For Monday 27th of February

Hello Harmonise,
Last night was fun, and all coming on well. Thank you for your good humour amidst all the shuffling about. And for the work you have done, especially for And So it Goes. From the front, all the small groups, gently emerging from different places, sounded mysterious and charming.

Dress code for the concert is sparkly and/or party clothes, any colour, but vibrant and slightly over the top better than restrained. For blokes, waistcoats, bow ties, hair ribbons, anything goes. Be creative.

We will decide on Monday what we want to do about concert copies. My own position is that if you absolutely need a copy for a particular song, have one for glancing down at, but keep your head up and watch me. I hope everyone will have a programme of their own with any solos, moves within the choir for different songs and/or anything you need to remember before or for a particular song. If you contrive to have this as a series of small cards that you can conceal on your sparkly person, all the better. I remember at one of the WaterAid concerts discovering people had little reminders all over the place - tucked into watch straps, inside shoes, pinned to person in front, written on to wrists ... but I didn't see one when I was conducting. Ideal.

The only change we have made to the programme is to reverse the last two songs. Please mark this on your own programmes. People have been asking me about The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood. There are 6 people going to sing this, they know who they are, we haven't rehearsed it yet, so it's a maybe. If you haven't heard about it, you haven't missed a song!

Next week we will sing S Australia, then all the songs in the second half, in order.

See you at seven o'clock next Monday!

Jane

For Monday 20th February

Hello Harmonise, great singing last night. And "The Clappers" were magnifiques!! Feels like the programme is really shaping up. If there are any parts/songs you still feel unsure of, please email me now and I'll send you a sound file into your email box. I'd rather you do this, than wing it, worry about it or make it up! :-) (My own email address, not a reply to this.)

A reminder ... At 7.00 last night there were 19 Harmonise members ready to sing. By 7.20 there were 50. We need all the time we can get. Please get there on time if at all possible. The warmups are helping with aspects of the concert songs, and they matter. They also help you prepare for singing and protect your voice. Please don't regard them as something it's ok to miss.

Last night we sang Shallow Brown, S Australia, Tourdion, Batonebo and Willie's Rare. They are all nearly there. Next Monday we'll grapple with the logistics of positions for And So it Goes, and also sing De Grassias, Somos Pueblo and S Australia. If we have time, we'll sing Warm (small group), so rest of choir can hear how it's going, and Tourdion again.
We will sing the first four in programme order once we've sorted positions for ASIG.

Here's the draft programme. Please copy it, bring it on Mondays and use it to note things for yourself to remember.

Draft Programme and notes for Friends and Family 23^rd March 2012

First half

Start with choir in positions for Somos Pueblo soloists getting out easily.

Tibje Pajom (John I introduces these first 3 songs)
De Grassias with one soloist, Rob priest, at front, half facing audience, half facing choir
Soloists forward for
Somos Pueblo Soloists back
While Jane teaches Let Your Little Light Shine, choir move into positions for And So it Goes.
Let Your Little Light Shine with audience. (Jane S introduces this.)
And so it goes (John I introduces next two songs.) Soloists near each other, (and stay where they are until interval)
Siyahamba
Warm Warm group forward, then back. (Jane S introduces this song.)
(Jane M introduces next two songs.)
Shallow Brown Alistair calls, same position as Rob but opposite side of choir.
South Australia Two Callers, where rob stood before, and Rhythm people forward

Second Half

Choir back in same positions as at very beginning of concert.

Tourdion (Jane M introduces next 2 songs) Soloists for Batonebo forward

Batonebo , soloists back. Soloists for Willie's Rare come forward.

Willie's Rare (John I introduces). Soloists back.

My baby Just Cares for Me with audience (Jane S introduces)

?Quiet Joys of Brotherhood soloists forward, then back? (Jane S introduces)

Jane M introduces next two songs:

Breath be our Unity

Irish Blessing

No introduction ...

