All-State Chorus Directors Information Packet and pronunciation ...

Punctuation drives lifts/breaths. You will lift after every comma. You will lift after every period. Thelift/breath will be exactly ½ the value of the printed note in your part as in the example below:Quarter note= eighth note, eighth restHalf note= quarter note, quarter restObviously, this varies part to part so be sure to mark your individual line.Dynamics as printed are good in the Ornes edition.Lightly SteppedDan ForrestThis piece, written for SATB choir and percussion ensemble, is a study in color. The composer is quitespecific about articulation. All of the staccato markings are to be sung (as the title implies) lightly. Isuggest reading the poem aloud to get a feel for the language and meaning. The composer deliberatelyseparates words to show you how the consonants hang together in the short articulations. Thecontrasting section in bar 39 is to be sung with a connected legato, stagger breathe until the phrase ends.Vocal releases in each section should be made after commas or periods. Simply take the time value ofthe note to be released and divide in half (as explained earlier) and apply to your individual line. Othervoice parts may be doing something different so be sure to mark your part throughout.The final additive section around m. 85 will be a glorious opening of sound. He is specific here when hewants the sounds to connect. If it is not marked staccato, it should be connected.Let All the World in Every Corner SingAndrea Ramsey (women only)This joyful setting requires very articulated and energetic diction. The single place in the piece that ispure legato begins m. 86 and lasts only through the stanza of text. As noted in other pieces, if there is acomma or period, that is your cue to lift/breathe.Each time you sing the word “praise,” please use a closed [e] sound such as the first syllable of the word“day.”In this piece, the eighth note pulse stays constant between mixed meter and duple meter.The RoofAndrea Ramsey (men only)Underline with pencil each stressed syllable of each word. It is critical in this texture to sing with textstress.Lifts/Breaths:2