I promised my boss I would play piano for a musical being cooked up by people at church. I met with the main instigator yesterday. I received the script. He has rewritten songs with new words. He has inserted these songs into a Gilbert and Sullivan like plea for money for the budget this year.  He handed me copies of the original songs. He also said the choir is invited to participate in this.

I looked at his music and script and realized that it would be a challenge to get people to sing the music without putting it clearly into Finale. I was under the misimpression he planned to begin in about four weeks. I told him I would get to work on getting his songs into Finale.

This morning I was copied on to an email announcing rehearsals are to begin next Sunday morning between services. I’m unclear if I’m expected at these rehearsals. I’m leaving town in a week for our England visit. Also, there’s no way i can get the scores ready by Sunday. If his lead characters start singing their songs with just the words in front of them they will end up making up their own rhythms to fit to the original tunes (“Time after Time,” “I’ve got rhythm”). It may be that is the instigator’s plan.

I emailed my boss this morning asking her how to proceed. I should at least let people know that I can’t have scores ready by Sunday.  They are planning to rehearse 45 minutes before the choir pregame. I’m slightly concerned about warming up my choir’s voices in that way. Singing pop music in a musical is hard on the voice.

Yesterday we sang a version of “In Paradisum” by Durufle. It’s an arrangement I did a few years back adapting the movement from his Requiem for unison chorus.  It was actually quite lovely. I worked and worked on the sound of the singers before hand. I was satisfied with it. However, if they had just spent 45 minutes singing pop music I’m not sure I could have gotten them to sound that well.

I am obviously being manipulated here a bit. But I did agree to do this. I’m curious to see how this proceeds.

Taking the Stealth Out of Editing – The New York Times

Finally the new Public Editor is doing her job.