| Comment: Re: IPA Pronunciation Guide - "A Maiden is in a Ring" Alfven | Leonard Ratzlaff | March 28, 2013 |
| I am sure I have an IPA annotation of this piece in my library at school - I can scan and send to you if that's helpful.
Len Ratzlaff
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| Borrowing request: Need for pdf of a continuo part | Leonard Ratzlaff | March 25, 2013 |
| Item: Mass in C Minor
Composer/Arranger/Edition: Mozart, Peters edition (ed. HC Robbins Landon)
Starting: As soon as possible
For: April 8, 2013
Copies: 1
Willing to rent: Yes
Dear Colleagues,
Our choirs and orchestra at University of Alberta are performing Mozart's Mass in C Minor on Sun... |
| Comment: Re: Obtaining the Neighbor's Chorus (public domain)? | Leonard Ratzlaff | March 10, 2013 |
| You might have to download a copy of the vocal score of the opera La Jolie Parfumeuse, available on Scorser. It's a big file, but I'm sure that is in the public domain, so you could perhaps excerpt the chorus from there.
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| Comment: Re: Technical Aspects in Britten's War Requiem | Leonard Ratzlaff | February 19, 2013 |
| As I recall from conducting this a few years ago, I used a hybrid solution, usually conducting the first two beats without subdivision but employing a small, crisp 3-pattern on the final beat. Occasionally, when the heavy accented syncopated beats require it, you could employ a kind of 'stop-beat' s... |
| Comment: Re: GradMusic.Org - Where are Choral Directors studying? | Leonard Ratzlaff | February 3, 2013 |
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Alan,
Reading your last note, I'm happy that you will be expanding your site to include graduate programs located elsewhere this summer. An expanding number of Canadian universities are now offering programs at the Masters level, with some doctoral programs as well. Let me know if you nee... |
| Comment: Re: Amazing Grace | Leonard Ratzlaff | January 8, 2013 |
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Eriks Esenvalds has a fairly new a cappella arrangement in 8 parts - quite stunning. You'll find a number of videos of it on YouTube.
Len Ratzlaff
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| Comment: Re: Bach's Christmas Oratorio | Leonard Ratzlaff | December 8, 2012 |
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An alternate solution to Jerome's plan to perform all six cantatas in one extended concert with longer intermission would be to program it as either a two (1-3 and 4-6) or three-concert (1-2, 3-4 and 5-6) series over a period of a few days or a week. The problems of scoring are partly solved by ... |
| Comment: Re: Rehearsing Carmina Burana | Leonard Ratzlaff | December 5, 2012 |
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Much depends on whether or not members of your chorus have learned it earlier in their singing careers. I'm sure most would agree that the biggest challenge in this work is learning the Medieval German and Latin text and its pronunciation. There are several resources available, some published ... |
| Comment: Re: Lenten Cantata | Leonard Ratzlaff | November 22, 2012 |
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I would recommend Canadian composer Allan Bevan's "Nou Goth Sonne under Wode" - see his website for details: www.allanbevan.ca. The site includes some recorded excerpts. Published by Classica.
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| Comment: Re: Mixed chorus a cappella + solo quartet? | Leonard Ratzlaff | November 16, 2012 |
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Britten's "A Hymn to the Virgin" works very well - antiphonal treatment between chorus and quartet. Some of the Mendelssohn a cappella music has sections for solo quartet or octet - the two settings of Psalm 100, for example, or "In der Passionszeit" from Sechs Sprüche (Op. 79).
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| Forum message: Tempo in Mendelssohn Elijah chorus "Then did Elijah the prophet" | Leonard Ratzlaff | November 2, 2012 |
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We are in the midst of rehearsals with orchestra for our Elijah performance this weekend. In rehearsing the chorus "Then did Elijah the prophet" (second last chorus), the question of appropriate tempo came up with our string players. Many recordings have this chorus at anywhere from MM=92 to 1... |
| Comment: Re: Best Shakespeare texts set to music | Leonard Ratzlaff | October 30, 2012 |
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I suggest Finnish composer Jaako Mantyjarvi's Four Shakespeare Songs, with some challenges but definitely doable by a youth or high school choir. There is an excellent all-Shakespeare recording on Chandos of the Phoenix Bach group with Charles Bruffy that has these pieces on it, and a few YouTu... |
| Comment: Re: C. Effinger Tempowatch | Leonard Ratzlaff | October 27, 2012 |
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There are a number of apps available to download that have this feature: the one I have is made by Frozen Ape - the basic version is available free, with a more advanced version available for $2.99. You tap on the tempo number indicator and it gives you the tempo in a few taps.