Goodnight Sweetheart

encore, Mravaljamier

For Monday the 13th of February

Hello Harmonise,
Oops. Bit chaotic last night, but that's considered to be lucky in the business ... Everything sounded great, eventually! Next week we will start off in the same seating arrangement as last night (as for Somos Pueblo soloists getting out) but all seats facing in the opposite direction, ie towards the door. I expect it to take 1 minute 22 and a half seconds to get seated after the warm up. I will have my stop watch. Any longer and we'll have to do it again :-)
We will sing S Australia and Shallow Brown again, no copies for either, please, unless you are calling. Rhythm people in SA, do practise singing and clapping etc. for last verse a few times during the week. It will make a big difference. These are the last two songs in the first half.
We'll also sing the first three songs in the second half, "Batonebo seating", Tourdion, Batonebo and Willie's Rare, and run through Goodnight Sweetheart.
Please, all "soloists", mark your draft programmes or whatever you are using as a memo on Monday nights, for the songs in which you sing in a small group. Put on the names of the other people singing the same verse/phrase as you. Have your copy of the draft programme with you every week now. You can copy it from last week's Newsflash and print it out. If that's not possible, please ask a friend to print it for you. If you are using a score, eg for And So it Goes, write on it that you are a soloist, and which bit you sing.
Click here to get to a page with Billy J. singing ASIG. I think it's a rather lovely version.
See you next week! Jane

For Monday the 6th of February

Great practice last night. Thanks everyone. Keep learning And So it Goes so we keep it topped up. Soloists were very lovely. The better you know it, the more you will watch me! See illustration of choir watching conductor above. We also sang Somos Pueblo and Bound for S Australia. Please go over the two different shouts that come after the first call in every verse in S.A. They alternate. Get familiar with which shouts fit with which words from the caller.

Next week pretty tickets with stars on them are on sale. You have to pay for your tickets as you take them, so bring cash, please or cheques made out to Harmonise. No money, no pretty tickets!!

We will sing Bound for S Australia, Shallow Brown, Willie's Rare and Tourdion. We will finish 10 minutes early so that the Warm group can have a run through. Non Warm group people can go outside the hall at ten to 9 for tickets. Warm people, please buy your tickets at the break. We will sit in choir formation from now on. Because of moving places and ticket sales we will be pressed for time so we will start at 7.00. Do please try to be on time.

Here's a very draft programme so you can see how the evening is taking shape. See you next week, Jane

Very Draft Programme for Friends and Family 23^rd March 2012

First half

John I introduces:

Tibje pajom

De grassias with one soloist, priest, at front

Somos pueblo Soloists forward.

Jane S introduces

Love Lifted Me or something else with audience

John I introduces:

And so it goes Soloists forward, possibly stay where they are for next song.

Bring me Little water, Sylvie or Siyahamba

Jane M introduces:

Warm small group Warm group forward, then back.

Shallow Brown with one/two soloist, caller

South Australia Callers and Rhythm people forward

Second Half

Jane M introduces:

Tourdion

Batonebo Soloists forward, then back.

John I introduces:

Willie's Rare with soloists forward

Jane S introduces:

Let Your Little Light Shine with audience

? Quiet Joys of Brotherhood small group ?

Jane M introduces:

Breath be our Unity

Irish Blessing (with some discreet nose blowing)

No introduction ...

Goodnight Sweetheart

encore Mravaljamier

For Monday the 30th of January

Hello Harmonise,
A resounding response to my plea for fees. Big thank you! - especially from Jane.

Please note that the concert on Friday the 23rd of March and the practice on Friday the 16th of March, are not at St Augustines, they are at St Peter's church hall in Lutton Place. We have held Friends and Family events there twice before.

This time we decided to donate to three charities, which are The Place2Be, Lothian Early Onset Support Service and the Bhopal Medical Appeal. We will divide the total money available equally between the three.

For Monday, please remember to find out how many tickets for the concert you want. Everyone who wants can have 2 tickets - but if you'd rather not sell tickets, it means people who want more than 2 can have them.

