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Symphonic Choir-"Weep No More"

1/27/2016

 
What specific nuances do you hear in this performance?  What emotions/themes do you hear?Which expressive ideas do you like?  How can we incorporate these ideas into our performance?
Kiersten Sorrell
1/27/2016 01:37:06 pm

I couldn't really hear the low notes of the altos as much as I would have liked but the sopranos resonated nicely.

Caitlyn Auld
1/30/2016 07:52:38 am

I agree that the sopranos were much louder than the altos. I feel like that is a big part of the song, and that in our performance, we can make sure that each part is as loud as the other.

Carlie Caoua
2/1/2016 02:58:38 pm

I agree, there was not good balance throughout the song. Often times sopranos was all that was heard and even overpowered the piano. I think we should also take this into consideration when we are singing in class. Be careful as to not let the sopranos over power the altos and for voices to blend better

Daria Weisenburger
1/27/2016 01:39:41 pm

I could really hear of how they really smoothed out the parts of the song which made it all come together. On the part that they sang paradise they really made that tall and round.

Marie buerger
2/1/2016 05:15:19 pm

I agree with the way the song was well blended and smoth

Kiersten Sorrell
2/1/2016 08:55:25 pm

They took breaths at the right intervals, we need to figure that out on the many 'weep no more O weep no more' sections.

Cami petrel
1/29/2016 08:48:51 am

I really enjoyed the resolving chords and hearing the really tense chords resolve into nice sounding chords and the entire song was very smooth and they connected phrases well without taking a breath inbetween them.

Lauren Rabe
2/1/2016 03:54:07 pm

I agree that their phrases were connected and they knew exactly when to breathe. I think we need to work on that because when people are audibly breathing in the middle of phrases, it takes away from the beauty of the performance.

Monica Hosler
2/1/2016 04:25:31 pm

I agree the resolving chords really made the piece. We could definitely emphasize them more in class. And the connected phrases made it sound very smooth.

Caitlyn Auld
1/30/2016 07:50:43 am

My favorite part of the song was at the end, I really enjoyed the way they faded away, and made it sound like an echo. However, in this particular performance, I hardly heard any of the alto parts. It was also very legato throughout the song.

Mikayla Jasper
1/31/2016 12:07:12 pm

I agree the best part of the song was the ending of the song, they did a great job fading out but I couldn't tell when they actually were finished. I don't know if I wasn't paying attention or if they were being quiet but I couldn't hear the lines "To ease my breast of melodies".

Cera Grieble
2/1/2016 03:36:05 pm

I agree the fade at the end really resolved the whole song. It was the icing on the cake.

marisa sullivan
2/1/2016 05:06:12 pm

i agree with what you said, caitlyn. i love the legato and the fading affect they used. to improve our piece, we could start to fade earlier and more gradually and soften the sopranos.

Mikayla Jasper
1/31/2016 12:04:26 pm

They were very good at the beginning, both the sopranos and the altos used good vowels and you could hear them clearly. But the 2nd time the altos and sopranos split, at the shed no tears entrance, you couldn't hear the altos like almost at all, and the sopranos very loud so if you could hear the altos at the beginning they were being overrun by the sopranos. Overall a very good rendition of the piece, and their nuances were pretty good as well.

Keely Hoff
1/31/2016 12:31:18 pm

I agree with you here. The altos have a mission to successfully make it so the echos sound just as even as the sopranoes sing. It's supposed to almost sound like walking threw a tunnel. In this certain performance, they did not quite complete that. The sopranos could held back just a bit too. They also had good vowels which helped more, but it still wasn't loud enough. It was beautiful anyways.

Keely Hoff
1/31/2016 12:27:33 pm

This group was very well familiar with the material. They knew the notes they needed and when to come in. I enjoyed how they sounded like a beautiful, beautiful version of Enya. It's sounds almost like an keltic background. It was strong as well. The only thing that I may have wished they had done different was, having larger sound in the altos' section. You could hear more sprano area than the altos. Even though, it's harder for the altos to ha e more strength, you could only hear about half of their entire section. Overall, itself was a outstanding performance. It made me feel like I was in an ancient time era with a bunch of beautiful young ladies, singing.

