I am delighted at how well our rehearsals are going and I know that if we maintain this effort and do a little 'homework', 8th December will be a great concert. Looking at how much material we still have to start and the time we have left, I have decided to have the accompaniment to 'How do you keep the music playing' as a quartet which I will choose at next rehearsal. This will take some pressure off the rest of the choir, but we are adding a final carol to the program which is: 'Podzielimy się wspólnie opłatkiem'
THE NEXT REHEARSAL IS MONDAY 9th October
This is a provisional running order for the concert
Choir pieces: we are starting soon / started
Carol of the Bells
Kolęda - Witaj gwiazdko
On this day, Earth shall ring (Gustav Holst)
Gdy się Chrystus rodzi
I wonder as I wander
Noc Pastuszków
Przybieżeli do Betlejem
Nad Betlejem
O come, all ye faithful (arr. D Willcocks)
Podzielimy się wspólnie opłatkiem
INTERVAL
Nimrod (Edward Elgar) organ during wreath laying
The White Cliffs of Dover
Gloria - Suita kolędowa
Sussex Carol (Philip Ledger)
How do you keep the music playing (solo with quartet)
Niechaj Będzie
Bóg się rodzi
Hark the herald angels sing
Please use the help files below as much as you possibly can. We will not have enough time to learn all the pieces without a little help from these files.
The first help files below are for 'How do you keep the music playing'. Agnieszka Mucha will be singing the solo part to the accompaniment of a quartet. Please listen to the wonderful recording of Helen Charlston performing this Stephen Layton arrangement with the choir of Trinity College Cambridge. I have recorded the quartet parts with the melody played on electric piano and a metronome to help with the timing.
Below are help files for the Sussex Carol. Have a listen first to Kings College Cambridge choir performing it under the late Stephen Cleobury and then use the help file for your part
Below are help files for I wonder as I wander. This piece sounds a lot more difficult than it really is but have a good listen to the Kings College Cambridge choir performing it before you move onto your part help files
Below are files for 'Gloria - kolędowa suita' This is a straightforward medley of snippets of popular Polish carols. Please listen to and try to remember the different tempos and slow downs in this short suita.
Below are help files for 'The white cliffs of Dover'. We have decided to perform this piece as this year is the 50th anniversary of laying the Polish Airforce memorial in the floor of the north aisle of St Clement Danes church. This recording will be on our cd album that I hope will be ready very soon. I have remixed the recording to provide help files for each part
Below are help files for the easier carols. Sopranos, please use the 'all parts' files where there are no separate soprano files. There is a metronome beat on some files to help you keep strict rhythm.
Below are help files for 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing' and 'Noc Pastuszków'. These are remixed files from Ave Verum's first cd album. I have tried to pick out voices which will give you a good idea of how we are going to sing these at the concert. Underneath those files are help files for 'Carol of the bell' I recorded them when Ave Verum learnt this carol for the first 'Carol of the Bells' concert in St Clement Danes in 2011
Below is our Ave Verum recording of 'Podzielimy się wspólnie opłatkiem from our first cd album, 'Bardzo Cicha Noc'. Please listen to this and get familiar with the chorus melody. The harmonies are straight forward. The solo part for this kolęda is still to be decided as Jola Jarosz is unable to join us at the concert.