Be a Graphite Collaborator!
We are seeking great “premier” recordings of some lovely Graphite works and we want your help. These compositions need some love and attention, and with your help, we can share them with more communities. Recording choral music is like tending to your garden; beautiful flowers and juicy tomatoes need water, sunshine, and love. You can help these composers grow!
Chosen recordings will be featured on our website, YouTube channel, and social media, with full credit to the conductor and ensemble. Additionally, you’ll likely premiere the work locally!
Below is a list of works. See if any fit your ensemble and send us your recording! Audio is great, audio/visual is even better.
For submissions and questions, please email Erika Malpass.
It’s a Long Way
B.E. Boykin
for SATB and piano
Difficulty: 2
Boykin’s “It’s a Long Way” is easy to play and sing, but is also interesting and expressive. Mostly homophonic, diatonic, and stabilized with a supportive accompaniment, developing choirs will sing this piece with confidence. The swaying of the compound meter is echoed in the “blowing seawinds” of the text. Some interesting interplay of “two-against-three” will keep a choir on their toes and makes for some fun rhythmic counterpoint.
O Beautiful End
Benjamin M. Cramer
SATB a cappella
Difficulty: 3
“Ultimately, this text tells me that every life we encounter is on a greater journey, and all we can do is guide them to their next path. We can’t halt the journey, no matter how badly we want to–so we must embrace their departure.”
– Benjamin M. Cramer
Vanheim
Johanna Malmberg
for SSSAATTBB choir a cappella
A colossal work reminiscent of Baroque masters such as Caldara and Praetorius, “Vanheim” is a thrilling achievement of vocal orchestration and a slow burn of anticipation, until the brilliant, concluding chords. Malmberg constructs a “wall of sound” that would fill an acoustically live space. Great for large ensembles looking for a challenge.
The Ashberry Carols
Luke Mayernik
SATB choir a cappella and SSAA a cappella (two-part set)
Difficulty: 3
A meditative homophonic piece in a Russian folk-song style.
Written as a set in two parts:
The Ashberry Carols – I. (The Choruses of Mountain Ash), for SATB a cappella, and The Ashberry Carols – II. (The Choruses of Mountain Ash) for SSAA a cappella
Everyone Sang
Isaac Lovdahl
3-part mixed choir and piano
Difficulty: 3
“Everyone Sang” is a gorgeous partsong accessible to middle school choirs up through adults. Three-part mixed voicing allows for the piece to be sung by developing or smaller choirs. The sophisticated and hopeful text speaks to our times and the joy of singing, even in difficult times.
Nature Walks
Timothy Hoekman
Set I, for SSAA chorus a cappella; and
Set II, for TTBB Chorus a cappella
Difficulty: 3
Four short poems by the witty Ogden Nash provide the texts for these songs. These Nash creatures are sure to bring a chuckle (or at least a smile) to singers and audiences.
For recording submissions, please send to:
Accepted file formats:
Audio only: mp3, wav
Video: mp4, mpeg-4, mov
Our Contributing Editor
Jonathan Campbell, BA, MSM, DMA, currently serves as Director of Music at Zion Lutheran Church, Anoka, MN., and is a Contributing Editor for Graphite Publishing. His music publishers include Augsburg Fortress, Concordia, Morningstar, GIA, Sacred Music Press, and Falls House. He won first prize in the Morningside Choral Composition Contest and was also awarded a Faith Partner’s Residency with the American Composer’s Forum. Jonathan has served many churches, conducted the Chorale of the Honors Choirs S.E. MN for eight years, and has served on the faculties of Winona State University, Augsburg University, and Pomona College.
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