All the resources for City of Mandurah carol singing is assembled here including times and dates, roster, map and rehearsal files. Please take time to familiarise yourself with the carols we will be singing, and the format each carol will be sung. Note: it is crucial that you prepare for the concert as a priority – you should be confident with the concert material first before worrying about the carol singing.
The dates:
- Friday, 4 December 2020
- Saturday, 5 December 2020
- Friday, 11 December 2020
- Saturday, 12 December 2020
- Friday, 18 December 2020
- Saturday, 19 December 2020
- Wednesday, 23 December 2020
- Thursday, 24 December 2020
Where: See the map. We will meet at the first location between The Garden Bar and the Brighton Hotel, and start there.
When: We will meet at 7:15pm ready for a 7:30pm start.
Uniform: Black shirts/blouses, long skirts or trousers, sensible black shoes. In deference to the heat, shirts can be short sleeved.
We will wear the red/white/green Christmas stoles and ties and please wear plenty of bling and/or Santa hats or whatever suits you.
Music: White Carols Book
- Hark! The herald-angels sing p107
- Away in the manger p61
- Jingle Bells p73
- O come all ye faithful p226
- In the bleak mid-winter p174
- Ding Dong Merrily p82
- Once in Royal David City p260
- Silent Night p304
- God rest you p83
- O Little town of Bethlehem p234
- Joy to the world p202
- We wish you a Merry Christmas
Also, the three Australian carols from the concert:
- Three Drovers
- The Silver Stars
- Carol of the Birds
Notes
- We will sing 3-4 carols at each place and then move to the next.
- Eva-Marie and Dominic have prepared backing tracks with intro for each carol which are shown below for you to rehearse.
- Nic has arranged for a portable speaker to play the recorded accompaniment.
- We are not being conducted – the recorded accompaniment will let us know when to come in.
- There will be quite allot of walking between sites and standing around, so comfortable shoes are a must.
- We will allow choristers who are finding it tiring to sit out carols here and there so they can recover.
- Music lighting will be provided and will be handed out and returned at each session.
- Please try and keep bags to a minimum as it is tedious to have to lug them around and it looks messy – small black backpacks or small handbags are OK.
Accompaniment files for rehearsal
Here are the carol accompaniment recordings for you to practice against including Eva-Marie’s notes. The notes are available for download above and will be handed out at rehearsal.
O Come All You Faithful CFC p226
- Sing verses 1, 2 and 6 (descant)
- Introduction and musical interlude last line of p226 “O come let us adore him, Christ the Lord”
Away in a Manger CFC p61
- Sing all 3 verses
- Introduction and musical interlude last line “The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay”
Silent Night CFC p304
- Sing all 3 verses with key change
- Introduction is the last 2 bars of p304 “Sleep in heavenly peace”
- No extra music interlude just a chord to lead into the new key
Joy to the World CFC 202
- Sing all 3 verses (descant on last verse)
- Introduction as written
- No extra musical interlude just exactly what’s written in the music
Ding Dong Merrily on High
- Sing all 3 verses
- Introduction and musical interlude last 2 bars “Hosanna in excelsis”
Hark the Herald Angels Sing CFC p107
- Sing all 3 verses (descant on last verse)
- Introduction is the last line of p107 from “Hark the Herald”
- Musical interlude last 2 bars of p107 “Glory to the newborn king”
Jingle Bells CFC p73
- Sing verse 1, verse 2, repeat verse 1, into coda
- We will NOT change key for verse 2, instead after bar 20 we go back to the very beginning and sing the same notes with different words
- Introduction as written
- Musical interlude is the first 4 bars of the piece played between each verse
- Don’t forget the coda for the ending!
In the Bleak Mid-Winter CFC p174
- Sing all 4 verses
- Introduction as written
- Musical interlude is the first 2 bars of the piece (same as the introduction)
Once in Royal David’s City CFC p260
- Sing verses 1, 2 and 6 (descant)
- Introduction and musical interlude is the last 2 bars of the verse “Jesus Christ her little child”
God Rest You Merry Gentlemen CFC p83
- Sing verses 1, 2 and 5 (over the page)
- Introduction and musical interlude last 3 bars of p83 “O tidings of comfort and joy”
O Little Town of Bethlehem CFC p234
- Sing all 4 verses (descant on last verse)
- Introduction is the first line on p234 “O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie”
- Musical interlude last 2 bars of p234 “Are met in thee tonight”
We Wish You a Merry Christmas CFC p164
- Sing all the way through, remembering you can just stay on the melody if you want
- Introduction is “And a happy new year”
Silver Stars
- Sing all the way through as written
- Introduction is “O sleep, my little one, sleep”
Three Drovers
- Sing all 3 verses
- Introduction is the whole last line from “They sang with joy”
- Musical interlude is the last 2 bars (from the 6/8 bar) “Noel! Noel! Noel!”
Carol of the Birds
- Sing all 3 verses
- Introduction is the whole chorus “Orana! Orana! Orana to Christmas Day”
- Musical interlude is the last 2 bars “Orana to Christmas Day”