Good job today!  We only have a few things to clean up Saturday before a good concert Sunday.  You can’t win a race unless you push hard all the way to the finish line, so let’s get even better this week!

Please watch for communication from Ms. Holcomb this week about moving equipment to Indian Springs.  Please note the following about next Saturday’s rehearsal:

Russian Chorale and Overture

Great job today.  Let see if we can move the accelerando more between reh.5 and reh.6 to make the piece even more exciting.

Aida

This piece is still unrefined.  Please work with a metronome so that we can be more rhythmically precise. Make sure that dotted eighth-sixteenth patterns don’t turn into triplets.  Our concerns for next Saturday include playing with appropriate tone quality, precision, blend, balance and greater dynamic contrast.

Hungarian Dance #6

Remember that the Leggiero is a gradual accelerando, not a piu mosso five measures into it.  We should not have to spend much time on this piece Saturday.

Fugue

Another good job.  Anything needed now is a matter of individual practice.  If we are prepared, this will not require a lot of our Saturday time, either.

Battalia

1-4.            Well done.  Let’s work for even better dynamic contrast.

5.                  We need to solidify tempo, which should not take long.

6.                  We need to run this a few times, just for ensemble security.

7.                  We need to bump up the tempo a little.  Check this with a metronome.

8.                  Let’s make sure that we finish the piece as beautifully and as poignantly as possible

Peer Gynt

We will run the entire piece and work on movements as needed.

1^st movement

·         2^nd bassoon in m.8 & m. 16 (Anna, please play the bsn. 2 part until reh. A)

·         Listening to get under the melody

2^nd movement

·         Play long lines; avoid pushing the tempo.  More viola on moving quarter notes.  This movement is full of beautiful viola lines.

3^rd movement

·         Still our biggest need.  We made enough progress to keep it for the concert, but we need to make it much better.  Keep working on 8^th notes from m. 15-21, 36-39, 55-73 and 82-89.  Keep it light and separated. Work with a metronome to establish a more consistent sense of internal pulse.

4^th movement

Much better conversation between cello and bassoon today.  Excellent percussion.  Let’s push the stringendo more after C and really finish the concert with a flourish.

The rehearsal plan is::

2:30     Tune

C major scale, long tones

Harmonize C major

Chord mutations, beginning in C major

2:50     Russian Chorale and Overture

2:55     Aida

3:00     Hungarian Dance #6

3:05     Fugue

3:10     Battalia

3:25     Peer Gynt

3:45     break

4:00     clean up on Aida, Hungarian Dance, Fugue, Peer 4 & Peer 1

4:30     clean up on Peer Gynt 3

5:00     clean up on Battalia

One more rehearsal until the dress rehearsal at Indian Springs.  If we can get all of our music to the level of most of our music, we can have an amazing concert.  You know what needs fixing, so please take care of it individually.

Trumpets, I did not get to the solo audition on Aida.  My apologies.  Let’s do it next week.

Here are a few reminders as you prepare for next week’s rehearsal.  Please note that the order of the rehearsal is altered from what we have done previously  You will need to stay with us until you finish your last piece.  Check the times below and figure it out..

Russian Chorale and Overture

This is ready to wrap up.  Precision, dynamics, and forward movement in the Allegro are the keys to our success.

Fugue

Absolutely terrific in a number of places.  Pay special attention to reh. 2-5 and 7-9.

Peer Gynt – 4^th movement

We need confidence, boldness, and tempo stability from the beginning - reh. A.  Anything involving 16ths and quintuplets between from reh. A-B needs attention.

Peer Gynt – 1^st movement

Critical needs are:

·         Viola in m.4 & m.12

·         2^nd bassoon in m.8 & m. 16 (Anna, please play the bsn. 2 part until reh. A)

·         Reh. B-D in cello is as much about listening to violins as it is about watching the conductor.

·         From reh. E-m.62, everyone must stay below cello and bassoon.

·         The last solo is the bassoon solo at m. 81.

