2005 Vocal Division All-State Choir Audition Material
District Level Women's/Men's Choir
Ave Maria by Victoria, edited by Robert Sund;
TTBB; Walton; #HL08501545
• As Marked!
Gloria from Mass No. 6 by György Orban;
SSAA; Hinshaw #HMC-2003
• As Marked!
District Level Mixed Choir
Gloria in excelsis Deo by Thomas Weelkes;
SSAATB; Oxford; #0-19-352034-6
• Around quarter = 110
• Breathe at all commas
• Accent Gl of Gloria followed by slight decay
• Make sure all notes are clear – including notes against the harmony:
e.g. A1 m 5 D & Bflat
• Italianate Latin (see Mozart) + een exshelsees
• Try and make the singers aware of all suspensions in every part
• Build opening to m 18 and phrase off slightly before chord of 19
• m 20 etc. lighter
• m 22: everyone clear before AATB entry
• Try for the h in highest
• Lay the Angels piu legato
• m 39: take time before 4th beat; stretch Crave each time
• Make dissonances clear – Eflat/Enatural etc
• Amen: broader and more expansive
John the Revelator arranged by Caldwell & Ivory;
SSAATTBB; earthsongs
• As marked!
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Region Level Women's/Men's Choir
Mandoline by Claude Debussy, arranged by Alan Raines;
SSAA; Alliance; # AMP 0561
• As marked!
• Rehearsal CD was recorded a little slower than marked.
Ra-ta-plan from The Daughter of the Regiment by Donizetti, edited by Bruce Trinkley;
TTBB; Warner Brothers; # LG-52926
• As Marked!
• Correction: measure 19-accompaniment is incorrect. It should read like measure 27.
Region Level Mixed Choir
Beatus Vir by Monteverdi, edited by John Rutter;
SSATTB; Oxford; # 0-19-341789-8
• Around quarter = 112 (faster than indicated)
• Clean, bright forward tone, with elegance and minimum wobble.
• Bright Italianate Latin.
• Stylish phrasing with Accurate word stress very important
- (See Ron Jeffers Latin text/translation guide)
• Slight easing of the tempo into m 41
• Mm 41-44 in a freer tempo with an a tempo on the first beat of m 44
• Meter transition at letter D as indicated by editor
• Steady at H
• Mm 206-213: very vigorous and well-articulated – angry, gnashing of teeth etc.!
• Mm 219-222: diminuendo and rallentando
• Gloria: rhythmically fairly free until m238 and then tempo
• Amen: tall bright sound with minimum vibrato and very consistent line
I Gondolieri by Rossini;
SATB; Hinshaw; #HMC-508
• Around dotted quarter = 50
• Faster in middle section
Italian: Make sure the singers have a literal translation of every line.
• ll strong – with energy on the tip of the tongue
• roll final r – with the tip of the tongue mar, vogar, maggior, gondolier, ognor etc.
• bring all the e vowels forward (don’t worry too much about the closed and open rule)
Dynamics
• Very precise and somewhat exaggerated
Phrases
• Phrase off all the feminine endings – in addition to those marked (ve-la, cielo etc)
Miscellaneous
• m 31 (T), 38 (S), m 44 (B), m 50 & 62 (A), roll the r on beat 5
• Breathe after dato in each of these “solo” lines
• m 57 tutti breathe before al gondolieri
• m 58 rubato, m 59 tempo
• voghiam – take time out of the last note in every case to resonate on the m
• m 94-96 allargando!
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Area Level
Ave Maris Stella by Trond Kverno;
SSAATTBB; Walton Music; #HL08500142
• Letter A: Around quarter = 80
• Letter D: Around quarter = 168
• Otherwise – as marked
• On the rehearsal CD, there is a rallendando at letter G.
• Correction-bottom of page 6 in the alto line-measures 81-82-should read like the soprano line with “men” falling on beat one of measure 82
Meeresstille und Glückliche Fahrt, Op. 112 by Beethoven, edited by Simon Carrington;
Alliance; # AMP 5018
• Everything as marked please
• Opening section very peaceful (except for the climaxes which should be exaggerated)
• Fast section: crisp and vigorous but not over-sung
Sky Loom by Jean Ford Belmont;
SATB; Alliance; # AMP 0446
• The tempi are carefully marked by the composer.
- In places we may go slightly quicker than marked
• Score indications are very thorough and should be followed.
• Text emphasis as always very important.
