Dress Rehearsal

I plot and plan rehearsal carefully. We are not as far along with this year's cantata as I would like to be, but between Ash Wednesday and cancellations due to weather and the move back into the sanctuary, practice time was reduced more than I would have liked. I am so glad I selected a familiar cantata for Palm Sunday - no sense adding to our stress by tackling something completely new!

During our Saturday rehearsal last week we only covered the first 6 numbers, and those were the ones we already had read and knew the best. Last time we sang this cantata, we omitted the final piece. We have a lot of ground to cover tonight. Every minute must count. I begin at the end, the only acceptable place to start given our circumstances. We work that least familiar 9th song several times, stopping here and there to fix something that didn't quite work. We achieve an acceptable level of competence, and I move backward to song 8.

Slowly and carefully we work out way back until all the pieces are comfortable and working. Do we have time? Can we do a complete run through and still end at 8:30? Maybe. But first, a devotional. A context. More important than knowing the music well is remembering why we are singing in the first place. Normally we read from our choir devotions book, but tonight, I invite everyone to move into the pews and view the slides that will accompany our cantata.

Each picture was carefully selected to portray the text of the readings and the songs. We settle down and relax a bit, beginning at the beginning for a change. We walk through the events of Holy Week one at a time in proper sequence, remembering, reflecting. Suddenly, the moods and effects of the text we have been working on make sense. Joyous Palm Sunday, somber during the arrest and trial, dark on Friday.

Now, we rise to sing. From the opening Palm Sunday scene to the cross, each song takes us on a journey of intimacy with Christ, knowing that what he endured was for us. We do not yet hear the narratives. Save the complete effect for Sunday. It is enough that we sing the entire work, ending only ten minutes past our usual stopping time. We are in a good place.

I circle a few spots in my score that will need a brush up or reminder run through on Sunday morning. Be there at 9 am please. And bring your hearts.