Rondos rehearsal notes from October 16

Great effort tonight, all! Next week we’ll start with woodwind (Library) and brass, percussion & bass (Music Room) sectionals for the first half of rehearsal, our last week of clinics until late November.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ONHB’s Annual General Meeting is coming up on Sunday, October 27 from 2-3:30 PM at Woodroffe United Church. You can find the AGM documents (agenda, etc.) here: https://ottawanewhorizons.com/october-2019/

Save the date! Our concert is scheduled for Sunday, December 15 from 2-4:30 PM at Brookfield HS. There are still volunteer duties to be carried out, which you can sign up for at next week’s rehearsal.

Break week has changed! There will be NO REHEARSAL ON NOVEMBER 6 (but there will be a rehearsal on November 13).

Tempo information for Fall 2019 repertoire is now included on the Rondos Listening Links page.

Clinic info for October 23 is now up on the Rondos Fall 2019 Clinics page. Thanks to Colin for directing the second half of tonight’s rehearsal! Colin will direct the full rehearsal on October 30 (Laurel will be away–and mostly incommunicado–from October 25 through November 5).

Everyone is invited to have dinner together on Wednesday, November 13, before rehearsal, at Colonnade Pizza at the Blue Heron Mall on Bank Street. More details and RSVP information to come.

NOTES ON TONIGHT’S REPERTOIRE

Do-Re-Mi

  • Everyone – always listen for the melody – if you can’t hear it, play a little more quietly (and listen a little more carefully!)
  • Percussion – wood blocks at m. 13 can be very strong!
  • Trumpets – from mm. 27-34, feel free to shorten your half and whole notes at mm. 28 (play only the first half note, rest for two beats), 30 (play a half note instead of a whole note, then rest for two beats), 32 (play a half note, rest for one beat), to make space for the answering figures … then do the same thing when this pattern comes up at the end of the piece

African Alleluia

  • Everyone who plays at m. 1 – nice and strong and groovy from mm. 1-4, then play more quietly starting at m. 5, to make space for the melody
  • Percussion at m. 13MORE COWBELL!
  • Everyone – be careful not to let the dotted eighth-sixteenth rhythm slip into two eighths; add some bounce to the dotted eighth to keep this rhythm groovy

Finale from Symphony No. 1

  • Everyone who plays at m. 1 – put an accent ( > ) on the beginning of each half note in mm. 1-2 (but keep the volume easy, mf to start)
  • Everyone at m. 6 – keep this mf gentle, so we have somewhere to go
  • Timpani at 3 measures from the end – dampen the sound immediately after each quarter note, to leave space with the rest of the band