|
Books > Music > Other types of music
for SATTBB unaccompanied Victimae paschali laudes is an atmospheric
arrangement of the traditional plainsong melody for this Latin text
for Easter Sunday. Changing metres enable an authentic presentation
of the plainsong style, and Lawson effectively employs
interjections of 'alleluia' within the main body of the text as a
powerful expression of the triumph of life over death that is at
the heart of the Easter story.
for unison or 2-part choir and organ or piano This setting of the
well-known hymn text 'Christ the Lord is risen again!' features
bright vocal lines and an energetic accompaniment. The scoring is
flexible, allowing performance with either one or two vocal parts
made up of upper, lower, or mixed voices. Offprinted from The
Oxford Book of Easy Flexible Anthems.
The archconfraternity of SS. TrinitA was one of the less well-known
institutions for musical patronage in sixteenth-century Rome. Yet
in focusing on its activities in the period 1550-1650, this book
sheds light on networks of urban patronage that were equally
important in commissioning the sacred music of the period as the
Cappella Pontificia and the Cappella Giulia at St Peter's. Not only
did SS. TrinitA provide Palestrina with his only known major
involvement in sacred music outside the Cappella Giulia after 1571
it also employed at some time or another every major composer
active in the city. Noel O'Regan discusses the importance of SS.
TrinitA in the sphere of Roman sacred music during this period and
the ways in which this music was affected by social and religious
factors in the play for power and prestige in post-tridentine Rome.
This companion volume provides organists with new, dedicated
three-stave accompaniments to twenty-four of the twenty-eight
choruses in the main Sacred Choruses volume. In every case, these
organ transcriptions, made by John Rutter, are based directly on
the original orchestral versions and will facilitate church
performances without orchestra.
for SATB (with divisions) and piano This sombre and evocative
'Stabat mater' is taken from Passion Music, a concert and
liturgical work that continues Todd's fusion of jazz and choral
music so successfully blended in his Mass in Blue. The delicate
piano part often falls away to spiritual a cappella sections, and a
soaring line for solo soprano rises out of the texture to draw the
setting to a close.
for SA and piano Commissioned by the Treble Makers Women's Choir to
celebrate both their 10th anniversary and the 150th anniversary of
Canada, this secular work for upper voices sensitively sets
Langston Hughes's poem of the same name. A lilting melodic line,
eloquent part-writing, and an effective piano part combine to
create a piece that will appeal to both youth and adult upper-voice
choirs.
for SATB unaccompanied A group of three miniatures for
unaccompanied mixed voices, Some corner of a foreign field sets
poems by three First World War soldiers: John William Streets,
Goldfeld (about whom no more than his surname is known), and Rupert
Brooke. Bednall's settings are slow, expansive, and expressive,
giving space for the listener to reflect on the profoundly moving
texts. Brooke's 'The Soldier' brings a particularly poignant
conclusion to the set, with melismas employed for dramatic effect.
for SATB unaccompanied The Scholar is a sensitive setting of Robert
Southey's poem that explores a man's kinship with the dead. With
Bednall's characteristic metrical fluidity and effective word
setting, this piece will provide a moment of quiet reflection in a
concert programme.
SSAA unaccompanied I will be with you sets a reflective text by the
composer with a message of enduring solace. Lush harmonies, with
predominantly homophonic passagework, coupled with flowing and
cascading lines in every voice part make for a tranquil musical
experience. Also available in a version for unaccompanied SATB
choir.
for SATB unaccompanied This short sacred work for unaccompanied
mixed choir is a highly atmospheric setting of the poet Henry
Vaughan's mystical and enigmatic poem of the same name. Written for
the choir of St Peter's College, Oxford, the work has a sonorous
quality and uses extended harmonies to great effect.
for SATB unaccompanied I will be with you sets a reflective text by
the composer with a message of enduring solace. Lush harmonies,
with predominantly homophonic passagework, coupled with flowing and
cascading lines in every voice part make for a tranquil musical
experience. Also available in a version for SSAA unaccompanied
choir.
for SATB and organ or orchestra This is an arrangement of the
19th-century hymn by Philip Bliss, with words written by Horatio
Spafford following several personal tragedies. Despite having lost
his first son to scarlet fever, most of his assets in the Great
Fire of Chicago, and then his four daughters in a shipwreck,
Spafford's enduring faith inspired him to write this hymn, which
speaks of an internal, spiritual calm in the face of life's
difficulties. Wilberg's arrangement of Bliss's tune keeps the first
two verses in unison, first women and then men, before allowing
fuller textures to take over. The choir is accompanied throughout,
and two upward major 3rd modulations lead to a triumphant close.
for SSATB unaccompanied An atmospheric and expressive setting of
Caliban's dream from Shakespeare's The Tempest, this piece
transports the listener to a mysterious, dream-like place. McDowall
effectively employs melismas and ornaments to create a sense of the
other-worldly, and her rich, immersive harmonies perfectly
characterise the reverie Shakespeare's protagonist describes.
for SSA and piano This joyous and upbeat piece sets a text by
Delphine Chalmers full of vivid imagery of childhood memories and
with a compelling refrain: 'Though the years may make us strangers,
our voices set the ripples dancing in memory's stream'. Alternation
between passages of 4/4 and 7/8 gives a spirited offbeat feel, and
the pleasingly simple melodic lines and long unison passages make
the piece especially suitable for school or children's choirs.
Everyday Wonders: The Girl from Aleppo tells the extraordinary
story of Nujeen Mustafa, a Kurdish teenager with cerebral palsy
forced by war to flee her home and embark on an arduous journey to
Europe with her sister. In this five-movement cantata Nujeen's
story - recounted in her biography 'The Girl from Aleppo'
(co-authored by Christina Lamb) - is retold by Kevin
Crossley-Holland and richly scored by Cecilia McDowall. A wealth of
musical effects are employed to capture the narrative, including
chorales, rhythmic spoken sections, body percussion, and a solo
violin part infused with Middle Eastern flavours. The prevailing
mood of Nujeen's story is embodied by the final line of a chorale
that bookends this unique concert work: 'singing the song of life
itself.'
for SSA and piano This work for upper voices with a text by the
composer was inspired by members of the Radcliffe Ladies' Choir and
their motto 'friendship through singing'. The lilting vocal lines
are subtly underpinned by a delicate piano accompaniment, and the
opening performance direction, 'contentedly rocking', describes the
overall nature of the piece: peaceful, content, and easy-going.
for SATB unaccompanied Aspire to God, my soul sets a macaronic text
by Canon John Dilnot, with the titular words recurring throughout
the setting as an emphatic refrain. This short anthem is optimistic
and uplifting in tone, with frequently changing time-signatures
that convey a rhythmic fluidity and the flexibility to follow the
declamation of the words.
|
|