Remember the following for the arpeggios:

Meas. 30-31, 34-37, count 1               G# major (G#, B#, D#)

Meas. 37, count 2                                C major

Meas. 38-45, count 1                          F major

Meas. 45, count 2                                A major

Meas. 46-48                                        D major

Meas. 49                                              Db augmented (Db, F, A)

Meas. 50-52, count 1                          F major

Meas. 52, count 2                                d minor (D, F, A)

Meas. 53-54                                        F major

Meas. 55                                              C augmented (C, E, G#)

Meas. 56-58, count 1                          E major

Meas. 58, count 2                                c# minor (C#, E, G#)

Meas. 59                                              E major

Meas. 60, count 1                                c# minor

Meas. 60, count 2                                E major

Meas. 61                                              repeat meas. 60

Meas. 62                                              c# minor

Aida

One run, then trumpet solo auditions at the first of the break.  Keep the dotted-eighth – sixteenth figures exaggerated. Balancing from bottom to top, dynamic change, and shaping phrase lines are our focus.

Hungarian Dance #6

Much better today!  If we can keep what we accomplished in the Molto Sostenuto section, then we only have a little cleanup in the Leggiero left.  Dynamic contrast and precision are the keys to success.

Peer Gynt – 3^rd movement (strings & percussion)

This is our biggest challenge.  8^th notes from m. 15-21, 36-39, 55-73 and 82-89 must be taken care of by you this week if we are to keep this movement.  I am sacrificing time on other pieces to give time to this movement, but you must do your part.

Peer Gynt – 2^nd movement (strings only)

The secrets here are sustain, dynamics, and balance.

Battalia (strings only)

1.      Violin II m.9-12; viola m.6-9; cello I&II m.6-9; bass m.6-9

5.      Everyone be sure to practice with a metronome one per bar at 76 per minute

7        Violins m.2-6; viola m.3-4;

8        Everyone make sure that your pitch is very solid

The rehearsal plan is::

2:30     Tune

C major scale, long tones

Harmonize C major

Chord mutations, beginning in C major

2:50     Russian Chorale and Overture

2:55     Fugue in G minor

3:10     Peer Gynt, movement 4

3:25     Peer Gynt, movement 1

3:50     Aria

4:00     break & trumpet solo audition

4:15     Hungarian Dance #6

4:25     Peer Gynt, movement 3

4:45     Peer Gynt, movement 2

4:50     Battalia 2

5:00     Battalia 7, 8, 1, 3, 5, 6, 4, 2

Russian Choral and Overture            arr. Merle Isaac (1898-1996)

Based on Tchaikovsky’s Opus 39, No. 24 and Russian Folk Tune    

“March” from Aida                          Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

                                                       arr. Theo. M. Tobani

Hungarian Dance No. 6 (WoO 1)     Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

                                                       arr. Albert Parlow

Fugue in G Minor, BWV 542           Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

                                                       arr. Lucien Cailliet

Battalia                                            Heinrich I.F. Biber (1644-1704)

                                                       ed. Joel Blahnik

        Sonata

        The Profligate Society of Common Humor

        Allegro

        The March

        Presto

        Aria

        The Battle

        The Lament of the Wounded

Peer Gynt, Suite No. 1, Opus 46      Edward Grieg (1843-1907)

        Morning mood

        The death of Ase

        Anitra’s dance

        In the hall of the mountain king

Thank you for your patience while my left arm is limited.  The doctors tell me that after November 30 I’ll be able to do anything I want.

You’ve made good progress in the last three weeks.  We have only three more Sunday rehearsals until our Saturday dress rehearsal, so we need to be strategic in our preparation.  Please practice the difficult passages, slowly at first, then work up to tempo.

Reminder that if you are going to miss a rehearsal, it’s important for our rehearsal planning that we know of your absence in advance.  Even if you told me at rehearsal, please email Ms. Holcomb so that we have it documented.  There are many things that you tell me at rehearsal, and unfortunately I can’t remember them all.  Please remember that you are to be at rehearsal by 2:15.  This is a long-standing tradition of the Alabama Youth Symphony.  It is spelled out in your handbook.  If you do not have a handbook, please contact Ms. Holcomb (

Please continue to reference performances of our music at http:www.youtube.com.

