Repertoire

K-12 Teaching: Repertoire Selections for School Choirs

June 27, 2022 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

ChorTeach is ACDA’s quarterly online publication, designed for those who work with singers of all levels but specifically K-12 and community choirs. A full annotated ChorTeach index is available online at acda.org/publications/chorteach. Over 160 articles are organized into seventeen categories. For more information, email or visit acda.org/chorteach. Following is an excerpt from an article in the current Spring 2022 issue compiled by Cheryl Dupont titled “K-12 Teaching: Repertoire Selections for School Choirs.”

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*This is a selection of content from this article. Read the full list at acda.org/chorteach and choose the Spring 2022 issue. You must be an ACDA member and logged into the website with your username and password.

Submitted by Angee and Rick McKee

Mrs. Jenny Wren by Arthur Baynon
Boosey & Hawkes 1383804
Unison voices and piano, for elementary choirs. This piece is great for teaching contrasting dynamics and expression in younger choirs.

Submitted by Debbie Mello

Flight, Craig Carnelia (composer and poet)
arr. Ryan Murphy, Walton Music WW1869
SA divisi or SSA with piano or opt. string quartet; for high school or advanced middle school choirs. Contemporary text that is relevant for young female singers. It aff ords an opportunity for the singers to be vocally expressive while being supported by a lush accompaniment.

Submitted by Kevin Caparotta

Song of Peace, Vincent Persichetti
Theodore Presser
TTBB with piano or organ, appropriate for advanced high school singers.
Song of Peace utilizes modal melodic gestures and unexpected harmonic shifts to eff ectively paint the text. The recurring “Alleluia” motive provides an opportunity to refi ne unison singing, and the four-part sections are wonderful for practicing ear-training and intonation.

Submitted by Cheryl Dupont

The Pasture, Z. Randall Stroope
Colla Voce 45-21102
SATB with piano, appropriate for middle school/high school.
This beautiful Robert Frost poem is expressively set to music by Z. Randall Stroope. It is easily accessible to middle school singers, but also can be exquisitely sung by high school singers, who might be able to achieve more nuance and expressivity. It offers the opportunity for both the SA singers and the TB singers to sing separately in two parts, and then join together at the end, in SSATBB divisi for only a few measures.

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Read more in the Spring 2022 issue at acda.org/chorteach.

Don’t Abandon the Canon! With Dr. Anika Prather

May 27, 2022 by Chris Munce Leave a Comment

Like many topics in education, we have strains of the same philosophical divides in music education as we do in other areas of education. This week, my guest Dr. Anika Prather is the perfect person to address and offer a bridge to one of those divides. She has a background in both Music Education as well as Theater and Literature. In this episode we discuss educational philosophy related to the “Western Canon” in both literature and in music. Trying to make sense of the various approaches that range from “Classical Education” to the “Decolonize the Classroom” movement. The discussion centers around the idea that both extremes when taken as wholly sufficient philosophies miss some very important aspects of history. Maybe a hybrid approach is needed.

“If we are properly decolonizing education, it should change HOW we teach, not WHAT we teach.”
Dr. Anika Prather

No teacher can teach ALL of the repertoire from all of the cultures, and we shouldn’t lose sleep over it. What matters is that we instill curiosity in our students to go out beyond our classrooms and seek more.

You can listen from the widgets below which will take you to Apple or Castbox to finish listening, or you can find the show on Google Play, Spotify, Youtube or Stitcher!

Dr. Anika T. Prather earned her B.A. from Howard University in elementary education. She also has earned several graduate degrees in education from New York University and Howard University. She has a Masters in liberal arts from St. John’s College (Annapolis) and a PhD in English, Theatre and Literacy Education from the University of Maryland (College Park). Her research focus is on building literacy with African American students through engagement in the books of the Canon and self-published her book Living in the Constellation of the Canon: The Lived Experiences of African American Students Reading Great Books Literature recently. She has served as a teacher, supervisor for student teachers, director of education and Head of School. Currently she teaches in the Classics department at Howard University and is the founder of The Living Water School, located in Southern Maryland. The Living Water School is a unique Christian school for independent learners, based on the educational philosophies of Classical Education and the Sudbury Model. She is married to Damon M. Prather an engineer and has an MBA (Wisconsin-Madison). He also serves as the financial manager of the school. She and her husband Damon, have three young children, and they reside in the DC metropolitan area.

