Griffin Choral Arts

This week we talked about the grand design and musical architecture of the Brahms' Requiem.  We began by rehearsing the first, last and middle (IV) movements, discovering that they form the foundational legs and "keystone" of an arch design.  

The three movements are unified by the word BLESSED: I. Blessed are they that mourn, IV. Blessed are those who dwell in God's house, and VII. Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. We discussed further beauty, organization and balance found in Brahms' careful selection (and sometimes surprising combinations) of texts and key relationships. Especially interesting is the keys of movement I (F / D-flat / F) compared to the final movement (F / A / F). The motion down a major third in movement I is countered with a motion up a major third in VII. Further, the use of F-A-F in key relationships and in also melodic material (especially in the tenor and soprano) might have been an "inside" reference to the German phrase "Frei aber Froh" ("Free but Happy".

The overall theme of Brahms' Requiem is "sorrow turned into joy" and this can be seen even at the broadest and most symbolic levels as we look at the musical architecture.

Arnold Schoenberg said, "Aesthetic pleasure can be derived from form itself." Brahms Requiem scholar William Westhafer states: "The Requiem is a landmark of musical architecture, serving as a monument not only to Brahms' excelling gifts in the formal aspects of composition, but also to the creative genius of the human mind."

The rest of the rehearsal was spent on difficult sections of movements VI, III, V, and II. We spent time in a sectional on pages 73-83 (movement VI fugue). You are encouraged to obtain a recording and listen to it frequently to become familiar with the musical themes and the "symphonic" scope and expressiveness of the work.

Pianist Dr. Michiko Otaki will be joining us next Monday for at least the first part of the rehearsal. I can't wait!  

The goal of our first rehearsal was to immerse ourselves in the music of Brahms Requiem.  It's almost 100 pages of choral music, and although there are instrumental interludes, it's still a lot of very difficult singing.  I was very impressed with how we hit the ground running.  I am appreciative of the section leaders, accompanists, soloist, and all those who got an early start on the music, even before the first downbeat.  It was very hard at times to let sour notes go by without stopping to fix them; next week will be different in that regard!

Between now and next week: consider obtaining a recording of the work to get the harmonies in your head and try to sing a little extra every day to get your voice in shape for this "marathon" of singing. 

We sang through virtually everything except movement 7 in our first rehearsal, and we spent extra sectional time on 3 of the most difficult fugue sections.  We did a lot of countsinging, but tried out the English text on movements 1, 4 and 5.

It was great to see so many new faces in the choir!  Please don't feel overwhelmed; you will feel more comfortable each week as you get used to the routine and the pace. 

What a wonderful night!  I had an all-over warm feeling inside as I made my way home Monday night.  There's still lots to do before October 16, but it seemed to be a big leap forward from a week ago.  We had 9 folks missing last night, so I want to list what we covered so that they might be able to do some homework before next Monday.  I also want to give guidelines for solo auditions, which will be held next Monday night from 6:00 to 6:45 and 9:31 until ??.  So read on! 

What a fantastic start to our second year!  It felt so good to be back in front of you, sharing and discovering the beautiful fall repertoire.  I loved the chatter during the break times; evidence of meeting and greeting new singers and reacquainting with friends from last year.  I hope the new folks felt warmly welcomed and were not too overwhelmed after the first rehearsal.  We certainly do work hard and jump in quickly to difficult things, but it does get easier with time.  I think back to a year ago when we were sight reading the Lauridsen...