The Gondoliers - Chorus Practice

From video: Mike Hale, 2009

For each excerpt from the chorus numbers in the show, begin with the audio clip for your individual choral part, featuring your part played prominently using a clarinet sound, along with accompaniment and principals' vocal lines in a piano sound at lower volume. Listen and sing along with your isolated part until you are confident. Then try the Tutti file to see if you can hold to your part when all choral parts are playing at full volume. Work back and forth between part and Tutti as needed. Constantly full dynamics and mostly steady tempos are used for pitch-drilling purposes.

Change Tempo slider: You can slow the tempo of the playback by sliding the light blue knob on the above "Change tempo" slider to left and right along the track. Tempo begins at 100% at the right end and changes by 1% increments to a minimum of 50% at the left end. Note that slowing the tempo introduces distortion into the audio playback. (Supported in Firefox, Chrome, and Opera web browers.)

Parts are given as they appear in the G. Schirmer edition of the piano/vocal score (ed. Bryceson Treharne), with corrections applied according to Steve Lichtenstein's Errata/Variant List for The Gondoliers. Page numbering corresponds to the same G. Schirmer edition, and can be found using the columns "Pg," "Sy," and "Ms" indicating the page, system, and measure where the excerpt begins. The excerpt sometimes includes one or more pickup notes before the specified bar. For example, Pg 49, Sy 4, Ms 1 means page 49, in the 4th system on that page, at the 1st measure in that system, starting with the eighth note pickup from the preceding bar at the lyric, "Then turn us round," as quoted in the Excerpt column. The quoted lyrics are the "cue" lyrics found at the starting point ahead of your choral entrance, not (usually) the lyrics where your choral part begins.

How would you like to access the sound files?

Online: Play each sound file individually, directly from this web page.
Locally: Download the sound files for your part onto your computer, and play them locally.

Online: Find the excerpt you wish to hear, and in that row click the or button for your choral part or for Tutti. It will play in the audio player at the top of the page next to the menu. (Or click the down arrow ↓ to play directly in your browser, bypassing the above audio player.) The button indicates the most inclusive Tutti recording for each number or subsection of a number.

