Preparing the Music

[private role=”subscriber”] Here you will find links to recordings of the music the chorus is currently rehearsing, as well as rehearsal notes where these are available. In addition, Education and Outreach Officer Georgina Hulse has put together some useful guidance to help members prepare for concerts by learning the music and rehearsing at home.

Scroll down for information about a free on-line sight-singing course, and for general information about where to obtain rehearsal tracks and vocal scores. SPC has a 10% discount arrangement for CD purchase from Choral Line – apply the code SHEFFIELD when you purchase CDs from them.

Here you will find links to music, rehearsal tracks and recordings organised alphabetically by composer, plus French programme and Christmas.

For voice-related advice about preparing at home, check out Preparing Your Voice

Resources for St Marie’s concert 1st November 2025

Dove’s Seek him that maketh the seven stars on YouTube – Tenebrae 

Coleridge-Taylor’s Summer is Gone – performance with scrolling score

Coleridge-Taylor’s Summer is Gone – rehearsal tracks by voice part

Coleridge-Taylor’s The Lee Shore on YouTube – very clear

John Fletcher’s mp3 files by voice part for The Lee Shore

Lili Boulanger Hymne au Soleil on YouTube with rolling score

Lili Boulanger Hymne au Soleil YouTube

Lili Boulanger Hymne au Soleil Rehearsal – Soprano

Lili Boulanger Hymne au Soleil Rehearsal – Alto

Lili Boulanger Hymne au Soleil Rehearsal – Tenor

Lili Boulanger Hymne au Soleil Rehearsal – Bass

Durufle Four Motets voice parts on Cyberbass

Durufle Four Motets with rolling score YouTube

Durufle Ubi Caritas voice parts youtube

Balfour Gardiner Evening Hymn on YouTube Worcester cathedral choir

Balfour Gardiner Evening Hymn YouTube with rolling score

Jean Langlais Messe Solonnelle – Choralia rehearsal tracks

Jean Langlais Messe Solonnelle live concert YouTube

Jean Langlais Messe Solonnelle recording You Tube

Stanford Blue Bird on YouTube Tenebrae

Stanford Blue Bird on YouTube Voces 8

Before rehearsals Get to know the score. For example, are there solo parts, does a particular voice part stop at any point, does the music divide at any point? Go through and make sure you know exactly which line you should be on, and mark where it isn’t clear. Clearly mark repeats and where they go back to a previous page; use a tab to easily find it. Have a look at where your note comes from for a new entry and join it to yours. Put tabs in for different sections of the piece to make them easier to find. Use paper clips to close off any sections that are going to be missed out.

During rehearsals Always bring a pencil. It is important to mark your score during a rehearsal,  and especially to record all the points provided by the Music Director. These are often compiled week-by-week into a very useful document. Click here for rehearsal resources, including notes, from our previous concerts Mark all breaths. For staggered breathing take a whole beat out to take a proper breath. Mark where you are going to take it so you do it in the same place each time. This will help with learning. Make a note of any section that needs a little more work. Don’t rely on your memory.
More work at home Focus on the sections that you find difficult. Don’t try and get through it all every time, focus on small chunks and learn them well. Use rehearsal tracks (see below), a piano, or even your old descant recorder for the sections that need extra work. Read through the text in rhythm, especially for fast sections and when singing in a foreign language. This is just as important as learning the notes. It is very important to listen to a recording of the work; it will give you a good idea of the piece as a whole. You can use your score to help you sing along, or just listen to it as frequently as you can. You will find recordings of most classical works on YouTube or try the music streaming service Spotify.

Rehearsal tracks   Rehearsal tracks are designed to help you learn your voice part by listening to it in isolation and/or with the other voice parts in the background. Some are based on recorded singers and therefore include the words, while others feature the voice parts played on an instrument, so of course there are no words. You can purchase rehearsal tracks from Choraline, at choraline.com. These are great if you prefer to hear a recording of your voice part but they aren’t free. It costs £8.99 for a download, or £12.99 for a CD.  The Chorus has arranged a 10% discount for members; type SHEFFIELD in the discount code box on the shopping basket page, or say you’re a member of SPC if ordering over the telephone on 01285 644845. For just notes (no words) you could try:

If you have an IPad or IPhone there is an excellent App called ‘Learn my part’ by Steve Tyler; get it here. If you want to see what it offers and how to use it, have a look at this useful video.

Here you will find links to music, rehearsal tracks and recordings organised alphabetically by composer, plus Christmas.

The National Youth Choirs of Great Britain has produced a free online musicianship course to help singers improve their skills in rhythm, tonal centering, and intervals. Some of the video lesssons have worksheets or resources – find them at www.nycgb.org.uk/musicianship.
Vocal scores The Chorus Librarian, Els Pearse, hires vocal scores for members, which are loaned out in return for a small charge to cover the hire cost. Els often arranges bulk buys of popular vocal scores for members who wish to buy their own copies. Choraline has a huge library of scores which you can check out online; however, always check before buying a score so that you don’t waste money on the wrong edition.

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