This book offers an overview of issues related to the regulated, formal organization of sound and speech in verse intended for singing. Particularly, it is concerned with the structural properties and underlying mechanisms involved in the association of lyrics and music. While in spoken verse the underlying metrical scheme is grounded in the prosody of the language in which it is composed, in sung verse the structure is created by the mapping of specific prosodic units of the text (syllables, moras, tones, etc.) onto the rhythmic-melodic structure provided by the tune. Studying how this mapping procedure takes place across different musical genres and styles is valuable for what it can add to our knowledge of language and music in general, and also for what it can teach us about individual languages and poetic traditions. In terms of empirical coverage, the collection includes a wide variety of (Western) languages and metrical/musical forms, ranging from the Latin hexameter to the Norwegian stev, from the French chant courtois to the Sardinian mutetu longu. Readers interested in formal analyses of vocal music, or in metrics and linguistics, will find useful insights here.

The fusion of text with music is one of the most powerful methods by which a composer can express emotion to an audience, yet, all too often, the diction of choral groups is lacking to such a degree as to make the text unintelligible. So argues Duane R. Karna, who in The Use of the International Phonetic Alphabet in the Choral Rehearsal brings together 30 essays by experts from around the world to describe how the character symbols of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) can be used by singers in the choral rehearsal. In an effort to conquer one of the greatest challenges facing choral directors and their choirs, contributors explore the use of the IPA system in a vast range of languages. Readers will find essays devoted to the use of IPA on matters of lyric diction for the following tongues: Baltic Languages, Basque, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese, Dutch, Ecclesiastical Latin, English, Finnish, French, Georgian, German, Germanic Latin, Greek, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, and Swedish. Holding firmly to the belief that basic instruction in IPA character is part of a choir's training, Karna and his contributors see enormous potential for choirs to expand considerably their foreign-language repertoire and save considerable rehearsal time. The Use of the International Phonetic Alphabet in the Choral Rehearsal is the ideal primer for choral directors and choirmasters as well as choir members.

for SA and piano In this charming piece for upper voices and piano, Ramsey's characterization of the fairy's monologue from Act 2, Scene 1 of A Midsummer Night's Dream is both fun and imaginative. The rhythmic fluidity, driving piano part, and clever accentuation perfectly complement Shakespeare's metre and rhyme scheme and bring the text to life. Over hill, over dale was originally published in the collection Hark, hark, the lark.

for SATB (with divisions) and small orchestra This setting of a song from Act II of Shakespeare's As You Like It was originally published as part of John Rutter's cycle of six choral settings with small orchestra When Icicles Hang. This set contains: 1 x fl 1, 1 x fl 2, 1 x hp, 1 x hpschd, 4 x vln 1, 4 x vln 2 3 x vla, 2 x vc, 1 x db

for SATB unaccompanied This gentle, lilting anthem sets verses from the psalms that speak of devotion to and delight in the Lord. Bednall's sophisticated and appealing musical language gives colour and expression to the text and creates a devotional atmosphere perfectly suited to the psalmists' words.

This innovative survey of large choral-orchestral works is a continuation of the author's previous study of twentieth century works with English texts. Green examines nearly one hundred works, from Rachmaninov's Vesna to Penderecki's Song of Songs. For each work, he provides a biography of the composer, complete instrumentation, text sources, editions, availability of performing materials, performance issues, discography, and bibliography of the composer and the work. Based upon direct score study, each work has been evaluated in terms of potential performance problems, rehearsal issues, and level of difficulty for both the choir and orchestra. When present, solo roles are described. The composers represented in this work include Bela Bartok, Leonard Bernstein, Ernest Bloch, Maurice Durufe, Hans Werner Henze, Paul Hindemith, Arthur Honegger, Leos Janacek, Gyorgy Ligeti, Gustav Mahler, Carl Orff, Krzysztof Penderecki, Francis Poulenc, Igor Stravinsky, Anton Webern, and Kurt Weill. Written as a field guide for conductors and others involved in programming concerts for choir and orchestra, this text will prove a useful source of new repertoire ideas and an invaluable aid to rehearsal preparation.

Becoming a Choral Music Teacher: A Field Experience Workbook, Second Edition is a choral methods textbook that prepares students in Music Education to become middle school and high school choral music teachers. It emphasizes important musical skills, vocal pedagogy and repertoire suitable for secondary school choirs in order to provide future teachers with the critical experiences to be effective. Focusing equally on rehearsal strategies, auditions and classroom management, the book is also a "workbook" that requires the students' active learning through participation in fieldwork. Students learn in a sequential and practical manner, beginning with the study of the middle school voice and progressing to the high school voice, through practice of theory with adolescents, followed by class reflection on common problems and solutions, and then continued practice. NEW to this Edition Updated references to NAfME, and new national and state standards and licensing rules More on the needs of Special Learners in the choral classroom Latest resources on classroom management theories and practice Expanded vocal warm-ups that incorporate body movement and aural skills training More on gender issues (including LGBT awareness), sociological impact and meanings of choral singing, and emerging knowledge of multicultural choral music Becoming a Choral Music Teacher: A Field Experience Workbook, Second Edition fully integrates the choral field experience for hands-on learning and reflection and allows the student to observe and teach the book's principles.

