Easter Services

trickg

@barliman2001 said in Easter Services:

Now, yesterday we had our only rehearsal for Easter Sunday. The conductor, when questioned beforehand, had firmly promised, "it's Schubert Mass #3 in Bb and Mozart Ave Verum (which has no trumpets), and nothing else." Accordingly, went there with just my Ganter Bb rotary and a deep cup mouthpiece, as I was supposed to play 2d chair. So far, so good. End of Schubert rehearsal, conductor hands out additional music with the comment, "you should be able to do this as well quite easily." One look... Handel, Messiah, Hallelujah... original pitch... scream, shout, throw grenades... call in the Cavalry (which refused to climb the 84 step staircase to the organ loft...)... tried to do Handel first trumpet part on Bb rotary with flugel mouthpiece... failed miserably, sounded like a goose with hiccups... got out the Selmer high-G at home... that's better...

Our music director sent out a bunch of music and the Hallelujah Chorus wasn't on the list, so I texted him to inquire about it. Yep - yes it WAS on the list. I may only use this Eb/D trumpet 2-3 times a year, but I'm sure glad I have it when I need it!

Kehaulani

Are you doing the Halleluiah Chorus on Flugelhorn? Cool!

Dr GO

@trickg said in Easter Services:

I'm playing lead on all of it, so there is that middle section from the Hallelujah Chorus where I'm always wondering if I'm going to make it, but I haven't had an issue with it, so here's hoping that it goes ok on Sunday too.

May your embouchure be firm and your mouth, moist. My spirit will be with you.

Dr GO

You know, what I find that adds stress to these performances is that the vocal chorus requires the performer to repeat the verse, typically four times. That repetitive playing I find fatigues the embouchure more than range fatigue.

BigDub

@trickg said in Easter Services:

So here's my lineup:

Hail Thee, Festival Day - arr Joseph Wilcox Jenkins based on Salve Festa Dies by Ralph Vaughn Williams)

Festival Alleluia - James Chepponis

Christ is Our Cornerstone - Philp W. J. Stopford

Mass For the City (only parts of it) - Richard Proulx

The Earth Is Risen - Gwyneth Walker

Jesus Christ is Risen Today - arr Jeremy J. Bankson

Hallelujah Chorus - Handel

Wow - I'm just now realizing how much music this is. Oh well - I seem to be able to get through it ok.

On a side note, this is for 4-piece brass and tympani with organ (a real, well-maintained pipe organ!) and choir that is mostly made up of students from the Johns Hopkins Peabody Conservatory of Music. I've been paid more to play less, but I always come away from this feeling richer for having been there with these fine people.

I'm playing lead on all of it, so there is that middle section from the Hallelujah Chorus where I'm always wondering if I'm going to make it, but I haven't had an issue with it, so here's hoping that it goes ok on Sunday too.

That is a lot of work load there, especially with the Hallelujah Chorus coming at the end. Is this for one service or are there more than one? I don’t have as much but there are two services, and there’s virtually no break between the Hallelujah Chorus and our postlude, Grand Choeur Dialogue. That will be a challenge........everything I am doing tomorrow (Easte) is on the C trumpet. But for two services. That will be the test of endurance for me.

Kehaulani

@Dr-GO said in Easter Services:

You know, what I find that adds stress to these performances is that the vocal chorus requires the performer to repeat the verse, typically four times. That repetitive playing I find fatigues the embouchure more than range fatigue.

What prevents you from giving the performance an arch? Why not play a verse, lay out a verse, etc.?

BigDub

@Kehaulani said in Easter Services:

@Dr-GO said in Easter Services:

You know, what I find that adds stress to these performances is that the vocal chorus requires the performer to repeat the verse, typically four times. That repetitive playing I find fatigues the embouchure more than range fatigue.

What prevents you from giving the performance an arch? Why not play a verse, lay out a verse, etc.?

