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Shelbie L. Wahl-Fouts

One from the Folder: Repertoire Thoughts for Women’s/Treble Choirs

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#62: Friday, July 3, 2020

“On Children” by Ysaye M. Barnwell
Text by Kahlil Gibran
SSAA a cappella

I’m always looking for a great opening piece for my small ensemble – especially at the start of the year. Not too difficult, but not too easy. Energetic, but not necessarily fast. Something they can lean into as group – to build community and practice that small-ensemble harmony. One of those songs that you hear them singing in the hallways all year long. “On Children” by Ysaye Barnwell is one of those perfect pieces.

Ysaye M. Barnwell

I remember first hearing the ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock in 1998 at DePauw University, when I was an undergrad. The experience was outstanding. So many styles and genres of music – including gospel, folk, and music composed for the group by Barnwell – all beautifully woven together with narration and sign language. As I later found myself studying repertoire for women’s/treble choirs, Barnwell’s compositions were always a favorite.

As with much of her music, “On Children” is scored for SSAA, with A2 written the bass clef. Your low altos may struggle initially, but this a great opportunity to practice transferable solfege skills – once they know where do is in the different clef, its all relative. A third is still a third. Written in D Major, the song is almost entirely diatonic, except for me in the A1 and te in the S1.

The challenge for A2s may come in the range though. Like most of the repertoire from Sweet Honey in the Rock, the alto lines are very low. “On Children” goes down to D3 (D below middle C). The good news is that the S1 part only goes up to D5, and, at most, each voice part only spans an octave. So, you can potentially pitch the song in a higher key that might sit better for your A2s. Take care though not to go too high – the song should still feel grounded and the S1/S2 line shouldn’t fall in their break.

The rhythms are motivic and repetitive in structure, primarily quarters and eighths. There are some sixteenths to support the correct text syllables, and ties for syncopation. With the exception of a few interjections, all the voice parts sing homophonically. For most groups, the syncopation will be the challenge, but one learned quickly with repetition.

Kahlil Gibran

The text for this song is taken from the poem “On Children” by Lebanese-American poet and artist Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931), which he published in 1923 in The Prophet. He wrote the text decades ago, but it seems ever more relevant today. In these difficult, stressful, anxious times, I often think of what the next generation will face – will it be better? Worse? Are we creating or furthering issues now that will plague their generation? What can we do to make their lives better, once we are no longer here? I think of my son, I think of my students and their families, I think of mothers and fathers the world over and the children they raise. What world are we leaving for our children? This poem, and Barnwell’s setting, provide a wonderful opportunity to contemplate the future and how we can help shape it.

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but they are not from you,
And though they are with you they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
Strive to be like them,
but you cannot make them like you.

—-excerpt from “On Children” – by Khalil Gibran (1923), adapted by the composer

In addition to the exceptionally timely text, I am particularly looking at this piece for this fall because of its compositional design. With social-distancing in the classroom, I know I will be having more small group rehearsals and sectionals during class time, as opposed to the whole ensemble together (even for my small ensemble). On this song, singers can work in part-sectionals on the solfege, and then split into SSAA quartets to work on the rhythm and harmony. All small group work, without having to worry about too much divisi or crunchy harmony to start off with. (Don’t get me wrong – my groups LOVE crunchy harmony – but its difficult to practice in small breakout groups, if not all your singers can hold their part alone yet, or if you don’t have enough people to cover all the divisi when split up.)

With the right quartet, live performances might be possible with just four singers, spaced many feet apart. (16ft? 20? Waiting on the July 22 Colorado State research for this!) Or, if performances end up having to be virtual or otherwise recorded as individual tracks and combined on the computer, this is a song that is minimally fussy for those purposes (no polyphony or canon, minimal tempo changes). With the proper audio programs, students might even be able to layer and align the tracks themselves.

Best wishes as we all prepare for the great unknown this coming fall. Stay safe – and keep making music, however we can!

