Elgar Festival Chorus - Rehearsal 2
Thank you again for a very productive rehearsal last Saturday. Below is a summary of all that we discussed and rehearsed.
For detailed notes on scene one please go to my first set of notes on the website.
Scene 2 –
In this movement the chorus part oscillates between description and narrative. The orchestra oftens doubles your parts but there are also sections where you become a completely independent ensemble for example, letter D (page 23) to letter G (page26)
A particularly brilliant piece of descriptive writing by Elgar is from letter K where the battle between the Kings son and the Knight is brought to life in vividly dramatic music. In places like these it is particularly important to keep the text crisp and to have eyes out of copies so that you involve the audience in the action.
Housekeeping Notes:
Page 22 – it is very important to observe the semiquaver rests in ‘To the barrier of the fight’ and ‘Sir Knight! Your name and scutcheon’ Also, please note that the top of page 23 is marked Vivace – quicker than the tempo established on page 22.
Pages 23 to 27 – Elgar presents us with repeated tempo changes – namely letters D, E and F. These will always be instances where eyes out of copies is essential so that you are not left behind.
Page 24 – Bar 33, quaver out of ‘aghast’
Letter E, bar 37, chop off the tied quaver on ‘sway’ – also do the same at the top of Page 25 on ‘sway’
Page 26 – Letter G, Bar 50, quaver out of ‘sway’
Pages 27 to 29 – ATB please maintain the detached approach on ‘When he rode, The arch of heav’n grew black’ throughout each phrase.
Page 30 – Bar 79 ‘Castle’ is legato, followed by violent accents on ‘gan to’ in Bar 80.
Page 31 – SAT please take a crochet out of your first ‘black’ in ‘The arch of heav’n grew black’
Page 34/35 – please note that in bars 119/120 – 123/124 and 127/128 you are temporarily unaccompanied. These chords must be rock solid in their impact and force. Bar 130 – ALTOS take out a crochet from your tied A flat on ‘rock’ BASSES – please note that the tied B natural at Bar 131 is maintained over the page to Bars 132/3. Bars 134/135 – ‘gan to rock!’ each word has a crochet out.
Page 37 – Bar 146, crochet out of ‘mists’ Bar 150, Sops chop off the tied crochet on ‘black’
Pages 160/161 – Letter P, this is unaccompanied. The accents here must be explosive. Bar 160, Basses full length on ‘blow’ Tenors, quaver out of ‘blow’ Bar 161, SAT full length on the accented ‘blow’
Letter Q – chorus is unaccompanied here until Bar 169!
Page 40 – Bars 172 and 174, ATB, crochet out of ‘es’ of ‘rises’ and Bar 176, crochet out of ‘shock’
Page 141 – Bars 186/7, heavy accents on ‘from the shock’ – full length minims.
I strongly urge all members to seek out a recording of TBK. By doing this you can begin to get yourselves immersed in the sound world of Elgar’s wonderful music. Listening will go a long way to helping you understand how everything fits together in this often-dense scoring.
Thank you again for all your hard work thus far. We will be mainly consolidating our learning of movements 1 and 2 at the next rehearsal on the 21st and, if there is time, take a first look at the beginning of scene 3.
See you soon!
Stephen