District One Conductors’ Notes
Leisring - O filii et filiae
Translation:
O filii et filiae
O sons and daughters
Rex celestis, Rex gloriae
King of heaven, the king of glory
Christus surrexit hodie
Christ is risen today
Here’s a homemade transliteration of the Latin text.
Aw (open [o]) fee-lee-ee eht fee-lee-eh
Rehx chehlehstees, Rehx glaw-ree-eh
Ah-leh-loo-yah
Kreestoos soo-reh-kseet aw-dee-eh
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Please work to produce even, pure vowels without diphthongs
Treat the letter [r] as a [d] and flip it slightly – avoid thinking of an American [r]
sound, even if it’s flipped.
Avoid a glottal stroke on the first syllable of Alleluia – you might think of a silent
[h] - maintain open throat – find breath/voice connection low in body
Work to produce a fast [l] on Alleluia
Beat 1 of m. 26 – work for a slight articulation between “ia” and “A” of the
Alleluias without an accent on “ia.” Again, maintain open throat concept.
Work for arch shape of phrases – intensify on dotted quarter on “Al” syllable of
Alleluia and taper on final “ia.”
Keep a dance-like lightness to piece, especially on the rhythmic figure in m. 12.
Work to achieve very slight articulation between the last two syllables of “filii”
and the word “et.”
I will keep the general dynamic framework of this arrangement, but please ignore
the over-editing. M. 11 is the peak of the Alleluia phrase, but it won’t be
fortissimo.
Wilberg - The Morning Trumpet
 The score is very specific – follow markings, but try to avoid over articulation or
choppy sense of phrasing – work for line and forward motion.
 Fast consonants – ahead of the beat - get to vowels quickly. “Every consonant
leads to a beautiful vowel.”
 Voice the “th” of with
 Trumpet – let “e” be in the direction of a short I sound to help create an even
vowel line.
Childs - Weep No More
 Work for a feeling that all vowel sounds are in the position of an “oo” vowel –
pursed lips will help keep the vowel focus directed forward.
 Work for light consonants – use the image of a clothes line (vowels) and clothes
pins (consonants). Sing through the consonants maintaining the vowel line.
 I would suggest practicing this piece on vowels only to help create an even vowel
line – use analogy of a set of railroad tracks – all the vowels touch the tracks on
both sides
 Work for sensitive phrase shaping – note Mr. Childs’ comments in this regard.
Stroope - I Am Not Yours
 Work toward similar vowel focus as in the Childs – an even, vertical vowel –
avoid spread vowels. Reinforce the concept that the vowel sits in the middle of
the mouth above the tongue.
 Again, as with the Wilberg, the score is marked specifically. Observe the hair-pin
cresc. and dim. for word stress, and note accents, but avoid over articulation.
Work to achieve understanding of the emotional/expressive content of the musical
gestures.
Rubtsov - Veniki
 You already have the transliteration of the text.
 Here are some rough tempo suggestions. These will be fluid. There is a gradual
accelerando from the beginning to the end. The tempi below are very
approximate, and they indicate the approximate tempo when the choir is singing
the stated measure – not a sudden arrival at a new tempo. All tempi are at the
quarter note. Much will depend upon how well the choir can enunciate the text at
a fast tempo, and how the choir “feels” the piece and how it sits with the choir.
Starting in 4
Please observe the dynamic markings, especially the subito p, such as in m. 5
m. 1 = 70
m. 5 = 90
m. 8 = 104
m. 11 = 125
m. 13 = 130
m. 17 = 138
m. 19 in 2
m. 20 = 160
m. 25 = 165
m. 27 = 170+ subito piano on beat 2
m. 31 = 180-185
mm. 37-38 accelerando into m. 39
m. 39 = 194-200
Some ritard at end.
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Work for a mixture of head and chest voice in the tenors on the high notes
Have fund working on the text – the most challenging part is from m. 39 to the
end regarding the speed at which the text is declaimed.
Veniki: Russian diction:
Vyeh-nee-kee, vyeh-nee-kee, dah vyeh-niki pah-myeh-lee-kee, dah pah-pyeh-chee vahlyah-lee-syah dah spyeh-chee ah-bah-rvah-lyee-syah. Koom gahv-ree-lah, yah gahv-reelyeh gah-vah-ree-lyah.
Note:
The e in veniki is more subtle an eh vowel, but “eh” is the closest thing I have on the
computer. The piece goes fast enough that an approximation is going to be fine. The ah in
ah-bah-rvah-lyee-syah approaches an uh sound as in up. It’s the same as in pah
pyeh-chee, but if I write uh, it will tend to be too far back in the mouth. This short o
vowel is pronounced like ah/uh in spoken Russian, different from church pronunciation,
here it would be more like an open o vowel. The y sounds are very short – just indicating
a soft vowel sound.