Hallelujah!
"For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth - Hallelujah!"
Weather update Sunday 21 Apr, 5:30pm: Due to rain, we're going to hold the event at the Salvation Army, 853 Colombo St - at the corner of Colombo and Salisbury Streets)
Would you like to sing Handel's Hallelujah Chorus in a choir at sunrise on Easter Sunday morning? You can be part of a group of singers from all over town who are going to do this in Cathedral Square on Easter Sunday, 21 April, 2019, at 7am.
This is the fourth time that we are putting together a choir from all over the city to join together on Easter day to sing Handel's famous Hallelujah chorus. It will be part of a 45 minute service in Cathedral Square. There will also be some hymns, which the choir is encouraged to support, although we will spend most of our time preparing the Hallelujah chorus.
We did this for the first time in 2015, and have had a choir of about 40 people from all over the city, and we are hoping to keep growing this number!
If you are familiar with the music and/or can sight read, you need only attend one rehearsal, on the day before (and if that's not possible, we can make alternative arrangements).
If you would like help to learn your part, there will be an extra rehearsal for those not familiar with the music (see below). The final rehearsal for all choir members will be on the day before Easter Sunday.
The music is available to download as a PDF file. There are also links to YouTube below where you can hear the music with each part emphasised, to help you learn a part. We will sing it in the standard key of D major, using an arrangement that the BBC used for a massed choir event.
To register your interest, please click here to fill out the online form. If you have any questions, you can contact us (details below).
Rehearsals
There is one sectional rehearsal; if you know the music well and/or are a good sight-singer, there's no need to come to it. Everyone singing on the Sunday should ideally be at the rehearsal the day before (if you can't make it to the Saturday rehearsal, please get in touch to work something out). The rehearsal locations will be announced soon.
- Sectional practice for those with less singing experience: Monday 8 April (allow two hours - 7pm at St Colomba Church, 452 Main South Road, Hornby) .
- Final rehearsal for all singers: Saturday 20 April (10am to 12noon, Salvation Army, 853 Colombo St - it's at the corner of Colombo and Salisbury Streets).
- The performance: Easter Sunday 21 April, 7am. You will need to be ready by 6:45am, at Cathedral Square near the Chalice (wet weather venue is the Salvation Army).
Getting prepared!
The following links will be useful for practising in advance.
Hint: The beginning and end may be familiar, but don't forget to prepare the tricky contrapuntal bits in the middle (especially section B at bar 22 and section D at bar 41).
Extra hint: Watch carefully at the end: there's a rest before the last "Hallelujah" and you don't want to be the one person who misses it :-)
Background information: the text for the Hallelujah chorus is from
Revelation 19:6,
Revelation 11:15, and
Revelation 19:16
Order of service
The additional music is yet to be finalised, but is likely to be from the list below (word sheets will be available). The links here are to videos that use the same the tunes, but the arrangements may be slightly different.
- Jesus Christ is risen today (tune: Easter tune
- Because he lives
- Crown him with many crowns (tune: Diademata)
- Up from the grave
- All hail the power (tune: Miles Lane)
- There is a redeemer
On the day
- Weather: any changes to the plans due to weather will be posted here. The alternative venue is the Salvation Army citadel, which is just a few blocks from the square at 853 Colombo St.
- Please turn up by 6:45am; we'll be near the Chalice, but it shouldn't be hard to find as it will be a large stage with lighting. There will be a warmup behind the stage at 6:45am.
- Parking: You won't be able to park in the square, but council on-street parking is free until 9am (we'll be done well before then), and there are parks in the surrounding streets; see the map here. The Wilsons car parks in the area have fees 24/7.
- Dress: you will need to dress warmly since can be cold at sunrise. We will go for black (or dark) jackets and pants/skirts. You can wear a coloured shirt/blouse if you want, but it may well be hidden under a warm jacket :-)
- Finish time: we should be finished by 7:45am. There will be coffee and hot cross buns available afterwards.
Contact details
The music director is Tim Bell at tim@barock.co.nz, phone 027-433-1998. (Tim is an experienced organist and music director; in his early life he was assistant organist and conductor at Christ Church Cathedral, Nelson, and the College House chapel. He is now music director at Emmett Street Christian Centre.)
The event is being organised by the Shekinah Trust.