(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!)
Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep by Janet Lanier for TTBB and piano
Level: High school sophomore Men’s choir and higher
Uses: Winter concert or Veterans Day
This piece would program well with: Andrea Ramsey’s Cover Me With the Night available from JWPepper or at Sheet Music Plus.
The Amarillo High School Bel Canto Men’s Chorus commissioned Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep in memory of a graduate that gave his life fighting for his country. Commemorating important events in the lives of our ensemble members is a first-class reason to commission a new work. Janet Lanier tailored this week’s Composition Spotlight piece to needs of the commissioning choir. Read the partial score (Note: Many composers choose to show only a partial score to prevent theft) and listen to the choir recording. Right-click or control-click to open each in a new window. (There is a delay before the recording will start)
A haunting piano accompaniment sets the tone of honor and compassion. The writing is simple but not simplistic. The well anticipated entrances for the singers add confidence in the singers and ease in execution. The vocal writing belies the words borrowed from a poem by Mary Frye telling us not to cry. Phrases like “I am a thousand winds that blow, I am the diamond glints of snow” remind us of our loved one’s presence.
This piece is available from the composer.
(Original publication: September 30, 2012)
Janet Lanier says
Janet Lanier says
Tom Council says
Jack Senzig says
Thank-you for the correction. Copyright issues are such a
part of the business of creating and distributing music that I
doubt there is a ChoralNet user that is unaware of them. As I look
through the plethora of quality repertoire in the showcase, I have
found many pieces that have full PDFs and many that don’t. In these
first few reviews I am hoping that oir readers will take a deeper
look at the Composition Showcase. I want them to know what to
expect. Theft may be a strong word for illegal use, but it is a
huge and real concern for many even if it is not the only one. The
copyright issue is a difficult issue. I appologize for my error
Janet. Thanks for the beautiful music you create!
Janet Lanier says