Until next month,
-Shelbie Wahl-Fouts

Title:On Children
Composer:Ysaye M. Barnwell
https://www.ymbarnwell.com/
Date of Composition:1980
Author:Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931)
Date of Text:Excerpt from “On Children” – published in The Prophet (1923)
Subject(s), Genre:Children, future, society, mother, father, parenting
Language:English
Listed Voicing:SSAA
Voicing Details:SSAA, with A2 written in bass clef
Ranges:S1: F#4-D5
S2: D4-D5
A1: A3-G4
A2: D3-D4
Accompaniment:A cappella
Duration:~2:00
Tempo:92
Publisher:The Musical Source Publishing Division https://www.musicalsource.com/

Further descriptions and details, including program notes, audio, perusal score, and purchasing: Composer’s Website:
https://www.ymbarnwell.com/  

Publisher’s Website:
https://www.musicalsource.com/node/6664  

Performance by Temple University Women’s Chorus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJRAVnnW2hY  

Performance by Sweet Honey in the Rock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYAkcL36aCE  

Sweet Honey in the Rock website
https://sweethoneyintherock.org/

-Dr. Shelbie Wahl-Fouts is Director of Choral Activities and associate professor of music at Hollins University, a women’s college in Roanoke, Virginia.
Email:
Bio:     https://www.hollins.edu/directory/shelbie-wahl-fouts/

For a listing of all current and past blog entries by this author, click here.
For a spreadsheet of all blog posts and their repertoire, click here.

One from the Folder: Repertoire Thoughts for Women’s/Treble Choirs

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#61: June 5, 2020

I had another piece set aside for this blog entry, but as I sat down this week to review that repertoire, the whole endeavor came across as hollow. I couldn’t write just another blog about just another song this week. It didn’t feel right. How do I, as a white woman, best contribute to the conversation right now? How can I use my voice to support my colleagues, students, and singers of color?


My first inclination was to write a blog about a piece of repertoire by a composer of color. However, I usually write about pieces I’ve already conducted, and the songs I’ve done with my choirs are perennial favorites that everyone here already knows. Or, I write about less-known pieces I want to program in the future. In looking at my stack of future-blog-pieces-to-review, I realized there weren’t any composers of color in that stack, let alone women composers of color. Not good.

Next, I took stock of the 60 blog entries I’ve made since 2018. I was appalled. Barely a handful of my selections reference a person of color – as composer, arranger, or poet/lyricist. I looked back at my dissertation research, and found the same result.

Since grad school, I have prided myself on championing compelling works for women’s/treble choirs, especially works by women composers and authors. And post-grad school, after noting that the category of women was too exclusionary, I made an effort to include transgender and queer composers and those of marginalized gender identities in my future work. I felt like I was doing the right thing for my choirs and my research. Maybe I was, but that’s not enough.

Today, I look at my rep lists and conference presentations through a different lens and I am horrified, realizing I have left out entire populations of composers, arrangers, and poets: the voices of black and brown and indigenous artists. There is a great big hole, a lacuna, in my work, where the works by BBIPOC composers should be.

After that realization, my next thought was to go into research mode and see if I could make a list. I like lists. I’m good at lists. Could I make a list of repertoire for women’s/treble choirs, by composers of color, that I could post today, and then review each piece in future blogs? I started on that, and then realized very quickly that I’m out of my depth. This is a project for the long haul, not one to undertake quickly in a few days’ time.

But more importantly, there are scholars who have done this work already, and they deserve our attention. Specifically, Dr. Marques L. A. Garrett’s study of the non-idiomatic choral music of black composers is incredible. If you don’t know his work, go there immediately. His research has inspired me and I can’t wait to begin locating repertoire he lists and learning more about it.
https://www.mlagmusic.com
https://www.mlagmusic.com/research/beyond-elijah-rock


When I started this blog, the purpose was to share my experience with repertoire for women’s and treble choirs, especially giving voice to lesser-known works or composers. Over the last two years, I had been proud of my contribution. Right now though, I’m not the expert in the room. Read Dr. Garrett’s work.

For a listing of all current and past blog entries by this author, click here.
For a spreadsheet of all blog posts and their repertoire, click here.