Megan Rodas
2/1/2016 12:31:18 pm

I agree that their sound altogether was big and strong in all sections and not localized in only one for most of the song. That to me is very important because all sections have a very important role to make the music sound so much more angelic and pure.

Maya Fisher
2/1/2016 03:32:01 pm

I agree with what you said about their beautiful, well-rehearsed sound. Although I couldn't really tell if what you said about the alto part was true or not (I'm not very familiar with that part) but I'm sure you're right, and that could be an easily corrected factor for our rendition of Weep No More.

cami petrel
2/1/2016 05:01:33 pm

I totally agree that the group was very strong. They had a huge sound overall and all sounded the exact same. They did give off a very ancient sort of sound that sounded like it was echoing through a giant hallway.

Paige Zellner
1/31/2016 01:03:30 pm

I personally believe that each section of the choir sounded as a whole; there were no voices that prominently stood out in each sections and each sections had a very smooth tone and sounded like one voice.

Jamie Schultz
2/1/2016 02:50:39 pm

I agree with this and I think that we should use this way of singing when we sing this song. We should all sound like one voice and no one should stand out.

Blakeli
2/2/2016 07:51:57 am

I strongly agree with your comment. They blended beautiful and nobody's voice was prominently standing out in any of the sections. Thier tone was extreamly soft and gentle.

Megan Rodas
2/1/2016 12:34:10 pm

Overall the performance was excellent and the song was very pure. The echo's to me made it sound very angelic and I loved how round and non-tennagey they made their voices. I also loved how in the beginning of the song I could hear all parts come in strong, however I believe that a few were a bit overpowered near the end.

Gabby Goodrich
2/1/2016 05:52:21 pm

I agree that the echo's sounded very "angelic". I think it sounded this way because their amazing dynamics and great vowel shapes put emotion into the piece and made it sound very rich and pure and I think we should incorporate that into our performance of this piece.

Jamie Schultz
2/1/2016 02:46:20 pm

When I listened to this piece I felt almost like I was flying. It gave me chills and gave me so many fulfilling emotions. I think this was because of the chords and how they clash and then resolve. I think we need to add more emotion when singing this piece. We need to really feel this piece and what it really means to us.

Carlie Caoua
2/1/2016 02:56:11 pm

I agree, through the whole performance they had great crescendo and decrescendo making for a great emotional piece. Along with that the light and airiness in their voices at times made it seem more dream like

Carlie Caoua
2/1/2016 02:54:06 pm

Overall they were very straight forward and confident with their pitches along with getting to the resolving note fast. Also as a whole sopranos were confident with their entrances but alto twos were often hard to hear at their entrance along with their presence. The tone was very pure sounding and the vowel shapes were great however their were one or two voices that seemed to be the leader and stick out. Along with that often times when sopranos entered with "Weep" the W was very forceful instead of the soft mood for the song.

Maya Fisher
2/1/2016 03:29:35 pm

In this video, they were able to take the clashing tones and balance them beautifully so that the sound resonated and sounded very dreamy. To help us sound more like this we need to focus more on our dynamics, and really controlling our volume and balance for each specific section of the music to get a similar sound.

Grace Wilson
2/1/2016 05:10:16 pm

I also loved how the notes clashing made it sound even more great. I agree once we work on our dynamics more we will sound just as beautiful as this choir!

Cera Grieble
2/1/2016 03:29:42 pm

I thought they were able to really bring out the dark and legato parts that make this song special. They want to make this song almost help a child stop crying so it can't be harsh and loud. We need to make it flow and be really smooth so all the words are connected in a way.

Hannah Roberts
2/1/2016 05:53:55 pm

I agree that the song should flow together to get that rich and dark sound. Maybe we could do that through better phrasing and breath support?

Emma R
2/4/2016 07:32:04 am

I definitely agree. I know for me, the hardest thing is to make my vowels darker because it's uncomfortable to me but if we keep doing it then it'll feel more normal and it will sound amazing.

Lauren Rabe
2/1/2016 03:49:59 pm

I think their use of dynamics really adds emotion to the song. I could especially hear them the first time they sing the phrase "weep no more", and you can tell they're emphasizing the "W" like Mr. Crowther has told us to do. That adds some feeling and movement to the song.

