All State commentary, account, Nelsonisms, and the fact that I type entirely too much.
Current mood: pleased
Currently listening to: All State (Men's and Women's choirs)recording
All State CD arrived today! Because I never did produce an account of the experience nor the Nelsonisms I promised the choir cronies I'd post a while ago, here we go.(Hinkle might be the only one who can make it through this entire post-- bear with me if you dare! No penalty if you can't.)
Sector A: All State Commentary
(N.B.: Being a dedicated alto, I am unequivocally inadvertently slightly biased and tend to prefer altos and basses...sorry for any who might care or take these things to heart?)
Women's Choir:
It has a nice sense of style and pretty good diction. 'Tisn't very exciting, however. Not as exciting as it had felt on stage and at rehearsals, that is. Great accents. Overall a good job; it's disappointing not to be able to hear very well the faux male opera man section that the Altos had the honor to sing *sigh*... excessive Soprano there with too high a note in contrast... thanks a lot for stealing our scene, Sops! (Just kidding... kinda.) Good final consonants mostly.
All right, all right-- it is an extremely challenging piece; therefore, harshness is uncalled for. Nearly every part in "The World is Full of Poetry" seems to be written for Soprano I, and this problem is reflected in the bit of struggle and tension that is heard in the Alto parts throughout the splendid composition. Even soprano II's and I's have trouble spots here and there. GOOD dynamics... too bad that the diction is almost bad and we sound like Giogia peaches. "Braht-ness"?? *sighs* Super props to Jon Marc, our pianist... if there is someone that put feeling into this one, it is he we speak of. Overall all right, I suppose. I think we could have done a better job with this wonderfully light piece had we had more time to perfect it and more people who cared about diction (this isn't to say that the diction should have been stern at all). Essentially, we didn't sing the piece simply enough; it is, indeed, a passage that is to be sung very simply and harmoniously and heart-felteadly, and something similar is what the composer had told us in his notes, anyway.
First measure: WOW. Very enchanting... one gets lost in time. The diction is pretty good for a choir of mostly American senior girls; it is actually really good, mostly. Alto-- YAY! The powerful mezzo forte intended for the Alto solo really turned out to be what it was supposed to turn out to be. Altos rock. Overall, very nice. The performance overall brought out the splendor of this prayer, which was pretty well reflected in the voices.
Okay, I really liked this one... Really really. A lot. It was my favourite piece, so minimal bashing follows. Very, very nice dynamics, good pitch-- props to sops, those were some woah loud and high 'doh's. Altos unfortunately don't have a very good unison in this one. DICTION!!! Ahhh, man... it still kicked butt, but this would have been not just da bomb, but an atomic bomb had we not gotten so lost in the playfulness of the piece and minded diction more. Some parts sound like a single vowel and some consonants are unheard. Some sound childish--think east-and-west singing going on here and there. Overall, W00t!!!
Horizontal singing--bad, bad, bad, but not very terribly. This was supposed to be a very stricly, vertically dark piece. Good consonants, and great dynamics and slides. The ending-- wow. Sopranos did a wonderful job with a very dark and strong tone on the first round of the finale. I found it a pretty hard ending, as, if you don't know, it is a series of rounds separated by single rests at a 104 (per quarter) tempo-- which can get pretty darn confusing as it is definitely almost impossible to get back in once one's out. Overall, very nice. The audience agreed.
My mom told me this was our worst one, and, as I often say, she doesn't understand anything. Beautiful... it was by far the deepest, and one can hear how heart-felt the song is without any trouble. The problem (which causes the song not to be our best)? DICTION!!! Just because it's Georgia All-State choir, it should NOT sound like it. Gah. "Lahst"... "Blahnd"... "Ah"... so forth. Whatever happened to inward singing, in some sections? Nonetheless, even though the bad diction does subtract from the majesty of the piece, it is still very moving... very much so. *Sheds a tear*
Go Altos!!!! Pretty good diction, but it could be better. Nice mature sound throughout... All discordant clashes sound wonderful. Good dynamics-- they make the piece very exciting. Great ending. Optimal final slide. Nonetheless, I thought it would be better.
Men's Choir:
8. "Listen to a Jubilant Song"--Pretty nice. Good harmonies-- one can hear every part distinctly. Diction is all right but could be better... I can understand what Hinkle meant when he said the whole thing was a competition to see who had the most developed hormones. Overall, nice.
