In The Bleak Midwinter
Hello Choir Members-
Thank you for taking the extra time to work on In the Bleak Midwinter.
It is by far the most difficult piece we will be doing for Christmas,
and a few extra minutes spent practicing at home will surely pay off!
All the files below are MIDI files, they should play on any computer
with a speakers. Most computers already have a program like Microsoft
Media Player or Itunes that can play the files. All you need to do is
click and open once downloaded. If you don't have the sheet music,
click here for a pdf file. Wow this is convenient!
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to e-mail me!
John Mark
1. Close all your doors, make sure no one is around. . . you don't want to embarrass yourself. . . do you? :-)
2. In The Bleak Midwinter (From hereonin refered to ITBMW) has two choral sections and two solo sections. This tutorial covers only the choral sections. First we will work with the first choral section from page 2 to page 3. Click on the file below, and attempt to sing your part. Observe where it is easy and where it is difficult to sing your part: Section 1, All
2. Now with that in mind, click on your
section of the choir below. These files all have hints of all four
parts, but it should be easy to pick out your own, because it is
significantly louder than the others.
Section 1, Sopranos
Section 1, Altos
Section 1, Tenors
Section 1, Basses
Rehearse your part, and go over the hardest parts to make sure you can sing them securely. Tenors, don't be afraid to go into falsetto in the high parts. Everyone, notice that there aren't any breaths written into this computer file. Look for the obvious phrases where it would be appropriate.
3. Now go back to Section 1, All, and try to sing your part with all voices at full volume. Wow, that sounded spectacular.
4. Now use the same process for Section 2. Click here: Section 2, All
5. And here are the individual parts
emphasized in different files:
Section 2, Sopranos
Section 2, Altos
Section 2, Tenors
Section 2, Basses
6. Now go back to Section 2, All, and try to sing your part with all voices.
7. Now call in your wife, kids, dog, and sing it for them. Boy will they love it.