Ashley
2/1/2016 04:29:41 pm

I totally agree with how "weep" it's drug out rather than the word "shed" like how mr crowther has told us to do. Also the dynamics I think really did bring out the beauty of the song.

Taylor Naille
2/1/2016 05:42:53 pm

I agree! The first time I listened to this I felt/heard the emotion and it was much more emphasized and clear compared to when we do it in class. This point of dynamics is causing this emotion makes a lot of since and I agree.

Monica Hosler
2/1/2016 04:22:40 pm

They did a very nice job really bringing out the resolving cords and emphasizing them.I also really liked the dynamic contrast they used it made it more exciting and made it sound richer over all.

Ashley
2/1/2016 04:27:31 pm

I thought they dynamics were maxing. Very beautiful and a pure sound. The cut offs were all together and the ends of words were really pronounced. I loved the legato of the that was brought into this piece and the dark but light round sound all fit together to make the pitches and words just fit perfectly together. We should work on visuals to get us more into the song and to make us think more of rounded and tall vowels on all the words. This song is more pure and light, more than a staccato kind of sound. We really need to bring the beauty of this song out.

Syd P
2/1/2016 05:33:39 pm

I agree about the cutoffs, I think we could definitely use that in our piece along with being pure and light.

marisa sullivan
2/1/2016 05:01:47 pm

i love the way this choir performed the song because their vowels were so pure and angelic. you can here the attention in the small things think precise cutoffs. i especially like the part were the altos sing the low note and the sopranos sing "wee-ep no-o more" (if that makes sense) it's very smooth and legato.

chlo bark
2/1/2016 05:25:10 pm

I agree! (: i loved how smooth everything was

Joelle
2/1/2016 05:45:28 pm

I agree entirely, the makeup of this song relies on the different changes of voices and energy, the vocals are a 0 shape and we need to bring that up more

Grace Wilson
2/1/2016 05:07:25 pm

Although it was difficult to hear the lower 2 parts, it was very well blended. I also felt as though the piano accompaniment did not go well with the song but that may be because I am not used to it yet.

Sydney Brown
2/1/2016 08:36:30 pm

I agree, the alto and saprano 2 parts were a little difficult to hear but still blended nicely. But in contrast, I enjoy the piano accompaniment I think it sounds nice and accents the piece nicely.

Marie buerger
2/1/2016 05:13:13 pm

I personally think that the overall sound was smoth and blended well together.

Savannah Gould
2/1/2016 07:17:00 pm

I agree, they had a beautiful sound due to their blend, and I feel like we could win awards if we sang the song legato half as well as they did, if that makes sense.

chlo bark
2/1/2016 05:24:21 pm

One thing I noticed off the bat is how great the dynamics were. All of the voices in this choir flowed very well together.

Sydnee P
2/1/2016 05:32:12 pm

I like how most of the time, all the parts were blended and sounded really good together. The only thing is sometimes it was hard to hear over the sopranos, but it's only because the alto part is very low and it's hard to sing it correctly and be heard. But other than that everything was very pure with good dynamics.

Taylor Naille
2/1/2016 05:40:40 pm

Overall, they have a wonderful sound and have very good vowels and a nice forward sound like we have talked about in class. Also there tone is very balanced and you can clearly hear the musical clashes and then how they resolve. I believe one thing we can work on in class is to get this balanced sound. Another element that improved this piece was they showed/created emotion through their voices. You could see the different emotions of hope and sadness going back and force in this piece. Overall, I think we can take away the dark voices and showing emotion in the piece.

Joelle
2/1/2016 05:43:46 pm

I like the way you can physically feel the music through you, the harminizing of everyone and how they fit together. It starts out slow and then all at once everyone's combined in sync like a dance. The dynamics change in this completely changes the song to come alive and that's something that we need to really bring up to this piece.

Gabby Goodrich
2/1/2016 05:45:21 pm

I loved how legato sounding this choir was. I think it really made the piece come together. In some parts I think that the sopranos might have overpowered the altos too much because in pieces I could hear the sopranos a lot more than the altos. Another thing I really liked about this piece was the dynamics especially in the last shed no tear part. Overall, I think they did a very good job performing this piece!