Agreed. Multiple verse hymns can be really tiring. There are no rests, either. That is what we usually do, Kehaulani, skip verses.

trickg

@BigDub said in Easter Services:

@trickg said in Easter Services:

So here's my lineup:

Hail Thee, Festival Day - arr Joseph Wilcox Jenkins based on Salve Festa Dies by Ralph Vaughn Williams)

Festival Alleluia - James Chepponis

Christ is Our Cornerstone - Philp W. J. Stopford

Mass For the City (only parts of it) - Richard Proulx

The Earth Is Risen - Gwyneth Walker

Jesus Christ is Risen Today - arr Jeremy J. Bankson

Hallelujah Chorus - Handel

Wow - I'm just now realizing how much music this is. Oh well - I seem to be able to get through it ok.

On a side note, this is for 4-piece brass and tympani with organ (a real, well-maintained pipe organ!) and choir that is mostly made up of students from the Johns Hopkins Peabody Conservatory of Music. I've been paid more to play less, but I always come away from this feeling richer for having been there with these fine people.

I'm playing lead on all of it, so there is that middle section from the Hallelujah Chorus where I'm always wondering if I'm going to make it, but I haven't had an issue with it, so here's hoping that it goes ok on Sunday too.

That is a lot of work load there, especially with the Hallelujah Chorus coming at the end. Is this for one service or are there more than one? I don’t have as much but there are two services, and there’s virtually no break between the Hallelujah Chorus and our postlude, Grand Choeur Dialogue. That will be a challenge........everything I am doing tomorrow (Easte) is on the C trumpet. But for two services. That will be the test of endurance for me.

One performance per day, but I'm playing vigil (currently sitting here waiting to play) and tomorrow morning.

mafields627

Good luck with all of your services! Playing great music at Easter and Christmas is one of the things I really miss now that I go to a contemporary church.

Kehaulani

@trickg said in Easter Services:

I'm playing vigil (currently sitting here waiting to play) and tomorrow morning.

Are you spending the night sleping on a pew, then?

Dr GO

@Kehaulani said in Easter Services:

Are you spending the night sleping on a pew, then?

I hope not because as Confucius say:
"He who fart in church, sit in pew!"

Tobylou8

@Dr-GO said in Easter Services:

@Kehaulani said in Easter Services:

Are you spending the night sleping on a pew, then?

I hope not because as Confucius say:
"He who fart in church, sit in pew!"

Man, that stinks! But it is Resurrection Sunday, so all is forgiven!!

barliman2001

OK, that's Easter Sunday done for this year. Went very well, except for a massive hiccup in the violas - one triolic solo melody, in a slow part, and they make such an enormous hash of it that the conductor has to SING the viola part... and of course, despite all promises to the contrary, the conductor pulled out yet another surprise piece at the beginning of Mass... Haec Dies by Caspar Ett, with the trumpet set in Ab, of all things... no rehearsal, just go... well, the trumpets did it, and were invited to return next year.

trickg

Another set of Easter services in the books!

Overall, I'm VERY pleased with how I played. I had one spot yesterday morning that was less than stellar where I took a breath, and didn't quite reset correctly, so I clammed the next entrance, but otherwise I had two clean gigs. I even opted for the optional D at the end of "Jesus Christ is Risen Today" and nailed it both times, and both renditions of the Hallelujah Chorus rank up there for me as some of the best I've played. This year I started using alternate fingerings on my D trumpet for that long section in the middle with those long held notes - 1&3 for the D, and 3rd valve for the E - that gave me some control over it with the slides because otherwise I'm really pushing up to lip those notes into tune on this particular Eb/D trumpet I own.

We all go through peaks and valleys playing - with luck and diligent practice our valleys and peaks aren't very big, but I was totally at a peak this year - I had good control over everything, and even though I backed off the volume, after our cut-offs, I could clearly hear my horn sitting on top of everything (but very well balanced) in the 3-4 seconds of reverb that sanctuary has. It was great to hear those notes being right on the money and in-tune.

I attribute some of this to finding the "right" mouthpiece - a vintage Marcinkiewicz #2. To make a long story short, years ago I had a gold plated #3 that "liberated" itself when I forgot it sitting on a locker after drill band one day at the Armed Forces School of Music. The music store down the street had Marcinkiewicz mouthpieces, but not a #3 - the next closest they had was a #2, and I did some of my best playing on that mouthpiece. Later I got another one because my original had gotten beat up, but by then they had moved to another facility, and they changed the numbering on the mouthpiece - it read 2/7B, and it never played or felt like the original, so I never really used it. Then I thought I'd "improve" the original by drilling it - that ruined it.