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| Concert: Mendelssohn Elijah - Richard Eaton Singers | Leonard Ratzlaff | October 27, 2012 |
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The Richard Eaton Singers present Mendelssohn Elijah on Saturday evening, Nov. 3, 8 pm, at the Winspear Centre for Music, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Details:
Soloists:
Monica Whicher, soprano
Lauren Segal, mezzo soprano
John Tessier, tenor
Daniel Lichti, bass
Aanchel Gupta... |
| Comment: Re: Teaching students about the old conductors | Leonard Ratzlaff | October 27, 2012 |
|
Elliott,
With the explosion of video files we now can access on YouTube and Vimeo, et al, it would be an interesting project for you to assign to your students: watch samples of these conductors on the podium, and describe the gestural language in as much detail as you can. Here's an exam... |
| Comment: Re: Diction/Pronunciation Question | Leonard Ratzlaff | October 27, 2012 |
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Garrett,
I found another complete thread of discussion on this question on Choralnet: http://www.choralnet.org/view/221733.
One of the responses as I scanned this discussion also mentioned that it is common to introduce a glide before the final u: [zju]
Len Ratzlaff
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| Comment: Re: A Cappella Choral Benediction | Leonard Ratzlaff | October 4, 2012 |
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Canadian Kathleen Skinner has a beautiful Benediction, a cappella with divisi, on a Kahlil Gibran text. It's published by Cypress Publishing in Vancouver, and you can hear it and peruse a pdf of the score at this link: http://cypresschoral.com/Canada/Composers/Skinner.html.
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| Comment: Re: Choral Conduting - MM or MA? | Leonard Ratzlaff | August 16, 2012 |
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Larry,
For us, the distinction has been that the M Mus is focused on performance disciplines, whereas the MA is more directed at scholarship and research (theory, musicology, ethnomusicology). For our conducting program we chose the M Mus route, but our program requirements do have some e... |
| Comment: Re: Seeking Choral Works that use lots of Percussion Instruments | Leonard Ratzlaff | July 29, 2012 |
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Willliam Mathias's "Ceremony after a Fire Raid", a setting of Dylan Thomas's iconic poem describing a German bombing raid on London, is scored for chorus and one percussionist who plays the entire range of percussion instruments. It's a dramatic and powerful work - unfortunately not well represe... |
| Comment: Re: Shaw/Parker: My God is a Rock | Leonard Ratzlaff | June 11, 2012 |
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There's an excellent recent recording of this arrangement by Conspirare, Craig Hella Johnson director, on their CD Sing Freedom.
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| Comment: Re: Storing sheet music | Leonard Ratzlaff | June 3, 2012 |
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Maria,
If there is a college or university with a music program in your commmunity, you might contact them to see whether they would have space in their library to house your music. You could enter into an agreement with them whereby you as well as the choral program there have reciprocal... |
| Comment: Re: Death and Mortality | Leonard Ratzlaff | May 1, 2012 |
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I recommend Canadian composer James Rolfe's setting of the Whitman poem "Come, Lovely and Soothing Death". SSAATTBB - self-published. This is a brilliant work, highly expressive of this powerful text. You will find several sound files of this work on Rolfe's page at the Canadian Music Centre... |
| Comment: Re: Choral/Vocal work featuring piano | Leonard Ratzlaff | April 8, 2012 |
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Rossini's "I Gondoliere" or "La Passeggiata" both feature virtuosic piano parts, and are great for chorus as well. You could also look at any of the Brahms Vocal Quartets (Op. 31, 64, 92, 112) or his Zigeunerlieder (Op. 103, choral version). Of more recent vintage, Imant Raminsh's "Magnificat" f... |
| Comment: Re: Newer repertoire for chamber choir and strings | Leonard Ratzlaff | March 21, 2012 |
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Contemporary Latvian composer Eriks Esenvalds "Passion and Resurrection", for S solo, SATB quartet, choir, strings. Around 30', it centers on the soprano soloist narrating the circumstances of various women around the Passion and Easter story. The quartet is used to interpolate several Morales... |
| Comment: Re: IPA for Beethoven Choral Fantasia, Op. 80 | Leonard Ratzlaff | March 17, 2012 |
