Treble Choirs

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

September 6, 2019 by Shelbie L. Wahl-Fouts Leave a Comment

#54: Friday, September 6, 2019

“A Pavane for the Nursery” by Steven Sametz
Text by William Jay Smith
SSAA, a cappella

I have a 16-month-old son. I will fully admit that my brain has been drawn to “children’s music” this summer, be that music for children, to children, about children, or meant to be enjoyed by children. Given that, the title of Steven Sametz’ piece, based on the title of Smith’s poem, caught my attention as I was on the lookout for repertoire.

The text for this piece is a beautiful 1954 poem by U.S. poet Laureate William Jay Smith, which speaks of unending, undying, unceasing love. While the text is frequently used at weddings, the author’s alternate title “A Pavane for the Nursery” reminds us that it is equally appropriate as a love poem from parent to child. I could absolutely see myself saying the words to my sleeping child at he lays in my arms, and, in fact, did just that this evening as I was working on this blog.

Smith’s text has been set by a host of composers and performers – from Ned Rorem to folk artist Peter Mayer, plus numerous choral settings as well. Of these, Steven Sametz’ setting really stood out to me. It has a simple tuneful melodic structure, which fits with the strophic nature of the poem. The a cappella writing is unadorned and yet still intricate enough to command interest from the singers and audience.

The song opens in a flowing G major, and stays there for the first 16 bars. If your ensemble is reading on solfege, there is one si and one te – otherwise all diatonic pitches. And the rhythms are quarter notes/eighth notes – well within the grasp of an intermediate or stronger group of readers. Ranges are compact as well – no larger than an octave and a third.

After the initial 16 measures, the key moves from G to E major, where there are some small imitative moments and a few more accidentals. Then G major returns, along with the initial harmonic and melodic material, to form a nice ABA’.

This work is a perfect selection for when you need an easily readable-learnable song, that still captivates with beauty and nuance. It is something I know my singers can read without a lot of extra rehearsal time, but I also know they will enjoy the flowing phrasing and the lyrical structure.

Beyond the wonderful harmony, the dynamics are another excellent feature of the song. Never louder than mp, your ensemble will have ample opportunity explore the nuances of pp, p, and mp.

As I sit here watching my sleeping son, I am reminded of the beauty and the joy that comes from unconditional love. Sametz’ music and Smith’s text together put that feeling into existence as a song, and I couldn’t be more pleased for my singers to start working on it this fall.

Title:	A Pavane for the Nursery (Now Touch the Air Softly)
Composer:	Steven Sametz (http://stevensametz.com/composer)
Date of Composition:	2013
Text title:	Now Touch the Air Softly
Author:	William Jay Smith (1918-2015)
Date of Text:	1954
Subject(s), Genre:	Love, children, families, significant others
Language:	English
Listed Voicing:	SSAA
Voicing Details:	SSAA, no divisi
Ranges:	S1: E4-G5 S2: C#4-E5 A1: B3-D5 A2: G3-B4
Accompaniment:	A cappella
Duration:	~2:30
Tempo:	58, Moderato
Commissioning Ensemble:	Texas Lutheran University Women’s Choir; Dr. Douglas R. Boyer, conductor
Publisher:	Steven Sametz Publications, distributed by NoteNova

Further descriptions and details, including program notes, audio, perusal score, and purchasing:
– http://notenova.com/catalog/work/a-pavane-for-the-nursery/
– http://stevensametz.com/composer/works/info/pavane-for-the-nursery/

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

August 2, 2019 by Shelbie L. Wahl-Fouts Leave a Comment

#53: Friday, August 2, 2019

“Gamaya” by Paul John Rudoi
Text from Vedic Sanskrit
SA round, opt. percussion

Scene: It is mid-summer, and you’re looking for repertoire for the coming fall. Trying to cover all the educational and performative aspects we do when programming, while also putting together an interesting and engaging concert. Holiday, Spring, Festival, and other concerts are done. But what about that first concert of the year?