Dr. Shelbie Wahl-Fouts is associate professor of music, Director of Choral Activities, and music department chair at Hollins University, a women’s college in Roanoke, Virginia.
Email:
Bio:     https://www.hollins.edu/directory/shelbie-wahl-fouts/

One from the Folder: Repertoire Thoughts for Women’s/Treble Choirs

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#60: Friday, May 1, 2020

“Moon Goddess” by Jocelyn Hagen
Text by Enheduanna
SSA, piano 4-hand, large frame drum, finger cymbals, suspended cymbal

If you are looking for a Fierce and Feisty selection for your women’s choir, this is the one! Written in 2011 for the ACDA Women’s Chorus Commissioning Consortium, this work by composer Jocelyn Hagen has brilliant drive and musical energy. And it has text to match, sourced from Sumerian poet Enheduanna. This is a can’t-miss selection for your women’s or adult-treble ensemble.

The promotional tag-line for this piece on Graphite Publishing’s site says “A tenacious, ferocious and distinctly feminine anthem of praise to the ancient goddess Inanna.” When I first introduced this selection to my choirs this term, they were floored. They immediately took to the work, and were visibly excited, from the first rehearsal onward. There is a forward motion to the piece that is inescapable.

Another draw to the students, besides the musical energy, was the text and its author. We in Western choral music so often sing songs written in praise for the (male, Christian) God, or texts about male figures in history, or general texts written by men or for a male audience. And while those may be beautiful pieces of music, there are entire segments of the population left out of that narrative. This text is an intense statement in praise of the Goddess Inanna, from writings by Sumerian poet Enheduanna. Enheduanna was a High Priestess of Inanna, and the first writer in history, male or female, whose name and work has been preserved across the centuries.

Imagine telling your women’s or adult-treble choir that they were (finally!) going to get to sing a piece about a feminine deity, with text by a priestess of that deity (and the first recorded author, nonetheless), and composed by a present-day female composer. My singers were thrilled.

As with most all choral performances this spring, our anticipated performance was cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. When I had my singers reflect on what they were most missing about that concert, Moon Goddess was hands-down their top response. I anticipate re-programming it as the closer on our next concert…whenever that may be.

Written for SSA, there are only a few measures of internal divisi. Additionally, the three-part voice writing is almost entirely homophonic, which makes this piece infinitely more accessible than polyphonic SSAA or SSAA divisi selections. There is definitely challenge in the work (in meter and range), but not from polyphony. You will however need two quality pianists and two quality percussionists, and they provide the polyphonic aspects of the work. Unison phrases abound as well, so the piece presents many opportunities to strengthen cross-part blend and balance.

As noted previously, range and meter are the two main challenges of this piece. Regarding range, most of the voice parts remain in a comfortable tessitura for most of the piece. Notice I said “most” a few times! When the voice lines venture outside the primarily comfort zone, you might have a few S1s giving you dirty looks, or Altos feeling hesitant.

In the case of the Altos, most if not all of their high notes are in unison across all voice parts. So, these might be most easily approached with the full choir, not in sectionals. Let the altos feel strength in numbers, and supported by S1/S2.

For the measures where S1s are at A5 or B5, I would present those measures first in sectionals. Let the sopranos find the notes in their voice, and talk about how to modify the vowels and adjust (or drop) the consonants. In my rehearsals, we worked on the rhythms and text first, then sung the measures in a slow legato, and then changed the tempo and style…all in sectionals, so they could explore that portion of their range without an audience.

The other primary challenge in this piece is the meter. The changing meter is part of what gives the piece its forward motion and drive, but it can also be a challenge for less experienced choirs, especially when you see so many meter changes, so frequently. However, while this is changing meter, it is mostly variation of simple meter: 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 6/4. The quarter note stays constant throughout much of the work. In our first rehearsal, I had my accompanist play through the entire piece (slowly!), and had my students count-sing. Once they realized that it was mainly a matter of counting to 3, 4, 5, or 6 – but with the counting staying a steady speed, they were much more comfortable.

There are three 9/8 measures to reckon with – I would recommend starting with those measures first, before you even introduce the rest of the piece. I wrote the rhythms out on the board, without the music in their hands, and we worked through each, then added text. Each of the three measures technically has the same rhythm and beat division pattern, but because the text syllabification is different in each, they can feel like three separate entities. Not an insurmountable challenge, but one more easily tackled before diving into the full piece.