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On that theme, I think it's also important to slightly modify the Schwa concept on German unstressed syllables - for example, on a word like "Menschen" the unstressed syllable should retain more of the ɛ quality than the normal English ə sound (compare, for example, how the English word "tension... |
| Comment: Re: Favorite Lassus pieces | Leonard Ratzlaff | March 4, 2012 |
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I'm not familiar with Marlow's or The Sixteen's recordings - the first recording I heard of it was with Simon Preston conducting Christ Church Oxford, a late 1970s recording. Their tempo was in the range of MM. 90-100 as I recall, and it allowed for a stately grandeur to emerge in the earlier an... |
| Comment: Re: Favorite Lassus pieces | Leonard Ratzlaff | March 3, 2012 |
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When I was a grad student I was introduced to the old late 19th C edition of Lassus motets, and became drawn to a number of the so called "Grand Motets" for 8 or more voice parts. As only a few of these had modern editions at the time, I transcribed a couple of the ones that I could not locate i... |
| Comment: Re: Famous people who sang in church choir | Leonard Ratzlaff | January 29, 2012 |
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American baritone Thomas Hampson was interviewed in a 1996 Choral Journal article by Randi von Ellefson on his choral upbringing and the impact it has had on his singing career. Another famous soprano, Swede Elizabeth Söderstrom, was a member of Eric Ericson's chamber choir in Stockholm before ... |
| Comment: Re: Choral Albums you cannot live without | Leonard Ratzlaff | January 12, 2012 |
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Martin Mass for Double Choir - Mikaeli Chamber Choir, Stockholm, Anders Eby conductor (on BIS) - older recording (1980s) but still one of the best versions of this great work.
Mendelssohn, Rheinberger and Brahms sacred choral works - Kammerchor Stuttgart, Frieder Bernius, on Carus - all tremend... |
| Comment: Re: Performance strategies for Bach Christmas Oratorio | Leonard Ratzlaff | January 5, 2012 |
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Allen,
My solution for a single night performance, if one might call it that, needed to bear in mind the 2.5 hour service length for the orchestra we were hiring. We did the first four cantatas complete, followed by the opening chorus of the 5th cantata, which is a must (Ehre sei dir Gott... |
| Comment: Re: Advent music for Lessons and Carols | Leonard Ratzlaff | December 30, 2011 |
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We featured a number of settings on the theme of the rose, using both the Praetorius and Vulpius settings of Es ist ein Ros entsprungen (4 part round) as starting point. Two contemporary settings that stood out for me are:
Chilcott The Rose in the Middle of Winter (Oxford)
King Th... |
| Comment: Re: Die Nachtigall pronunciation | Leonard Ratzlaff | December 25, 2011 |
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I speak German fluently, and tend to agree with Ronald that there are many variants regionally, but I think in general, if you listen to German speakers, and also to singers, there is a tendency to stay closer to the open version of the 'e' vowel, and not move too much to an English-style schwa so... |
| Comment: Re: Choral music for chorus with solo flute | Leonard Ratzlaff | December 22, 2011 |
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Thanks to all of you who responded! I'll follow up on these suggestions in coming days.
Len Ratzlaff
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| Forum message: Choral music for chorus with solo flute | Leonard Ratzlaff | December 20, 2011 |
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Dear Listers,
I would appreciate the collective wisdom of listers re repertoire suggestions for mixed chorus and solo flute. This is for a conducting class that also has a fine flutist, so music with some interesting conducting issues would be of special interest.
Thanks,
Le... |
| News: U of Alberta music faculty honored | Leonard Ratzlaff | December 11, 2011 |
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Dr Debra Cairns, who was awarded the prestigious Richard S. Eaton Award acknowledging exemplary service to choral music in the province of Alberta, said of the recognition “it is an honour to even be nominated ; this award celebrates a great number of talented people in Alberta who are dedicated... |
| Comment: Re: Schubert's greatest choral work? | Leonard Ratzlaff | November 25, 2011 |
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Since no one has mentioned any of the exquisite male chorus settings here (e.g., Nachthelle, Ständchen, Gondelfahrer, etc.), let me throw one not very well known work in the ring.