9. "El Yivneh Hagalil"-- one word: w00t!!! This one is mighty wondrously intriguing and well sung. Excellent dynamics and tempo change from double to single. Overall, I love it!
10. "Swing Down Chariot"-- overall nice, but it's a bit rushed, and lots of consonants are therefore accidentally cut off/ just dropped there. Good vowels, though. I must admit I don't really like the song, too. We had to sing a similar arrangement with K Bizzle (Ms. B), and she forced it upon us, and it sucked very badly and everyone pretty much loathed the song after that.
11. "When I Hear Her"-- *cries* I nearly cried/melted at the concert... just wow. Very expressive, stupendous, and emotional, and just wow... sing it to me? *cries some more*
12. "Send in the Clowns"-- beautiful. Great consonants and good vowel diction. This piece is very employing both for the listener and the performer. Tenors, watch brightness. Likely my favourite, along with, of course, "When I Hear Her"... great job, guys.
13. "The Awakening"-- What an exceptional and phenomenal composition. Another wow for that. Props for the director for putting this on the repertoire. Good performance, and special props to Mr. Anderson, the accompanist.
Sector B: All State Accounts
Well, this was a while ago, but overall, I learned a whole lot. Aside from the initial trouble I was given for having learned the wrong (but vocally appropriate for me) part, once that was settled, it was a rather enjoyable experience (save for having to deal with the few that retained impressing everyone more important than making music together, but I guess those are everywhere. There was a competition on who could slide more in "Three Ways..." between Molly (the girl who sat beside me) and I, though, and that was actually pretty fun). Dr. Nelson, the conductor, was amazing. He taught me a lot about different modes of singing and that silence can be so beautiful. He also taught me that talent is nearly nothing compared to imagination.
All State gave me a great opportunity to get to know the people I went with a lot better. I'm on good terms with all of them now-- even Grayson, whom I had previously thought unbelievably obnoxious and disrespectful ofeveryone- it turns out that he does
behave decently or even well when he really tries, and he does try, as unbelievable as that seems. I am very glad that I went with the group I went with and would have had it no other way-- I hope we all make it again next year, guys.
Savannah is fun and beautiful, but I guess you already know that, particularly if you know that it is my favourite US city. Good food... mmm... good ice cream... mmm... good coffee... mmmm...
Sector C: Nelsonisms
Unfortunately, I didn't record any of our rehearsals and am not a computer, so I don't remember every little Nelsonism there is, but here are some highlights that I wrote down out of amusement.
1. "How many of you want to go doo doo? *thoughtful pause* I did NOT just say that." (during "Three Ways...")
2. "It's nuclear fusion... no, wait, fission... no, wait... what's the difference again? Mah, it's nnnnn--uclear ... SQUEEEOOSHION!!! *super exploding hand motion*"(discussing dynamics and blend of the last 6 measures of "Go Where...")
3. "Give them a gift." (what we should do for the listeners)
4. "LET ME DRIVE!!! *whimper*" (for all the times we got ahead of him)
5. "It's a schwab, that's what it is!" (describing the sound for the hybridization of two other sounds)
6. "I want legatissimissimissimissimissimissimissimissimissimissimo (How many misses was that?)" (self explanatory)
7. "Stop time." (giving directions for "Salve Regina", first measure)
8. "Bad flat. Flat bad. Bad, bad, bad, bad flat. Bad flat. Flat bad. BAD FLAT!!" (Flats are bad if they're not intended to be there)
9. "You're being petulant... you're not ticked at her!!" (explaining that "Salve Regina" is a prayer for mercy and should therefore be gentle and full of piety)
10. *makes duck-mouth hands and starts flapping them toward one another in the middle of the piano intermission for "The World...". The pianist stops and looks at him* "What?! We're conversing!! Keep playing!!" (Dr. Nelson's hands and the choir conversing?)
11. *Reenacts housewife vacuuming* "I wish we could do this at the performance while singing... if we only had the space..." (during "Three Ways..")
12. "Be UNREASONABLY emotional!"
13. "Be stupid... be an idiot." (describing how we should sing the "ah"s at the end of "Three Ways...")
14. "Get lost." (referring to what we should do with the depth of "Amazing Grace")
15. "ALTOS ROCK!!!!" (obviously, we do. If the best agree, then hey...)
16. "Talent is not what matters. The key is imagination... you can have as much talent as you want, but if you don't do anything with it and it's nothing but God-given talent, there's nearly nothing."
He gave us a final speech that was very deep. I hope to work with him again.
