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Naomi Shihab Nye

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

August 17, 2018 by Shelbie L. Wahl-Fouts Leave a Comment

Week 22: Friday, August 17, 2018

“She Tore A Map” by Timothy C. Takach
Text by Naomi Shihab Nye
SA, piano

Looking for an uptempo piece with a fun story-driven text and a jaunty style, especially one that is SA and accessible for a wide range of abilities? If so, this selection by Timothy Takach is a perfect choice.

Lots of music for women’s and treble choirs is frequently slow, smooth, and pretty. That doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of excellent uptempo works out there, but finding things that are faster and accessible for an SA ensemble and that don’t feel too simplistic or childish can sometimes be a tall order.

Graphite Publishing describes this work as “something fun and a bit unconventional ‐ quirky rhythms, easy voice leading, and a delightful story.” I haven’t had a chance to program this work yet, but it’s on my “must do” list. It would be a great addition to a variety of concerts – whether a general program or a theme about poetry/poems, stories, or traveling. In addition, if you are working on an all-district or all-county festival, it could be just the right piece to add. It’s not too difficult of a read, but isn’t too easy either, and can get the students engaged right from the start.

Commissioned by the Graphite Publishing 2015-16 Women’s Choir Commissioning Consortium, this work was made possible by a group of twelve ensembles, ranging from middle school and high school to college. Consortiums like this one are large groups coordinated by publishers or NAfME chapters or ACDA areas, usually with several like-minded and like-skilled ensembles who all buy in to the project. If you are interested in being a part of a new work, this can be an excellent way to do so.

The poetry for this work, “Torn Map,” is charming. In it, a girl mistakenly tears a map in half, and then puts it back together askew. Now the roads lead to different places, and the journeys are unexpected. The poem ends with a question – wondering if adjusting a map like that could bring her closer to people she’s missing. Naomi Shihab Nye, the poet, grew up with a Palestinian father and American mother, and moved between countries. Her experiences with multiple cultures and homes often influences her writing – both poetry and novels.

Harmonically, the voice parts are mostly diatonic, and could be taught using solfege. There are a number of skips and leaps, in addition to stepwise motion, but nothing larger than a fifth. The voice parts are almost entirely homophonic, creating vertical harmony in two parts, but not two independent ideas. This is a great choice for an ensemble that can hold two parts and isn’t quite ready for a third, but who still wants to challenge themselves rhythmically.

Speaking of rhythms…this is where the fun begins! Most of the notes are quarters, dotted quarters, and eighths – all quite readable. But there are also a handful of borrowed triplet patterns (with and without eighth rests), plus ties, and rests where you may not expect them. Counting of rests is paramount. Be prepared for some hilarity in early rehearsals when trying to get all the rests lined up together!

In terms of style, Takach’s setting is bouncy and springy, with the accompaniment providing a great deal of character. The opening half of the song is marked Playfully, with the occasional Thoughtful measure thrown in. The brief “thoughtful” measures, inserted unexpectedly, are smooth and legato with minimal rests, while the larger “playful” phrases feel fragmented and disjointed, just like the torn edges of the map. As the song progresses and the map edges even out a bit, the music becomes more broad and fluid. A return of the “playful” motive ends the piece on a humorous note, sure to make your audience smile.

Between the amusing but thought-provoking text, the accessible SA voice parts, and the delightful musical setting, this work by Timothy Takach is sure to be a wonderful addition to your next concert.

Title:She Tore A Map
Composer:Timothy C. Takach
(http://www.timothyctakach.com/)
Date of Composition:2015
Author:“Torn Map”
from Come with me – Poems from a Journey
by Naomi Shihab Nye
(http://www.barclayagency.com/site/speaker/naomi-shihab-nye)
Date of Text:2000
Subject(s), Genre:Journeys, Families, New Beginnings, Humor
Language:English
Listed Voicing:SA
Voicing Details:SA, no divisi
Ranges:S: D4-Eb5
A: C4-Bb4
Accompaniment:Piano
Duration:~2:30
Tempo:MM=100 Playfully, 92 Thoughtfully, 70 Broadly
Commissioning Ensemble:Graphite Publishing 2015-16 Women’s Choir Commissioning Consortium
Publisher:Graphite Publishing GP-T015
Further descriptions and details, including program notes, audio, perusal score, and purchasing:

https://www.graphitepublishing.com/product/she-tore-a-map/

Until next week!
-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.