Songs are coming along well. Last Monday we sang Willie's Rare, with Jane singing verse 1 and a group of 8, 4 sopranos and 4 altos, on the second verse. Please remember who you are for 2nd verse - I didn't make a note!!

We also sang Tibje Pajom, Breath Be Our Unity, The Irish Blessing and Somos Pueblo. Here is the new arrangement for SP:

1. Somos pueblo verse: all sing
2. Los Sedientos verse: small group, (Sally & Cat, Jean & Christina, Ros back up, Alistair & David K, Colin back up, John &` John) then from Acudamos ... all.
3. Somos pueblo verse again: all
4. Los humildes verse: small group, then, from Acudamos ... all
5. Somos pueblo verse for 3rd time: all, with the Acudamos line repeated, getting softer to finish.

So that you don't have to bring all your books every week, you can, if you want, only bring concert songs. You have many already on sheets, some words only, and some full songs. Here are the songs from the books. I have omitted the very easy ones. Click on the name of each song.
Batonebo Mravaljamier Goodnight Sweetheart Tibje Pajom Tourdion

I hope most people will not use copies for the above songs at the concert, they are particularly for newer people and for people with "troublesome memories". More about copies/folders etc. later.

After next week we will be sitting in rows, not in a horse shoe, so we get used to singing near different people/parts ready for the concert.

Next week we will sing And So it Goes, Bound for South Australia, Somos Pueblo, Shallow Brown and Willie's Rare. If time, also Tourdion.

See you next week, Jane

for Monday the 23rd of January

Hello Harmonise,
After this silly flowchart, I'm afraid I must continue by some finger wagging. Jane, our hard working and very patient treasurer has said that there are still 20 people who have not yet paid this term's fees. Whenever Jane is given cheques on a Monday, she has to go to the bank in her lunch hour during the week and this usually means long queues. She doesn't mind doing this once, after our first Monday, but has now done it twice, and since 20 people haven't paid, will have to do it again. This really is not fair on Jane. Our committee members work very hard on your behalf. Please respect this, and do everything you can to support them. Please either pay Jane to-day by bacs, (she will email you the details if you email her) or bring cheques on Monday at the very latest. Thanks for your cooperation.

For people who missed last Monday we practised Mravaljamier, And so it Goes, Shallow Brown, Batonebo, De Grassias and we sang Tourdion through so new people could hear it.

Next Monday we will begin to polish up And So it Goes, which is starting to sound very good. Thanks for the time you've spent on this. Please, in particular, practise the last page. There are now small groups singing sections of this song, please remember who you are, I didn't take a note!!

We will also sing all through Willie's Rare and the Irish Blessing, and top up Tibje Pajom, Mravaljamier and Somos pueblo.

A date for your diary:
Loud and Proud have invited us to join them at their concert which is in the evening of Saturday the 12th of May. We will sing two or three of the songs from our coming March concert, and possibly another together with Loud and Proud, that we already know. Put it in your diary, and we will make arrangements next term.

Support your treasurer!! Practise!! :-) See you on Monday,
Jane

Saturday workshop with Brendan

Harmony Singing Workshop

With Brendan Taaffe of Turtledove

Saturday 11 February 2012

In the dark days of February come and sing traditional American and Zimbabwean songs with Brendan Taaffe.

The American material will encompass

• songs from the early gospel quartet tradition,

• bluegrass and Carter family standards, and

• original compositions in the Shape-note (New England hymn tradition) style.

The Zimbabwean songs are from the makwayera repertoire. four-part harmony in the Shona language blending traditional African techniques with Western-influenced four part harmony. These songs range from church choruses to exhortations on the importance of education to folk songs about a bachelor's hapless attempts to impress the girls. A joy to sing!

In Brendan's workshops both novice and experienced singers find joy in singing together. All parts are taught by ear, with an emphasis on listening to one another, capturing the essence of the song, and on musicality.

Where? Christ Church hall, 6a Morningside Road, Edinburgh, EH10 4DD. The venue is accessible for wheelchair users.