Pg	Sy	Ms	Excerpt	Time	Tutti	Soprano	Alto	Tenor		Bass
Act I
			1. Opening Number - List and Learn
			List and Learn (Opening Women's Chorus)
10	4	1	"List and learn" (1st Chorus Cue)	1:32	↓	↓	↓
18	1	1	"We, alas" (2nd Chorus Cue)	0:48	↓	↓	↓
10	1	1	List and Learn (Opening) - Full Section	3:19	↓
			Good Morrow, Pretty Maids
22	4	1	"Do all you maidens love them?"	0:07	↓	↓	↓
20	3	1	Good Morrow, Pretty Maids - Full Section	1:30	↓
			For the Merriest Fellows Are We
25	2	1	"For the merriest fellows are we" (One stanza)	0:46	↓	↓	↓	↓		↓
25	1	2	For the Merriest Fellows - Full Section	1:41	↓
29	2	1	See, See, At Last They Come	0:37	↓	↓	↓
			Buon' Giorno, Signorine
31	1	1	"Buon' giorno, signorine" (1st Chorus Cue)	0:37	↓	↓
32	3	5	"O, ciel!" (2nd Chorus Cue)	1:31	↓	↓	↓	↓	↓	↓	↓
31	1	1	Buon' Giorno, Signorine - Full Section	2:18	↓
37	1	1	We're Called Gondolieri	2:13	↓	(No chorus - duet only)
			And Now to Choose Our Brides
48	2	1	"And therefore we propose" (1st Chorus Cue)	0:24	↓	↓	↓	↓
49	4	1	"Then turn us round" (2nd Chorus Cue)	0:17	↓	↓
47	3	1	And Now to Choose Our Brides - Full Section	1:17	↓
			Are You Peeping?
51	3	2	"Conduct shady! They are cheating!"	0:23	↓	↓	↓	↓		↓
50	3	1	Are You Peeping? - Full Section	0:40	↓
53	2	1	My Papa, He Keeps Three Horses	0:31	↓	↓		↓
			I've at Length Achieved a Capture
55	2	1	"This is Tessa! Rapture, rapture!"	0:09	↓	↓	↓	↓		↓
55	3	3	"Just the very girl I wanted!"	0:09	↓	↓	↓	↓		↓
55	1	1	I've at Length Achieved - Full Section	0:45	↓
			Thank You, Gallant Gondolieri
60	4	3	"Tra la la"	1:03	↓	↓	↓	↓	↓	↓
57	1	1	Thank You, Gallant Gondolieri - Full Section	2:23	↓
10	1	1	Opening Number - List and Learn - Full Length	16:58	↓
			9. Bridegroom and Bride
107	1	7	"Bridegroom and bride" (Opening)	0:39	↓	↓	↓	↓		↓
110	4	3	"Ev'ry kind of trouble goes"	0:34	↓	↓	↓	↓	↓	↓
114	3	3	"Worry is melodious mirth"	0:43	↓	↓	↓	↓		↓
107	1	1	Bridegroom and Bride - Full Length	3:52	↓
134	1	1	10. Act I Finale - from Chorus Entrance to End
			Chorus Entrance - Now Pray, What Is the Cause
134	1	5	"Now pray, what is the cause"	0:23	↓	↓	↓	↓		↓
137	1	6	"As they know we object"	0:18	↓	↓
			For Everyone Who Feels Inclined
141	4	1	"Wherever they go"	0:18	↓	↓	↓	↓		↓
142	3	2	"They all shall equal be"	0:20	↓	↓		↓		↓
144	1	3	"The Vagabond in the stocks"	0:16	↓	↓	↓	↓		↓
145	1	1	"All shall equal be"	0:34	↓	↓	↓	↓		↓
138	1	1	For Everyone Who Feels Inclined - Full Section	2:31	↓
147	3	1	Come, Let's Away	3:03	↓	(No chorus - quartet only)
			Then Away They Go
153	1	1	"Then away they/we go"	0:47	↓	↓	↓	↓		↓
156	2	1	"Away we go to a balmy isle"	0:41	↓	↓	↓	↓		↓
153	1	1	Then Away They Go - Full Section	1:52	↓
138	1	1	Act I Finale - Full Length of Chorus Scene	8:48	↓
Act II
Pg	Sy	Ms	Excerpt	Time	Tutti	Soprano	Alto	Tenor		Bass
			11. Of Happiness the Very Pith
162	1	1	"Of happiness the very pith" - Opening	0:39	↓			↓	↓	↓	↓
166	3	6	"Of happiness the very pith" - Ending	0:26	↓			↓	↓	↓	↓
161	1	1	Of Happiness the Very Pith - Full Length	2:12	↓
			12. Rising Early in the Morning
174	1	2	"Is to run on little errands" - 1st Refrain	0:17	↓			↓
175	1	2	"Is the gratifying feeling" - 2nd Ending	0:06	↓			↓		↓	↓
169	1	1	Rising Early in the Morning - Full Length	3:00	↓
			14. Here We Are at the Risk of Our Lives
180	3	3	"Here we are" (Opening Chorus)	0:40	↓	↓	↓
185	2	3	"Yes, we wanted variety"	0:18	↓	↓	↓
190	2	1	"We shall both go on" (Refrain, same both times)	0:15	↓	↓		↓		↓
191	3	1	"Tell us all about it" (Coda)	0:27	↓	↓	↓	↓		↓
180	1	1	Here We Are at the Risk - Full Length	3:25	↓
			15. Dance a Cachucha
195	2	5	"Dance a cachucha" (1st Time)	0:16	↓	↓	↓	↓		↓
196	2	2	"To the pretty pitter, pitter, patter"	0:17	↓	↓	↓	↓
197	3	3	"Old Xeres we'll drink" (1st Time)	0:18	↓	↓	↓	↓		↓
199	1	2	"Dance a cachucha" (2nd Time)	0:18	↓	↓	↓	↓		↓
200	1	5	"Old Xeres we'll drink" (2nd Time)	0:22	↓	↓	↓	↓		↓
195	1	1	Full Length Choral Section (Dance Omitted)	1:24	↓	↓	↓	↓		↓
			18. With Ducal Pomp
226	3	3	"With ducal pomp" (Opening)	0:43	↓			↓	↓	↓	↓
230	2	2	"At twenty-one" (Ending)	0:24	↓			↓	↓	↓	↓
180	1	1	With Dual Pomp - Full Length	1:45	↓
			22. Act II Finale - Chorus Scene
262	3	2	"The rightful King"	0:27	↓	↓	↓	↓		↓
264	2	1	"Is he the King? / Or this my brother?"	0:10	↓	↓
266	1	1	"Luiz! / Casilda!"	0:22	↓	↓	↓	↓		↓
270	1	1	"Your pure and patient love"	0:35	↓	↓	↓	↓		↓
272	1	1	"Once more gondolieri" (1st Time)	0:31	↓	↓	↓	↓		↓
273	2	1	"So goodbye, cachuca" (1st Time)	0:18	↓	↓	↓	↓		↓
274	2	3	"Once more gondolieri" (2nd Time)	0:27	↓	↓	↓	↓	↓	↓
276	2	1	"So goodbye, cachuca" (2nd Time)	0:25	↓	↓	↓	↓		↓
272	1	1	Gondolieri / Cachuca Full Section	1:33	↓	↓	↓	↓	↓	↓
261	2	1	Act II Finale - Full Length Chorus Scene	5:26	↓

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