Organ and Choir Tutorial - There shall a star (Felix Mendelssohn)

Описание: Choral harmony in Mendelssohn’s “There shall a star”.

Mendelssohn had a genius for choral harmony, beautifully exemplified in this setting of “There shall a star”, part of an oratorio named Christus (Op. 97), about the life of Christ, which the composer didn’t manage to complete before he died. It includes a setting of the well-known Nicolai chorale, Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (“As bright the star of morning gleams” in this translation), which also forms the backing track to the baritone solo in the better-known “Three kings from Persian lands afar” by Cornelius.

In the recording you will see Ralph Allwood rehearsing the choir, discussing with Mark Shepherd just how loud the organ accompaniment should be during this section. He wants the dramatic effect without the organ overwhelming the sound of the choir. Double d’s are requested from the choir at “and dash…” Ralph points out that the word emphasis at the start doesn’t work quite as well in the English translation as it would have in the original German, but there isn’t much to be done about it except phrase it nicely. (Handel’s oratorios often suffered from the same problem.)

Read more about "There shall a star" (from Christus) by Mendelssohn here: https://viscountorgans.net/there-shal...

About this Organ Tutorial Series:

One of an organist’s most subtle and sensitive roles is in the accompaniment of psalms and church anthems. In such an accompanying role, one’s job is rarely to stand out as a performer but to create an underlying musical foundation on which the choir’s singing can build.

For this year’s offering, then, we present a series in which the renowned choir director Ralph Allwood teaches the Old Royal Naval College Trinity Laban Chapel Choir about psalm singing, with three lovely anthems thrown in to the bargain.

They’re accompanied ably by Mark Shepherd on the Viscount Regent 356 organ. You’ll hear Mark exercising all his artistic powers in support of the choir.

Crucially we don’t just show you a performance, but take you through the rehearsal process, during which Ralph explains the pieces, discusses word painting with the choir and organist, and leads everyone towards a good final performance.

For more information about this Organ Tutorial Series and more videos visit our website: https://viscountorgans.net/organ-tuto...