5 November Update
Week 2 of 8 (Autumn Term H2)
In this week's bulletin, we have:
Coffee Notices
A rehearsal recap
Song facts: Fairytale of New York
☕ Coffee Notices
Getting ready for Westow House - Christmas Light Switch-on
We have just one more Thursday rehearsal before our first Christmas performance at Westow House on 19 November. To give ourselves a little extra preparation time, we're planning a sectional rehearsal at Vicky's house, on either Tuesday 17 or Wednesday 18 November.
This will be an opportunity to run through the setlist, iron out any niggly bits and build our confidence in a fun, relaxed environment. We'll send out a WhatsApp poll shortly to find out which evening works best for everyone.
A reminder to register!
If you haven't yet signed up for our Christmas performances, please do so as soon as you can. We know that some members are feeling a little nervous about performing, particularly if it's their first time. But Christmas performances are usually among our most relaxed and enjoyable events, with plenty of encouragement from the audience and, of course, from your fellow choir members.
It only takes a couple of minutes to register:
You can also find more information about both upcoming performances on our Performing page.
Next Thursday's rehearsal
Next week, we'll be finishing our work on One More Sleep, revisiting Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and then running through the setlist for Westow House.
It made a real difference this week that so many of you had taken the time to listen to the recordings beforehand. Thank you! If you can find a little time to practise before next Thursday, it would be hugely appreciated.
All the songs and voice recordings are available in the Christmas Music Library.
Dates for your diary
Thursday 19 November – The Westow, Crystal Palace
Our first Christmas performance, as part of the Crystal Palace Christmas Light Switch On event.
Saturday 5 December – COTH Christmas Party
Drinks, singing, Secret Santa and all the usual COTH Christmas fun, this year at Ivna's house. More details nearer the time!
Friday 18 December – Stanley Arts Christmas Concert
We'll be returning to this hugely enjoyable annual event. See the Performing page for further details.
🎤 Rehearsal Recap
We had the unusual situation of more altos than sopranos this week, but we still managed to make a lovely sound!
Song Notes
Fairytale of New York
We finished working on this song, paying particular attention to the phrasing and harmonies.
A note for the altos
We've clipped some of the trickier sections of the song and shared them in the ‘A is for Alto’ group in our WhatsApp Community.
If you're an alto and haven't joined the group yet, but think it would be helpful, simply request to join and one of the admins will add you.
We also spent some time working on the choruses, where the alto part changes:
First chorus: Altos sing an octave lower than the sopranos.
Second and third choruses: Altos move higher, but continue singing in harmony below the sopranos.
It's worth spending a little time listening to these sections so the differences become familiar.
One More Sleep
We then moved on to One More Sleep by Leona Lewis, working through the arrangement and getting to grips with the different voice parts.
I'll be clipping some of the trickier alto sections and sharing them in the WhatsApp group to help with practice at home.
And sopranos – if you'd find similar clips helpful, please let me know! I'm very happy to do the same for you.
Both songs, including the full voice recordings, are available in the Christmas Music Library.
Song facts - Fairytale of New York
Released in 1987 by The Pogues, featuring Kirsty MacColl, Fairytale of New York has become one of the best-loved Christmas songs of all time – despite being about as far removed from the usual festive cheer as you can get!
Written by Shane MacGowan and Jem Finer, the song tells the story of a couple who arrived in New York full of hopes and dreams, only to find that life didn't quite turn out as planned. It's a mixture of love, disappointment, nostalgia and some fairly spectacular arguing. Not your typical Christmas song, but perhaps that's part of its appeal.
So, what's a 'drunk tank'?
A great question posed at rehearsal! A 'drunk tank' is an informal American term for a police holding cell where people who have been arrested for being drunk in public are kept until they're sober enough to be released. Not the most glamorous place to spend Christmas Eve, but that's where our story begins.
And what about the NYPD choir?
Here's a wonderful bit of trivia. Despite its starring role in the chorus, there wasn't actually an NYPD choir.
When the music video was filmed in New York, the producers recruited the New York Police Department's Emerald Society Pipes and Drums instead. Unfortunately, the musicians didn't know Galway Bay, the song they were supposed to be singing.
Their solution? They sang the theme tune to The Mickey Mouse Club instead! The footage was slowed down and edited into the video, and nobody was any the wiser.
A few more behind-the-scenes surprises
The video was partly filmed in a real New York police station, with actor Matt Dillon playing the policeman who arrests Shane MacGowan.
And although Shane appears to be playing the piano in the video, he couldn't actually play it. For the close-up shots, the band's pianist, James Fearnley, wore Shane's rings so that his hands could stand in for Shane's!
Despite becoming such a Christmas favourite, Fairytale of New York only reached No. 2 in the UK charts when it was first released, kept off the top spot by the Pet Shop Boys' Always on My Mind.
So there you have it: a Christmas classic involving a police cell, a non-existent choir, a disguised piano player and the Mickey Mouse theme tune. Somehow, it all works brilliantly.
