano voice with the incredible attention to consonants:

Food for thought

There are interesting discussions going on at ChoralNet about singers, texts, and beliefs. Here's a portion of one of the messages:

Let me relate an experience that applies: several years ago my university choir sang at a gala concert of high school choirs. After the concert, a father of one of the high school singers called me to say, "You shouldn't have sung that song." His concern was the medley from Porgy and Bess, during which we sang the words "...the things that you're liable to read in the Bible, it ain't necessarily so."

His complaint was that youngsters should not have the truth of the Bible questioned. I asked if it mattered that the words came from the mouth of a character in an opera, and did not represent anyone's particular point of view. He replied no, it was wrong. I asked if his daughter participated in drama in high school, to which he replied, "Oh yes, she loves that." I asked is she ever performed on stage a character whose actions he would not approve of if she did them off-stage. He agreed. I replied, "Would this not be the same thing: words from a play? What was the difference?.

His reply speaks volumes about the power of song: he said it's very different, because you sang the words. We ended unable to agree, agreeably. But it does indicate that for humanity over the ages, the word becomes sacred when sung. Substitute true for sacred, and you see the issue. While I think we must constantly walk a line between singing truthfully and singing "Truth," something greater than the sum of the parts occurs in our art. Since Truth varies widely among performers and listeners, we must maintain our awareness of the power and problems of words with music.

Floyd
Dr. Floyd Slotterback
Professor of Music
Northern Michigan University

Look here for more.

O Danny Boy

Whitney told me about this:

Whitacre Interview

Here's an interesting interview with Whitacre - an interview with Eric by John Birge. It's a great interview and I encourage you to listen.

MPR describes it this way:

Eric Whitacre is a phenomenon. He couldn't read music when he started college, but within a few years he was composing music that was performed and recorded by professional choirs around the world. He is that rare composer whose music is simultaneously deep and accessible, heavenly and earthy.

He is in demand all over the world, but Whitacre will be conducting VocalEssence, the St. Olaf Choir, and a Minnesota High School Honor choir at Orchestra Hall in a sold-out concert on March 21, 2009 at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis.

Classical Minnesota Public Radio's John Birge talked with Eric Whitacre about his new world-premiere piece "Nox Aurumque," how Whitacre is energized by working with young students, and how Whitacre made the teenage transition from '80s hair band to choral superstar.

enjoyed the opera

Congrats to everyone on a fine performance last night!

The Back of the Napkin

Here's the book I mentioned today in Chamber Singers:

Adjustments

Because of opera, I'm canceling the next two rehearsals on Thursday/Friday at 2:00.

Extended rehearsal next Friday, March 27, 2:00 - 4:30.

UPDATE: google calendar updated.

Thanks!

great trips

I've had great times visiting Jeff State and Shelton State choirs this week. Superb choirs and wonderful students.

25 fb

Yes, as far as I know.

Yes, the service is still on as far as I know.

Watch this space for more information and we'll cancel if the weather gets worse.