There are two settings of "Gesang der Geister über den Wassern" for male chorus; the more extended setting fo... |
| Comment: Re: Pachelbel Magnificat | Leonard Ratzlaff | November 20, 2011 |
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Katya,
Pachelbel, who was born a generation before JS Bach (1653) is not likely to have provided any tempo indications in his music (Allegro, Andante, etc.), and since the metronome was not invented until the early 19th Century, any metronome markings provided by publishers in this or any m... |
| Comment: Re: Easily-learned French repertoire | Leonard Ratzlaff | November 5, 2011 |
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A lovely short strophic piece that is not at all difficult is Lionel Daunais' "Le pont mirabeau" - French Canadian composer, this piece written first published in 1913, now available through A Couer Joie. About a bridge over the Seine, and memories of parted lovers.
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| Comment: Re: Editions of Brahms Requiem | Leonard Ratzlaff | November 3, 2011 |
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The classic edition of this I believe is the Bärenreiter - having used it several times, it is very reliable. Check also with Carus for a more recent edition.
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| Concert: Beethoven Missa Solemnis | Leonard Ratzlaff | October 30, 2011 |
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Richard Eaton Singers 60th Anniversary Season Gala Concert
Beethoven Missa Solemnis, Op. 123
Haydn Te Deum in C (for Empress Marie Therese)
Laura Whalen, soprano
Anita Krause, mezzo soprano
Michael Colvin, tenor
Nathan Berg, bass
Richard Eaton Singers
Edmonton Symphony Or... |
| Comment: Re: Messiah-Vowel on "Purify" | Leonard Ratzlaff | October 25, 2011 |
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Definitely the latter - pu-rih-fy.
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| Comment: Re: a piece for advanced female chorus, a cappella, fast? | Leonard Ratzlaff | October 22, 2011 |
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David McIntyre "Ave Maria" - published by Cypress in Vancouver
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| Comment: Re: Eriks Esenvalds | Leonard Ratzlaff | September 2, 2011 |
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Esenvalds is published by Musica Baltica (www.musicabaltica.com), and its North American distributor is Peters.
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| Comment: Re: Music for Woodwinds and Choir | Leonard Ratzlaff | September 2, 2011 |
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Brahms "Begräbnisgesang", Op. 13 for chorus, winds, low brass and timpani, is a solemn but moving work, about 8' in duration, with themes and rhythms that point to the first two movements of the German Requiem.
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| Comment: Re: Mendelssohn's "Christus" orchestra parts? | Leonard Ratzlaff | August 22, 2011 |
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Carus Verlag has these on sale: ://www.carus-verlag.com/index.php3?BLink=KKArtikel&ArtNummer=4013100
Cheers,
Len Ratzlaff
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| Comment: Re: Advent Work w/Instruments | Leonard Ratzlaff | August 10, 2011 |
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Consider one of the Advent cantatas of Buxtehude: In Dulci Jubilo; Das neugeborne Kindelein; Ihr lieben Christen, freut euch nun; Magnificat, and several others. There are also a number of Magnificats to look at, by Vivaldi, Perti, Leonardo Leo, for example.
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| Comment: Re: Music about war | Leonard Ratzlaff | August 8, 2011 |
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Healey Willan's setting of Longfellow's "How They So Softly Rest" was written during the last few months of WWI, and is often associated with war memorials. Beautiful setting, but it needs a few strong low basses.
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| Comment: Re: B Minor Mass recording | Leonard Ratzlaff | July 19, 2011 |
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I like Suzuki's recording with the Japan Collegium very much. In fact, Bis, the Swedish recording company, has packaged it along with the two Passions, the Christmas Oratorio and Easter and Ascension Oratorios in a 10-CD box set, released in 2008, which I think is a tremendous buy (at the time i... |
| Forum message: Earbuds for choral music | Leonard Ratzlaff | July 15, 2011 |
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I recently lost a Sony pair of earbuds from a number of years back, and am interested to know listers' recommendations for earbuds that are most appropriate for listening to choral music, or any classical music for that matter.
Thanks,
Len Ratzlaff
University of Alberta
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| Comment: Re: Looking for Choral Works based on late 19th-century American poets/authors | Leonard Ratzlaff | July 14, 2011 |
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I can recommend a wonderful setting by Canadian composer James Rolfe of Whitman's "Come, Lovely and Soothing Death", which we premiered and recorded in 2001. It's written for SSAATTBB, so needs a fairly solid ensemble, but well worth the effort of learning. Although I haven't been in touch wit... |
