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spiritual

October Choral Journal Preview

September 6, 2021 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

The newest issue of Choral Journal is available online. This is A Focus on Mental Health. Following is a list of the articles you will find in this issue.

ACDA members can log in with their username and password to view and download the newest edition. You can also read our electronic version. Below is a preview of the articles you will find in this issue. If you are not already a member of ACDA, join today to start receiving your monthly Choral Journal!
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>>FOCUS ARTICLES

Remember You: Mental Health in a Life Dedicated to Choral Music by Stephanie and Troy Robertson

Burnout Prevention for Conductors and Their Choirs by Amelia Nagoski

Breath, Body, and Being: A Yoga-Inspired Choral “Practice” by Ramona M. Wis

Sound Teaching: Trauma-Informed Pedagogy in Choir by William Sauerland

Book Review

>>ARTICLES

African American Spirituals in the Public-School Choral Ensemble: Our Most Powerful Weapon Against Racism by Dara A. Gillis

Singing in Hebrew by Joshua R. Jacobson

Student Times
Representation, Mentorship, and Empowerment: Insights from Contemporary Female Choral Conductors by Gracie Palmore

Filed Under: Choral Journal Tagged With: Choral Journal, Choral Journal Preview, Choral Music, Hebrew, self-care, spiritual

Choral Conversations: Interview with Roland Carter

June 29, 2020 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

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Choral Journal’s ongoing column called “Choral Conversations” features interviews with noted choral conductors and composers. An interview with Roland Carter is featured in the August 2020 issue.

You can read the interview in its entirety online at acda.org/publications/choral-journal. Click “Search Archives” and choose August 2020 from the dropdown menu.
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As a performer, do you have a tonal ideal for spirituals?


I’m sure there would be those who would disagree with me, but I tend to bring the same musicianship to the spiritual that I would bring to Brahms or Schubert. I look at the music of Harry T. Burleigh, Hall Johnson, Jester Hairston, William Dawson, and R. Nathanial Dett… those are the standouts for me. Each one approached the arrangement of spirituals in a very different way. Only one tried to capture, I think, the authentic way of performing, and that is Hall Johnson. He tried to capture what he heard growing up. But other than that, I don’t treat any arrangement of a spiritual as an attempt to recapture what the slaves sang. I just don’t think that is what I set out to do. My model has been basically what I learned as a musician or in conducting with any other music.

I don’t know if they still teach the heart pulse relationship for tempo in Renaissance Music or arsis and thesis, but I like that with the spiritual just because of the rhythmic basis of it. I think often we try to put too many beats in the measure, which interfere with the fl ow of the music. It’s the same with a Mozart Symphony. You wouldn’t beat every beat of an allegro. I think that works really well with spirituals. I don’t really have a tonal model. I’m a person of the moment. I don’t feel the need to do a piece the same way twice.

Read the rest of this interview in the August issue of Choral Journal.

Filed Under: Choral Journal Tagged With: choral conversation, composition, Interview, spiritual

A Focus on Relevance

March 11, 2019 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

The April 2019 issue of Choral Journal is a focus on Relevance. The four main feature articles are based on presentations from the 2018 North Dakota State University Choral Symposium. The theme was Relevance–“creating programming that fosters connections between singers, audience, and the community with the purpose of exploring issues of social significance.” Jo Ann Miller, Michael Weber, Charlette Moe, and Tesfa Wondemagegnehu were symposium program chairs.

Following is a preview of each article:

“Choral Village: An Immersive Experience to Build Cultural Sensitivity and Empathy” by Joy Hirokawa

We are today witnessing polarization and fracturing of our societal norms unlike anything in recent history. The year 2014 marked heightened public awareness of violence at the hands of police, particularly in our communities of color. Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, and Eric Garner all lost their lives, along with many others. How should we, as choral musicians and teachers, respond to this? What can we do to make a difference in our communities to address the divisiveness and violence we are seeing around us?

Against this backdrop, I endeavored to identify best practices and assessment that would provide evidence that what we do can make a positive difference in the attitudes of students outside the rehearsal room and performance hall. This research ultimately led to what became Choral Village. The purpose of Choral Village was to intentionally bring together middle school-aged youth from diverse backgrounds to develop cross-cultural understanding and empathy through activities including choral singing, theatrical games, drum circles, shared meals, and guest artist presentations in a weeklong summer program. This article will discuss the rationale, development, and structure of the program before taking a closer look at the resulting research.