Becoming a Choral Music Teacher: A Field Experience Workbook, Second Edition is a choral methods textbook that prepares students in Music Education to become middle school and high school choral music teachers. It emphasizes important musical skills, vocal pedagogy and repertoire suitable for secondary school choirs in order to provide future teachers with the critical experiences to be effective. Focusing equally on rehearsal strategies, auditions and classroom management, the book is also a "workbook" that requires the students' active learning through participation in fieldwork. Students learn in a sequential and practical manner, beginning with the study of the middle school voice and progressing to the high school voice, through practice of theory with adolescents, followed by class reflection on common problems and solutions, and then continued practice. NEW to this Edition Updated references to NAfME, and new national and state standards and licensing rules More on the needs of Special Learners in the choral classroom Latest resources on classroom management theories and practice Expanded vocal warm-ups that incorporate body movement and aural skills training More on gender issues (including LGBT awareness), sociological impact and meanings of choral singing, and emerging knowledge of multicultural choral music Becoming a Choral Music Teacher: A Field Experience Workbook, Second Edition fully integrates the choral field experience for hands-on learning and reflection and allows the student to observe and teach the book's principles.

French Vocal Literature: Repertoire in Context introduces singers to the history and performance concerns of a vast body of French songs from the twelfth century to the present, focusing on works for solo voice or small vocal ensembles with piano or organ accompaniment, suitable for recitals, concerts, and church performances. Georgine Resick presents vocal repertoire within the context of trends and movements of other artistic disciplines, such as poetry, literature, dance, painting, and decorative arts, as well as political and social currents pertinent to musical evolution. Developments in French style and genre-and comparisons among individual composers and national styles-are traced through a network of musical influence. French Vocal Literature is ideally suited for voice teachers and coaches as well as student and professional performers. The companion website, frenchvocalliterature.com, provides publication information, a discography, links to online recordings and scores, a chronology of events pertinent to music, a genealogy of royal dynasties, and a list of governmental regimes.

for SATB double choir unaccompanied or SATB (with divisions) and organ This anthem is a tender setting of a prayer by the 13th-century bishop St Richard of Chichester. It features on The King's Singers' albums High Flight (SIGCD262) and Christmas Presence (SIGCD801).

for SATB (with divisions) unaccompanied In this atmospheric piece Gabriel Jackson sets a text by the Victorian poet Christina Rossetti. The first stanza is sung by sopranos only, with expressive chromatic lines evoking the 'darkness' and 'chillness' referred to in the text. The music flowers into four parts for the contrasting second stanza, with rich harmonies and flowing melismas creating a sumptuous texture.

Michael Ewans explores how classical Greek tragedy and epic poetry have been appropriated in opera, through eight selected case studies. These range from Monteverdi's Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria, drawn from Homer's Odyssey, to Mark-Antony Turnage's Greek, based on Sophocles's Oedipus the King. Choices have been based on an understanding that the relationship between each of the operas and their Greek source texts raise significant issues, involving an examination of the process by which the librettist creates a new text for the opera, and the crucial insights into the nature of the drama that are bestowed by the composer's musical setting. Ewans examines the issues through a comparative analysis of significant divergences of plot, character and dramatic strategy between source text, libretto and opera.

for SATB, C instrument, and keyboard or orchestra This exquisite arrangement of an American folk hymn will be a universal favourite with choirs of all ages and levels. The atmospheric tune is perfectly offset by the floating instrumental counter-melody, while the keyboard or orchestral accompaniment brings harmonic depth and gravity to the music. A wonderful addition to the choral repertory. Orchestral material is available on hire.