Anika is also a performing artist and incorporates, music, drama and storytelling into most of her presentations. She has produced and written the songs for her 2 jazz albums and her music can be heard at https://soundcloud.com/anika_tene .

Songs of (re)Imagining: Margaret Bonds

April 27, 2022 by Shannon Marie Gravelle Leave a Comment

Margaret Bonds (1913–1972) was an American composer and arranger, notably setting many texts by Langston Hughes (a close friend) and arranging African-American spirituals. When she was growing up, she lived in a home that had visits from Florence Price and Will Marion Cook. She studied piano and composition with Florence Price and William Dawson during high school and later earned degrees in both of these areas. Her music often addresses issues of race.

There are some composers I would love to spend more time studying– Margaret Bonds, Florence Price, Julia Perry, to name a few– and to that end, I’m starting my studies on Bonds here. Below is a list of some of her choral music, and information I could find that might be helpful to conductors who might be considering programming her music.

I first came across Margaret Bonds when I was teaching a class to my undergraduate music majors on silenced voices. I looked at the dates and the regions that they studied in music history, and we went over those exact dates and places… but instead of talking about Claudio Monteverdi or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart or Olivier Messiaen, we only learned about voices of women. And not Fanny Mendelssohn or Clara Schumann, since they had small boxes about them in the history book my students used. In preparation for the course, I learned about Bonds. Even in the last few years, access to her music has opened up a little.

I was thrilled to see some of Bonds’ music on Dr. Marques Garrett’s list of non-idiomatic choral music of Black composers (here! Check it out if you haven’t. It’s also where I learned of Remel Derrick– and I adore his music).

I’ve also followed Dr. Michael Cooper, who researches and edits the works of Bonds. He is a blogger, and I really enjoyed his blog from April 23, 2022. Dr. Cooper works with Hildegard Publishing on Bonds editions, which has a Margaret Bonds Series.

Choral Music Titles:

The Ballad of the Brown King

SATB
Soloists
Orchestra
Cantata
Used to be published by the Sam Fox Publishing Company. Currently out of print. Alfred Music controls the rights… I think. Wouldn’t it be lovely if we could all request them to bring it back into print?
Mary had a little baby, Mvt IV
- SSSA

Children’s Sleep

SATB
Text: Vernon Glasser
Written as a chorus section in a children’s opera called Winter Night’s Dream. Published in New York by Carl Fischer in 1942.

Credo

Editor: John Michael Cooper with Hildegard Publishing
SATB, Soprano and Baritone soloists, piano/vocal score (not a reduction)
Based off of W.E.B. Du Bois’ “Credo” from 1904
Movement sold separately:
- Especially Do I Believe

Soprano solo
Not yet available, but soon

Fields of Wonder

TB voices
Text by Langston Hughes

Hold On

SATB, piano

I Shall pass through this world

A capella
I can’t find this located on the publishers website (Bourne Music).

I Wish I Knew how it Would Feel to Be Free

Editor: John Michael Cooper with Hildegard Publishing
SATB
Soprano Solo
Coming in 2022
Orchestra?

Mass in D Minor

SATB, Organ
Only the Kyrie exists, and it’s only the voice parts with some organ indications
There is no complete score of the Mass.

The Negro speaks of rivers

Text: Langston Hughes
SATB
Published by Handy Brothers Music Co

No Man has seen His Face

Editor: John Michael Cooper with Hildegard Publishing
Very diatonic, Accessible
Text by Janice Lovoos

St. Francis’ Prayer (Hildegard Publishing)

SATB, piano
Editor: Louise Toppin with Hildegard Publishing

Sinner, please don’t let this harvest pass

SATB, soprano
Can’t find a place where this is published?

Simon Bore the Cross

SATB cantata, solos
Text: Langston Hughes
Based on the spiritual He Never Said a Mumblin’ Word
GIA Publications
Two selections sometimes extracted from the cantata:
- Don’t You Know, Mary?
- The Crucifixion
Overall, an accessible cantata for singers

Sleep Song

Editor: John Michael Cooper with Hildegard Publishing
SSAA Chorus
Coming soon
Text by Joyce Kilmer (1886–1918)

Standin’ in the Need of Prayer

SATB
Soprano solo
Looking yet for where this is published.

