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Women's Chorus

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.

m9-13
m14-16

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.

m38-39

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


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: holst, orchestra, rig veda, treble choir, Women's Chorus

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

April 26, 2019 by Shelbie L. Wahl-Fouts Leave a Comment

#48: Friday, April 26, 2019

“Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Op.26, Group II” by Gustav Holst
Intro and Mvt
1
Text by Holst, from Sanskrit sources
SSA w div, piano or orchestra

This blog is in three parts – the first part (this week) will be intro material about this selection, and details about the first movement. Subsequent weeks will cover the 2nd and 3rd movements.

At Hollins, I lead the choral program, and recently also took on directing the student/community orchestra (Valley Chamber Orchestra). With me in front of both the choral and orchestral forces, the time seemed right this spring to program a choral-orchestral concert. The biggest challenge of this collaboration (besides how to fit everyone on stage!) was about repertoire. The amount of choral-orchestral rep for SATB choirs is large. However, the list of quality non-pops selections for full orchestra and SSAA choir is much harder to navigate.

In the end, the rep for the combined portion was as follows:

  • David Dickau, “If Music Be the Food of Love.” SSAA. Also available SATB. Orchestral parts for purchase from Colla Voce for orchestra parts.
  • Gustav Holst, Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Group II. SSA div. Orchestral Parts for rent from ECS.
    • I. To Varuna
    • II. To Agni
    • III. Funeral Chant
  • Gwyneth Walker, “Crossing the Bar.” SSAA. Orchestra parts for purchase from ECS.
  • Giuseppe Verdi, “Witches’ Chorus”from Macbeth, arr. Rutter, published in Three Opera Choruses for Upper Voices. Orchestra parts available for rent through Oxford and Edition Peters. SSA.
    • We only did the Verdi this time, but have previously programmed the other two movements in this set: “Spinning Chorus” from Wagner’s Der Fliegende Hollander and “Chorus of Peasant Girls” from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin.

Of all the repertoire in the choral-orchestral portion of the concert, the Holst gained the most grudging respect from my singers, over the course of the semester. At first, I’ll be honest, they were not fans. Unfamiliar harmonies, exposed choral parts, sparse orchestral support, odd divisi, and difficult meters were just some of the reasons they found the work overwhelming early in the learning process. It was tougher music than I’d thrown at them before, so they were a little hesitant. The orchestra was likewise reticent, for similar reasons. But all those same challenging qualities also ended up being what they loved most about the work by the end.

First, a little background on this portion of Holst’s compositional life, according to musicologist Chris Morrison:

“The years 1900 through 1912 could be thought of as the British composer Gustav Holst’s (1874-1934) “Sanskrit” period. Inspired by his Theosophist stepmother, Holst developed an interest in the religious literature and poetry of India in his mid-twenties, going so far as to learn the rudiments of the Sanskrit language at University College, London, so that he could make his own translations when he found those that available were unsuitable for his musical settings. His first effort in this vein was the opera Sita (1900-1906); later came works like the opera Sàvitri (1908), the choral work The Cloud Messenger (1909-1910), and the Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, written over the years 1908 through 1912.

The Rig Veda is a set of over 1000 hymns — singing the praises of the sacred plant soma and gods like Varuna, Agni, and Indra — brought by Indo-European speaking peoples into India somewhere around 1500-1000 B.C. Holst set 14 of these hymns in his four groups of Choral Hymns, which were fairly popular during his lifetime, but have seldom been performed since.

The first group (written in 1908-1910, premiered at Newcastle on December 6, 1911) is scored for mixed chorus and orchestra. The third group (written in 1910, premiered at Blackburn on March 16, 1911) combines women’s chorus with harp accompaniment. The fourth group (written in 1912, premiered at Queen’s Hall on March 18, 1914) is scored for men’s chorus and orchestra. [As a women’s chorus conductor, the third group – for women’s choir and harp – was the one I was already familiar with.]

The second group (written in 1909, premiered at Queen’s Hall on March 22, 1911) features women’s chorus with orchestra. The mysterious “To Varuna (God of the Waters),” with its quiet, desolate opening and unusual harmonies, is followed by the lively, polyphonic “To Agni (God of Fire)” and the haunting “Funeral Chant.”

The text of the 1st movement is as follows:

I.   To Varuna

O Varuna, we offer up to thee a song to bring thee earthward unto us.
O thou, the Ancient One, the Mighty, the Holy,
laden with treasure of sacrifice, Descend to us.
But now having entered unto his presence his face doth scorch as flames of angry fire.
O Varuna if we have sinned against thee yet we are thine own.
Give shelter to those that bring thee praise.
Hast thou forgotten how in the days gone by with thee O Varuna fearlessly walked we.
Into thy mansion, lofty and shining, built with a thousand doors,
Freely we entered.
Then in thy boat we embarked with thee Varuna,
Forth did we wend o’er the path of the ocean,
Over the surface of billowy waters swaying so gently, gliding so smoothly,
Yea in those happy days
Thou didst inspire us, gavest us wisdom, mad’st us thy singers.
Ah! In those happy days
Broad were the heav’ns, long were the days
O Varuna if we have sinned against thee yet we are thine own
Give shelter to those that bring thee praise.