Described as the "life and soul of British contemporary music", Jane Manning is an internationally celebrated English concert and opera soprano. In this new follow-up to her highly regarded New Vocal Repertory, Volumes I and II, she provides a seasoned expert's guidance and insight into the vocal genre she calls home. Vocal Repertoire for the Twenty-First Century spans the late middle-20th century through the second decade of the 21st. Manning's comprehensive selection of contemporary art songs ranges from the avant-garde to the more easily accessible, including substantial song cycles, shorter encore pieces, and songs suitable for auditions and competitions. The two-volume guide presents expertly-informed selections tailored to particular voice types. Each of the 160 selections is accompanied by a highly detailed performance guide, music examples, levels of difficulty, and a brief encapsulation of vocal characteristics or challenges contained in the piece. A supplemental companion website provides composer biographies and an up-to-date list of recommended recordings. With a focus on younger composers in addition to prominent figures, Manning encourages singers to refresh and expand their recital repertoire into less familiar territory, and discover the rewards therein. Volume 1 features works written before 2000, including pieces from such renowned composers as John Cage ("The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs", "A Flower"), Andre Previn ("Five Songs"), and Igor Stravinsky ("The Owl and the Pussycat").

It is a truism in teaching choral conducting that the director should look like s/he wishes the choir to sound. The conductor's physical demeanour has a direct effect on how the choir sings, at a level that is largely unconscious and involuntary. It is also a matter of simple observation that different choral traditions exhibit not only different styles of vocal production and delivery, but also different gestural vocabularies which are shared not only between conductors within that tradition, but also with the singers. It is as possible to distinguish a gospel choir from a barbershop chorus or a cathedral choir by visual cues alone as it is simply by listening. But how can these forms of physical communication be explained? Do they belong to a pre-cultural realm of primate social bonding, or do they rely on the context and conventions of a particular choral culture? Is body language an inherent part of musical performance styles, or does it come afterwards, in response to music? At a practical level, to what extent can a practitioner from one tradition mandate an approach as 'good practice', and to what extent can another refuse it on the grounds that 'we don't do it that way'? This book explores these questions at both theoretical and practical levels. It examines textual and ethnographic sources, and draws on theories from critical musicology and nonverbal communication studies to analyse them. By comparing a variety of choral traditions, it investigates the extent to which the connections between conductor demeanour and choral sound operate at a general level, and in what ways they are constructed within a specific idiom. Its findings will be of interest both to those engaged in the study of music as a cultural practice, and to practitioners involved in a choral conducting context that increasingly demands fluency in a variety of styles.

A ground-breaking study of the rise of the catch and glee in Georgian England. The rise of the catch and glee in Georgian England represents a rare example of indigenous forms establishing themselves within a wide musical and social context. This study examines a phenomenon that has to date been largely overlooked by historians. Taking the 17th-century background as a starting point, it moves on to a detailed account of the clubs formed to propagate the two genres, placing them within the ambiance of the thriving club life of Londonand the provinces. The success of the London Catch Club and its emulators in encouraging the creation of a large and popular repertoire that would come to assume nationalistic significance is reflected by the incursion of the catch and glee into mainstream concert life and the theatre. The volume concludes with a discussion of the glee in relation to the aesthetics of the period and a brief survey of its subsequent reputation among musicians and historians.

Andrew Gant's compelling account traces English church music from Anglo-Saxon origins to the present. It is a history of the music and of the people who made, sang and listened to it. It shows the role church music has played in ordinary lives and how it reflects those lives back to us. The author considers why church music remains so popular and frequently tops the classical charts and why the BBC's Choral Evensong remains the longest-running radio series ever. He shows how England's church music follows the contours of its history and is the soundtrack of its changing politics and culture, from the mysteries of the Mass to the elegant decorum of the Restoration anthem, from stern Puritanism to Victorian bombast, and thence to the fractured worlds of the twentieth century as heard in the music of Vaughan Williams and Britten. This is a book for everyone interested in the history of English music, culture and society.

for SSA and organ This concise Latin mass setting is entirely suitable for liturgical use, but the sharply delineated characters of the different movements make it also an appealing concert work. The organ part is supportive, but full of interest and not merely accompanimental. Particularly memorable are the jaunty Gloria, with its constantly shifting time-signatures, and the haunting Agnus Dei.

for SATB and continuo Bach's motets are essential pillars of the choral repertory, and the irresistibly joyful Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden is a wonderful introduction to them for choirs unfamiliar with the works. It features concise contrapuntal writing and a sophisticated harmonic language, yet the vocal lines are not excessively demanding. John Rutter's edition includes helpful performance suggestions and background information, and full scores and instrumental parts are available on hire from the publisher.

This is a critical bibliography of choral compositions accessible to the high school choir, representing major composers and stylistic trends during this century. The 1990 edition of the bibliography includes over 360 titles, providing a convenient sourcebook for secondary school choral directors, choral methods classes, and collegiate choral directors to use in building repertoire for their programs.

for SATB (with divisions) unaccompanied Helvey's skilful arrangement of the popular hymn by American Baptist minister Robert Wadsworth Lowry is joyous and affirmatory. The anthem is suitable for performance throughout the liturgical year, and the sweeping melodies, contrasting textures, and rich harmonies complement the celebratory nature of the text.