First edition available: George Bristow’s Praise to God (1860) – seeking premiere

I am pleased to annouced that an edition of George Bristow’s Praise to God, an English setting of the Te Deum, is finally available!

 

George Frederick Bristow (1825 –1898) was a New York composer, conductor and educator.  I previously released his Oratorio of Daniel in 1999.  His style is very much modeled on the choral works of Mendelssohn, and in fact the oratorio chorus he conducted in NYC was called the Mendelssohn Chorus.

 

Praise to God, op. 33, 1860, is in two parts, the Te Deum, 12 movements, and a Benedictus, 7 movements.  The work is for orchestra, SATB soloists and chorus.  The solois have arias, duets, a trio, and quartets. The orchestra is standard Romantic size:  winds in pairs, brass 4-2-3-1.

 

There is now available for the first time a full score of this work, vocal score, and instrumental parts.  The material is all on Finale, which means the piece can be “played” as well.

 

There are two vocal scores actually.  Ditson published one in 1860 which is in public domain and we have also made one.

 

 I don’t know the length of the work yet but I’m guessing about 75 minutes.  The two parts can be performed separately. It is not a dramatic oratorio like his Daniel of Mendelssohn’s Elijah, but a more church-like work, although it certainly has dramatic moments!

 

I performed parts of it but have not performed the entire work.  It is unlikely I will perform it in the next few years.  

 

I am looking for someone interested in premiering the work. In exchange for a first performance and the vetting of my materials that will necessarily attend to that (though these have been proofed more times than I can count) I will offer the materials as pdfs free for the premiere.  After the first performance and the international acclaim it brings, I will then sell the rights to my materials and put my kids through college. (:-)

 

I would be most happy to send a copy of the Ditson vocal score to anyone seriously interested in considering performing the work.

 

Please contact me at if interested.

 

David Griggs-Janower

The University at Albany

Albany Pro Musica