The first concert is always tricky—picking repertoire when you aren’t yet sure of the ability levels or numbers in your groups, when you haven’t even met them all yet and don’t know how fast they’ll learn new material. For me, I know that rounds, canons, and similar build-upon-themselves songs are my go-to for the start of the year rehearsals.

Rounds and the like get everyone singing immediately – even if I haven’t been able to audition all my students yet, or haven’t finalized the ensemble rosters yet, or have people moving in and out during drop/add week. I can get everyone involved from the very first moment of the very first rehearsal, no matter their previous choir experience or sight-reading ability.

However, trying to find rounds that can move from rehearsal space to concert stage can be frustrating. Not all rounds have a good flow as a full performance piece. Many don’t sound “finished” at the end…they just fade out until the last group is done. They can make for great growth in rehearsal, but then you sometimes lose that momentum when you transition to concert music.

Gamaya, by Paul John Rudoi, was a welcome find this summer when working on my 2019-20 repertoire. The main material is 15 measures, so I can absolutely teach it during my first rehearsal. Rhythms are likely readable, even for beginners. Then it can evolve and expand in subsequent rehearsals, until we are working on the piece as written.

There are layers of nuance in Rudoi’s song too, with dynamics and shaping to add in as the material becomes comfortable. I love the tension and release throughout the piece, even in the beginning round. You don’t always find this in traditional good-for-warmups rounds.

The range is limited and the melody tuneful, without feeling simple. There is a lyricism that even the newest of beginners can grab on to, and yet there is also a depth and complexity that can spark interest in the seasoned veteran.

Additionally, the text is a great start-of-year sentiment about peace and truth:

asato mā sad gamaya,
tamaso mā jyotir gamaya,
mṛtyor mā’mṛtaṃ gamaya,
oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ.

From untruth lead me to Truth.
From darkness lead me to Light.
From death lead me to Immortality.
Om Peace, Peace, Peace.
– Brhadaranyaka Upanishad, I.iii.28

On Graphite Publishing’s site, there are numerous tools to help in furthering your ensemble’s growth: translations, a note from the composer, and a video with performance notes. IPA is given on the score.

I am thankful to have found this wonderful round, and look forward to using it in both rehearsal and performance first thing this fall term.

As always, if you have thoughts or questions about women’s/treble repertoire, please reach out to me at the contact info below. Best wishes for start of the year everyone!

Title:	Gamaya
Composer:	Rudoi, Paul John https://www.graphitepublishing.com/composer/paul-john-rudoi/
Date of Composition:	2017
Text Source:	Vedic texts
Subject(s), Genre:	Peace, truth, journey
Language:	Sanskrit
Listed Voicing:	SA
Voicing Details:	Unison and SA, but there are notes in the score for some 3 part canon
Ranges:	All: Eb4-Eb5
Accompaniment:	hand drum
Duration:	~3:30
Tempo:	88, Andante
Commissioning Ensemble:	Commissioned in collaboration with Graphite Publishing by the 2015-2016 Hopkins High School Choral Program, Philip Brown, conductor.
Publisher:	Graphite Publishing

Further descriptions and details, including program notes, audio, perusal score, and purchasing:
https://www.graphitepublishing.com/product/gamaya-equal-voices/

Until next time!
-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

July 5, 2019 by Shelbie L. Wahl-Fouts Leave a Comment

#52: Friday, July 5, 2019

Commissioning Consortiums

Commissioning a new piece of music is a wonderful way to participate in the life cycle of our choral art. This endeavor directly supports composers, and it furthers the expansion of our current field of repertoire. One way to commission new works is to be a part of a commissioning consortium.

A commissioning consortium is where multiple schools, choirs, or groups buy-in to a larger project. Every commissioning consortium is a little bit different, but here are some things to know:

Generally, you pay a preset fee, and get a PDF of the music when it is finished, along with the rights to make as many copies as you need for your ensemble. In a consortium, you lose the exclusivity that you would have by directly commissioning a piece only for your own ensemble, but the price tag is much smaller, since you are sharing it amongst many groups.

