Rehearsal Aids

Messiah - Recommended Recordings

Neil suggests both of the following as recommended recordings of the Messiah.   One is directed by Paul McCreesh with the Gabrieli Consort and the other by Trevor Pinnock with the English Concert & Choir.  Click on the images to hear sample clips of "And The Glory of The Lord" from the two recordings.

Virtual Choir - Rachmaninov

If you were unable to download the two files from the email about the virtual choir then they are available here as well:

Bogoroditse Dyevo Score                       Bogoroditse Dyevo Guide/Click Track

Rachmaninov : All-Night Vigil

We will be singing movements 1-11 & 15 in this concert in Southwark Cathedral in June 2022 (rescheduled from March 2020), although not in order.   The programme has been devised by Richard Wilberforce and intertwines selected movements from Britten's Cello Suites 1 & 3 with those from the All-Night Vigil.   The sequence of the programme can be found and downloaded here.

In the table below there are links to items that will demonstrate how to pronouce the text in Church Slavonic.  The recordings have been made for us by Irina Walters who came to help us in our language preparation.   Good luck!

1, 2 & 3 :
4, 5, 6, 7 & 8 :
9 :
10 & 11 :
12 :
13, 14 & 15 :

If you want to buy a really good recording on CD for your collection then Neil recommends the one by the Latvian Radio Choir, which you can find here: .   You can also obtain it through other online stores like Naxos Direct and Presto Classical.   If you do use Amazon to buy a copy, then make sure you have registered with Amazon Smile (it costs you nothing) and select 'Wimbledon Choral Society' as your chosen charity.   We might make a few pence out of it!

Please use this guide for Neil's preferred pronunciation of the text in Carmina Burana.

The following clips and aids may be useful when learning the items for the Clouds of Dreams concert.  Click on the YouTube or MP3 icon to the left of the relevant item.

	Aaron Copland : Ching-A-Ring-Chaw
	Ola Gjeilo : Evening Prayer  (performance with the composer : starts at 3:08)
	Ola Gjeilo : Ubi Caritas
	Michael Higgins : Appalachian Songs - Bright morning stars
	Michael Higgins : Appalachian Songs - Little wheel a-turnin'
	Michael Higgins : Appalachian Songs - He's gone away
	Moses Hogan : Hold On
	Libby Larsen : Beneath These Alien Stars
	Morten Lauridsen : Sure on this Shining Night
	Andrea Ramsey : Doors of Daring
	Jake Runestad : Let my love be heard
	Eric Whitacre : Sleep

 

 

Da Vinci Requiem

We are very grateful to Michael Higgins for having created these rehearsal aids for Cecilica McDowall's Da Vinci Requiem.  Click on the required item that you wish to hear and use.   Either it will open directly in your device's MP3 player or it may download first depending on your device's rules.    Each file is about 4MB each so please be aware of this if you are downloading on a device with a limited tariff. 

Movement / Voice	Sop 1	Sop 2	Alto 1	Alto 2	Ten 1	Ten 2	Bass 1	Bass 2
Introit & Kyrie
Lacrimosa
Sanctus & Benedictus
Agnus Dei
Lux Aeterna

Christmas Concert 2018

	Chris Hutchings : Adeste Fideles (individual parts)
	Chris Hutchings : Adeste Fideles  (performance)
	Jan Sandström : Det är en ros utsprungen  (performance)
	Michael Higgins (arr) : Tomorrow shall be my dancing day (performance)
	Nico Muhly : Bright Star Carol (performance)
	Peter Burton : Come and sing the Christmas story  (MIDI)
	Sarah Quartel (arr) : Silent Night  (performance)

 

Brazilian Songs of Nature

Song	MIDI	MP3
Double Rainbow
My Country
Outono
Passarim
Waters of March

 

Te Deum - Text

In October 1891, Dvorak was appointed Director of the National Conservatory in New York, his duties to commence the following autumn.  His new employer commissioned him to write a cantata to mark the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' discovery of America, the text for which would be supplied in due course.   The promised text never arrived so, not wanting to let down this new employer before he took up his post, Dvorak turned to the great Latin hymn of praise Te Deum Laudamus and used the text from this instead.   During rehearsals, Neil has often referred to the English meaning of parts of the text to highlight the music score.   Tenor Richard Simon has kindly taken the whole text and laid it out in its full translation so that you can see the entire context.   Click here or on the image to the left for this.

Monteverdi Vespers

As you will have seen from the first rehearsal, the vocal parts written in the Vespers don't match our typical vocal parts or ranges all the time so it is necessary to rejig them in a few places.   Neil has issued two sets of vocal allocations - one that designates which SATB vocal part sings which vocal line in the music and the other that distinguishes between the solo & chorus sections. Both items are available here.    Click on the two images on the left to download the two documents (one per image) and please make sure you have transferred all the instructions to your copy.   In addition to this, there are a few places in No2 (Dixit Dominus) that involves chanting on a single note.   Click here or on the image to the right to download the details for these as well.

Monteverdi Choir John Eliot Gardiner	The Sixteen Harry Christophers	The Gabrieli Consort Paul McCreesh

Christmas 2016 - Adeste Fideles

Voice Part	Alone	With
Soprano 1
Soprano 2
Alto 1
Alto 2
Tenor
Bass 1
Bass 2
All Parts

French Gothic

	Durufle : Notre Pere	Listen to the words only:
	Vierne : Messe Solennelle
	Martin : Notre Pere
	Poulenc : Exultate Deo
	Durufle : Requiem

Ikons 

	Rachmaninov : All-Night Vigil ("Vespers") - 1*
	Rachmaninov : All-Night Vigil ("Vespers") - 2
	Rachmaninov : All-Night Vigil ("Vespers") - 3
	Rachmaninov : All-Night Vigil ("Vespers") - 4**
	Rachmaninov : All-Night Vigil ("Vespers") - 5
	Rachmaninov : All-Night Vigil ("Vespers") - 6
	Arvo Pärt : Bogoroditse Devo
	Gorecki : Totus Tuus
	John Tavener : Svyati
	Wood : Hail, Gladdening Light

A New Dawn

The following clips on YouTube, Soundcloud and Dropbox may be useful when learning the items planned for the New Dawn concert. Click on the adjacent YouTube or Soundcloud icon to open a new window with the clip.   Clicking on the Dropbox icon will open a shared folder containing an audio file for each part (S1, S2, A1, A2, T1, T2, B1, B2) - please click on the one relevant to you to download the audio file to your computer.   These have been created especially for you by Michael Higgins, for which many thanks.

 

	James MacMillan : A New Song
	Arvo Pärt : The Beatitudes
	Eric Whitacre : Lux Aurumque
	Ola Gjeilo : Northern Lights
	Morten Lauridsen : Sure on this Shining Night
	John Tavener : Svyati
	Will Todd : The Lord is my Shepherd
	Howard Goodall : Love Divine
	James MacCarthy : A Quoi Bon Dire
	Roxanna Panufnik : Declare the Wonders