Abby Smallwood
2/1/2016 05:54:12 pm

I agree that in some parts the sopranos were overpowering and made it difficult to hear the altos

Hannah Roberts
2/1/2016 05:50:29 pm

It was hard to hear the alto twos throughout the piece, but the soprano sound felt like it echoed and rang throughout room. You can really notice they're spinning their air and supporting their high notes. You also can't hear any breaks in phrases that aren't intended to be there which gives the song a flowing and smooth feel to it.

Abby Kreider
2/1/2016 06:30:07 pm

I like how you said you can really notice that they're spinning their air. I think that is so true and plays a huge role in this choir's forward and supported sound. I also agree that they did a great job with the fluidity and smoothness which really gave emotion to the performance.

Abby Smallwood
2/1/2016 05:51:48 pm

I think they preformed this song beautifully. They have nice tall, round vowels and a very forward sound. They did a great job using dynamics to emphasize the song. Overall I think they did a great job blending their sound and telling a story through the music.

Abby Kreider
2/1/2016 06:25:35 pm

This choir performed this piece very well. One thing I noticed was the fluidity of all the voices. There was never a point in the song where you heard separation or a pause for a breath especially at "bloom another year". I also enjoyed the dynamics at the ending at the song. This choir really softened their volume at the end of the piece with I really think added a great amount of emotion to the performance.

Arianna Gonzalez
2/1/2016 07:50:42 pm

This stood out to me as well, and I agree! The dynamics at the end, the fading out, sounded beautiful. And each part and section flowed amazing. I think we could definitely use some of those techniques in our performance.

Savannah Gould
2/1/2016 07:14:58 pm

This song was done beautifully; the smooth legato notes blended perfectly together between the parts. They knew exactly when to grow louder and softer, and the way they faded out at the end left me in chills. The only thing I would have to say could have been better was some of their vowels. In instances like 'eyes' and 'taught', I felt they could have been a little taller. Overall, however, this was really well done.

Emma Fulk
2/1/2016 08:52:50 pm

I agree with you about their vowels. Some were beautiful and dark, but on certain words they were very bright.

Arianna Gonzalez
2/1/2016 07:47:58 pm

I thought this piece was absolutely beautiful. The sound was so pure it made me feel like I was dreaming. Their cut offs were very clean, and the resolving chords made the piece sound angelic. I would have loved to hear more of their alto section, as the soprano section stood out the most. They really emphasized the "shhh" in Shed and the "W" in Weep, we should definitely add that to our piece, as well as the amazing use of dynamics.

Sydney Brown
2/1/2016 08:33:32 pm

I very much enjoyed this piece. I really like how they started out strong to get out attention but still got softer in the places where it was necessary. Most of their vowels were good but all in all it could have been a lot darker in words like "weep" like ours is wanted to be. But overall it was very beautiful and kept my attention.

Lauren Rubin
2/2/2016 07:32:24 am

It's a really good point that it is important that we do things to keep our audiences attention. The better and more interesting we sound (dynamics, vowels, clashes and resolutions) the more likely we are to keep the attention of our audience and the more they will enjoy our piece!

Emma Fulk
2/1/2016 08:51:26 pm

I thought they did a great job projecting and each part did a good job singing in unison, adding to the illusion of one voice. However, the parts weren't balanced as I couldn't really hear the altos. They kept the piece very smooth, which I liked.

Lauren Rubin
2/2/2016 07:17:13 am

One thing that stood out to me in this piece was the way they made the piece "sparkle". They had good dynamics at the right times, had good cut offs and good dictation without over pronunciating anything. They kept their vowels pretty dark which adds to over overall sound of the song. I wish that the different parts were a little more blended and I think we can work on that in our choir too!

Blakeli
2/2/2016 07:48:50 am

I thought this piece was absurdly gorgeous. The parts clashed like they were soppose to, but made a beautiful sound when put together. Their cut offs were extreamly smooth. They sounded just like the sound we are shooting for, angelic. They also held there notes out extreamly long, and didn't take noticeable pauses or breathes. You could really understand the emtion they were trying to show. Overall, they did amaIng with this piece!

Emma R
2/4/2016 07:29:08 am

I liked the way the choir blended together. You could hear all the parts during most of the song and the altos were very strong. All four parts is what brings out the beautiful chords in the song. Especially the clashes. It sounded very peaceful and relaxing. We should definitely work on our dynamics because that will make it very musical.


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