Sometimes there are levels of participation. For example, a “major” contributor may be $500, while a “participating” contributor may be $250. Each level receives the same music in the end, but the higher level of participation might come with a Skype session with the composer, or “commissioned by” naming rights for one movement of a multi-movement piece.

There are two general types of commissioning consortiums. The first kind of consortium is usually driven an event or a conductor/coordinator. This might be a conference or festival event, or may be a conductor who sees the need for a particular kind of piece and wants to make it a reality. Often these consortiums are geared towards a certain level of skill or size of group. There may be one whose texts are geared for middle school choirs, or one that would fit intermediate-level ensembles of all ages, or one ideal for advanced groups with heavy divisi.

In the fall of 2019, North Carolina ACDA put together a commissioning consortium for a multi-movement work for women’s/treble voices. This was spearheaded by Nana Wolfe-Hill at Wingate University, and included colleges and schools from all over North Carolina, along with some from Virginia. Composer Linda Tutas Haugen was commissioned to create this work. The premiere of this work happened during the fall 2019 North Carolina ACDA conference.

Currently, mirabai, a professional women’s choir led by Dr. Sandra Snow, and mirabai member Dr. Meredith Bowen of Radford University are currently working on a commissioning consortium for women’s/treble voices with composer Andrea Clearfield. This is a multi-movement, multi-year project. mirabai will have first recording rights, and the first performance of each piece will be with the National Concerts series at Carnegie Hall, conducted by Dr. Snow. All other groups who are part of the consortium will have the right to perform the work after the premiere has been made. My Hollins Choirs are planning to be a part of this project.

The ACDA Women’s Choir Consortium has been supporting the music for women’s/treble choirs for over a decade. A list of the exceptional composers and their past compositions can be found here.

Groups of all levels have participated in these consortiums, from middle school to high school to colleges to churches to community and adult ensembles. The pieces are often premiered at ACDA regional or national conferences, and then are available for performance by participating ensembles shortly thereafter.

To find out about these and other commissioning consortiums led by individual conductors or conference groups, reach out to your state and regional ACDA and NAfME/MEA leaders. They will often have information about these sorts of opportunities to share.

The second kind of connection and consortium is composer-driven. This is often where a composer, or a composer and poet, have an idea for a piece and then look for participating ensembles to join the endeavor. In the past, these opportunities have perhaps been more difficult to identify, as the composers themselves were doing both the creating and the coordinating, whereas consortiums run by events or organizations have a separate administrator or organizer to make the legwork go faster. With the advent of facebook, online forums, composer-driven publishing companies, and composer websites, these composer-driven consortiums are much more readily available.

Graphite Publishing, a composer-driven publishing company, has coordinated multiple consortiums over the years. She Tore A Map, by Timothy Takach, (blog post #22), was commissioned by the Graphite Publishing 2015-16 Women’s Choir Commissioning Consortium, a group of twelve ensembles, ranging from middle school and high school to college.

Individual composers may also run their own consortiums. Michael Bussewitz-Quarm is currently leading a few for his compositions, including The Radium Girl project, about the young women who toiled painting glow in the dark watch faces and eventually suffered or died from radium exposure. My choirs at Hollins are planning to be a part of this endeavor as well.

You can often find out about these composer-driven projects by publicity from the composers themselves, including their web presence, and forum posts. The recently-released website Consortio is another way for composers to publicize these types of opportunities to potential choirs. You can search by composer, voicing, topic, cost, etc.

Another side benefit to being in a consortium is the connection with like-minded or like-skilled groups. For the NC-ACDA commission, with composer Linda Tutas Haugen, there were three Virginia colleges that joined – Hollins, Longwood University, and Radford University. Because our three schools all had access to the music, we were able to have a Virginia premiere after the North Carolina one. Our three schools gathered and had a joint concert, including performances by each individual school as well as the combined work. It was a great shared experience for our students.

