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

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#55: Friday, October 4, 2019

“KidSong” by Stephen Caldwell
SSA, piano

You may possibly look at the title for this piece, and assume it’s an elementary or children’s choir song – too childish for your adult women’s chorus, or your high school/college treble choir. Incorrect! My college students are absolutely in love with the piece, and cannot wait to rehearse it each and every time. The energy and drive of the mixed meter, along with the nostalgia of the children’s rhymes, make this an exciting, engaging piece for any women’s/treble choir, no matter their age.

Originally premiered by University of Arkansas Women’s Chorus, “KidSong” is a joyous cacophony of familiar nursery rhymes. In the composer’s comments, inside front cover of the piece, he mentions that “the inspiration came after watching my young son play simultaneously with multiple toys, all of which made sounds and played music, creating a little electronic symphony of kid’s songs.” I can picture that exact scenario – in fact I can imagine exactly which of my own son’s toys would be part of the musical celebration.

The first thing you’ll notice, when you open the octavo, is the tempo marking: “As Fast As Possible.” (Ha!) And next, you’ll notice the meter signatures, all 964 of them. (I exaggerate, but not by much.) The song is a 2 minute and 45 second tour through 7/8, 3/4, 9/8, 4/4, 2/4, 12/8, and 10/8. (And just to be pesky , 7/8 is both 2+2+3 and 3+2+2. There’s even a 9/8 in 3+2+2+2.) If you want a great selection with which to teach asymmetrical and mixed meter, look no further.

Rhythm & meter (and tempo) are definitely a primary focus for this song. At the end of the piece, there are even a few claps, and stomp-claps. So not only is it fast and meter driven, it’s also physical.

The medley includes six songs: BINGO, London Bridge, Twinkle Twinkle, Wheels on the Bus, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Ring Around the Rosy. The opening rendition of Bingo, while metrically unique, is straightforward unison or homophony. It may be crazy asymmetrical mixed meter, but everyone sings the same words at the same time. Not for long though!

Unlike a typical arrangement or medley, with nice neat tonal and stylistic transitions from song to song, Caldwell moves things around a bit. After Bingo, London Bridge comes next, still in nice clean homophony. Once an entire phrase of London Bridge is finished, the material shifts to Twinkle Twinkle in S1/S2. But the altos refuse to give up London Bridge! The two songs exist simultaneously for a moment – with the sections facing off like two unruly toys vying for attention.

Next comes Are You Sleeping. All sections are singing the same song, but this time as a round in 7/8 & 12/8. Once again though, the altos can’t give up London Bridge. Eight measures into an already busy round-version of asymmetrical Are You Sleeping, altos switch back to London Bridge and the two songs are superimposed on one another. Then S1/S2 switch to Twinkle for 2 measures, then back to Sleeping. It is as if a toddler pressed all the toys’ “on” buttons at once, and everything is playing/singing at the same time.

Up to this point, all the songs have been initially presented in full phrases, even if more than one song at a time. With Itsy Bitsy Spider, even that changes. After the multi-layered approach to Sleeping/Bridge/Twinkle, Spider comes in with unison and homophony. Just as you get a nice sense of cohesion though, London Bridge comes back! This time, instead of one section overlapping another section, the entire choir shifts from one song to the next, in the middle of a phrase.

We get one complete line of London Bridge, and then the whole group shifts again, this time to a new song: The Wheels on the Bus. The piano, which has been serving as harmonic and metric support up to this point, stops playing, leaving the choir to a lovely four measure a cappella imitative sequence on the descending motive for “round and a round.” As the motive repeats higher to lower, higher to lower, through multiple entrances and choir sections, you get the sense that you are creating an aural circle, which is in motion, turning. So…the wheels go round, in a round, while creating something (aurally) round. It’s a nerdy multi-layered pun, it’s perfect. (And when an eagle-eyed student first realizes that’s what’s happening here, and shares with the class, everyone will have a really cool ‘meta’ moment, and it’s awesome!)

Ring around the Rosy makes its brief appearance at this point, only to be outdone by the swift return of Bingo. Here, true to the rhyme, the choir leaves out letters of the dog’s name, replacing them with stomp-claps. The asymmetrical nature of Caldwell’s version makes for a positively hilarious first rehearsal of this spot. My students went from “ooh fun claps” to “wait huh? what?” to raucous laughter in the span of 2 measures. It was a priceless moment in rehearsal, and a much-needed point of levity in a stressful week. Then everyone banded together, determined to figure it out on their own. They put their counting and rhythm skills to work and figured it out, making a genuine educational moment of it as well.

This selection by Stephen Caldwell was an unexpected find, and it has become an absolute favorite. Put aside any preconceived notions of singing “childish” songs with your women’s/treble choir, and go for it. you will not regret it!

