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Books > Arts & Architecture > Music > Other types of music
for SATB (with divisions), oboe, and organ The text combines the
nineteenth-century poet and Christian minister George MacDonald's
emotive poem Lost and Found with the 'In paradisum' antiphon from
the Burial Service in the Liber Usualis. The music is at times
ethereal, melancholic, poignant, and life-affirming. The solo oboe
and organ writing is integral to the emotive character of the
piece, and the word-painting and angelic chorus moments encourage
the listener to reflect on the subject at hand. The Quest is
featured on the Collegium Records CD The Gift of Life. An
orchestration for chamber ensemble (solo oboe, harp, and strings)
is available on hire/rental.
for SATB with piano accompaniment and unaccompanied Mo li hua
(Jasmine) is a tri-language publication suitable for Chinese- or
English-speaking choirs. A collection of arrangements of five
well-known traditional Chinese songs depicting the simplicity and
beauty of everyday life, it includes simplified and traditional
Chinese scripts, as well as English singing translations. A Pinyin
version of the Chinese - for non-Chinese reading choirs - will be
available from the OUP website.The songs-drawn from across
China-are arranged sympathetically and in Chilcott's original
style, suggesting a musical fusion of East and West. The song 'Mo
li hua' was written for The Bach Choir and David Hill, who gave its
premiere while on tour in China in April 2014.
for SATB double choir, children's choir, and piano Setting a text
by Charles Bennett, The White Field presents a dreamlike scene in
which blackbirds plant songs in the cold earth and await the growth
of their music. Chilcott's melodies echo through the voices, before
a climactic tutti central section giving full voice to the idea of
renewal and hope in the depth of winter. A wistful coda completes
the reverie as the blackbirds settle to await the return of the
sun. The piano part provides harmonic support and rhythmic energy
to the voice parts with chordal and semiquaver figurations
throughout the work. The White Field was commissioned by the
Barbican Centre for London Symphony Chorus and BBC Symphony Chorus
for Sound Unbound, November 2015.
for SATTBB unaccompanied Thou, my love, art fair was written for
The King's Singers and first performed by the group on St
Valentine's Day 2015. Setting the William Baldwin poem, Christ to
his spouse, this delightful song makes full and effective use of
the voice parts and features charming harmonies and interweaving
melismas. Chilcott has treated the sixteenth-century text with due
care and style, creating a beautifully elegant piece of music.
for SATB and organ or small orchestra In this setting of haunting
simplicity, Rutter employs rich orchestral colours and a beautiful,
imploring melody. The composer has taken the opportunity of this
anniversary edition to recast the original accompaniment for organ,
to facilitate performance in church. Conductor's scores and
instrumental parts are available on sale and on hire/rental.
A History of Western Choral Music explores the various genres, key
composers, and influential works essential to the development of
the western choral tradition. Author Chester L. Alwes divides this
exploration into two volumes which move from Medieval music and the
Renaissance era up to the 21st century. Volume I surveys the choral
music of composers including Josquin, Palestrina, Purcell, Handel,
and J.S. Bach while detailing the stylistic, textual, and
extramusical considerations unique to the topics covered.
Consideration of Renaissance music includes both sacred and secular
works, specifically addressing the growth of sacred music, the rise
of secular music, and the proliferation of sacred polyphony from
Josquin to Palestrina. Discussion of the Baroque era is organized
by geographic location, exploring the spread of Baroque style from
Italy to German, France, and England. Volume I concludes by
examining the aesthetic underpinnings of the early Classical and
Romantic eras. Framing discussion within the political, religious,
cultural, philosophical, aesthetic, and technological contexts of
each era, A History of Western Choral Music offers readers
specialized insight into major composers and works while providing
a cohesive understanding of choral music's place in Western
history.
for SATB unaccompanied Setting a well-known poem by Percy Shelley,
Love's Philosophy is a sweet and tender choral song reflecting on
the idea of love with reference to nature and the interdependent
relationships evident in the world around us. Mellifluous choral
writing and sighing 'ah' interjections convey the sometimes wistful
feel of Shelley's words, and numerous repetitions of 'thou' at the
end of the piece emphasize the theme of unrequited or lost love.
for SATB and chamber ensemble Inspired by Geertgen's painting
Nativity at Night, Candlelight Carol centres around the love of a
mother on that first night in the stable. The orchestral material
is compatible with both the SATBB and SSAA versions.
for SATB, percussion, and cello A work on the subject of
pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela, To the Field of Stars
features a variety of texts on the nature of travel and worship.
Underpinned by evocative cello and percussion lines, Jackson's
strong choral writing offers fragments of spoken lines and
unexpected melodic twists, while a refrain recurs in a new musical
guise after each movement. The piece reaches its climax in the
sixth movement when quiet, freely repeated choral notes ring out
against cello and crotales, creating a musical 'field of stars'.