Outside of the meter, the rhythms themselves are quarter notes, eighth notes, and half or dotted half notes. So, once the overarching metrical structure is understood, the rhythms and text should easily fall into place.

So much of what makes this piece a favorite of both performers and audience (and conductors!) is not contained in only one aspect of the work. It isn’t just the driving piano rhythms, or the well-set text, or historical nature of the words, or the insistent motivic patterns, or the beauty of the strong choral harmony. All those facets, and more, blend together form an amazing, intense, and powerful musical experience. I cannot recommend this piece highly enough – and I look forward to the safe return of choral music to our world, so my singers can have the chance they so desperately missed this spring.

Title:Moon Goddess
Composer:Jocelyn Hagen
https://www.jocelynhagen.com/
https://graphitepublishing.com/composer/jocelyn-hagen/
Date of Composition:2011
Author:Enheduanna (b. ca. 2300 B.C.), adapted by Jocelyn Hagen
Subject(s), Genre:Goddess Inanna, Women’s history, Strength of women
Language:English
Listed Voicing:SSA
Voicing Details:SSA, with a few measures of harmonic divisi
Ranges:S1: B3-B5
S2: B3-G5
A: F#3-G5
Accompaniment:4-hand piano, large frame drum, finger cymbals, suspended cymbal
Duration:~5:00
Tempo:QN=112, 132 Vigorous, 110 Calmly
Commissioning Ensemble:2011 ACDA Women’s Choir R&S Commissioning Consortium, Iris S. Levine, National Chair
Publisher:JH Music, distributed by Graphite Publishing
Further descriptions and details, including program notes, audio, perusal score, and purchasing: https://graphitepublishing.com/product/moon-goddess/  (perusal score, and audio recording by Cantala Women’s Choirs, Phillip A. Swan, conductor)
https://www.facebook.com/JocelynHagenMus/videos/10154257795610535/ (video of Wenzhou Female Choir from China, who won a gold medal “Moon Goddess” at the 2016 World Choir Games in Sochi, Russia)

Until next month!
-Shelbie Wahl-Fouts

Dr. Shelbie Wahl-Fouts is associate professor of music, Director of Choral Activities, and music department chair at Hollins University, a women’s college in Roanoke, Virginia.
Email:
Bio:     https://www.hollins.edu/directory/shelbie-wahl-fouts/

For a listing of all current and past blog entries by this author, click here.
For a spreadsheet of all blog posts and their repertoire, click here.

One from the Folder: Repertoire Thoughts for Women’s/Treble Choirs

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#59: Friday, March 6, 2020

“The Bike Let Loose” by Edie Hill
Poetry by Serena Fusek
SSAA, piano

The composer’s website calls this song a “bright, athletic piece,” which “uses rapid notes and soaring melodic lines to create a fantastical ride for both singer and listener.” I couldn’t agree more! For choirs hailing from the Midwest, or anyone who wants to conjure up that small town atmosphere, this is definitely a selection to review.

The work is always in motion, imitating the bike mentioned in the title. The poem depicts small-town American Midwest – full of endless cornfields and few stoplights. You can feel the wind in your hair, and the cadence of the bike’s wheel beneath your feet.

I’m originally from flat-land Illinois cornfields, so this song absolutely paints a picture I know well. Between Serena’s poetry and Edie’s energetic composition, this is an enthusiastic, humorous addition to any program – especially for an ensemble that can relate to, or is trying to conjure up, the Midwestern small-town setting.

Vocal lines are generally rhythmically similar and homophonic, with only occasional imitative or polyphonic measures. Often, the voicing is S1/S2 vs A1/A2. There may be some harmony involved, but the rhythmic complexity is usually limited to two ideas. Instances of four separate entrances are few and far between. Ranges are limited – no more than a 10th, so most everything falls into a comfortable tessiture.

In terms of teaching the tonality of the piece, there are a number of altered chords and non-diatonic progressions, with occasional chromaticism. It would not be a forgiving selection to solfege! But, many phrases share similar harmonic motives, so the unfamiliar patterns can soon become familiar to the ensemble. Some vocal lines flow freely in stepwise or close motion, while other lines are somewhat disjunct in places. Again though, the similar motivic patterns can ease the difficulty of learning.