Okay... I'm done now. *hears and sees nothing but crickets*
Currently listening to: All State (Men's and Women's choirs)recording
All State CD arrived today! Because I never did produce an account of the experience nor the Nelsonisms I promised the choir cronies I'd post a while ago, here we go.(Hinkle might be the only one who can make it through this entire post-- bear with me if you dare! No penalty if you can't.)
Sector A: All State Commentary
(N.B.: Being a dedicated alto, I am unequivocally inadvertently slightly biased and tend to prefer altos and basses...sorry for any who might care or take these things to heart?)
Women's Choir:
It has a nice sense of style and pretty good diction. 'Tisn't very exciting, however. Not as exciting as it had felt on stage and at rehearsals, that is. Great accents. Overall a good job; it's disappointing not to be able to hear very well the faux male opera man section that the Altos had the honor to sing *sigh*... excessive Soprano there with too high a note in contrast... thanks a lot for stealing our scene, Sops! (Just kidding... kinda.) Good final consonants mostly.
All right, all right-- it is an extremely challenging piece; therefore, harshness is uncalled for. Nearly every part in "The World is Full of Poetry" seems to be written for Soprano I, and this problem is reflected in the bit of struggle and tension that is heard in the Alto parts throughout the splendid composition. Even soprano II's and I's have trouble spots here and there. GOOD dynamics... too bad that the diction is almost bad and we sound like Giogia peaches. "Braht-ness"?? *sighs* Super props to Jon Marc, our pianist... if there is someone that put feeling into this one, it is he we speak of. Overall all right, I suppose. I think we could have done a better job with this wonderfully light piece had we had more time to perfect it and more people who cared about diction (this isn't to say that the diction should have been stern at all). Essentially, we didn't sing the piece simply enough; it is, indeed, a passage that is to be sung very simply and harmoniously and heart-felteadly, and something similar is what the composer had told us in his notes, anyway.
First measure: WOW. Very enchanting... one gets lost in time. The diction is pretty good for a choir of mostly American senior girls; it is actually really good, mostly. Alto-- YAY! The powerful mezzo forte intended for the Alto solo really turned out to be what it was supposed to turn out to be. Altos rock. Overall, very nice. The performance overall brought out the splendor of this prayer, which was pretty well reflected in the voices.
Okay, I really liked this one... Really really. A lot. It was my favourite piece, so minimal bashing follows. Very, very nice dynamics, good pitch-- props to sops, those were some woah loud and high 'doh's. Altos unfortunately don't have a very good unison in this one. DICTION!!! Ahhh, man... it still kicked butt, but this would have been not just da bomb, but an atomic bomb had we not gotten so lost in the playfulness of the piece and minded diction more. Some parts sound like a single vowel and some consonants are unheard. Some sound childish--think east-and-west singing going on here and there. Overall, W00t!!!
Horizontal singing--bad, bad, bad, but not very terribly. This was supposed to be a very stricly, vertically dark piece. Good consonants, and great dynamics and slides. The ending-- wow. Sopranos did a wonderful job with a very dark and strong tone on the first round of the finale. I found it a pretty hard ending, as, if you don't know, it is a series of rounds separated by single rests at a 104 (per quarter) tempo-- which can get pretty darn confusing as it is definitely almost impossible to get back in once one's out. Overall, very nice. The audience agreed.
My mom told me this was our worst one, and, as I often say, she doesn't understand anything. Beautiful... it was by far the deepest, and one can hear how heart-felt the song is without any trouble. The problem (which causes the song not to be our best)? DICTION!!! Just because it's Georgia All-State choir, it should NOT sound like it. Gah. "Lahst"... "Blahnd"... "Ah"... so forth. Whatever happened to inward singing, in some sections? Nonetheless, even though the bad diction does subtract from the majesty of the piece, it is still very moving... very much so. *Sheds a tear*
Go Altos!!!! Pretty good diction, but it could be better. Nice mature sound throughout... All discordant clashes sound wonderful. Good dynamics-- they make the piece very exciting. Great ending. Optimal final slide. Nonetheless, I thought it would be better.
Men's Choir:
8. "Listen to a Jubilant Song"--Pretty nice. Good harmonies-- one can hear every part distinctly. Diction is all right but could be better... I can understand what Hinkle meant when he said the whole thing was a competition to see who had the most developed hormones. Overall, nice.
9. "El Yivneh Hagalil"-- one word: w00t!!! This one is mighty wondrously intriguing and well sung. Excellent dynamics and tempo change from double to single. Overall, I love it!