When? Saturday 11th February 2012, 10 am to 4 pm.

Cost? £25.00 or £17.00 concs.

Lunch? Please bring lunch to share. Hot drinks/biscuits will be provided.

To secure your place send a deposit of £5.00 made out to Liz Elkind and send to Liz Elkind, her address is on your Harmonise list. Please include your address, email address and phone number.

Questions? More info? Phone or email Liz.

For January the 16th 2012

Hello Harmonise,
A lovely singing start to the year!

We practised And so it goes, Love Lifted Me, Shallow Brown, Tibje Pajom, Batonebo and Somos Pueblo.

A reminder:
For Batonebo, first line: Lisa, Nicola and Graeme.
For Batonebo, third line: Brid, Evie and Colin.

For Somos Pueblo, verse 2, Catriona and Sally, Christina and Jean, Ros as back up, David K and Alistair, John and John.

We will sing these two again next week. We'll also continue to the end of And So It Goes, please practise this more than once! this week, we really need to move on with this one. There are small changes each time the tune comes back, listen carefully to the recording and notice where the changes come and what they are.

We will also sing Mravaljamier. For new people, and for anyone who needs a refresher, the parts are on CD1 for the Blue Book. And if time, we'll sing De Grassias.

Keep practising! 8 more weeks to learn the programme ...

Jane

For Monday the 9th January 2012

hello Harmonise, Happy New Year!

All those carols seem a long way away .. but good fun was had, I think! Jane and Margot counted all the contributions and have banked £560.00 for Shelter Scotland. Well done, you people!! There are some carol photos, and also some xmas party photos on our Harmonise flickr site, here.

Looking ahead to March, I have decided to make some changes to our concert programme. When I made up the CD and the draft programme way back last summer I hadn't reached my decision to leave Harmonise ... and on reflection, I now think we need to include a good helping of our old favourites since it will be rather a special concert. The songs on your current CD that we haven't started will wait until the summer term, I think. The songs I have added are probably new to our new members. I have indicated this on the list, and also where they can be found.

For next Monday, the 9th, we will sing to the end of And So It Goes, so please take some time to learn your part for this before next Monday. We'll also sing De grassias and Shallow Brown.

Here is the updated song list -

Songs for March 23^rd Concert. N.B. This is not the programme order -

Batonebo

Mravaljamier, new This is in the Blue Book, and parts are on CD 1 of Blue Book

Shallow Brown

Bound for South Australia

Willie's Rare

Bring me Little Water

Warm (Small Group)

De Grassias

Tibje Pajom new This is in the Red Book. It is very easy to learn.

Breath Be Our Unity, new Very easy. In Red Book

Tourdion, new This is in the Blue Book. The words go very fast, but the tune is easy. It is in the Blue Book, and parts are on CD 1 of the Blue Book

I Got Shoes

Love Lifted Me, new This is in the Blue book and is very easy to learn.

An Irish Blessing new This is in the Blue book. I will send out sound files to all new members in a week or two.

Goodnight Sweetheart new This is in the Purple book and is very easy to learn.

And so it Goes

The quiet Joys of Brotherhood (small group)

See you on Monday, Jane

Carol Singing Time Change

hello Harmonise,
For this Saturday, the 17th, we are meeting (but pretending not to) on the ground floor of Waterstones at the West End of Princes Street ready to sing at 11.30. If you start arriving at 11.15 that will be good, but we will sing at 11.30 whether we are all there or not. If you were not at Monday's singing, please hang about towards the back of the ground floor pretending to look at children's books or novels until you hear us start O Come All Ye Faithful. Start to move forward, then join in the carol at the beginning of verse 2. We will sing only verses 1 & 2. With great gusto!!