Regarding rhythm, there are frequent meter changes – 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 6/4 – and numerous tempo changes. Quarter note stays constant, but the shift between beats-per-measure keeps you on your toes. The piece slowly accelerates from beginning to end, but also has some abruptly slower tempi to accentuate certain portions of the text. Syncopations are common, along with other negation of strong beats by use of tied notes and purposefully placed accents.

Between meter and tempo changes, and syncopations, performers must have exceptional rhythmic accuracy. Diction itself is not an issue, as the text is set very clearly and syllabically—but accuracy of rhythms is especially foundational for clarity of text in performance.

Dynamics, accents, and other expression changes occur nearly every few measures. Performers need to be adept at quick contrasts and always on top of upcoming changes. Your accompanist needs to be equally, if not more, skilled with respect to rhythm, meter, and negation of strong beats. Good dexterity needed for the constant eighth-note patterns, especially as the tempo increases near the end.

I recently presented an interest session at OMEA conference in Ohio, focusing on Fierce/Fast/Feisty repertoire for women’s and treble choirs. This piece fits the bill for that theme, as it is constantly in motion, with a side of humor too! It’s a challenging piece but also a “fun” piece – a project your singers will enjoy tackling. Long live the cornfields! 🙂

Title:The Bike Let Loose
Composer:Edie Hill
ediehill.com
Date of Composition:2004
Author:Serena Fusek
Subject(s), Genre:Small-town life, Midwest, bikes, corn, nature, humor
Language:English
Listed Voicing:SSAA
Ranges:S1: D4-F♯5
S2: D4-F5
A1: C4-C5
A2: A3-C5
Accompaniment:Piano
Duration:~3:45
Tempo:QN=120, Exuberantly
Commission:This work was co-commissioned as a special project in the year 2004 by the American Choral Directors Association of Minnesota and the Minnesota Music Educators Association.
Publisher:Hummingbird Press ediehill.com
Further descriptions and details, including program notes, audio, perusal score, and purchasing: https://www.ediehill.com/works/bike-let-loose  

Until next time!
-Shelbie Wahl-Fouts

Dr. Shelbie Wahl-Fouts is associate professor of music, Director of Choral Activities, and music department chair at Hollins University, a women’s college in Roanoke, Virginia.
Email:
Bio:     https://www.hollins.edu/directory/shelbie-wahl-fouts/

For a listing of all current and past blog entries by this author, click here.
For a spreadsheet of all blog posts and their repertoire, click here.

Some source material for this week’s blog post was taken from my doctoral dissertation, “By Women, For Women: Choral Works for Women’s Voices Composed and Texted by Women.” https://tinyurl.com/ydeyuyk8

One from the Folder: Repertoire Thoughts for Women’s/Treble Choirs

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#58: Friday, February 7, 2020
“Fierce, Feisty, and Fast: Engaging and Energetic Repertoire for Women’s Treble Choirs”
(OMEA Conference Materials)

At the end of January, I was a guest presenter at the Ohio Music Educators Association conference, in Cincinnati. In this blog post, you’ll find the links to my presentation handouts and notes. Enjoy!

The handout for my session included a number of resources:

• Notes on the process of searching for repertoire
• Repertoire List I – Feisty, Fierce, Fast – 53 titles, with brief notes on each
• Repertoire List II – 27 additional selections to consider – with brief notes on each
• Repertoire List III – 57 more selections to consider – with only titles, no notes
• Current list of ACDA ChoralNet Repertoire blogs, by the presenter
• Detailed Notes on 3 Reading Session selections

Rep List II and III are primarily material from my ACDA conference presentation in 2019 (which was also posted here), while Rep List I was put together newly for this session.

