Vocalist.org archive


From:  Craig Tompkins <craigtompkins@t...>
Date:  Sat Apr 29, 2000  2:45 am
Subject:  Re: [vocalist-temporary] Reincarnations and Trois Chansons


Shanna Hollich wrote:

> I'm just looking for some general tips on some pieces
> we're preparing for our high school spring chorus
> concert. I don't know how popular they are, but I
> figure that with our large membership someone will
> have heard of/performed these, :).
>
> The first is being performed by our about 25 member
> SATB madrigal group. It is the Reincarnations, which
> are poems by James Stephens that were arranged for
> four-part chorus of mixed voices by Samuel Barber.
> The three pieces in this set are Mary Hynes, Anthony O
> Daly, and The Coolin (The Fair Haired One).
>
> The second is being performed by our chorale, which
> has about 60 members or so. It is the Trois Chansons
> (Three Chansons), with words by Charles D'Orleans and
> music by Claude Debussy. This one also consists of
> three pieces: Dieu! qu'il la fait bon regarder!; Quant
> j'ai ouy le tabourin; and Yver, vous n'estes qu'un
> villain. On this one I'm especially looking for help
> with speaking and interpreting the French.
>
> As always, any tips/advice one could give me would be
> greatly appreciated.

Wow Shanna:
You must have one hot High School vocal department ;-) Those two sets are
not easy. We've sung them many times in the Vancouver Chamber Choir, so let
me see what I can remember about the Barber first.
Mary Hines requires a very light leggiero approach as the words flash by.
Barber's dynamics are all very good but be careful not to over emphasize the
/S/ of She nor to accent the following is. They look like syncopations but
are better treated as pick-ups to the following words.
Antony O'Daly needs incredible sostenuto from the men. Don't be afraid to
fiddle with the voicing so that the basses don't get fatigued with their
long ostinato. We always thought of the keening that happens at traditional
Irish funerals to give us the right concept of the sound.
The Coolin is such a beautiful piece. Again tremendous legato is needed to
keep the sicilenne rhythm moving gently forward without lurching. There is
a risk of becoming overly sentimental with this piece. I once heard it
performed with an excessive amount of rubato so that the long phrases
speeding up and slowing down gave the impression of riding a roller
coaster. Not the tender love song that Barber wrote!
What a shame that Debussy only wrote these three a capella choruses.
Dieu! Qu'il a fait can be a stunning piece to show off the suppleness of
your ensemble. Remember that French doesn't have the same kind of word
stress that English and German do. The syllabic stress is indicated by
duration not by dynamics. Pay close attention to the interpretive markings
in the individual parts as they are not always the same, and these
differences give the piece an "orchestral" quality.
Quant j'ai ouy le tabourin is really a show piece for your soloist. Make
sure the accompanying parts are absolutely accurate and crystal clear in the
articulation. A fairly straight tone will bring the delicious harmonies
forward without overwhelming the solo line.
Yver vous n'estes qu'un villain is the piece to let loose in! How fast can
you sing this and still get all the words out? Have fun shading all the
dynamic variables that Debussy has put in the score. This is the most
"orchestral" of the set and when done with verve and panache is a real show
stopper.
Have fun with these songs. I wish I could be there to hear them!!
Cheers,
Craig, Burnaby BC


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