OPERA TERM ORIGIN
David Radovich
that it means a rehearsal of cast and orchestra without any acting or
incidental music. It was suggested that the term had it's origins in
German opera but the individual was vague and unsure about it. Any
informed musicians (or afficionados) know the scoop?? e-mail
Rado...@prodigy.net Thanx
James Jorden
>
> I was recently introduced to the term "sitzprobe" sp?
The "sitz" is only incidental to the meaning, which is: a runthrough in
the theater of the music of an opera with full cast and orchestra, if
*possible* without stopping for corrections. This is the conductor's
rehearsal; that means he is completely in charge. At this time the
maestro gets a better idea of orchestral and vocal balance, and can get
a jump on any problems of coordination between stage and pit. Usually
there are a number of starts and redos, which means the session can be
long and rather tedious for singers. So that's why chairs are provided:
thus the "sitz."
In Italian theaters, this rehearsal is called "prova all'Italiana," the
Italian-style rehearsal. The only difference I see between this and the
Sitzprobe is that Italian singers tend to mark unless they are
specifically told to sing out by the maestro; Sitzprobe singers do not
usually mark unless they are granted special dispensation.
If the set is in place and safe for walking, the rehearsal may be called
a "Wandelprobe," which means the singers are allowed (but not required)
to "wander" over the set while singing. This can be very useful if the
set is tricky (stairs, ramps, etc.); the singers can get a much better
idea of how well they can hear the orchestra and see the maestro from
their various stage positions. Occasionally, if there is a problem with
balance, some compromises may be worked out with the stage director at
this rehearsal, bringing the singer farther downstage, or whatever.
--
james jorden
jjo...@ix.netcom.com
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at the front of the stage. They can use scores, if necessary. The main
purpose is to let the conductor check the musical preparation (including
notes) and begin setting balances between singers and orchestras (which are
always too loud). The wandelprobe is a different kind of rehearsal, in which
the effect of the set, staging, etc., on the music and balances can be
assessed.
In article <35F92E...@ix.netcom.com>,
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Kate Brown
11 Sep 1998, David Radovich <HNT...@prodigy.com> wrote
This type of rehearsal generally occurs after the stage-and-piano
rehearsals and before the stage-and-orchestra rehearsals. It's the
first time the singers have sung with the orchestra, and is incredibly
valuable, mainly for the musical side, of course, as both the conductor
and the singers can test the balance, but also for a director - quite
often a singer responding to the orchestra with a serious full flood of
voice (which you don't always get in a piano rehearsal) will use very
different body language as the muscles all start to work - watching this
will help the director to help the singer both act and sing
simultaneously (and we all know singers who find this tricky). Also, of
course, dangerous moments as regards balance or sightline to conductor
can be identified, and rectified in the ensuing stage-and-orchestra
rehearsals. As a director, I really like a sitzprobe - you can sit back
and listen to the music that inspired you in the first place, without
actually having to do any work.
The 'Sitz' bit of it comes from the fact that although the singers are
onstage, there is usually a row of chairs which they sit on until they
have to sing, ranged along the front of the stage. There may be some
movement, depending on the relative complexity of the score and the
stage set.
Oddly enough, few Germans refer to a 'Sitzprobe', which seems to be used
only in the English-speaking world. They call it an 'Italian' rehearsal
- I'm not sure why, unless it has anything to do with the apocryphal
stories of Italian choruses being paid extra to move...
If Cynthia Grose is still reading this group, perhaps she'd enlighten us
further? And what do French singers call this type of rehearsal?
--
Kate B
London
Mark D. Lew
<amfip...@cockaigne.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> Also, of
> course, dangerous moments as regards balance or sightline to conductor
> can be identified, and rectified in the ensuing stage-and-orchestra
> rehearsals.
Balance, yes, but sightlines??
At every sitzprobe I can recall attending the singers sit in chairs in the
front of the stage. Often they'll stand up to sing, but they never move
around the stage. I've also been in a few sitzprobes which weren't even on
the stage at all.