“To Varuna,” opens very sparsely in 3/2, with haunting phrases in individual string parts, punctuated by intervals in the winds. There is one sharp in the key signature, but accidentals abound. Your principal violin and principal viola must have no fear, and great intonation. I conducted this in big 3, with subdivisions as needed for entrances or emphasis.

After the intro, choral parts (SSA) enter in unison, but with no instrumental support underneath. They just float in from the ether. For a choir used to rhythmic or tonal accompaniment support (either from the piano or from other voices), this opening can feel a little exposed.

The unison turns to homophonic/chordal harmony, with some difficult dissonances between voices. A solo oboe enters above the voices, to add a layer. The counting here for voices can be tricky – the rhythms fall in line with the text, which makes it feel more spoken than sung, but the rests come at unexpected times.

Flute, harp, timpani, and horn enter next, pp – still no full strings. Throughout the whole movement, there is a rhythmic contrast between three-half-notes and two-dotted-half-notes. Both figures are almost always present, so if you are conducting in a big 3, one group will always feel “on” and another will always feel “off.” It makes for tricky rehearsals initially, but good rhythmic intrigue later.

The voices return, continuing in the parlando style – minimal harmony, maximum text. Tension ramps up quickly – moving from pp with just a few instruments to ff with everyone (including percussion and brass). This coincides with the text “as flames of angry fire.”

Continuing in the study of contrasts, the harp has running patterns of four-sixteenths, while the strings enter with 8th notes triplets. Some instrumental lines have dotted half figures, while others have half notes. Everyone must count – each section for themselves!

After another sparsely orchestrated section with speechlike rhythms, the style changes a bit. Instead of moderate 3/2, the tempo gets just a little faster and is written in 6/4. I kept conducting in three, but it felt like 3 primary beats, whereas the 3/2 felt like three with subdivision. This was counterintuitive to the given meter signatures, but it fit the music best.

Oboe, bass clarinet, and horn underscore this middle section of the movement, with an interesting combination of long tones and quick eighths. Choral parts are legato half notes (“Hast thou forgotten…”), in solid, non-diatonic triads. Accidentals are everywhere! This is not the section to learn via solfege – recognizing half-steps and whole-steps would be a much stronger teaching tool here. There are also some enharmonics from chord to chord that can be problematic until the singers catch them all.

After a full cycle of the choral half-note motive, with very minimal accompaniment, the strings re-enter as a unit, doubling the choral notes. At this point though, Holst introduces divisi into the vocal lines. In the score, it is written as “first row” (SSA new material) and “remainder” (SSA half note motive, now supported by strings). Essentially, your group is now in six parts.

For my purposes, I put my stronger singers on the new material, regardless of where they were standing, and kept everyone else on the material they already knew. Your mileage may vary, depending on how you feel your group would best be divided. The “first row” lines are predominantly quarter notes, so they move twice as fast as the rest of the choir. Together, the six parts and the orchestra create a quiet yet energetic section of moderately-controlled chaos.

After a brief return to the half-notes-only motive, without the quarter note overlay, the piece shifts to piu mosso and some very loud, very emphatic quarter note duplets (“Ah, in those happy days…”), before calming back down. The opening material returns, in pseudo da-capo fashion. The piece ends similar to how it begins, with a parlando invocation to Varuna, this time with a poignant violin solo over top.  

To be continued in my next entries, focusing on movements 2 and 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)
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 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: holst, orchestra, rig veda, treble choir, Women's Chorus

Choral Music Composed by Women: A Brief History

April 8, 2019 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

The May issue of Choral Journal is now available online! The cover article for this issue was written by Matthew Hoch and Linda Lister and titled “Choral Music Composed by Women: A Brief History.” Below is an excerpt of the article, and you can read it in its entirety in the May 2019 issue! Go to acda.org/choraljournal and click “Search Archives.”
Choose May 2019 from the dropdown menu.
________________________________

Although women composers are now a formidable force in the choral world, this has largely been a twentieth-century development. Ever since biblical times—and perhaps before that—men and women have sung together as a part of sacred worship.