This Little Light of Mine

SATB, piano
Soprano solo

Touch the Hem of His Garment

Editor: John Michael Cooper with Hildegard Publishing
SATB, piano
Soprano/Tenor solo
Short sacred chorus
Text by her friend Janice Lovoos
Accessible to amateur singers (including church musicians)

We Shall Overcome

Editor: John Michael Cooper with Hildegard Publishing
SATB, hand drum
Soprano solo
Coming soon

You can tell the world

SSA or TTBB

What’s Hot and What’s Not? Tell Us What YOU Think!

April 12, 2022 by From Our Readers Leave a Comment

By Rebecca Lord

What music is being programmed for our nation’s choirs and why? What issues or criteria weigh most heavily in the minds of those choosing repertoire and where are conductors turning for ideas and inspiration? Are there solid trends or are our choirs all over the map?

Become part of the answer to these questions by sharing your personal views and programming realities through this brief national choral programming survey. Anyone who has ever programmed for a choir (current or past) is encouraged to participate. No choir is too small, no conductor insignificant. Whether you have performed with the NY Philharmonic, led a graduate program, or served as an untrained conductor with a community or church group of 6-8 singers, we want to hear from you. Every voice is invaluable and greatly needed in this quest to see and understand the heartbeat of American choirs in our time.

The survey results will be a key component in my research on choral trends , which will also include in-depth analyses of the repertoire performed at ACDA national conferences since the first national conference in 1960. I am utilizing national conference programming in part because historical records exist, and in part because of the choral leaders involved in programming for those conferences. The aim is to assess and make widely available information on programming trends as seen over the last approximately 80 years of national conference performances, and to compare that information with what is gleaned from the survey results.

The choral programming survey is completely confidential and takes approximately five minutes to complete. You will check the type(s) of choir(s) you have led and the types of music you have programmed. You will be able to share your programming realities, as well as any ideals and philosophies, and if desired, favorite works or composers (which will be compiled and shared with the choral world). All questions/fields are optional, so any that you would prefer not to answer may be skipped.

Results of the survey and programming trends seen at ACDA national conferences will be shared in coming months. The information gleaned from this research will provide conductors with a comprehensive view of ACDA national convention programming trends since its inception, generate data of value for further research and conversation on programming trends, and most importantly, provide easily accessible inspiration and programming ideas from conductors around the nation. Please add your voice to this important record of our time!

Rebecca Lord has served on the choral/vocal faculty of Brigham Young University-Idaho and as Associate Director of Choral Activities at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she earned MM and DMA degrees under the tutelage of Donald Neuen. She also served as Chorus Master for Arizona Musicfest and Assistant Conductor for the Hour of Power choir. She has a background as a professional violinist, soprano, dancer, and actress.

Song of (re)Imagining: Modesta Bor

March 23, 2022 by Shannon Marie Gravelle Leave a Comment

I was first introduced to Modesta Bor (1926–1998) by my friend, Dr. Nicholas Miguel. I was looking for public domain works that were written by women for treble or equal voices and that would fit the educational goals and skill level of the ensemble I was programming for.

Modesta Bor was born in Venezuela, and studied in both Caracas and the Moscow Tchaikovsky Museum (a place I did some research when I was working on my dissertation). She returned to Venezuela and worked as the head of the music department at the Central University of Venezuela, composing, teaching, and conducting choirs. Her oeuvre includes music for orchestra, chamber groups, solo piano, piano and voice, incidental music, and choral music for mixed and equal voicings. Her music incorporates a Venezuelan folk style as well as traits she learned in her formal studies of Western European classical music. Her music, moreover, “elevates the llanero, the common rural laborer, and comments on the social issues of her people,” writes Dr. Miguel in his dissertation (v). In fact, her music was strongly influenced by her political beliefs, and she often chose topics and poetry that coincided with her beliefs in equality and social justice.

You can find her most completed catalog here: https://fundacionmodestabor.wordpress.com/catalogo/. This includes a catalog of her choral works. The music is published through Ediciones ARE, and you can find her published music here. If you would like to perform something you find, I recommend contacting Ediciones ARE (and the editor, Armando Nones). When it came to cost, the company shared it at no cost (although, it does have a link to a donations page that you should consider if you use music from them, which is a new and needed addition to the website). I began by exploring the music in the Obra coral Original de Modesta Bor. There are a variety of pieces for both mixed and equal voices, but all were possible for my college choir. Many of these pieces would be suitable for high school, and even middle school depending on your access to rehearsal time.