10. "Swing Down Chariot"-- overall nice, but it's a bit rushed, and lots of consonants are therefore accidentally cut off/ just dropped there. Good vowels, though. I must admit I don't really like the song, too. We had to sing a similar arrangement with K Bizzle (Ms. B), and she forced it upon us, and it sucked very badly and everyone pretty much loathed the song after that.
11. "When I Hear Her"-- *cries* I nearly cried/melted at the concert... just wow. Very expressive, stupendous, and emotional, and just wow... sing it to me? *cries some more*
12. "Send in the Clowns"-- beautiful. Great consonants and good vowel diction. This piece is very employing both for the listener and the performer. Tenors, watch brightness. Likely my favourite, along with, of course, "When I Hear Her"... great job, guys.
13. "The Awakening"-- What an exceptional and phenomenal composition. Another wow for that. Props for the director for putting this on the repertoire. Good performance, and special props to Mr. Anderson, the accompanist.
Sector B: All State Accounts
Well, this was a while ago, but overall, I learned a whole lot. Aside from the initial trouble I was given for having learned the wrong (but vocally appropriate for me) part, once that was settled, it was a rather enjoyable experience (save for having to deal with the few that retained impressing everyone more important than making music together, but I guess those are everywhere. There was a competition on who could slide more in "Three Ways..." between Molly (the girl who sat beside me) and I, though, and that was actually pretty fun). Dr. Nelson, the conductor, was amazing. He taught me a lot about different modes of singing and that silence can be so beautiful. He also taught me that talent is nearly nothing compared to imagination.
All State gave me a great opportunity to get to know the people I went with a lot better. I'm on good terms with all of them now-- even Grayson, whom I had previously thought unbelievably obnoxious and disrespectful ofeveryone- it turns out that he does
behave decently or even well when he really tries, and he does try, as unbelievable as that seems. I am very glad that I went with the group I went with and would have had it no other way-- I hope we all make it again next year, guys.
Savannah is fun and beautiful, but I guess you already know that, particularly if you know that it is my favourite US city. Good food... mmm... good ice cream... mmm... good coffee... mmmm...
Sector C: Nelsonisms
Unfortunately, I didn't record any of our rehearsals and am not a computer, so I don't remember every little Nelsonism there is, but here are some highlights that I wrote down out of amusement.
1. "How many of you want to go doo doo? *thoughtful pause* I did NOT just say that." (during "Three Ways...")
2. "It's nuclear fusion... no, wait, fission... no, wait... what's the difference again? Mah, it's nnnnn--uclear ... SQUEEEOOSHION!!! *super exploding hand motion*"(discussing dynamics and blend of the last 6 measures of "Go Where...")
3. "Give them a gift." (what we should do for the listeners)
4. "LET ME DRIVE!!! *whimper*" (for all the times we got ahead of him)
5. "It's a schwab, that's what it is!" (describing the sound for the hybridization of two other sounds)
6. "I want legatissimissimissimissimissimissimissimissimissimissimo (How many misses was that?)" (self explanatory)
7. "Stop time." (giving directions for "Salve Regina", first measure)
8. "Bad flat. Flat bad. Bad, bad, bad, bad flat. Bad flat. Flat bad. BAD FLAT!!" (Flats are bad if they're not intended to be there)
9. "You're being petulant... you're not ticked at her!!" (explaining that "Salve Regina" is a prayer for mercy and should therefore be gentle and full of piety)
10. *makes duck-mouth hands and starts flapping them toward one another in the middle of the piano intermission for "The World...". The pianist stops and looks at him* "What?! We're conversing!! Keep playing!!" (Dr. Nelson's hands and the choir conversing?)
11. *Reenacts housewife vacuuming* "I wish we could do this at the performance while singing... if we only had the space..." (during "Three Ways..")
12. "Be UNREASONABLY emotional!"
13. "Be stupid... be an idiot." (describing how we should sing the "ah"s at the end of "Three Ways...")
14. "Get lost." (referring to what we should do with the depth of "Amazing Grace")
15. "ALTOS ROCK!!!!" (obviously, we do. If the best agree, then hey...)
16. "Talent is not what matters. The key is imagination... you can have as much talent as you want, but if you don't do anything with it and it's nothing but God-given talent, there's nearly nothing."
He gave us a final speech that was very deep. I hope to work with him again.
Okay... I'm done now. *hears and sees nothing but crickets*
Francesca contentedly consumes her coffee at 1:12:00 PM