Here are a few reminders as you prepare for next week’s rehearsal:

Russian Chorale and Overture

I would like to run this once and leave it.  In order to do that, we need to make a good transition from rehearsal 5-6.  Work rehearsal 6-end at half=96 (one per bar) or, if you want to check subdivision or off-beats, quarter=192.  The accelerando at rehearsal 5 begins at quarter=84 and accelerates to quarter=192 (half=96) by rehearsal 6.  Make sure to maintain the integrity of the tempo at rehearsal numbers 11 & 17.  Percussion, you must be with us!

Aida

I would like to run this once and leave it, then work on it a little the following week.  Many thanks to the 1^st violins for their improvement on the scale patterns between 18 & 26.  Go, you!  Let’s see if we can have that much improvement on the “walking bass” eighth note passages.

Trumpets, we will audition for the 1^st trumpet part on this piece at the Nov. 2 rehearsal.  Tempo on this piece should be around quarter=96.  For those who need it, here is a reminder of the scales played in the 32^nd note runs:

m. 18, count 3 – m. 20 – A major

m. 21, counts 1-3 – F# harmonic minor (F#, G# (

m. 21, count 4 – E major, except for the first note ( a D natural)

m. 22 – 23 – A major

m. 24 – C major

m. 25 – A major

Fugue

This piece is beginning to come together, but it is a difficult piece technically and still needs some practice.  Some of you are doing beautiful work already.  Let’s redouble our efforts and see if we can really make it happen this week.  You know the passages that need the work.  Our goal for tempo  is quarter=84.

Hungarian Dance #6

There are only a couple of trouble spots left, and you identified them in rehearsal.  This piece is really close to clicking, but it will not happen without strong effort at home on your part.. The triplets between 34-38 and 114-118 are much better.  THANKS! We still need to better recognize when we are on the beat and when we are off of the beat and make sure to play offbeats with absolute precision.  Our fastest tempo is around quarter=172.

Peer Gynt – 1^st movement

Work at quarter=48.  We will vary the tempo from time to time, but if you can play all of this movement at quarter=48, we will be in good shape.  Good job making it lighter and happier today.  Continue to pay attention to where notes end, particularly long notes.  Play the notes full value and release on the count following the note.  You will have to subdivide in 6 (three 8^th notes per big beat) to release correctly.  The 16^th note arpeggios are better, but we need to clean them further.  Here’s another reminder about the arpeggios beginning at measure 30 (letter B):

Meas. 30-31, 34-37, count 1               G# major (G#, B#, D#)

Meas. 37, count 2                                C major

Meas. 38-45, count 1                          F major

Meas. 45, count 2                                A major

Meas. 46-48                                        D major

Meas. 49                                              Db augmented (Db, F, A)

Meas. 50-52, count 1                          F major

Meas. 52, count 2                                d minor (D, F, A)

Meas. 53-54                                        F major

Meas. 55                                              C augmented (C, E, G#)

Meas. 56-58, count 1                          E major

Meas. 58, count 2                                c# minor (C#, E, G#)c

Meas. 59                                              E major

Meas. 60, count 1                                c# minor

Meas. 60, count 2                                E major

Meas. 61                                              repeat meas. 60

Meas. 62                                              c# minor

I’ll make sure to do chord mutations in warmup so that you are more used to hearing all forms of triads.

Peer Gynt – 4^th movement

I would like the opening tempo to be quarter=100 if we can hold it.  If not, we’ll have to slow it down.  From measure 34 to rehearsal B we will accelerate from quarter=100 to quarter=152.  Work rehearsal B-C at quarter=152  .By the end of the piece we want be at quarter=180 (or a little faster).  Please remember that violas (and any other strings who need to) should go to single strokes at rehearsal B.  All strings go to single strokes at rehearsal C. No spontaneous human combustion, please.

Peer Gynt – 3^rd movement (strings & percussion)

Please work this at quarter=138-144.  This is getting much better, but some of us still have a tendency to rush, especially on pizzicati.  Check pitches carefully on all 8^th note pattens.

Peer Gynt – 2^nd movement (strings only)

This movement requires great musical maturity.  The music is much deeper than the notes and rhythms.  Remember that in this movement Peer Gynt is sitting daydreaming at his mother’s bedside, seemingly unaware that she is dying.  Tempo will be approximately quarter=50, but it will vary.

