On this page you will find advice about preparing for concerts, including links to resources that will help you learn the works and rehearse at home.
Gabrieli – Jubilate Deo
(27) VOCES8: Jubilate Deo – YouTube
Vaughan Williams – O clap your hands
(27) O Clap Your Hands – Queen’s 90th Birthday Service of Thanksgiving. – YouTube
Matthias – Let the People praise thee o God
(27) William Mathias’ “Let the people praise thee”: Lincoln Cathedral 1988 (David Flood) – YouTube
Handel – Zadok the Priest
(27) Zadok the Priest — Choir of Westminster Abbey – YouTube
Purcell O God though art my god
(27) Purcell – O God Thou Art My God – YouTube
Schutz Psalm 100
(27) Concert Choir – Heinrich Schütz – Psalm 100 Jauchzet dem Herren – YouTube
Schutz – Psalm 122
(27) Schütz: Psalm 122: “Ich freu mich des, das mir geredt ist” SWV 26 – YouTube
Ireland – Vexilla Regis
(27) John Ireland Vexilla Regis – YouTube
Vaughan Williams – O taste and see
(27) Ralph Vaughan Williams: O taste and see | The Choir of Somerville College, Oxford – YouTube
NB you haven’t got the music for this yet and it starts after organ piece!
Monteverdi – Christe, adoramus te
Monteverdi Cantata Domino
Monteverdi Domine ne in furore tuo
(27) Claudio Monteverdi, Domine ne in furore tuo, The Sixteen – YouTube
Britten Jubilate Deo in E flat
Preparing at home
Familiarise yourself with the score, making sure you know which line you should be on, and marking where it isn’t clear.
Clearly mark repeats, perhaps using a tab to easily find where the repeat starts.
Try using coloured tabs to make the different sections easier to find.
Use paper clips to close off any sections that are going to be missed out.
Find and mark where your note comes from for a new entry.
Always take a pencil to rehearsal.
Mark your score during a rehearsal, recording breaths and all points provided by the Music Director.
At home, go through any sections that you find difficult.
Reciting the text in rhythm is really helpful, especially for fast sections and when singing in Latin or German.
Try to listen to a recording of the work so you get a sense of the work overall. You will find recordings of most classical works on YouTube or try the music streaming service Spotify.
Rehearsal tracks
Rehearsal tracks can help you learn your voice part by listening to it in isolation and/or with the other voice parts in the background. Some are based on recorded singers and include the words, while others feature the voice parts played on an instrument.
You can buy rehearsal tracks from Choraline, at choraline.com. These are great if you prefer to hear a recording of your voice part but they aren’t free.
For just notes (no words) you could try the following free sites:
- Choralia, for listening to, or downloading, mp3 files of your voice part; http://www.choralia.net/mp3catalogue.htm.
- John Fletcher’s site, which uses a clarinet to emphasis the voice part you select. Registration is free for works that are out of copyright; https://johnfletchermusic.org.
- Cyberbass, which has a huge catalogue and is free to use online; http://www.cyberbass.com.
- Learn Choral Music, which provides free Midi files; http://www.learnchoralmusic.co.uk.
- Divageek; not easy to search but has rehearsal resources for some lesser-known works, so worth a search; https://www.divageek.org/
If you have an IPad or IPhone there is an excellent App called ‘Learn my part’ by Steve Tyler; get it here. If you want to see what it offers and how to use it, have a look at this useful video.
Link to rehearsal tracks for works we are performing this season.
The National Youth Choirs of Great Britain has produced a free online musicianship course to help singers improve their skills in rhythm, tonal centering, and intervals. Some of the video lessons have worksheets or resources – find them at www.nycgb.org.uk/musicianship.
Sheffield Bach Society 