Title:KidSong
Music Source:Children’s nursery rhymes
Composer:Stephen Caldwell https://fulbright.uark.edu/departments/music/faculty-and-staff/index/uid/stephenc/name/Stephen-Caldwell/
Date of Composition:2018
Text Source:Children’s nursery rhymes
Subject(s), Genre:Children, play, life, energy, joy
Language:English
Listed Voicing:SSA
Voicing Details:Three measures of harmonic divisi in the alto line, otherwise strict SSA
Ranges:S1: Bb3-F4
S2: Bb3-D4
A: A3-D4
Accompaniment:Piano
Duration:~3:00
Tempo:“As fast as possible”
Dedication:For the University of Arkansas Women’s Chorus
Publisher:Santa Barbara Music Publishing
Further descriptions and details, including program notes, audio, perusal score, and purchasing:
https://sbmp.com/SR2.php?CatalogNumber=1542  

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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#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

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#45: Friday, March 15, 2019

“Wild Embers” by Melissa Dunphy
Text by Nikita Gill
SSAA, a cappella

I met Melissa at the Composer’s Fair during the recent ACDA national conference in Kansas City. On the hunt for new women’s/treble music, I especially wanted something that would speak to the singers in my choir. When I walked up to her table, I knew I’d found the right place. She had a number of works for SSAA ensembles, and every one of them had a purposefully-chosen poetic text that rose off the page along with the music. Her work had life and energy and feisty passion, and I wanted to program it all! Besides being an award-winning composer, Melissa herself is an amazing soul, and is the embodiment of the creative artist I want my students to know exists as a role model. Among her works, “Wild Embers” is at the top of my list for a future performance.

The text for Melissa’s piece is by British-Indian author Nikita Gill. She is often labeled an “Instapoet” for her fame as a writer among the social media crowd, but her poetry has far more substance than the name may imply.

Wild Embers
We are the descendants
of the wild women you forgot.
We are the stories you thought
would never be taught.

They should have checked the ashes
of the women they burned alive.
Because it takes a single wild ember
to bring a whole wildfire to life.
–Nikita Gill

I read the poem on the front cover of Dunphy’s score, and was instantly drawn to the imagery. There is a power and a presence in the text that I know my singers will grab on to – a story to be told that is very real and vital to them.

Thinking in the future tense, I can see this selection being the contextual centerpiece for a choir’s tour or festival set, or for a thematic concert. You could focus a whole set on Fire: both the literal flame and the metaphorical passion/strength/energy. I got going on this idea after looking at “Wild Embers,” and now I’m hooked. You know that feeling once you go down the rabbit-hole of programming…an idea sparks, you run with it, which takes you to another idea and another concert, and so on. I’m already making a list of other possible companion pieces and can’t wait to see what this future concert set becomes.

Dunphy’s musical setting is a nice balance between difficult and accessible. The piece is SSAA, unaccompanied, in 3/2. At certain places in the music, there are four separate musical or rhythmic ideas happening. So, the piece is truly SSAA in areas and may be challenging for groups that struggle with part independence. However, there are also places which are S1+S2 and A1+A2 (two-part with harmony), or homophonic, or unison.

The piece does includes some tight dissonances, voice crossings, and a few tricky rhythms in 3/2 (including borrowed figures). However, with practice, these are all within the grasp of most ensembles.

The nature of Dunphy’s composition emphasizes Gill’s story, beginning with the pp “Shh” that opens the piece. The “shushes” come back at varying points throughout, as if they are the wild ember bringing the fire to life. Dunphy’s opening motives build to a ff melismatic point at “Wild wild women,” and adjust the tonality with added flats. After the ff dissipates back to p, the “ssh” returns, along with a single stomp and thigh clap at the beginning of each measure. This very simple, very clean body percussion brings a rhythmic cohesion and drive to the piece, but doesn’t add additional tonal complexity or visual distraction. Another p ff pp progression happens near the end of the piece, as the wildfire builds and generates energy, then dissipates into a final “ssh.”

I was pleased to meet Melissa and her music at the Composer’s Fair, and I hope many other similarly serendipitous meetings happened with other composers and conductors. Her work has energized me as a conductor, and I look forward to approaching this music and the text with my students next year, as we prepare for a concert set yet to come.

Title:Wild Embers
Composer:Melissa Dunphy
Date of Composition:2017
Author:Nikita Gill
Date of Text:2017
Subject(s), Genre:Women’s history, fire, strength, passion
Language:English
Listed Voicing:SSAA
Voicing Details:SSAA
Ranges:S1: C4-Ab5
S2: C4-E5
A1: C4-D5
A2: G3-D5
Accompaniment:A cappella
Duration:~3:30
Tempo:Moderato, MM=52
Commissioning Ensemble:Acalanes High School Bella Voce; Bruce Lengacher, director
Publisher:Mormolyke Press (mormolyke.com)
Further descriptions and details, including program notes, audio, perusal score, and purchasing:
http://www.melissadunphy.com/about.php
http://www.melissadunphy.com/composition.php?id=7

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.