Afterwards we will get ourselves to the east end of Rose Street, behind Jenners, and sing for an hour or two for Shelter Scotland. Bring the carols you need, words or notes, in a form that you can find quickly - we move from one carol to the next without a break (ahem ... well, that's what we try to do) if we spot people coming along!! If you have any bells, bring them to shake during jingle bells, and please feel free to decorate yourselves with xmas tinsel - but only after we leave Waterstones!!
See you there, Jane

For Monday 12th of December

Hello Harmonise,
For next week, once again, :-( please learn your notes for the first two pages of And So it Goes up to the top of page 3. parts are on the CD. Our annual Friends and Family concert "dress rehearsal" is on Monday the 12th of March. This actually gives us 9 meetings in 2012 before then. But attendance is always compromised in January and February by winter coughs and colds and last year we missed two Mondays because of foul weather ... so think 5 or 6 more practices before the concert ... I will send out a draft programme of the concert songs before we restart on January the 9th, and it will include And So it Goes. 10 minutes 3 times this week ... You will be rewarded by lots more time to sing xmas carols on Monday!!

The carol list for Rose Street is
Coventry Carol (Lullay, Lulla)
Ding Dong Merrily
Gaudete
Hark the Herald Angels
Holly and the Ivy
In the Bleak Mid Winter
Jingle Bells
O Little Town of B.
O Come All Ye F
Sweet Xmas Bells and
While Shepherds Watched..

Here are alto parts for Ding Dong Merrily (Blue p49) , for Gaudete (words only, Blue p 54), for Hark the Herald Angels (Blue p 51), Holly and the Ivy (Blue p 51), Jingle Bells (no need for copy), and While Shepherds Watched (Blue p56). New people don't worry about actually learning these. Just listen a couple of times, then make sure you sit between people who know them on Monday. Most of the parts are easy except perhaps While Shepherds Watched, which has funny timing and Ding Dong Merrily which is not so easy to sing as the others. By the time we've sung each one four times, you will know them!!

See you all on Monday, part perfect for A S I G ...
Jane

Sangstream Singing in the Botanics

Scots Folk Choir on Festive Note Edinburgh-based Scots folk choir Sangstream will be entertaining audiences at the Garden on Sunday, 11 December.There will be Scots Songs, traditional songs from around the world and some Christmas favourites.

For Monday the 5th of December

hello Harmonise,
Great turnout last night. What a difference it made to our singing!!

O Come All Ye is definitely our song for the flash sing on Saturday the 17th of December. Well practised!! We need to be rock solid for notes, for this kind of sudden, one off sing, so if you aren't (rock solid) please keep practising your part. This will sound much more together if we can sing it without music ... The sound files are in last week's Newsflash.

We will sing once at approx 11.00, and then move to the St Andrews Square end of Rose Street for our charity carol sing for approx 12 - 2. This is a rough estimate of times and we will agree precise times together at our final sing this term.

The carol list for Rose Street is:
Coventry Carol (Lullay, Lulla)
Ding Dong Merrily
Gaudete
Hark the Herald Angels
Holly and the Ivy
In the Bleak Mid Winter
Jingle Bells
O Little Town of B.
O Come All Ye F
Sweet Xmas Bells and
While Shepherds Watched.

Sopranos probably know the tunes for all of these except "While Shepherds Watched". We'll sing that at Harmonise soon. Meanwhile, here are the alto parts for O Little Town, Coventry Carol, and Sweet Xmas Bells. And here are the dots for Sweet Xmas Bells. Please print out a copy for yourself.

We have started our final "big piece" for the concert, And So it Goes. Please, everyone, learn your part up to "And you can have this heart to break" on page 3. It's on the CD.

If we have time, we'll go on with Willie's Rare next week, too.

Warm singers, a very good start. Please keep up the learning and we'll have another 10 minutes next week. Bring your diaries and we'll arrange a longer practice for this.

We are trying to locate the CDs that go with the song books. Our apologies to new Harmonsie members - not having these ready for you was an oversight. They are coming soon!!

See you next week,
Jane

Muckle Sing 2012

Next February's Muckle Sing event is to be held in Linlithgow.