As you are planning your repertoire for a future season or school year, I would encourage you to search for consortium opportunities – either conference- or association-led, or composer-led. Consortiums are an exceptional chance to be directly involved in the creation of new music, and to be an active participant in the continuing evolution of our choral art. Join a group – you and your ensemble will not regret it!

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

June 7, 2019 by Shelbie L. Wahl-Fouts Leave a Comment

#51: Friday, June 07, 2019

“Crossing the Bar” by Gwyneth Walker
Text by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
SSAA, piano or orchestra

Many of you are likely familiar with the work of iconic American composer Gwyneth Walker, and likely have even heard this particular selection – as vocal solo, SATB, SSAA, or TTBB. However, the piece was such a resounding success on my spring choral-orchestral concert this year, I can’t help but share it!

Crossing the Bar
Text by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892)

Sunset and evening star,
and one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
when I put out to sea.
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep,
turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell
and after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell
when I embark;
For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place
the flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my pilot face to face
when I have crossed the bar.

Gwyneth Walker has been a mainstay of American composers for decades – with hundreds of works for instrumental and vocal solo, chamber, and ensemble configurations. This particular piece was originally written as a soprano solo, for the memorial service of Walker’s mother in 2000. Walker then arranged it for TTBB choir in 2003, as part of a larger group of Tennyson poems for the Orpheus Male Chorus.

Now the third movement in a set of three for TTBB, Walker continued to adapt this specific movement for SSAA and SATB ensembles as well. I am often wary of programming works for SSAA voices that were originally for other voicings, as transcriptions or adaptations do not always fall well, or may have a challenging tessitura. However, Walker is well acquainted with composing for women’s/treble voices, especially community women’s choirs, and this selection is no exception.

This piece had been in my “to do” pile for a while, but I hadn’t yet found the right concert. This spring though, my college choirs at Hollins University collaborated with the community Valley Chamber Orchestra for which I am also musical director. This selection, with Walker’s chamber orchestra accompaniment, was a perfect fit.

As a side note for anyone programing for choir+orchestra—there are two families of choral-orchestral rep: 1) choir and orchestra are equal partners, and the writing is idomatic and musical for the instruments (particular strings), or 2) the choir is the focus, with the orchestra or instrumental ensemble just supporting the choir. Both families of works can be strong for the choir, but orchestra members certainly will find the latter type less appealing. Especially if your orchestra or instrumental group is a standalone community or school entity (not just an adhoc group only intended to serve as accompaniment) make sure to look for rep in the first category, where the orchestra feels like an equal part of the team.

Generally, if the composer also has written frequently for instruments-without-voices (solos, chamber, orchestra, etc), their choral-orchestral writing is successful as well. Because Walker is equally well-versed at composing for instruments and ensembles of all types, the orchestra in my case was very pleased to be working on this particular selection. We rounded out the combined portion of the concert with music by Holst, Dickau, and Verdi. (See blog weeks #48-50 for information on the Holst.)

Waller’s piece begins in unison for the choir, and stays primarily homophonic throughout. In C major with minimal accidentals, and 4/4 simple meter with limited rhythmic complexity, this will be a quick read for many ensembles. For groups with less confident readers, or those just starting out with solfege and rhythmic reading, this could be a great piece to directly utilize beginning literacy in real repertoire.

The unison opening is smooth and flowing, with plenty of opportunity for work on breathing/phrasing and phrase shaping. After the unison beginning, the choral writing morphs into SSA, with lovely, triadic harmony. Walker treats the opening stanza of Tennyson’s poem as the refrain, so it returns, in harmony, throughout the composition.

