Lent Again

I haven't written anything for a while; I have wanted to bask in all the positive feedback I have gotten from "Angel"

http://youtu.be/CfCejvnM_aE

which now has over 90 hits!

And I learned from a tech savvy friend that the ticker only counts ip addresses, not viewings, which means that 94 different people have viewed it.  Also, the church Facebook page notes the number of hits, which I hope has impressed someone.

The Requiem is coming along.  I am really able to hold my own with three opera singers whose voices are bigger than mine, which is certainly a change of pace from choir.

Really the only thing I am nervous about it the A flat in "Liber Scriptus" mostly because you sing for three pages with no break and then have to sail up there.  An A flat is not a very high note in my voice.  I have retooled the piece somewhat where I use some of the control that I use to sing, say Gs or even the G sharp (same note!) in something like "I Know that My Redeemer Liveth", which I don't find at all difficult.

It seems the only part that doesn't sound good is the "Agnus Dei" which sits in my lower passaggio break.  The first part is a capella and I was going flat.  So I need to put more chest into it and not worry that it will "spoil" the "Lux Aeterna".  Or the pianist can play the first part instead of our singing it a capella.

Technique continues to improve (I have found ways to take the weight off those top notes and make them spin - by which I mean A flats and A naturals and once in a while a B flat, although with the B flat I still have to sing a lower note first) but I still lack confidence. Well, for now all I have to worry about is that note in "Liber Scriptus".  The piece comes early on, so if I don't mess it up I can enjoy the rest of the performance.

I am hoping for a big marketing blitz starting in March, in tandem with the church.  Other than that I don't know what I will be doing.  Apparently the congregation that so aggressively took over our Good Friday service last year is not singing with us at all on Ash Wednesday.  We can certainly hold our own. There is one piece I find musically difficult because the accompaniment is the tenor line an octave higher, which makes it hard to sing the soprano line.  I drilled it at my little keyboard one day this week so I hope I don't embarrass myself at rehearsal the way I did at the first read-through, where I got totally lost.

I wrote to the choir director about finding a spot for "Qui Sedes" with the oboe accompaniment during Lent (Maundy Thursday would be my first choice) but haven't heard back from him.  I hope he does at least something to flog my Requiem.  There are supposed to be fliers out on Sunday.  If I don't see them I will speak to the seminarian who is supposed to be handling this.

I have no idea what will be on the table for Good Friday but whatever it is I will be my professional self and follow instructions.