Places are limited to 80 so do book early: you can book individually or as a group.

Put the date in your diary now. Booking information to follow.

Tutor for the day is Scots singer-songwriter, Janet Russell.

Trish Santer

Convener, Edinburgh & Lothians Branch TMSA

For Monday the 287th of November

Hello Harmonise,
If we can all sing O Come All Ye Faithful straight off next week, we'll do it as a flash choir before our Rose Street bash. You can keep your copies, but only for glancing at!! Here is the alto part, here is the tenor part, and here is the very satisfying bass part.

Songs coming on well for the concert, I think! Willie's Rare is not on the CD. Please make your own recordings on Mondays if you need one. We'll continue with that next week and also revisit Batonebo.

Hope to see many of you at Christina's this Wednesday evening at 7.15.
Jane

For Monday the 21st of November

hello Harmonise,
Batonebo is coming on well. Please be very sure of the words for the Batonebo line, the La maziba line and the ga u harda line. These are the lines that the full choir will sing. Basses, please practise your part, especially bar 4. We will leave Warm for the moment. The first and second lines really are very difficult. So that we can get on with our other songs, I am going to try this in a small group.

For new altos, here is the sound file for Somos Pueblo. And here, for new sopranos.

A Pre Christmas Sing
Christmas lights appearing on 24th Nov in our Princes St. free of tramworks!! and open until after Christmas! Some of Harmonise will be singing at the tree at the West End at 6pm. We are meeting at the One World Shop under St John’s anytime from 5.30 and bags etc can be left locked in the office. Hoping to process back to Shop still singing! Mulled wine will be served at the shop afterwards.

Those who can will meet at Christina’s, for about an hour on Wed 23rd Nov at 7.15 to have a run through what we will sing. If you can't make it, please email me (my own address, don't reply to this) after we have met, and I will send you the (very short!) song list. The songs will almost certainly include Sia Hamba, Bambelela, and In the Bleak Mid Winter. If you are new to Harmonise and need to hear a part for any of these, let me know asap, (my own address, don't reply to this) and I'll send you a sound file.

For Monday the 14th of November

Hello Harmonise,
Warm is coming on well. People have really been working on this and it shows. Thank you. Tenors and basses please keep listening to the sound files (see earlier post) and practising - you have the most difficult parts.

Can people try to arrive by five to seven if at all possible. By seven last night only half of us were ready to start. It's discouraging for people who, every week, make the effort to be ready to start at seven.

Not all of the songs for the concert are on the CD. Some are on earlier CDs, many are not recorded. If you know you take time to learn, or you forget your part if we don't sing a particular song every week, it's always OK to bring a sound recorder of some sort and record while we are learning. Most mobile phones will make a good enough recording for the purpose of learning or remembering a part.

Enjoy the rain! And keep reading ....
Jane

A message from your Committee

One of our priorities at the moment is to prepare a job description for a Musical Director together with background information about Harmonise so that we can advertise the position. This is all very nearly ready and we have an excellent list of websites and other places where we will post the information. It will also be posted on Harmonise's website. This will all be in place by the end of November at the latest, possibly sooner. We'll let you know.

Sally

Folk Carols Festival

Dentdale Folk Carols festival If you would like to talk to someone who has been to this before, or if you are thinking of coming, please speak to Jonathan (tenor admirabilis) and he'll put you in the picture.

This event runs from Friday 2nd December to Sunday 4th December Concerts, workshops to learn the old folk carols - and ones from afar, Carolling Ceilidh, dances, festive meals, singing walk etc. - in Sedbergh and Dent. Accommodation provided and all meals. Workshops with Lakeland voice director David Burbidge - concerts with Lakeland Voices, Cautley Carollers, The Gladly Solemn Sound, Quatz accapela group, Kinderley harmony singers from Sedbergh, Furness Morris dance team, Richmond on Swale Morris dancers.......and more. Location: Sedbergh and Dent Website: http://www.lakelandvoice.co.uk Contact: David Burbidge 015396 21166