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

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#44. March 1, 2019

Greetings from the ACDA National Conference in Kansas City!

As part of the conference, I presented interest sessions Thursday at 10am and 11am, titled “Quality Accessible Repertoire for Intermediate and Small-but-Mighty Women’s/Treble Choirs.” This week’s blog is a series of links to the materials from my session. I invite you to read, scan, scour, and peruse these PDFs. Working with womens/treble ensembles truly is a professional passion of mine. If I can be a resource to you and your ensembles, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

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.

—Session Handout, including;

https://1drv.ms/b/s!AvuXALZxsMj72XuINTzTjKxHOiYd

  • My bio
  • Notes on searching for women’s/treble repertoire
  • Current list of my ACDA ChoralNet Repertoire blogs
  • Repertoire I – List of 7 primary selections in this session – with detailed notes on each
  • Repertoire II – List of 22 additional selections to consider – with brief notes on each
  • Repertoire III – List of 68 more selections to consider – with only titles, no notes

—-Session Reading Packet

https://1drv.ms/b/s!AvuXALZxsMj72X1xUmWw7DdrfEWQ

—-Blank template for repertoire notes

https://1drv.ms/w/s!AvuXALZxsMj72gyI7u9XlKgzFzss

—-By Women, For Women: Choral Works for Women’s Voices, composed and texted by women (my doctoral dissertation)

https://1drv.ms/b/s!AvuXALZxsMj7wCWN9fBRVH2rxTCo

—Conducting Women’s Choirs, ed. Debra Spurgeon. GIA Press. (I contributed a chapter on repertoire.)

https://www.giamusic.com/store/resource/conducting-womens-choirs-book-with-companion-dvd-book-g8367

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

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#43: Friday, February 15, 2019

“When Love Is My Song” by Jill Friedersdorf & Melissa Keylock
Text by Jill Friedersdorf
SSA, piano

In honor of Valentine’s Day this week, I invite you to take a closer look at “When Love Is My Song,” for SSA choir. Jill Friedersdorf and Melissa Keylock work together for this moving selection, perfect for your three-part ensemble.

This piece was written in honor of Ruth Dwyer, associate director of the Indianapolis Children’s Choir and artistic director of the Columbus IN Children’s Choir. She is a long-time leader in Indiana choral music education. The text supports her legacy by touching on singing, peace, love, forgiveness, and the energy that comes from joining others in song. Given this focus, the piece is ideally suited to a wide range of concerts – the celebration/retirement/remembrance of a beloved music teacher, Music In Our Schools Month (MIOSM), concerts about love or peace, and concerts about singing, as well as adjudication/assessment or on your next district choir festival.

The selection begins in unison, but then moves to three-part homophony. Texture is primarily homophonic throughout, with some brief imitative entrances. Ranges are limited to a 9th for each voice part, and much of the voice line movement is stepwise. Rhythms are readable: eighth, quarter, dotted quarter, half, tie, and dotted 8th+16th.

The majority of the song can be learned on solfege, in Bb major. There are some instances with flat-third (Db/me) and flat-seventh (Ab/te) – which translates to a sporadic Db major chord here or there in the beginning, or a full 16-bar f-minor section later in the piece (minor v of the original I). You may or may not be able to solfege the altered tones or minor key with your ensemble, but the rest will be good work in Bb major.

For form, it is roughly strophic, but each verse is slightly different in texture. There is also a bridge later in the song (the section in f minor). Each time the refrain returns, the text is “And if love is my song, then forgiveness will fill my soul, and peace will flood all my life. When love is my song.” These words are contemplative, sincere, and hopeful, and are coupled with an uplifting, arcing musical phrase. I challenge you to find an ensemble or an audience that will not warm to this section.

Looking at the teaching perspective, this piece is a little bit in disguise. Because it begins in unison, and because there are repeated refrains, it may appear “easy” on first glance. “Oh, this and this and this are repeated, I can teach this one quickly.” Don’t be fooled – since each verse is just slightly different in pitch pattern or rhythm, your singers need to read carefully and notice the changes from verse to verse.

Once they do though, the piece should come together well, and provide many chances for shaping, shading, and emoting. If your advanced ensemble is used to singing in four parts, they may balk at an SSA piece, but this can be a lovely moment for them. And because of the quality part writing, it can also be the stretch piece for a usually-2part ensemble. Once that group can navigate the small nuances from verse to verse, the harmonies and entrances will fall into place.

I encourage you to take a look at this piece, for the next time you need a solid “about music” or “about love” selection, or the next time you need a warm and moving addition to a festival program. I plan to use this with my next festival gig, and am looking forward to the music we will make together.