Battalia (strings only)

Please work movements 1, 3, & 7 at quarter=120, movement 2 at quarter=96, movement 5 at dotted half=76 (quarter=228), movement 6 at quarter=60, and movement 8 at quarter=56.  You must be very confident on movement 2, as this is the hardest movement to put together.  Movement 1 in particular needs your time and effort. Movements 2, 3, & 5 are going well.  Please prepare well for Movements 7 & 8, as we will make sure to work on them this week.

The rehearsal plan will be as follows:

2:30     Tune

C major scale, long tones

Harmonize C major

Chord mutations, beginning in C major

2:50     Russian Chorale and Overture

2:55     Aida

3:05     Fugue in G minor

3:30     Hungarian Dance #6

3:45     Peer Gynt, movement 1

4:00     break

4:15     Peer Gynt, movement 4 (winds are excused)

4:40     Peer Gynt, movement 3 (percussion are excused)

4:55     Peer Gynt, movement 2

5:00     Battalia 1, 6, 7, 8

5:20     Battalia 2, 3, 4, 5

The following is taken from Wikipedia and from The Limlight Book of Opera by Arthur Jacobs and Stanley Sadie.

Aida is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi.  Aida, an Ethiopian princess, is captured and brought into slavery in Egypt, although the Egyptians are not aware of her true identity.  Radames, a military commander, struggles to choose between his love for her and his loyalty to the Pharaoh. To complicate the story further, Radames is loved by the Pharaoh's daughter Amneris, although he does not return her feelings.

The Grand March occurs in Act II of the opera.  In a battle with the Ethopians, the Ethiopian king (Aida’s father) has been captured by Ramades and the Egyptian army.  After a chorus of praise and thanksgiving to Isis and the King of Egypt, the Grand March opens a resplendent procession including soldiers, dancing girls, chariots, banners and idols.  At the height of the ceremony Radames enters.  The king greets him, orders Amneris to place the victor’s crown on his head, and tells Radames that he may ask for any favor.

Birmingham, AL. - On Sunday, November 16th the Alabama Youth Symphony under the direction of Dr. Jon Remley will open their season with an enjoyable selection of musical repertoire for small orchestra.  The concert will be one of three held at the Indian Springs Concert Hall, 190 Woodward Drive just off of Highway 119 at 3:00 p.m.  It is free and families are encouraged to attend.

Dr. Jon Remley took the helm of the Alabama Youth Symphony this season as former director Yuri Henriques moved to Chattanooga, TN.  Dr. Remley is currently Supervisor of Bands for Jefferson County Schools.  In his 31^st year as an instrumental music educator, he holds a PhD in Music Education from the University of North Texas, a Masters for East Texas State University and Bachelors from Henderson State University.  A musician himself, he performs with the Cahaba Saxophone Quartet, Superjazz, Po’Monkey and the Alabama Symphony.

The concert will feature works including the “March” from Aida by Giuseppe Verdi, Heinrich I.F. Biber Battalia, and Edward Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No 1, Opus 46.  For a complete listing of the programming, visit the Music Opportunity Program website at www.musicop.org.

The Alabama Youth Symphony is the premiere ensemble of the Music Opportunity Program (MOP) rehearsing weekly at Samford University.  Advanced high school musicians that are interested in performing with this ensemble should contact the MOP at info@musicop.org to arrange an audition.

The Music Opportunity Program currently trains more than 400 youth yearly in either string instrument instruction or youth orchestra. The cornerstone of its program is the String Academy--small group classes for 3^rd through 5^th graders--held during and after school in churches and schools throughout the greater Birmingham area. As young string musicians develop they move into private instruction and then have the opportunity to audition and train with one of three youth orchestras –Birmingham String Orchestra, a beginning string orchestra; the intermediate Birmingham Prelude Strings; and the Alabama Youth Symphony, a full orchestra for advances student musicians.  For more information on MOP programs and events, or for audition information, please contact the MOP office at 205/ 231-9504 or visit the website www.musicop.org.