Beginning with the development of Gregorian chant during the eighth century, this music began to be notated in preserved manuscripts. This means that vocal works are the oldest form of Western music, comprising most of the repertoire of the medieval and Renaissance eras. But because women assumed such a marginal role in the Catholic church, forbidden from entering the priesthood or leading any kind of liturgy (except within the all-female convents), virtually all of the polyphonic vocal repertoire composed before 1600 was written by men.

The story of female composers of choral music begins just before the dawn of the Baroque era, when a lone madrigalist and a handful of ambitious nuns began creating the first polyphonic secular and sacred music written by women.

Women Composers of Choral Music before 1800
Although there is evidence of compositional activity by women in the
genres of plainchant and monophonic secular song during the Medieval era, the earliest known female composer of polyphonic choral music was the sixteenth-century madrigalist Maddalena Casulana (ca. 1544–ca. 1590). Casulana, an Italian, was a lutenist and singer in addition to being a composer. She is best known for her three books of madrigals, all of which were published during her lifetime—in 1568, 1570, and 1583.

This publication record was an extraordinary feat for a Renaissance woman composer. “Morir non può il mio core”—a four-voice madrigal from Il primo libro di magrigali (the first collection)—is a work fi rmly rooted in the Italian madrigal style of the sixteenth century, and its counterpoint and text painting are representative of Casulana’s mature compositional style.

*An alternative version of this article appears as a chapter in the book So You Want to Sing Music by Women (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019).
__________________
Read the rest of this article (and more!) in the May issue of Choral Journal, available online at acda.org.

Filed Under: Choral Journal Tagged With: ACDA Membership Benefits, ACDA Publications, Choral Journal, Women's Chorus, women's history

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

January 18, 2019 by Shelbie L. Wahl-Fouts Leave a Comment

#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.

Filed Under: One From the Folder, Treble Choirs, Women's Choirs Tagged With: SSA, treble chorus, Women's Chorus

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

December 7, 2018 by Shelbie L. Wahl-Fouts Leave a Comment

#36: Friday, December 07, 2018

“Hail, Christmas Day” by Abbie Burt Betinis
Text by John Harris Burt

SSAA, a cappella

“Hail, Christmas Day!” from Abbie Betinis is an earworm in the best sense of the word. More than once I found myself, and my singers, bouncing down the hallway to the opening melody. The tune is hummable and catchy, and sticks with you quickly. It is a spry combination of mixed asymmetrical meters, and certain to keep your singers on their toes. If you are looking for an uptempo, cheerful addition to your holiday concert, you’ve found it!

Abbie Betinis composes a new Christmas carol every year, following in the long-standing tradition begun by her great-grandfather, Rev. Bates Burt. For more information on the family history of carols and Christmas cards, please visit: http://www.abbiebetinis.com/writings_burtcarols.html. This joyful carol features music by Abbie, with text by her grandfather John Harris Burt from 1953.

In Abbie’s musical setting, the mixed meters feature strongly, alternating between a measure of 7/8 and 9/8. The 9/8 is always divided up into 2+2+2+3, while the 7/8 comes up as 2+2+3 or 3+2+2, depending on its position in the phrase. We started the rehearsal process by dissecting each of these, learning how to count them and how to conduct them, and how to discern between the variants of 7/8. There were many rehearsal moments spent writing-in and chanting 1-2-3-1-2-1-2; 1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2-3, etc.

During the initial learning phrase of rehearsals, the constantly-changing meter signatures presented an obstacle for my singers but, after repetition, it became second nature. Encouraging singers to physicalize the meter through conducting helped as well, as it emphasized the asymmetrical aspect. My singers were always asked to conduct through the piece as they were rehearsing it.

The work is straightforward in form – four verses, each beginning in English and finishing in Latin. The first and second verses are in unison, with added octaves at the end of the second verse. While you may feel that singing in unison might not present enough of a challenge for your singers, or enough interest for your audience, I encourage you to set aside that notion here. The unison melody line is full of mixed and asymmetrical meters, phrasing over the barline, accents, and large jumps, all of which creates a lovely sense of urgency and energy.

Verse three begins with the melody in the Soprano 2 (or a solo), and harmonic Oohs/Aahs in the outer voices. There is some divisi in the outer voices, but not much; it reads like SSA with a bit of divisi. The meter can be a little tricky here for the voice parts with the longer harmony notes – it is more difficult to feel the pulse when you have half-notes, as opposed to quarter notes and eighth notes.

Having the melody line do the chant-counting while the harmony parts rehearsed was helpful, as was reminding singers to always keep the pulse physically connected in their body (tap, patsch, clap, step, snap, conduct, etc.). The second half of verse three engages all voice parts in the text, now with contrary motion and added harmonies. This is the first time that the dynamic forte has appeared thus far in the piece, and the build up to it is a great moment.