Beginning with the third of Tennyson’s stanzas (“Twilight…”), the chorus switches to an SSAA voicing, with the entrances switching back and forth between sopranos-in-vertical-harmony and altos-in-vertical-harmony. Each of these entrances, and almost all of the pitches, are covered in the orchestration as well, so an ensemble less practiced in splitting into that many parts will still be well supported.

The piece then comes back to a very strongly consonant homophony, before splitting back into Ss vs. As. This split section, at rehearsal letter H, is a great opportunity for clarity of diction, and encouraging responsibility on the part of the singers. The text is “face to face” – and is echoed back and forth for multiple measures. The starting [f] sound, and the closing [s] can be a mess if not lined up properly. But, being that the rhythms are entirely quarter notes and half notes, can easily be accomplished successfully by any ensemble.

The songs builds to a close with Tennyson’s last two lines, hitting a glorious ff passage about 14 measures before the end. It stays strong and lush and full of energy for the next 10 measures, with lovely suspensions and resolving dissonances. [Note: depending on the size of your chorus and your orchestra, this will be the spot where balance is most difficult between the two.] As the piece comes to close, it slowly melts away to p, as the orchestra lightly plays different inversions of C major, climbing upward. With the final “across the bar”, the work ends on a light, sweet, poignant C major chord.

As a choir and piano piece, or a choir-orchestra collaboration, this piece deserves a spot in your repertoire. It was a resounding favorite among my college singers and community orchestra alike, and provided a wonderful opportunity for depth of musicality while still being accessible for many levels of performers.

Title:	Crossing the Bar
Composer:	Gwyneth Walker (b.1947) https://www.gwynethwalker.com
Date of Composition:	2003
Author:	Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892)
Date of Text:	1889
Subject(s), Genre:	Death, Life, Memorial, Journeys
Language:	English
Listed Voicing:	SSAA
Voicing Details:	Unison, SA, SSA, SSAA
Ranges:	S1: C4-A5 S2: C4-G5 A1: B3-D5 A2: G3-C5
Accompaniment:	Piano, or orchestra
Duration:	~3:30
Tempo:	100-112
Publisher:	EC Schirmer

Further descriptions and details, including program notes, audio, perusal score, and purchasing:

— https://ecspublishing.com/catalog/product/view/sku/6377*
— https://www.gwynethwalker.com/lovewas.html

**Note when purchasing: Because there are multiple voicings of this work, the TTBB version of which is part of a larger set, the work can occasionally be tricky to locate when purchasing. I have most often seen it listed as just “Crossing the Bar,” but it also has appeared as Love Was My Lord and King!, mvt 3. Especially if you are searching for the brass quartet parts or orchestra accompaniment and are having trouble, be sure to search by the full title.

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

May 24, 2019 by Shelbie L. Wahl-Fouts Leave a Comment

#50: Friday, May 24, 2019

“Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Op.26, Group II” by Gustav Holst
Movement 3
Text by Holst, from Sanskrit sources
SSA w div, piano or orchestra

(continued from #48 Friday, April 26 & #49 Friday, May 17)

This blog is in three parts – the first part (April 26) was intro material about this full selection, and details about the first movement. The second week (May 17) covered Movement 2. This entry reviews Movement 3. Be sure to read all three!

The text of the 3rd movement is as follows:

III. Funeral Chant

To those for whom the meath is poured,
For whom the holy wine doth flow,
May he go forth!

Yea unto them whose fiery zeal
Hath burned a path to paradise,
May he go forth!

To those the heroes of the fight,
Whose lives were giv’n as sacrifice,
May he go forth!

Unto the faithful of the Law,
Whose joy doth yield increase of truth,
May he go forth!

To those whose souls are born of fire,
The poets of a thousand songs,
The Holy ones who guard the sun,
Unto the Fathers,
May he go forth!

In contrast to Holst’s bombastic Agni/Fire movement preceding, this third movement of Holst’s is slow, smooth, and calm. Titled “Funeral Chant,” it begins unaccompanied, with all Altos presenting the funeral theme.

