Rehearsal Markings for Fall 2026
Pronunciations in brackets use IPA notation. Here is a quick summary.
Markings from October 4 rehearsal
O Sapientia
O Sapientia
- m 4-5: no breath
- m 5: lift on beat 2 (the tied 8th note)
- m 8: lift before “viam” (Sanford will conduct)
- m 12: slight fermata on beat 2, then S lift before “at-” (all other voices carry thru)
- m 16: breath at end of measure (which Sanford is probably stretching)
- m 18: lift before “su-” and the subito p
- m 21: breath at end of measure
- m 25: mp and continue to dim to p by end of measure
- m 25-32: same markings as m 1-8
- m 42: lift before “su-” and the subito p
- m 43: change the rhythm and text placement to match m 19
- m 45: everyone but T make the top of the cresc at most mf, so as to avoid covering the melody in m 46
- m 47: lift at end of measure
- m 48-49: no breath (unlike the corresponding m 24-25)
- m 50-57: same markings as m 1-8
- m 56: start the dim here, so that you are mp by m 57
- m 24-27, Choir 1 women: divide SSA, unlike the HML you do most places with 3 notes
- m 43½-44, Choir 1: basses sing the tenor line; tenors sing the lowest women’s note; women sing the remaining upper notes (this is Sanford clarifying a marking from two weeks ago)
- Throughout the piece, bring out the moving lines
- m 25: the text should be “-ant”, not “-ent”
- m 52-53: the correct word is “caliginem”. So make the second half of m 52 into two quarter notes (if it’s not that way already) with text “-li-gi-”. Make m 53 “-gem”
- m 36-37, SSA: no breath
- m 1-4, B: tacet (ignore the tiny notes)
- m 7, STB: take 8th rest out of beat 3 (delete the tied 8th)
- m 35, ATB: take 8th rest out of beat 3 (delete the tied 8th)
- m 36: Sanford will stretch the 8th note on beat 3 so that ATB can breathe after the chord changes
Markings from September 28 rehearsal
Veni, Veni
Veni, Veni
- Be sure to pronounce “Emmanuel” in Latin: [ɛmanuɛl] not [imænjuɛl]
- The top of the numerous cresc-decresc pairs in the accompanying parts is mp (e.g., m 1-2, 3-4, 11-14)
- m 52: f
- m 53½, TB: dim
- m 58½, S: p (everyone else is already p)
- m 62, SA: take quarter rest out of first note
- m 62-63, TB: no breath
- m 66: take quarter rest out
- m 67-69: cresc
- m 71, S: move the mf to the previous quarter note
- m 87: f
- m 92-94: dim
- m 95-96: terraced dynamics on this line, so no cresc
- m 78: glottal on “As”
- The second syllable of “luminescence” is short (open) [ɪ]. Resist temptation to make it the closed [i].
- m 30, 32: strong [nə] release on “in”
- m 42, TB: decresc (just like SA already have)
- m 59: the staccato separation on “light” and “as” is approximately an eighth rest
- The frequent ritards are only indicated above the S1 line, so other voices may want to copy them to their own.
- m 52, SA: sing less than f initially, so that the men’s entrance is heard
- m 1, TB: glottal on “O”
- m 2: lift at end of measure
- m 3: mf, TB again glottal on “O”
- m 5: f
- m 12, A2T: A2 sing the upper tenor note (C#) while all the tenors sing the lower note (F#)
- m 13, A: ignore the tie on the E#. A1 sing the upper note in m 14, A2 the lower note
- m 21: mf
- m 25-29: same markings as m 1-5
- m 36, S2A: Even though the middle notes (B-A#) have stems down, S2 sing them, and A sing the lower note (F#)
- m 50-54: same markings as m 1-5
Markings from September 21 rehearsal
Hymn to the Creator of Light
Hymn to the Creator of Light
- Flip the “r” in “glory”
- m 43½-44, Choir 1: women sing the upper 3 notes; tenors sing the lowest note (can start at “invisible” or sing the first 2 notes as well); basses sing the tenor notes
- m 85: “shewed” is an archaic spelling of “showed” and is pronounced the same as the modern word.
- m 53, T1: T1 stay on the E-flat; Allie & Addie sing the F
- m 79 & 99, B1: Dave & Tim take the upper note, Brian & Cruz take the lower
- m 8: tempo is faster here than first 7 bars
- m 17-22: strong muh [mə] release of the final consonant of “come” on each quarter rest
- m 28, SA: take 8th out of “-sied”
- m 31, SA: no breath
- m 39-43: take 8th out of each “-men”, with a strong [nə] release each time
- “Jes-se” pronounced like the American name “Jessy” [dʒɛsi]
- Pronounce the “h” in “homage”
Markings from September 14 rehearsal
Veni, Veni
Veni, Veni
- Women divide HML in m 1-27 except m 9, which is SSAA with S2 on the B. Blend into SA at some convenient point around m 27, but return to HML at end of m 31. SSAA in m 35-42 . In m 47, S add F# as in the piano reduction (I think this is SSA), then SSAA m 48-50. m 55-86 is HML, including m 69 (delete the alto B, which is redundant with sopr). Blend into SA around m 87. Back to HML at end of m 91. m 95-104 is as written, including 97-98, where S divides and A stays on own line. m 105 is HML?
- m 104, SA: breathe at end of measure (men do not, they don’t need it)
- m 105, TB: divide TTBB, deleting the bass C, which is redundant with T2
- Men divide HML whenever there are 3 notes. Ignore the low E’s at the beginning.
- Sing as written, no HML even if it seems like you could.
- Sing as written, no HML even if it seems like you could.
- HML for all. Ignore the optional notes.
- Almost everywhere, divide as written, with ST taking the stem-up notes, AB the stem-down. However, men divide HML in m 1-4, 25-28, 50-53.