Title:When Love Is My Song
Composer:Jill Friedersdorf & Melissa Keylock
Date of Composition:2014
Author:Jill Friedersdorf
Subject(s), Genre:Love, Community, Singing, Music
Language:English
Listed Voicing:SSA
Voicing Details:SSA
Ranges:S1: F4-F5
S2: Db4-D5
A: Bb3-C5
Accompaniment:Piano
Duration:~4:45
Tempo:MM=76
Dedication:Written in honor of Ruth Dwyer and her lifetime of inspiring students and music educators
Series:Ruth Dwyer Choral Series
Publisher:Colla Voce Music 24-96170
Further descriptions and details, including program notes, audio, perusal score, and purchasing:
https://www.collavoce.com/catalog/item/when-love-is-my-song-24-96174 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vtpqnkqVh8

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.

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

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#41: Friday, January 18, 2019

“Deep Peace, Healing Light” by Leonard Enns
Text inspired by Gaelic traditions
SSA, a cappella

Frequently, choral selections with crunchy harmony or pleasantly-dissonant chords require four voice parts minimum, usually more. By contrast, this lovely selection by composer Leonard Enns, “Deep Peace, Healing Light,” provides ample opportunity for suspensions, non-chord tones, and clusters, while only requiring three voice parts. This piece is ideal for concert or contest; it can also be used for funerals, retirements, graduations, or other community events where peace and/or reconciliation are the focus.

The work is primarily homophonic, with only a few exceptions. The shared vertical/rhythmic structure adds stability throughout and helps support less experienced singers who may be pursuing the piece.

Interestingly, there is a series of six measures on the second page which are scored twice. Labeled “A” and “B,” they differ in range and tessitura, but not in rhythm. The score markings indicate you should choose either A or B, based on the skill set of your group. “B” is good in its own right, but “A” really allows your ensemble a chance to shine, depending on the range of your S1s.

Another point to notice would be the ample opportunities for incorporating dynamics and tempo changes. Dynamics are given throughout and range from mp to f. Tempos ebb and flow as well, including ritards and caesuras. A strong ensemble will likely relish the chance to dig in and shape the emotion of the selection through these means.

Tonally, the piece centers around Eb major, with excursions to c minor, eb minor, and Gb major. In listening to the selection, I am struck by the way the tonality shifts in a such a smooth way. Using solfege might be tricky, if your ensemble is new to added accidentals. It could easily be used for the beginning and ending of the work though without concern. However, if you are interested in practicing the ensemble’s use of added flats (me and te, in this case), this is an excellent and brief foray into the skill.

The ending of the work is another unique point – it is aleatoric, with a series of notes in the score regarding how it is to be performed. After a solid Bb chord (V of Eb major), each voice part freely explores various pitches within the descending Eb major scale, incorporating “oohs” and the text “deep, deep peace.” Voices overlap to create a meaningful, tonal soundscape.

The source of this text is a curious one, without a clear answer. The octavo’s attribution suggests that the words are a “Gaelic Blessing.” John Rutter’s familiar choral selection “A Gaelic Blessing” uses the same text, albeit with an added Christian-themed closing line, and notes a similar attribution (“adapted from an old Gaelic rune”). Of interest though, is that the lines appear as part of a larger prayer within the 1895 novel The Dominion of Dreams: Under the Dark Star, by Celtic-Revivalist William Sharp, writing as Fiona Macleod. There is no doubt the text is inspired by other legitimate Gaelic blessings. However, whether the text is truly from Gaelic tradition, or simply written in that style by a 19th century author, remains in question.

Regardless of the text’s origins, the sentiment of the text is certainly worth considering:

Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the gentle night to you.
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you.

The text’s meaning, coupled with Enns’ beautiful setting, make this a quality choice for your women’s/treble ensemble.

Title:Deep Peace, Healing Light
Composer:Leonard Enns
Date of Composition:2012
Text Source:Gaelic Blessing* (see notes in description)
Subject(s), Genre:Peace, blessing, compassion.
Can also be suitable for funeral.
Language:English
Listed Voicing:SSA
Voicing Details:SSA
Ranges:S1: Eb4-F5/Ab5
S2: D4-D5/F5
A: Bb3-Bb4/C5
Accompaniment:A cappella
Duration:~2:30
Tempo:76, gently with rubato
Dedication:In Memory of Mary Anne Kowal
Publisher:Cypress Choral Music CP-1224
Further descriptions and details, including program notes, audio, perusal score, and purchasing:
http://larrynickel.com/CypressAudio/Deep.html
http://cypresschoral.com/PDF/SampleCP1224.pdf
https://soundcloud.com/cypress-choral-music/deep-peace-healing-light

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.

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