Tuesday, February 12, 2002

Save the Date! The fourth annual "Mozart Requiem" sing-along benefit concert is coming up Saturday, March 9 at St. Joseph the Worker church (1640 W. Addison) Admission is by donation, suggested donation $12 general, $10 students & seniors.

Bella Workshop-Rehearsal John Poole has given a wide repertoire of choral concerts throughout the world with many and varied organisations. Especially during his years as Director of the B.B.C Singers he was involved in an enormous output of music of all periods at the highest level. During these years he regularly conducted choral and orchestral concerts with the B.B.C. Symphony Orchestra and other orchestras in Britain and Europe. He is a committed advocate of new music and is regularly involved in commissioning new works. He has a special interest in working in courses and master classes with singers, conductors and composers.
Mr. Poole is teaching in Indiana this year, and will be working with Bella on Tuesday, March 12. --A rehearsal not to be missed! (http://www.johnpoole.net)

Bella singers who like to talk on the phone... We are planning to have a phone drive to increase concert attendance and raise money. Let Erica know if you might be interested.

Marcelle (vocal coach) reminds you of your memory (oh, yeah!): Memorize your music: Sing off book whenever possible, as soon as you have learned proper rhythms, text and notes. Do this for as long as you can, a phrase, a passage, a piece!? Try it today! You might be surprised at how much you ALREADY know, and our sound is much fuller and more together when we sing off book and watch Arlene (she's waving her arms up there for a reason).

Meet the composers: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
While Bach was Kantoor in Leipzig (c1722) he had to provide a cantata every Sunday, for performance between the gospel reading and the Creed. In his church cantatas Bach synthesized the Italian solo cantata style with the German motet and chorale tradition. Bach's church cantatas are made up of a series of choruses, recitatives and arias, often arranged in a symmetrical pattern, beginning with a strong, contrapuntal chorus or perhaps an orchestra movement, and ending with a simple chorale harmonization. They set a mixture of biblical passages, chorale texts and free devotional poetry, all in German. The arias, are usually in da capo form and are sometimes for more than one voice. They may use an obbligato accompaniment -- an independent instrumental line weaving around the voice and matching it in virtuosity and expressiveness, perhaps played by a solo violin, flute or oboe. In some cantatas (such as Christ lag in Todes Banden, the chorale melody appears in every movement; it may be sung as a cantus firmus under an obbligato line, as in Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme

Bach's first experience of making great music was with his voice. He had an uncommonly good treble voice and was able to use it as a chorister to sponsor the last few years of his education. He had always been attracted by good vocal skills. It seems that his first wife sang illegally in the organ loft at Arnstadt and his second wife, Anna Magdalena was a court, singer at Cöthen. His brief in Leipzig was primarily to develop a strong choir with the students at St. Thomas's School, but their poor voices and 'bad ears' made this difficult.

Bach wrote some of the world's most powerful vocal music. The large Passion settings exploit the colours and range of the human voice masterfully. Bach tended to use the bass for Christ's words and the tenor as the storyteller or Evangelist. The soprano is frequently the voice of the soul, making a a spiritual comment on the action, and the alto represents the Holy Spirit.
Sadie, Stanley (ed.), The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Classical Music, Billboard Books, New York, 2000

"Shameless Plugs"

The Trinity Chamber Concert series presents: "aka Fweeter", a women's chamber chorus. Saturday, February 16, 8pm at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana Street (@ Durant) in Berkeley. Marcelle Dronkers, Director. Music by Porpora, Monteverdi, Mendelssohn, Brahms & others. Admission by donation ($12 recommended).

Bella Musica is being represented in the "First Annual" Berkeley Choral Festival, "In Praise of Music". Tickets can be purchased at a 20% discount for you, friends & cohorts of performers ($12(student) $20/$30/$40). The concert is Monday, March 4, at Zellerbach Hall. Proceeds to benefit the Musicians' Pension Fund. Ask for a form or visit www.berkeleysymphony.org for more details. (tell them you are with Bella Musica, to get the discount). We'd love to see you there!