I just like to look at sheep.

What, you don't think I'd witness Jamie saying that and not use it as the title, do you? :p

(I should probably point out that he claimed he actually said "I'd just like to look at the Sheep" (i.e. All We Like Sheep). But we heard what we heard!)

Two rehearsals in two days (and I have another one tomorrow, with my pop group). I had a great time on Monday night, too, playing piano duets with Dr Liz, but because I had loads of work that also had to be done that night, it meant an extremely late bedtime, with the result that by the time I got back from last night's sectional I was so tired I went straight to sleep. Which is pretty rare for me - I'm very much a night owl!

All of that means that this post covers two rehearsals. Last night was the sop/alt sectional - not a huge attendance, but we got a lot done. Most of the Jamieisms listed below are from last night. Tonight was a MUCH bigger attendance, because it was our first ever open rehearsal, and there was a pretty full room. Maybe not quite double our usual number, but there were lots there.

All of tonight's rehearsal, and most of last night's, was on Messiah. And I must admit that I'm finding it slightly frustrating. We're having Paul Daniel conducting it this year. That in itself is pretty exciting, because he's quite famous (conducted the Last Night of the Proms a couple of months ago). And he is obviously keen to make this performance individual, which I applaud. But one of the main ways in which he's doing this is by making lots of bits quiet (often with big crescendos shortly afterwards, but still). And I remain unconvinced that this is an improvement. Maybe I will change my mind on the day, but so far it's just frustrating. I mean, one of the few bits of the Amen Chorus I actually really like is just not the same when it's quiet!

Talking of the Amen Chorus, that's my other frustration. We learned that (and Hallelujah, and Since By Man Came Death) from memory last year, and although it was a lot of hard work at the busiest part of the year, it was an AMAZING feeling to put the copies down and leave them there. It's somewhat frustrating to have done all that work and not put it to permanent use - yes, I want to do that bit (and possibly more) from memory EVERY year now! But it doesn't look as if we will. At least, no-one's mentioned it yet, and that would be shorter notice even than we had last time...

Other news, unrelated to Messiah: We learned tonight that Naomi, our fabulous choral administrator, has been promoted (well done to her) and Cathy (the current choir secretary) will take on her job (on a professional basis) for the next 3 months, after which a permanent appointment will be made. Difficult shoes to fill! It'll be very weird not having Naomi there all the time.

Anyway, the Jamieisms! They started in the warmup yesterday, when he told us that he'd been talking to a rock climber who mentioned that he does an exercise in which he shakes his hands downwards vigorously, in order to make them grip rocks more easily (apparently). Jamie, when demonstrating this, turned it into what he described as a "funky dance", and suggested that it could be the dance of the "Hallé chicks". Oddly enough there were no immediate takers...

There was also the bit where he was talking about how hard singing is, and suggested "Prepare in your cars!" This was a bit visual, but imagine him gripping an imaginary steering wheel and tensing up every part of his body. ... Maybe you had to be there!

Then there was "If I was your harshest critic...", which was followed by wry giggles, and (my personal favourite) the bit when the sops sang something exactly how he'd asked them to, and he laughed delightedly to himself, and we all laughed delightedly at his laughter (you know when someone sounds so happy you just have to join in?), and he said, sounding honestly bewildered, "I don't know what you're laughing at!" and, when various people tried to tell him, "What, me?"

Well, it made me smile :-)

Some other stuff I scribbled down:

(after spending a few minutes practising the runs to "scooby dooby doobie" etc.) "Make up the words. ... We've had 3 *months* of making up the words! \o/"

"Dots are the enemy."

"Imagine you've got a wasp stuck in your trousers."

(after demonstrating, with hand gestures, how to sing the word "tidings") "The dings are the tablecloth that you pull away and leave all the crockery."

"Don't go all beige - white with a hint of apple - on me. It's bright blue! But a soft blue!"

"Oh yeah. Messiah. Whatever." (a la Vicky Pollard)

(after making an ffffff noise (I mean the f sound, not a very loud noise!) "I've never seen Silence of the Lambs, but is that the noise he makes?"

"Tenors, don't sing 'stripes' in that mock Cockney accent I know you love."

"No camp crescendo in that bar. ... Tenors!"

Oh, and a final thought from last night - Jamie was amused at the idea of the choir producing a DVD - with a commentary! I can just picture it. Not sure how many non-choir people would understand a word of it, though :p