Mysterious and beautiful, this piece offers an immensely rewarding
challenge for choirs. Percussion and cello parts are available on
hire/rental.
for children's choir, SATB chamber choir, and SATB double choir
This monumental cantata for massed forces was commissioned by David
Hill and The Bach Choir and premiered as part of the 2012 BBC
Proms. Setting a specially commissioned text by Charles Bennett,
Chilcott skilfully uses both metred and unmetered sung and spoken
lines to highlight the text's environmental message. While the
musically interlinked choirs sing of humanity's negligence towards
nature in a series of dream images, the endearing and innocent
tunes of the children's choir ultimately evoke a sense of hope for
the future. Creating a unique opportunity for adult and children's
choirs to collaborate, this captivating piece offers a fun and
educational performance experience for singers both young and old.
for SATB and chamber ensemble Inspired by Geertgen's painting
Nativity at Night, Candlelight Carol centres around the love of a
mother on that first night in the stable. The orchestral material
is compatible with both the SATBB and SSAA versions.
for soprano solo and SSATB unaccompanied Setting a text spoken by
Nurse Edith Cavell on the eve of her execution in 1915 and
re-fashioned by the poet SeA!n Street, McDowall has created a work
of haunting beauty full of gently lamenting harmonies.The sombre
subject matter makes the piece equally suitable for funerals and
Remembrance Day celebrations. Standing as I do before God is
featured on the CD A Multitude of Voices by the choir Sospiri on
Convivium Records.
for SATB (with divisions) and soprano saxophone Setting the
original Latin text of the hymn better known as 'Hark! a thrilling
voice is sounding', Jackson creates an Advent piece of beautiful
stillness. The largely homophonic choral parts, with a soloist
supplying a gentle contrapuntal line, are contrasted with light and
graceful interjections from the saxophone. The result is a quietly
moving piece ideally suited for a reflective moment during an
Advent service.
Choral Scores is an anthology of music exemplifying distinctive
choral repertoire by the most noteworthy composers throughout the
history of Western music. A companion volume to Denis Shrock's
Choral Repertoire (Oxford 2009), it presents works of salient
importance to the development of choral music in Western culture,
representing the music of the composers, eras, and movements
discussed most prominently in that volume. Including 132
compositions by 124 different composers, each presented unabridged
and in full score, and spanning the entirety of Western music
history, from the medieval era through the twentieth century, and
into the twenty-first, Choral Scores is the most thorough, and
up-to-date collection of choral music available. Complete with an
appendix offering literal translations of texts, as well as
composer and genre indices, Choral Scores is an essential reference
for choral scholars, teachers, and students alike.
for SSATB and cello Night Flight was written to mark the centenary
of Harriet Quimby's pioneering flight across the English channel.
Setting texts by Sheila Bryer on the mysterious powers of the sea,
earth, and air, McDowall uses vocal clusters and haunting solo
cello lines to highlight the sense of fear, awe, and majesty
experienced by an individual pitted against the elements. Cecilia
McDowall was awarded the 2014 British Composer Award in the Choral
category for Night Flight. The solo cello part is available for
sale separately.
Union and Distinction in the Thought of St Maximus the Confessor
presents the writings of a key figure in Byzantine theology in the
light of the themes of unity and diversity. The principle of
simultaneous union and distinction forms the core of Maximus'
thought, pervading every area of his theology. It can be summarized
as: Things united remain distinct and without confusion in an
inseparable union. As Melchisedec T r nen shows, this master theme
also resonates in contemporary theological and philosophical
discussions.
for SATB and organ or piano or orchestra or brass This anthem
combines original music by Mack Wilberg, words by David Warner, and
the celebrated hymn tune 'Old One Hundredth', which emerges from
heralding voices, cleverly and majestically interwoven. Hymn of
Praise is on the CD 'Glory! Music of Rejoicing' (2012) recorded by
the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra on Temple Square.
Orchestral material is available on hire/rental.
Neelima Shukla-Bhatt offers an illuminating study of Narsinha
Mehta, one of the most renowned saint-poets of medieval India and
the most celebrated bhakti (devotion) poet from Gujarat, whose
songs and sacred biography formed a vital source of moral
inspiration for Gandhi. Exploring manuscripts, medieval texts,
Gandhi's more obscure writings, and performances in multiple
religious and non-religious contexts, including modern popular
media, Shukla-Bhatt shows that the songs and sacred narratives
associated with the saint-poet have been sculpted by performers and
audiences into a popular source of moral inspiration.
Drawing on the Indian concept of bhakti-rasa (devotion as nectar),
Narasinha Mehta of Gujarat reveals that the sustained popularity of
the songs and narratives over five centuries, often across
religious boundaries and now beyond devotional contexts in modern
media, is the result of their combination of inclusive religious
messages and aesthetic appeal in performance. Taking as an example
Gandhi's perception of the songs and stories as vital cultural
resources for social reconstruction, the book suggests that when
religion acquires the form of popular culture, it becomes a widely
accessible platform for communication among diverse groups.
Shukla-Bhatt expands upon the scholarship on the embodied and
public dimension of bhakti through detailed analysis of multiple
public venues of performance and commentary, including YouTube
videos.
This study provides a vivid picture of the Narasinha tradition, and
will be a crucial resource for anyone seeking to understand the
power of religious performative traditions in popular media.
for SATB and organ or large orchestra This arrangement of the
well-loved hymn stays true to the jubilation and reverence of
Easter. Wesley's words and the eighteenth-century melody shine
through in a sensitive reharmonization, and a recurring
instrumental passage smoothly connects the verses. Reflecting
common hymn-singing practice, the first verse is in unison, the
second in four-part harmony, and the third returns to unison with a
soprano descant, before closing with a suitably exultant 'Alleluia'
and 'Amen'. Christ the Lord is risen today appears on the Mormon
Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square's latest CD, He is
Risen, which reached No. 1 in both the 'Classical Albums' and
'Traditional Classical Albums' US charts within two weeks of its
release in April 2014.
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