Intonation and timbre can be tricky in that first phrase, especially if they are literally catching their breath from the previous movement. Your altos were singing near the top of the treble staff, at ff, for some of the previous movement and now are supposed to enter an octave lower, or more, with a warm rounded tone. It will take practice to make a smooth transition.

The orchestra (woodwinds, harp) enters at the end of the first choir phrase – on the same pitch as the choir. Be aware – if choir intonation has gone astray, there is no place to hide.

Speaking of orchestra, the instrumentation of the ensemble changes here from previous movements, favoring woodwinds, strings, harp, and organ pedal (or keyboard/synth or contrabassoon). The result is ethereal in nature and often lacking in rhythm, except for arpeggios in the harp. The choir absolutely needs to be able to keep its own counsel with regard to steady, consistent pulse.

After the initial motivic presentation by the altos, the choir moves from the three-part SSA of previous movements to SA/SA/SA. Essentially, there are three groups, of two-parts each (marked Treble and Alto). For the next ~30 measures, all Treble parts are the same, and all Alto parts are the same, just staggered in entrance. It is a canon, writ large.

Learning the parts for this section can be a snap – put all the Altos on one side of the room and all the Trebles on the other. Start the three choirs at the same time. You’ll end up with two-parts instead of six, and strength in numbers. The motives are repetitive and easily grasped. However, make absolutely sure everyone understands the counting and pulse in 3/2.

While the note-learning part is a breeze, splitting back up into three choirs can be a challenge. In my experience, students latch on to the pitches easily, but once one group misses an entrance or jumps ahead too quickly, the stability of the group takes a dive quickly.

Part of what makes this section difficult, besides the 3/2 meter, is the accompaniment. Or, rather, the lack thereof. The orchestration consists entirely of long pedal tones in the lower strings. There is no metric structure whatsoever, and no choral assistance either (except for the pedal tone).

For the choir – counting is key. For the conductor – cues for entrances are paramount. It took us one rehearsal to learn the pitches associated with the treble/alto lines, but weeks to have each choir feel comfortable with their own metric responsibility as part of the whole. Plan accordingly, depending on the strengths of your groups.

When all three mini choirs and the pedal tones are combined, the result is a haunting, layered, wave of sound. This section can be unexpectedly beautiful, especially if you are in a performance hall with reverb or delay.

This alto opening, and subsequent three-choir canon, covers the first four verses of the text. Each segment ends with “May he go forth.”

The SA/SA/SA canon then takes a pause for 7 measures, and becomes true 6 part SSSAAA. Each part has unique challenges to the tonal line – tritones, large leaps, plentiful accidentals, limited orchestral support, etc. When put together, the contrast of this stacked 6-part homophony, to the three-choir canon that has been heard thus far, is striking.

Be sure to look at these measures (m37-43) before dividing your choir down the middle for S/A parts in the first section. Ranges in these seven measures vary.

Group 1 Sop is the highest of the 6 voices, while Group 1 Alto is the lowest (A3, ostensibly). You’ll need to make sure your highest and lowest voices respectively are part of Group 1, in order to make this section work well. Group 2 is essentially S2 & S3, while Group 3 is A1 & A2.

Planning your part-assignments based on the range needs of these few measures and the leadership needs of the canon will help a great deal overall.

Holst closes the movement, and the overall work, with a return to the three-choir canon and pppp rising chords in the upper strings. All in all, it is an unexpected ending compared to the rhythmicity, volume, and tonal saturation of earlier movements. Once the final chords hit though, savor the reverence in the performance space. All the work will be worth it!