A month or so ago, a guy was selling one that was an original Glendale production with the original "No. 2" stamping. It was like finding an old friend - it feels right, it plays right, and it sounds right - I'm very happy about it.

Anyway, I hope everyone else had good Easter gigs too.

BigDub

I feel very good about how things went for me as well. I knew my endurance was going to be tested to a high degree so in anticipation I was doing "two a days" practice sessions for the week or more leading up to Easter. It was just enough to help me through some high passages ( for me, anyway ) on the Hallelujah Chorus, Christ The Lord is Risen Today ( descant on C, two verses ) and the first part in Grand Choeur Dialogue. All of these then repeated in a second service as well. At one point, I reminded myself to breathe, breathe, breathe, and I am glad I did that. It really helped me relax as well. Also I was mindful the whole time who this was for, and it wasn’t me for sure!

Kehaulani

I made no mistakes whatsoever. Very inspirational. Stayed home and contemplated my belly button.

trickg

@BigDub said in Easter Services:

I feel very good about how things went for me as well. I knew my endurance was going to be tested to a high degree so in anticipation I was doing "two a days" practice sessions for the week or more leading up to Easter. It was just enough to help me through some high passages ( for me, anyway ) on the Hallelujah Chorus, Christ The Lord is Risen Today ( descant on C, two verses ) and the first part in Grand Choeur Dialogue. All of these then repeated in a second service as well. At one point, I reminded myself to breathe, breathe, breathe, and I am glad I did that. It really helped me relax as well. Also I was mindful the whole time who this was for, and it wasn’t me for sure!

What horn did you use for the Hallelujah Chorus? I keep thinking about getting a pic, but that's about as far as it goes - I've used my D trumpet on the Hallelujah Chorus 7 or 8 times now, and it always seems to get it done ok, whereas I've never felt great about my pic playing on the occasions where I've done it.

Dr GO

My Easter gig went fairly well but certainly not flawless. The prelude "Let the Trumpet Sound" is written on 4 pages. As I transitioned from page 1 to 2, the left margin of page 2 was covered by page 1, so there was about 3 measures of improv until I could get page 1 out of the way. From that point on, things went rather well.

Dr GO

@Kehaulani said in Easter Services:

I made no mistakes whatsoever. Very inspirational. Stayed home and contemplated my belly button.

Man, I would give ANYTHING to have a perfect belly button!

BigDub

@trickg said in Easter Services:

@BigDub said in Easter Services:

I feel very good about how things went for me as well. I knew my endurance was going to be tested to a high degree so in anticipation I was doing "two a days" practice sessions for the week or more leading up to Easter. It was just enough to help me through some high passages ( for me, anyway ) on the Hallelujah Chorus, Christ The Lord is Risen Today ( descant on C, two verses ) and the first part in Grand Choeur Dialogue. All of these then repeated in a second service as well. At one point, I reminded myself to breathe, breathe, breathe, and I am glad I did that. It really helped me relax as well. Also I was mindful the whole time who this was for, and it wasn’t me for sure!

What horn did you use for the Hallelujah Chorus? I keep thinking about getting a pic, but that's about as far as it goes - I've used my D trumpet on the Hallelujah Chorus 7 or 8 times now, and it always seems to get it done ok, whereas I've never felt great about my pic playing on the occasions where I've done it.

I used my Dillon C trumpet, though not a D, still made it a little more manageable than had I used my Bb. A piccolo would have even been nicer, but it seems that people like the D best for the Hallelujah Chorus. I am not accustomed to a piccolo but I would have made it my business to get accustomed to it if one was available. I was able to cleanly hit the D towards the end on both occasions. That would have been an E had I played it on my Bb ( you would know that.....) Thinking about that would have kept me up at night.....I used the C for all the music yesterday. It is surprisingly not a terrible horn now that I know its little intonation differences.