Dear Evergreen Singers,
I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving, as I did. I’m looking forward to our last rehearsals and our performance. I want to encourage you all to review your parts carefully so that we can make the most of our time together this coming Thursday evening. In particular, be sure to look at the music we haven’t sung in a while, including Oh Kristeshi and the two shape-note songs.
Also, I know we’ve all been struggling with The Fool King’s Secret. I have a strategy that should help:
We will insert brief fermatas (aka holds, or “bird’s-eyes”) at several points in the score to allow us to “regroup” and get everyone back together. I’m putting these at the points where we seem to have trouble with entrances. We’ll keep these little breaks short so we don’t interfere with the flow of the piece. Here’s a list of where they will go, so you can go ahead and mark them in your score:
| Measure No. | Description |
|
End of 7 |
Before the second set of hisses |
|
End of 14 |
Before 1st set of “w”s
(2nd baritones continue to hiss through this pause) |
|
End of 25 |
End of inhaled “w”s, just before new set of hisses |
|
End of 28 |
Just before set of overlapped hisses |
|
End of 34 |
Just before set of overlapped short hisses |
|
End of 41 |
Just before 1st alto “Midas”
(2nd sops continue to hiss through this pause) |
|
Inside 42 |
Hold recorders’ note; I will cue in S &A on the first singing part (“Midas insulted…”)
Baritones continue to hiss through this pause. |
|
End of 55 |
After “crown”, before “concealed” |
|
End of 70 |
There’s already a fermata in the score here—end of unison “f”s, |
|
End of 86 |
Beginning of page 9, leading into “The barber travelled…”
(2nd baritones continue to “h” through this pause.) |
|
Inside 97 |
After 2nd altos last “fast”. Hold recorder note; I will cue in singing part “fast he ran…”
Baritones will continue “h” panting through this pause. |
|
End of 111 |
End of “passing one”. 1st altos will hold their C through this pause. I will cue in baritones on “midas has…” |
|
End of 126 |
We have a rest here, so we might as well take advantage of that to re-center. |
|
End of 134 |
Also a rest here—we can gather our forces and go out strong and confident (thought quiet). |
We’ll also go over these in class, but our limited time will be much better used if you review them before Thursday also. Thank you so much for your wonderful work on this challenging and wacky piece of music. Have a great weekend. See you Thursday.
Marla.