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Books > Music > Other types of music
for SSAA unaccompanied A bright and breezy piece with a charming
text by Charles Bennett, A Tree of Song begins with a jaunty 7/8
figure which recurs throughout the piece, with a spirited melody
floating above. Alternation between passages of 4/4 and 7/8 gives a
lively offbeat feel, with the piece only taking on a darker tone in
a brief central section.
for SA, piano, and percussion This is an uplifting and expressive
setting of a fun, descriptive text by Christie Dickason that
characterizes the sky in an imaginative way. The compelling
melodies are underpinned by a dynamic piano part, often featuring
rippling quavers, and charcterful interjections from the
glockenspiel and suspended cymbal complement the narrative. A
contrasting middle section in triple time quotes from the
Northumbrian folk song 'When the boat comes in', while the final
section is affirmatory in feel, emphatically repeating the final
line of the poem, 'and I will grow'.
for SATB and piano/orchestra Wilberg's arrangement of Robert
Lowry's text and melody is a beautifully reflective take on the
well-known hymn. Simple vocal lines are enhanced by a gently
flowing accompaniment, rich in suspensions and harmonic interest.
This part can be played on the piano, or by the unusual combination
of flutes, cors anglais, harp, and strings.
for SATB and piano Written for the 2016 'Requiem to Cancer' event
at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden, Now is the Time sets hopeful
and inspirational words by Marie Curie. McDowall's setting is
optimistic and appealing, with charming interplay between the
voices and piano.
for soprano solo and SSATB unaccompanied Cecilia, Busy Like a Bee
is a reflective and reverential setting of a text adapted from the
Divine Office for St Cecilia's Day. The influence of plainchant is
particularly apparent in the soprano solo, and McDowall
intersperses effective imitative passages amidst homophonic writing
with rich harmonies.
for SATB and organ Setting the George Herbert poem 'Whitsunday'
from the 1633 collection The Temple, this lilting, gentle anthem is
particularly useful for Whit Sunday services. Syncopations and
duplets provide rhythmic interest, with memorable melodies,
sumptuous harmonies, and contrasting textures making this a
rewarding anthem for performer and listener alike.
for soprano solo, SSATB, and organ As Each Leaf Dances is a setting
of a powerful text by Kevin Crossley-Holland about the cruelty of
child abuse being overcome by love and kindness. Reflecting this,
the first section features a relentless organ part, jagged vocal
lines, and dissonant harmonies, before giving way to a jaunty,
dancing, and uplifting second section.
for SA, piano, and percussion This original composition sets the
composer's own text celebrating freedom of expression and the music
within each of us. Accompanied by hand-drum and piano, the piece is
an exciting and engaging sing filled with teachable moments and
opportunities for musical growth, with simple legato and two-part
passages, and vocal percussion. Also available in a version for
CBar, piano, and percussion, which is fully compatible with this
upper-voice version.
"This is an excellent and authoritative book -- one that will no
doubt become the standard biography of Richard Rodgers". -- Allen
Forte, Yale University
Richard Rodgers, a musical genius whose Broadway career spanned
six successful decades, composed more than a thousand songs for the
American stage. Although he reaped wealth, success, and recognition
that included two shared Pulitzer Prizes, Rodgers found happiness
elusive. In this first comprehensive biography of Rodgers, William
G. Hyland tells the full story of the complex man and his
incomparable music.
Hyland's portrait of Rodgers (1902-79) begins with his childhood
in an affluent Jewish family living in the Harlem neighborhood of
Manhattan. During college years at Columbia University and early
work on the amateur circuit and Broadway, Rodgers entered into a
historic collaboration with the lyricist Lorenz Hart. The team
produced a dozen popular shows and such enduring songs as "The Lady
Is a Tramp". Rodgers' next partnership, with Oscar Hammerstein II,
led to the creation of the musical play, a new and distinctively
American art form. Beginning with Oklahoma in 1943, this pair
dominated Broadway for almost twenty years with a string of hits
that remain beloved favorites: Carousel, South Pacific, The King
and I, and The Sound of Music. When Hammerstein died in 1960,
Rodgers began a new phase in his career, writing the lyrics to his
own music, then joining lyricists Stephen Sondheim, Sheldon
Harnick, and Martin Charnin. Despite periods of depression,
excessive drinking, hypochondria, and devastating illness at
different points in his life, Rodgers' outpouring of music seemed
little affected, and he continued to compose untilhis death at age
seventy-seven. An icon of the musical theater, Rodgers left a
legacy of timeless songs that audiences return to hear over and
again.
for SATB double choir unaccompanied This setting of Orlando Gibbons
and Catullus is a re-working of Gibbons's celebrated 17th-century
madrigal (of the same title) for five voices. It retains the
lilting depiction of the swan and the original composer's love of
antiphonal effects and rich texture, providing an ideal platform
for established choirs to explore tone, blend, and musical imagery.
for SATB (with divisions) unaccompanied First performed by the
Choir of St Luke's Episcopal Church, Evanston, Illinois, in 2016,
this powerful motet sets a reflective text by Augustine of Hippo.
Connoisseurs of Jackson's music will recognise the hallmarks of his
highly accessible style: inventive harmony that is largely diatonic
but never plain, and textures that encompass the blazingly sonorous
and the expressively intimate.
for SATB unaccompanied This anthem for unaccompanied choir
juxtaposes the words of the Antiphon for the Washing of Feet on
Maundy Thursday with 'The red rose whispers of passion' by the poet
John Boyle O'Reilly. Jackson combines lyrical polyphonic phrases
for upper and lower voices with atmospheric passages for full
choir, frequently accompanied by repeated half-whispered text in
free time.
for SATB or unison voices and organ This joyous, celebratory
introit sets well-known words from Psalm 95 and features appealing
recitative-like melodies, striking harmonies, and fluctuating
metre. The flexible scoring facilitates performance by SATB choir,
unison voices, or high voices, and the organ part provides a
supportive yet compelling accompaniment. O come, let us sing has
been recorded by Wells Cathedral Choir, conducted by Matthew Owens,
on the CD 'Flame Celestial' (REGCD320).
for SSAA, solo cello, djembe, and piano This evocative anthem, from
the larger work Snow Angel, is a piece of two halves. Opening with
a haunting cello line, the first section ('God Will Give Orders')
is mystical and ethereal, until a vibrant figure from the djembe
lifts the music into the second section ('Sweet Child'), which is
uplifting and bold in character, with a distinctly African feel and
an effective a cappella ending.
for SATB, trumpet in C, and organ This substantial anthem was
composed in 2015 to celebrate the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta
and to mark Salisbury Cathedral's stewardship of the charter since
1215. Rutter succeeds in weaving together passages from the books
of Isaiah, Zechariah, and Amos with music that is both ceremonial
and mysteriously intense to create a dignified and powerful work.
for SATB, trumpet, and organ/orchestra The second of two Rutter
anthems celebrating the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, Give the
king thy judgments, O God is a ceremonial work that draws upon the
Book of Psalms alongside text written by the composer to create a
suitably festive piece. Although the prevailing mood is jubilant,
the closing pages provide a prayerful moment as Orlando Gibbon's
gentle hymn tune Song 1 is interpolated to great effect. This
anthem is featured on Rutter's highly-acclaimed CD The Gift of
Life. A trumpet in C part is included in the vocal score, and a B
flat trumpet part is available separately.
for SATB and piano/orchestra John Rutter's rousing drinking song
Good Ale, which was originally published as part of his cycle of
six choral settings with small orchestra When Icicles Hang, is full
of spirit and character. An accompaniment for orchestra is
available on hire/rental.
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