Title:	Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Group II
Composer:	Gustav Holst
Date of Composition:	1909-1911
Author:	Holst, from Sanskrit Vedic hymns
Language:	English
Listed Voicing:	SSA
Voicing Details:	SSA with divisi up to 6 parts
Ranges:	Vary greatly by movement. Highest Sopranos need C6. Lowest Altos need G3.
Accompaniment:	Piano, or orchestra
Duration:	~12 minutes, for all three movements
Tempo:	I: 48, 66 II: 200 III: 56
Dedication:	To Edward Mason and his Choir
Publisher:	Galaxy Music (a division of ECS)

Further descriptions and details, including program notes, audio, perusal score, and purchasing:
—https://imslp.org/wiki/Choral_Hymns_from_the_Rig_Veda%2C_Op.26_(Holst%2C_Gustav)
—https://www.canticledistributing.com/choral-hymns-from-the-rig-veda-group-96.html
—https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIv01AcTt4A

Until next time!
-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

May 17, 2019 by Shelbie L. Wahl-Fouts Leave a Comment

#49: Friday, May 17, 2019

“Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Op.26, Group II” by Gustav Holst
Movement 2
Text by Holst, from Sanskrit sources
SSA w div, piano or orchestra

(continued from #48, Friday, April 26)

This blog is in three parts – the first part (April 26) was intro material about this full selection, and details about the first movement. This week is Movement 2. My next entry will be Movement 3. Be sure to read all three!

The text of the 2nd movement is as follows:

II. To Agni (God of Fire)

Burn up our sin fierce flaming Agni,
Thou with thy face that shineth brightly,
Flame for us O Agni, flame!
Grant unto those that call upon thee,
That we may live on in our children,
Praising thee forever.
Flame for us O Agni!
Thy glowing tongues of flame leap upward
Reaching the heavens, ever victorious,
Thy face doth gleam on ev’ry side.
Thou art triumphant ev’rywhere.
Over the raging sea of foemen
As in a boat O bear us onward,
Flame for us O Agni!

“To Agni” is a tour-de-force of rhythm and energy – and an exceptional exercise in counting! It is written in 5/4, but the asymmetrical division of 5 is not constant – Holst goes back and forth between 3+2 and 2+3. (As a side note, I also used this as a teaching example in my Conducting class this term, for asymmetrical meter. It was a universally loathed example to start with (ha!), but once they got it, they felt quite proud of themselves, and rightly so!)

The score begins with a note: “In the following hymn, the bars are divided into 3 beats followed by 2 and 2 followed by 3 alternating with few exceptions. The figure at the beginning of each bar denotes which of the two comes first.”

You can see this note, and the measure divisions and markers, in the opening excerpt below.

There are dotted lines that mark measures as 3+2 or 2+3. And a “3” or a “2” at the start of each measure to help as well. For the most part, the music goes back and forth between the two systematically….until it doesn’t.

Just when you feel like you, the chorus, and the pianist or orchestra have it down pat, Holst changes things up, In particular, there are a few sequences of multiple 3+2 measures. [m19, among others]

To make it slightly more complex, the piece is marked at MM=200, so it is fast. We aren’t talking broad, legato asymmetrical patterns with 5 distinct beats (1-2, 3-4-5 or 1-2-3, 4-5), we are talking a lop-sided “2” pattern that changes measure by measure (1& 2&a or 1&a 2&). As simply an exercise in conducting, it is great practice. Teaching it to singers or orchestra members who may not be as familiar with asymmetrical meters (or at least not as familiar with constantly shifting asymmetrical meters) will definitely require some rhythmic legwork.

There is something to be said for not overthinking this movement. Once your performers have the notion of the 3+2/2+3, my advice would be to not overdo the mathematical approach. Feel it, physicalize it, have them conduct it. Try to live the asymmetrical feeling, instead of only counting it. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not advocating a sloppy rendering of the music. But the movement needs energy too. An over-focus on the math will sap some of the inherent drive. Finding a good rehearsal balance between the feel and the math is tricky, but likely will serve the music best in the end.