“A Rubric for Choral Relevance” by Jennifer Rodgers

Those of us gathered in Fargo for the North Dakota State University Symposium on Choral Relevance in October 2018 witnessed a tipping point. What had been a groundswell of concerted efforts to raise the bar for impactful and relevant work in the field of choral music gained the momentum needed to become a powerful movement of change. Honoring the spirit of lively discourse in the centuries-old symposia tradition, speakers shared powerful examples of new organizations, creative programming approaches, and performance events, and described how they advocate for social justice issues, engage with marginalized populations, and expand partnerships between music organizations and their communities. Some were examples of choruses with a mission entirely based on serving a specific population, and some were the result of special projects built into the concert seasons of more traditional groups. All were designed to connect with the specific needs, cares, and demographics in the communities that the choruses serve.

My own presentation, born of having planned many such projects myself, focused on the process of programming for social change and community impact beyond any specific repertoire. Could I describe a methodology of relevancy that could help shift the immense work of special projects into a lens that choruses with a more traditional model could build into the foundation of their operations? I wrote down the thought process that I’ve come to follow in my own work and crafted a rubric to describe it. It was galvanizing to look at that process in a broader sense, and I was curious to learn how it would pair with the presentations of my fellow symposia colleagues.

“Exploring Cultures through Song” by Mary Ellen Junda

One of the ways that stories, events, and beliefs that define a culture are preserved is through its songs. “Folk songs” typically originate among the people of a country, area, or period and are passed along by oral tradition, with variants occurring over time as circumstances change. They often contain (and release) strong feelings about the experience of living in community, especially when that community is a cultural minority. Singing folk songs associated with a specific event or purpose provides singers an artistic means to discover new cultures, traditions, and beliefs, and to experience the worldviews and emotions embedded in the songs. This article features the Earthtones Vocal Ensemble as a model for developing university and secondary ensembles that address cultural diversity through song, and describes the joys and challenges faced in expanding the choral program in new directions.

“Hope: Refocusing the Legacy of Spirituals” by Jeff Stone

Hope, spirituals, and social change share a deeply connected bond. W. E. B. DuBois, famed scholar and early advocate for civil rights, published the first scientific study of this bond in 1903 with his book The Souls of Black Folk. In this study, DuBois relates hope and spirituals in the context of social change. DuBois suggests that this relationship originated in slavery—a period of great “sorrow.”

The unfortunate souls who endured centuries of sorrow were never completely defeated by their circumstances. Their music, crafted across the experiences of their suffering, is evidence of a will that could not be extinguished. Music offered familiarity with a past existence and provided solidarity throughout the centuries of sorrow. Enslaved and encompassed by despair, a community of voices found strength as they sung and believed together. Though these songs were inspired by faith, it was hope that allowed the enslaved to imagine and to believe in a better future. It was music that allowed them to dream again…

In order to refocus the legacy of spirituals, we should begin to reflect more deeply about the music. We may also be tasked with rethinking the way in which we present spirituals to our singers and audiences. When both occur, we align more closely to the original intent and ultimate power of this music. The significance of spirituals is not its ability to entertain but rather its ability to speak to the world we live in. It is this ability—this legacy—that must be refocused for each of us.
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You can find these and more articles in the April 2019 issue of Choral Journal! Visit acda.org/choraljournal and log in with your ACDA member account.

Filed Under: Choral Culture, Choral Journal Tagged With: ACDA Membership Benefits, ACDA Publications, Choral Journal, Choral Journal Preview, spiritual

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

June 1, 2018 by Shelbie L. Wahl-Fouts Leave a Comment

Week 11: Friday, June 1, 2018

“Now Let Me Fly!”
Traditional spiritual, arr. Stacey V. Gibbs
SSAA divisi, a cappella

Equally suited to a large festival chorus or a small-but-mighty advanced ensemble, this spiritual arrangement by Stacey V. Gibbs is a great addition to your women’s/treble repertoire list.