My experience has been that during the sitzprobe the conductor wants to get
a good look at the singers, even (or especially) if he won't have that
luxury during performance. Usually the lighting is different from
performance (ie, houselights on) which makes it much easier to see the
conductor, and at one I was at recently the pit was raised a little to
bring the maestro closer to our level.
mdl
Kate Brown
dated Sat, 12 Sep 1998, Mark D. Lew <mark...@earthlink.net> wrote
>In article <bUmpoaAC...@cockaigne.demon.co.uk>, Kate Brown
><amfip...@cockaigne.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> Also, of
>> course, dangerous moments as regards balance or sightline to conductor
>> can be identified, and rectified in the ensuing stage-and-orchestra
>> rehearsals.
>
>Balance, yes, but sightlines??
>
>At every sitzprobe I can recall attending the singers sit in chairs in the
>front of the stage. Often they'll stand up to sing, but they never move
>around the stage. I've also been in a few sitzprobes which weren't even on
>the stage at all.
Of course - I wasn't expressing myself clearly (trying to be concise,
alas) - I meant that in the orchestral context of a Sitzprobe, quite
often, moments will be identified where direct eye contact between
singer and conductor is essential. These may well be moments that have
not been noticed in the easier conditions of a piano rehearsal, where
often an accompanist adjusts almost unconsciously to a singer. 'I'll
need to catch your eye here' says the conductor, 'where will you be?'
'Ah', says the singer, 'up that gumtree over there, throwing the letter
at the tenor over there.' It's very useful in these circumstances for a
director to be about, to solve the problem dramatically (ie 'No problem,
Claudio, the tenor rushes downstage _then_ and the soprano leaps out of
the tree _there_'), rather than have the singers and the conductor
either argue or fudge a bad solution that is then impossible to correct
on subsequent orchestrals.
--
Kate B
London
robert seigler
means 'a run-through at breakneck speed as if anticipating the delivery
of a bomb.'
bob
Why is the American public such a sucker for any drama unfolding live? -
MARCIA CLARK
Jay Azneer
syphilis. The English called it the French pox, the French--the Italian pox
, the Italians--the Polish pox, and so on. . . .
Jay Azneer
Hager when he first conducted Rosenkavalier there in the early 80's with
Jones(in excelsis--for about 3 months!!!!!). They gave him a(as in single)
piano rehearsal. He met the orchestra at the performance. It was glorious.
Cynthia Grose
drak...@aol.com schrieb in Nachricht <6tbs49$c0b$1...@nnrp1.dejanews.com>...
>I have sat through a number of these sitzprobes. The singers sit on chairs
>at the front of the stage. They can use scores, if necessary. The main
>purpose is to let the conductor check the musical preparation (including
>notes) and begin setting balances between singers and orchestras (which are
>always too loud). >
Let me just add that a "Sitzprobe" is not necessarily done on the stage. In
fact, in Germany I have never done a "Sitzprobe" in the actual theater where
the performance will take place, but usually in the normal rehearsal halls
of the orchestra. Otherwise it's been described very clearly, although I
would add that it's the first chance the singers hear the orchestration (if
they're doing a role for the first time), so that's why we use scores, even
if everything's memorized, because it's amazing how different a musical cue
can sound with, say, a bassoon instead of piano. It's also helpful when the
maestro calls out a rehearsal number and forgets to tell the singers where
he/she's starting. There are then "Bühnenorchesterproben" in which we walk
through, doing all the staging but without great emotional involvement to
get the coordination between pit and stage right, and to work on balance.
(Unfortunately, many conductors seem to think a BO is a time to correct
mistakes coming from the pit...) I've never heard the term "Wandelprobe" in
Germany, myself.
In any case, the funny thing about a Sitzprobe is that one usually stands up
when one sings in the Probe.
maybe it should be called a Stehprobe, Sitzwarten.
Cynthia