by Dominic Sweetman

Autumn 2023 rehearsal schedule and learning links

We’ve found some sites to help you practice at home.

Term dates

Rehearsals are every Tuesday from 19th September 2023 to 28th November, except for 24th October where the schools are closed for half-term (we’d be without both our rehearsal hall and conductor). Rehearsals are at William Ellis School.

What we’re singing

We’re rehearsing only the Haydn before half term.  There will be Christmas-themed music for the second half:

Week by week rehearsal schedule

19 September
Haydn: introduction to Kyrie and Gloria.

26 September
Kyrie (ps 6 – 9) + Agnus Dei

3 October
Benedictus + Sanctus

10 October
Gloria (2nd half) + Quonium

17 October
Credo + Et Resurrexit (to page 50)

HALF TERM

31 October
Et Resurrexit (from bar 160 – end) + Gratias

7 November
Dona Nobis + Rutter Carol

14 November
Darke Carol + Godfrey Carol (Revision Kyrie + Gloria)

21 November
Carols (Revision of Quonium, Credo, Et Resurrexit)

28 November
Revision of Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnus Dei, Dona Nobis

2 December
Rehearsal with orchestra and soloists 2.30pm – 5.30pm at St Mary Brookfield

Concert – 7.30pm

Dress – all black

Learning resources

Haydn Maria Theresa Mass

You can find follow-the-score videos by part from the Youtube channel called Choirparts.  There’s a playlist page for each voice: soprano, alto, tenor and bass.

Here’s a page leading to an archive of per-voice rehearsal files in MP3 format, courtesy of John Fletcher’s Rehearsal files site. Read that page first, but download the archive from Dropbox. John Fletcher’s site is free – one of those gifts which make up so much of the internet. But if you find it too tricky to use then the for-money Choralia might work better for you. Here’s their Maria Theresa Mass page.

You can find a performance on youtube, I’m sure… Here’s a full performance from the Handel and Haydn Society Chorus:

 And finally, you can also try Maria Theresa Mass on Cyberbass. This gives the opportunity to select your part and hear it played bold with the other parts in the background. I believe you can also alter the tempo to aid your learning.