Some links to sample music for you to listen to:

Coral Nacional Juvenil Simón Bolívar de Venezuela

VI Seminario Internacional Intensivo de Dirección Coral, Costa Rica 2022

A Una Niña Meredith College 2021

Enjoy the exploration of this composer! I found the most difficult part of looking through her music is that I didn’t know the content of the text, since there are no available translations. Since I always consider the text in addition to the music performance concepts, not having translations made the music selection process significantly longer. Still, this music is worth the time and effort it takes.

Songs of (Re)imagining: Mari Esabel Valverde and the Swedish Song

February 9, 2022 by Shannon Marie Gravelle Leave a Comment

You may know composer Mari Isabel Valverde from her work “When Thunder Comes,” or “Patterns on the Snow,” which was an ACDA consortium from 2016. Many know Ms. Valverde from her music that connects to equity… or, perhaps because of one of her identities as Mexican-American or transgender. And yes, she is a leader in equity for our National ACDA organization and a leader in facilitating professional development opportunities.

Schooled in the Western European Classical musical tradition, her undergrad was at St. Olaf, where she sang in the Midwestern Lutheran tradition. I’ve programmed her “Cantares” (SSA)– which I recommend – the piece was loved by my treble choir. Now, my singers are preparing a Swedish piece she wrote, Månskenskväll. It’s my joy to share reflections on this piece, as well as another Swedish piece of hers, Hjärtat.

“Hjärtat” (Heart) is an arrangement of William Stenhammar’s (1871–1927) art song, with text by Bo Bergman (1869–1967). When Ms. Valverde was younger, she spent time studying the music of Stenhammar, outside of any requirement for lessons, theory, or choir. This particular piece, composed in 2011, has a distinctly familiar sound to me (as a Luther College graduate, from the same family as Ms. Valverde’s St. Olaf). Unaccompanied, SATB with minimal divisi, duple meter, lucious. The ranges are accessible. The trickiest part is the tuning of the chromatics and some of the leaps. The score itself comes with IPA, phonetic pronunciation, and both poetic and word-for-word translations (something I really appreciate). “Hjärtat” would be a great selection for many choirs, with it’s fairly traditional harmony that stretches just enough to subvert expectations. It’s hymn-like, but not strophic. You can find a video of Hjärtat here, although sung on a neutral vowel and not Swedish.

Månskenskväll (Moonlit Evening), also written in 2011, is in compound meter and has a bit of an afternoon-on-a-porch feeling. The text is by Swedish-speaking Finnish poet Edith Södergran, who died at 31 after contracting tuberculosis. IPA and poem translation are provided in the score. With reasonable ranges (although you’ll need solid low basses for the final E), “Månskenskväll” has more divisi than “Hjärtat” and more leaps for experienced voices to navigate. There is a brief 4-part section for tenor/bass voices, and two optional solos at the end, one for soprano and one for bass. This beautiful piece has incredible dynamic moments and waves of movement. Ms. Valverde writes that this was her attempt to “imitate a Scandinavian Romantic style…”

Let me share why I chose to program “Månskenskväll.” First, the theme of my concert is movement. It could be dance, it could be music that makes us want to move, or about any sort of loosely connected idea of motion. This piece, first of all, has a feeling of rocking a sleeping child or a rocking boat, which is what drew me to the piece initially. That rocking feeling is related to the text, which is about the gliding of the moonlight over water, and waves “swirl (ing) around one another.” In addition, the listener feels the movement because the harmonies don’t really rest. There might be a moment of rest, but it never feels as if it’s settling to a stillness. Her composition reflects movement in it’s harmonies. I was also drawn to the “molto” crescendo/diminuendo over short durations, which give it the feeling of rising and falling both within the musical line and the emotional output. I really lean into those expressive give-and-takes, especially since the piece is somewhat dynamically contained. All of this is connected to the text of the piece. Ms. Valverde is incredibly intentional about her text setting.

One other reason I programmed “Månskenskväll” is because I love figuring out Ms. Valverde’s music. I need to spend time with her music to fully fall in love with it, but I do… every single piece I’ve become familiar with.