The three reading sessions selections were:
–The Road Not Taken (Michael Bussewitz-Quarm, MBQ Studios)
–She Tore A Map (Timothy Takach, Graphite Publishing)
–The Bike Let Loose (Edie Hill, Hummingbird Press)

The first two selections, by Michael and Tim, have already been the subject of past blog posts. Edie’s work will be the focus of March’s blog. Additionally, the OMEA handout includes a cover page for each of the three, with checklists about included skills, terms, rhythms, solfege, compositional styles, and other pedagogical notes. For copyright purposes, I am not posting the sheet music here from the three reading sessions selections, but I encourage you to visit each composer’s online presence for scores and recordings.

Session Handout:
https://1drv.ms/b/s!AvuXALZxsMj793ToOESFkOb1He_U?e=hQMYg3

Blank “Checklist” Cover page (Word)
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AvuXALZxsMj790S1x_DIqqss245X?e=hebFOd

————

Until next time!
-Shelbie Wahl-Fouts

Dr. Shelbie Wahl-Fouts is associate professor of music, Director of Choral Activities, and music department chair at Hollins University, a women’s college in Roanoke, Virginia.
Email:
Bio: https://www.hollins.edu/directory/shelbie-wahl-fouts/

For a listing of all current and past blog entries by this author, click here.
For a spreadsheet of all blog posts and their repertoire, click here.

One from the Folder: Repertoire Thoughts for Women’s/Treble Choirs

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#57: Friday, December 6, 2019

Christmas and Holiday concert and caroling ideas, for SA, SSA, and easier SSAA

We all have our Christmas and holiday rep solidified for this year already, as our concerts are likely in the next week or two. But, while its fresh in my mind, this seemed the perfect time to put a few titles together, for when holiday concert planning is upon us next year. Generally speaking, these are possibilities for SA, SSA, and easier SSAA – selections well-suited to a larger intermediate ensemble, or a smaller advanced ensemble. This is by no means a comprehensive list of options! But I hope this gives you a place to start from, when thinking about next year’s Christmastime performances.

Some of the selections I have mentioned in full blog posts previously, and have linked below.
Best wishes in this busy concert season!

Alleluia
Donald Kendrick
Santa Barbara Music Publishing
SSA, a cappella

Not Christmas- or holiday-specific, but could be a good multi-use piece. Homophonic three-part. Comfortable ranges. All diatonic, can be taught/learned on solfege. Rhythms primarily quarter/eighth, with some borrowed triplets. Ample opportunity for shaping.

Alleluia Rejoice!
Arr. J. E. Hughes
Santa Barbara Music Publishing
SA, a cappella, with some handbells

Quick read. An excellent last minute addition, as it is fast to put together. Two parts – one singing Hodie Christus Natus est and one singing O Come O Come Emmanuel. Big presentational possibilities. One choir in front, one in back; or processional; or surrounding the audience. Great opportunity to explore your space. Handbells are used sparingly for pitch support and effect – not a separate line of music. Can be played by members of the choir.

https://choralnet.org/2018/07/one-from-the-folder-weekly-repertoire-thoughts-for-womens-treble-choirs-18/

Come Adore the Infant Holy
Arr. Nancy Grundahl
Alliance
SSA, a cappella

This carol arrangement has a relatively simple harmonic structure, but is a beautiful and warm. A lovely addition to a candlelight concert or service.

Gaudete!
Michael Engelhardt
Walton
SSA, percussion

This one is definitely not quiet! High energy. Driving. Needs strong percussionists, clean rhythm, and crisp diction. Perfect up-tempo option to shake up a concert!

Hodie Christus Natus Est
Agneta Skold
Walton
SSAA, a cappella

This one is SSAA, but infinitely solfege-able. And you can lean heavily on a soloist for the opening. 4 parts, but homophonic. Can likely be put together quickly depending on singers’ reading level. Some chant sections, which provide a great opportunity to work on text-focused stress and phrasing, instead of beat-focused.

https://choralnet.org/2018/08/one-from-the-folder-weekly-repertoire-thoughts-for-womens-treble-choirs-24/

In dulci Jubilo
arr. Vicki Courtney
Carl Fisher
SSA (also as SA)

Text setting interweaves Latin and English text. 6/8, homophonic 3-part, plus triangle. Nearly all diatonic, can be learned on solfege. Motivic melodic and rhythmic patterns. Great option for a larger intermediate ensemble that wants to branch out into 3-parts, but isn’t ready yet for polyphony.