Known for his amazing choral arrangements of spirituals, Gibbs’ work is frequently programmed for All-States and Festivals, as well as regional and national conferences. So, it is no surprise that this piece would be an excellent selection for your large SSAA ensemble or festival chorus. The unexpected point with this selection though is that it can function equally well with a “small-but-mighty” ensemble (an advanced group of limited size). Often, arrangements like this one are excellent for a large choir but are difficult to pull off if you have smaller numbers. However, because of the frequent step-wise motion, motivic passages, and tight harmonies, a group of 8-16 strong singers could also confidently perform this selection.

I programmed this with my 12-person advanced group, and it was one of their favorites that semester. Challenging, with only one or two singers per part, yet attainable – and it gave them a great sense of accomplishment to do such a “big” arrangement with their smaller ensemble. So, no matter if you have a large ensemble or a small-but-mighty one, this spiritual arrangement is worth your time to review.

The main material is the traditional spiritual “Now Let Me Fly,” contrasted with Albert E. Brumley’s “I’ll Fly Away” from 1932. Gibbs comments on this choice of song pairing in the program notes, saying that “this setting celebrates overcoming life’s challenges and obstacles. The introductory hymn, ‘I’ll Fly Away’ serves as a catalyst from trial and longing to victory and triumph!” [composer’s notes, inside front cover of score]

Listed as SSAA divisi, the voicing often feels like SSA+SSA or SA+SA, with two main motivic ideas happening at once, and multiple voices/harmonies on each. The work begins with a slow opening in 3/4, with upper voices and lower voices contrasting each other, each group moving in tight thirds and fourths. The intro closes with a sonorous fermata, spanning nearly two octaves. However, because of the voicing and divisi, no part is more than a third or fourth apart from their nearest neighbor, which makes this not as scary as it seems for a smaller group!

After the intro, we move into the 4/4 section, marked “Rhythmically” / MM=132. Sometimes the voices are paired outer (S1, A2) vs. inner (S2, A1), and sometimes the pairs are upper vs. lower like the beginning. Either way, you generally have two contrasting ideas, each in 2-3 part harmony, or all voices are on the same material (in 4-5 part harmony). Every subsequent verse allows for contrast of dynamics and articulations, along with strong syncopations and tight harmony.

In the third section, the tempo slows, and the ensemble now moves rhythmically together on the same material, providing an excellent opportunity for text shaping and syllabic stress.

The final closing section is a layer-cake of four different lines, each with their own 2-3 part harmony. [For a smaller ensemble, this page may require some re-assigning of parts, to make sure everything is covered.] The layers build from the bottom, with A2 presenting their line alone, then adding A1, then S2, then S1. Once the structure is built, it can be repeated as desired. The arrangement ends with a dramatic 7-part fortissimo fermata spanning two octaves (with optional 8th-part [C6] to top things off, if you have a soprano or two comfortable in that range). All voices are no more than a fifth apart though, with many at a third or fourth.

The bottom line is that with this spiritual arrangement by Gibbs, you will find a strong addition to your concert programming. And whether you have a large festival chorus or a small-but-mighty ensemble, this setting is viable for groups of all sizes. 

Title:Now Let Me Fly!
Source:traditional spiritual, incorporating I’ll Fly Away (Brumley)
Arranger:arr. Stacey V. Gibbs
(https://www.carlfischer.com/composer/gibbs-stacey/)
Date of Arrangement:2014
Subject(s), Genre:Spiritual
Language:English
Listed Voicing:SSAA divisi
Voicing Details:SSAA div to 8
Ranges:S1: C4-A5 (C6) [tessitura to F5]
S2: A3-Eb5 [tessitura to C5]
A1: G3-D5 [tessitura to A5]
A2: F3-D5 [tessitura to F4]
Accompaniment:a cappella
Duration:3:10
Tempo:Freely, then Rhythmically/MM=132
Commissioning Ensemble:Choral Consortium: St. Olaf College (Sigrid Johnson), Saint Mary’s College (Nancy Menk), Lawrence University (Phillip Swan), Millikin University (Beth Holmes), Iowa State University (Kathleen Rodde)
Series:Jo-Michael Scheibe Choral Series
Publisher:Walton Music WJMS1137/HL00137951
Further descriptions and details, including notes, audio, perusal score, and purchasing:

https://www.giamusic.com/store/resource/now-let-me-fly-print-wjms1137
https://soundcloud.com/walton-music/now-let-me-fly-arr-stacey-gibbs  

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: Gibbs, Schiebe, spiritual, SSAA, treble, women's

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