After you solidify the meter, the first 18 measures of the piece are fairly straightforward. There are two contrasting lines (as seen in the example above). The eighth/quarter pattern (RH in the piano reduction) starts in the oboe, clarinet, tambourine, violins, and viola. The stepwise melodic line is found in the choir, as well as the 1st horn, 1st trumpet, and cello. Instrumentation may change, but that is the general orchestral support. The choir is homophonic, and almost entirely in unison as well, with occasional vertical harmony.

At m19 (after roman numeral I), we encounter the first “all 3+2” section. This is the first imitative moment for the voices. Each choral part enters with a near* identical motive, staggered by one measure. The entrances are supported by oboe and clarinet (LH of the piano reduction), while the eighth-quarter pattern is continued in other instruments as before. (*Alto may need extra practice at m22, as their line differs here from the S1 and S2 entrances that precede it.)

On m34 (after roman numeral II), we come to what is certainly the most tricky section of the piece. Instead of two distinct musical lines, as we’ve had so far, there are now multiple distinct lines. And not all are in the same metrical feel.

1) eighth/quarter pattern, that continues off and on (RH of reduction, m34-35) OR
2) triplets from the upper strings (RH of reduction, m36-37)
AND
3) straight quarter notes in a repeated 5-note stepwise gesture (usually bassoon, cello, and bass–LH of reduction, m34-35) OR
4) dotted quarter+eighth pattern, which include hemiola and ties over the barline (LH of reduction, m36-37)
AND
5) homophonic choral line made up of mostly-but-not-entirely half notes, which would arguably do better written/conducted in 2 or 4, instead of 5. There is significant hemiola and obscuring of the barline.

This is one of those places that counting is absolutely imperative for your singers. The instrumentalists will likely find their groove, but singing the choral parts here is a bit like being tossed feet-first into a double-dutch jumprope game, without any warning or prep. At least for my singers, rehearsing on their own was fine, but once they heard the driving rhythmic 5/4 nature of the other parts, it was very difficult to keep their own 2/4-esque phrases on target. These passages, by far, took the most rehearsal time of the whole movement when combining choir and orchestra together.

At III, the movement returns to earlier styles, as in m1 and m19. Change of text or instrumentation, but similar motives/lines.

Roman numeral IV is the last push to the end, and what a push it is. It starts at fff, and only gets bigger from there. The instrumental motives and melody fragments are similar to m31-37 #1-2-3-4 listed above, while the choral parts are more like the beginning (unison or close). However, the bass line listed above as #3–straight quarter notes, is now half notes (m67-68), borrowing the hemiola concepts from the choral lines earlier. And then just when that feels established, it changes to quarter notes again (m75). With the strength of the bassoon, trombone, tuba, cello, and bass, the final ascending quarter note passage is a giant wall of sound.

With the quarter note bass line coupled with the quarter-eighth pattern and the dotted-eighth/quarter pattern, and an accelerando, the movement snowballs hugely to the finish. After counting rests for a few measures and hoping to jump in at the correct time, the choir enters with a barn-burner of a final chord – the biggest, loudest, longest, highest C major they can muster. (i.e. If you have S1s who love their high notes, this is not the time to hold them back!)

All in all, this is a short movement, but a powerful one. The text is about Agni, the god of fire: fire & flame, victory & triumph. Holst’s musical setting does not disappoint. Prepare for the metrical challenges, but support the musical ideas with unbridled energy and drive. Bring your fire and the music will too.

To be continued in my next entry, focusing on movement 3.

Title:	Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Group II
Composer:	Gustav Holst
Date of Composition:	1909-1911
Author:	Holst, from Sanskrit Vedic hymns
Language:	English
Listed Voicing:	SSA
Voicing Details:	SSA with divisi up to 6 parts
Ranges:	Vary greatly by movement. Highest Sopranos need C6. Lowest Altos need G3.
Accompaniment:	Piano, or orchestra
Duration:	~12 minutes, for all three movements
Tempo:	I: 48, 66 II: 200 III: 56
Dedication:	To Edward Mason and his Choir
Publisher:	Galaxy Music (a division of ECS)

Until next week!
-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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