(Each week we look at a piece of useful repertoire from the ChoralNet Community Composition Showcase. A variety of voicings and levels of difficulty will be presented. Enjoy!)
Orpheus With His Lute by Brian Holmes for SSA, Bb trumpet and piano
Level: High school sophomore women’s choir and higher
Uses: Spring concert or thank-you to a special music booster.
This piece would program well with: Ruth Elaine Schram ‘s "A Red Red Rose" available from JWPepper and Sheet Music Plus.
Brian Holmes’ Orpheus With His Lute is a refreshing piece that dares you not to smile at the beauty of the writing. Three simple treble lines move together in triadic harmony with a flowing trumpet part that brightens the texture even more. Your audience will love this and the parents of your young singers will beam with pride. Read the score and listen to the recording. Right-click or control-click to open each in a new window.
Many of the pieces is the Composition Showcase have lovely honest recordings like this one. They are performances recorded by a real-world choir and shared with the composer. Some composers are not so lucky and must rely on a virtual recording or no recording at all. Please share recordings and performance dates with us. Starting a dialogue with a living composer can add to the experience for your singers, allowing them a depth of appreciation they may not get from the standard repertoire.
(Original publication: September 16, 2012)
Jack Senzig says
Brian Holmes says