Le Sommeil de l’Enfant Jésus
Ron Jeffers
earthsongs
SSA, a cappella

French carol. Beautiful light setting in minor – good opportunity for introducing or reinforcing minor-key solfege. Easy rhythms. Strophic, so it is quick to learn. Solo option in the middle makes it even quicker to learn. Could be a lovely trio or small group option.

https://choralnet.org/2018/07/one-from-the-folder-weekly-repertoire-thoughts-for-womens-treble-choirs-19/

“Magnificat” from The Nativity According to St Luke
Thompson, arr Seitz
ECS
SSA, organ

The organ part is harmonically supportive, but not overbearing to a smaller ensemble. The middle section is a solo, which cuts down on material to learn in rehearsal. Lovely chance to feature a strong soprano soloist.

Riu Riu Chiu
Arr. Erica Phare-Bergh
Cypress
SA, recorder, hand drum

Light, easy version of the familiar tune. Only 2-part voice, so a nice option for a less-experienced group. Recorder (or flute or oboe) and hand drum add variety and energy.

https://choralnet.org/2018/04/one-from-the-folder-weekly-repertoire-thoughts-for-womens-treble-choirs-6/

 

The Snow
Elgar
SSA, piano and 2 violins

Not specifically sacred or Christmas, but definitely winter. Long beautiful lush lines. Need two violinists with good intonation and rhythm skills, but could definitely be possible with strong student performers.

The next four are from Paul Carey’s “Carols for Women’s Choirs” book – if you aren’t familiar with this book, grab a copy!  It is a veritable fount of Christmas repertoire for SSA, as well as more challenging SSAA. Plenty more options in his book besides these four, but these are some quality options that are less difficult:

Personent Hodie
SSA, with 2 flutes

Quelle cette est odeur agréable?
SSA, a cappella

Es ist ein Ros entsprungen
SSA, w cello

The angel Gabriel from Heaven came
SA (with some div), 2 flutes

Holiday Caroling Sets – all a cappella – SSA and SSAA

A Caroling We Go – SSA, arr. Linda Spevacek. Heritage Music Press.

10 Carols, all with added endings and/or beginnings. Super-quick to learn, almost sight-readable, for advanced groups. Or a good first foray into a cappella caroling, for an intermediate ensemble.

Joy! A Carol Collection – SSA, arr. Jay Althouse. Alfred.

20 Christmas carols. Fairly traditional voicings, with some chromatics or added harmonies. Good option for your group that wants to try something more difficult than the Spevacek above, but isn’t yet ready for the Rouse or Weir below.

 

Three Jazzy Bell Carols – SSAA, arr. Jay Rouse. Shawnee.

As advertised, all are jazzy settings of familiar tunes. Ding Dong Merrily on High – multiple key changes. Jingle Bells – slow and stylized. Jazzy Bells – scat version of Carol of the Bells. All tricky, but loved by singers and audience alike.

A Holiday Jazz Trio – SSAA, arr. Michelle Weir. Alfred.

Let It Snow, I’ll Be Home for Christmas, and Jingle Bell Rock. Not a quick read. 4 part tight jazz harmonies, with some tricky spots, especially for S2 and A1 internal chromatics. But well worth the effort. Perfect for your advanced group, or really excellent quartets/octets.

 

A Christmas Jazz Trio – SSAA, arr. Michelle Weir. Alfred.

Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, O Christmas Tree, and Winter Wonderland. Not a quick read. 4 part tight jazz harmonies, with some tricky spots, especially for S2 and A1 internal chromatics. But well worth the effort. Perfect for your advanced group, or really excellent quartets/octets.

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Until next time!
-Shelbie Wahl-Fouts

Dr. Shelbie Wahl-Fouts is associate professor of music, Director of Choral Activities, and music department chair at Hollins University, a women’s college in Roanoke, Virginia.
Email:
Bio: https://www.hollins.edu/directory/shelbie-wahl-fouts/

For a listing of all current and past blog entries by this author, click here.
For a spreadsheet of all blog posts and their repertoire, click here.

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