Page 53 - Voice for Life Songbook 1
P. 53
15. Now thank we all our God
Track 15
Information
This song by Joanna Marsh is based on the text of the seventeenth-century German hymn ‘Nun danket alle Gott’. It is suitable for Mothering Sunday and many other occasions of thanksgiving.
Preparation
The melody of this song is based on the E major scale. It would be helpful to sing this scale to the numbers 1 to 8 before starting work on it.
Now make up some patterns using the note numbers of the scale, to increase tonic awareness and to help singers gain familiarity with the different degrees of the scale:
1, 1 2 1, 1 2 3 2 1, 1 2 3 4 3 2 1, 1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1, 1 2 3 4 5 6 5 4 3 2 1 etc. 8, 8 7 8, 8 7 6 7 8, 8 7 6 5 6 7 8, 8 7 6 5 4 5 6 7 8 etc.
Next, teach your singers to internalize sounds by devising patterns of notes that leave out one or more scale degrees.This will force them to think each of the missing notes in their heads in order to be able to pitch the next note that they sing:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8, 1 - 3 4 5 6 7 8, 1 2 - 4 5 6 7 8, 1 2 3 - 5 6 7 8, 1 2 3 4 - 6 7 8 etc. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8, - 2 3 4 5 6 7 8, - - 3 4 5 6 7 8, - - - 4 5 6 7 8, - - - - 5 6 7 8 etc.
Can your singers work out the numbers of the scale degrees that they sing in bars 5–6 of ‘Now thank we all our God’? (1 2 3 4 5 4 5 4 3 2 3 2 1).Ask them to sightread them.
Teaching the song
Although the voices sing in unison throughout this song, the choir needs to be divided into two equal groups. Like passing the baton in a relay race, each group needs to be ready to pick up the melody from the previous group.They need to make sure they breathe early otherwise their entry will be late.
Using the voice well
The first note of this song is quite low. Singers may need to work hard to find a resonant sound in this range of their voice. If they do not give it enough weight and length, it will not be heard.
Musical skills and understanding
The melody of this song moves mostly in steps of a tone or semitone but there are a few leaps. Can your singers identify these leaps and name the intervals (e.g. a perfect fourth between the first two notes)?
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