Filed Under: One From the Folder, Treble Choirs, Women's Choirs Tagged With: Graphite, Naomi Shihab Nye, SA, Timothy C. Takach

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

May 18, 2018 by Shelbie L. Wahl-Fouts Leave a Comment

Week 9: Friday, May 18, 2018

“I Started Out Singing” by Jocelyn Hagen
Text by Naomi Shihab Nye
3pt Treble, piano (or piano & string orchestra)

This selection by Jocelyn Hagen, with text by Naomi Shihab Nye, is an excellent choice for your beginner and intermediate treble/women’s ensembles. It can also be a great option for district pyramid concerts as a way to involve your elementary and upper voice feeder choirs, or as a collaboration with your string-orchestra counterparts. With my college students, it was part of a themed concert titled “Stories, Songs, and Dreams,” and was a tutti selection that successfully combined my beginner, intermediate, and advanced ensembles.

Naomi Shihab Nye’s text begins simply, then evolves into a deeper look at the growth we experience, and the journeys we take. Given the title and subject matter, it is perfect for Music In Our Schools Month MIOSM, or any concert sequence/theme where you want to pointedly share the joy and beauty of song with your audience, while still giving your students something with depth to discuss in rehearsal.

Jocelyn Hagen’s musical setting is lean, yet powerful. There is movement and energy in the accompaniment, which underscores the initial unison vocal line with life and joy. The opening unison later blossoms into two parts, with the lower divisi being an echo of the melody line. It then continues expanding into three parts for the end of the selection. The closing line emphatically restates the first line, in each voice – “oh yes, oh yes, I Started Out Singing,” bringing everything full circle. The text setting is clear and clean, with plenty of chances for good diction and concise phrasing, even with a large festival ensemble or massed group of different ages. Ample opportunities exist for evocative changes in tempo and dynamics, continuing to support the character of the text.

Voicing is listed as “3pt treble,” but don’t let that scare you off for a beginner group – the song is primarily unison or 2pt/echo, with one limited section of 3pt at the end. If you are involving younger or less experienced choirs (i.e. for a pyramid concert), they can sing the melody line of the 2pt, while your older singers take the echo. For a more experienced group, this could be a quick read in terms of pitches and rhythms – primarily quarters and eighths, some syncopation, all diatonic and perfect for solfege (except for one fi). There are a few 7/8 measures, but everything else is 4/4 with the occasional 2/4 or 3/4. Ranges are the same for all, save for two F5s at the end for those splitting to the highest of the 3pt split. Tessitura stays within the staff for all voices.

In terms of accompaniment, this song has two versions – choir + piano (in Db Major), or choir + piano & string orchestra (C Major). Choristers use the same scores for either version and sing down a half-step if with orchestra.

This selection can fill many needs in a program – a “more than unison, but less than full 3pt” option for your younger group, an energetic opener or closer for your pyramid concert, a celebratory “song about singing” piece for your MIOSM program, or a collaborative experience with the string students at your school. It’s also a work by both a living woman composer and living woman author, with a distinct yet relatable text that could certainly be an opportunity for cross-pollination with creative writing, and a “let’s talk about what these words mean as a poem” opportunity in the rehearsal room.

Title:I Started Out Singing
Composer:Jocelyn Hagen
https://www.jocelynhagen.com
Date of Composition:2008 (piano), 2013 (orchestration)
Text Source/Author:Naomi Shihab Nye
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/naomi-shihab-nye
Subject(s):singing, song, music, journeys, growth
Language:English
Listed Voicing:3pt treble
Voicing Details:Primarily unison and 2pt, with limited measures of 3pt at the end
Ranges:C4-Eb5 (F5)
Ranges are the same for all parts, except for some F5s in the top divisi at the end.
Accompaniment:Piano, or piano & string orchestra
Duration:~3:40
Tempo:MM=116 (Exuberant), 80 (Freely), 144 (Faster)
Commissioning Ensemble:In honor of Teresa Benjamin, for the Robbinsdale All-District Elementary Choir, Patti Arntz, conductor, 2008;
Orchestrated for the Robbinsdale Armstrong and Cooper High School Women’s Choirs & Orchestras, 2013
Publisher:Graphite Press GP H011
Further descriptions and details, including notes, audio, perusal score, and purchasing:
https://www.graphitepublishing.com/product/started-singing/

Until next week!
-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.

Filed Under: One From the Folder, Treble Choirs, Women's Choirs Tagged With: Jocelyn Hagen, Naomi Shihab Nye, Singing, song, treble choir, Women's Chorus

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