The fourth verse is a round in three parts. While the earlier unison verses solidify the metric and tonal patterns for the choir, this verse is all about part independence. I loved the first time rehearsing this verse, watching singers concentrate so strongly to keep the asymmetrical meters lined up together. After completing the fourth verse, there is a final coda to wrap-up the work.

The energy and drive in this piece is palpable. If you need a fast and buoyant selection to compliment the rest of your holiday program, look no further. Just know – you will find yourself humming it for weeks to come!

Title: Hail, Christmas Day!
Composer: Abbie Burt Betinis
Date of Composition: 2003 (rev 2010)
Author: Rev. John Harris Burt
Date of Text: 1953
Subject(s), Genre: Christmas, sacred, holiday, winter, joy
Language: English and Latin
Listed Voicing: SSAA
Voicing Details: SSAA (unison, 2-part, SSA, and SSAA)
Ranges: S1: D4-F#5
S2: D4-F5
A1: G3-F5
A2: G3-F5
Accompaniment: a cappella
Duration: ~2:00
Tempo: 144-160, Joyfully!
Premiering Ensemble: Pike Kor, Luther College, Sandra Peter, conductor
Series: The Burt Family Christmas Carols
Publisher: Abbie Betinis Music www.abbiebetinis.com   
Further descriptions and details, including program notes, audio, perusal score, and purchasing:
http://www.abbiebetinis.com/works/hail_christmas_day.html

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: Betinis, SSA, SSAA, treble, Women's Chorus

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

November 16, 2018 by Shelbie L. Wahl-Fouts Leave a Comment

#34: Friday, November 16, 2018
“Winter Lullaby” by PINKZEBRA
2-part, piano (optional strings)

Sometimes we are searching for repertoire for our 8-part divisi advanced ensemble, capable of polyphony and mixed meter and atonal harmonies. Sometimes we are looking for a song for our beginner ensemble, who is just at the start of their musical journey. “Winter Lullaby” is for the latter, and it does an amazing job of being exactly what my singers needed.

Beginners come in all shapes and sizes, and ages. Not all college (or high school or community) choirs are auditioned ensembles, for experienced singers only. My 100-level group is truly a beginner choir. We start from scratch with breathing, vocal mechanics, and introductory music literacy. No experience required or expected. They may be adults in age, but they are closer in initial level to a preparatory children’s choir than what we think of as a traditional college choir.

As an educator, I love the fact that I have a space for beginners to feel safe and confident in exploring their musicianship, in addition to having ensembles where experienced students can thrive. However, finding palatable rep for an older beginner group can be a definite challenge. While I’m speaking of a college choir here, you may also have this beginner group at a different level. They may be high school students or community/church adults – eager but unknown. No matter the age though, they are true beginners. To that end, repertoire selection is absolutely crucial to their success.

For my winter concert, it is key that I choose a piece that my beginners can work up to. Ideally, this is something that incorporates the literacy components they have learned in class, (and only those components), but doesn’t feel childish. “Winter Lullaby” fits this bill. It is also a general winter-themed selection good for all December/holiday/January concerts, without being attached to any actual holiday (secular, sacred, or otherwise).

Tonally, the piece is entirely diatonic – every single note is part of the major scale. I aurally introduced the solfege patterns in the selection first, making sure the students understood the sound of the intervals and the pitch relationships within the key. Then we did writing, listening, dictation, and reading exercises to solidify their understanding of that particular key. Once at that point, I gave students the actual sheet music and we worked through the piece section by section.

Rhythmically, the approach was very similar. “Winter Lullaby” is made up of quarter, eighth, and half notes, plus a few ties. Once I knew the students were proficient at all the rhythms (via pattern flash cards, rhythm composition cards, and dictation), we read through the whole piece on takadimi syllables.

Watching these students work through a new piece step-by-step is a humbling and rewarding moment. The look on their faces when they realize that yes, they can do this is without equal.

The song itself moves between unison and 2pt, and is primarily three similar stanzas/verses with a bridge in the middle. The first entrance begins in unison, then moves to 2pt and back to unison. The second entrance is melody + ooh descant, ending with the same 2pt&unison sequence. The bridge is next, and is a series of small descending 8thnote phrases, in harmonic thirds. The beginning of the third entrance starts with oohs, on a slightly altered melody line. Part I sings first, then Part II responds, then I/II again. The song ends with the same 2pt&unison patterns as the first and second sections.

If your ensemble is small, or tentative, or, just isn’t quite ready for 2pt yet, the harmony can transfer quite nicely to a flute or similar timbre instrument. Singers then have the strength in numbers that is afforded by singing all together, but the performance can still have the musical nuance of 2-part harmony. Both parts of the third entrance can be sung by everyone. Basic dynamics are present throughout, giving your singers a chance to add musical depth with only minimal new terminology/symbols.

Often, partner songs and other two-part or unison music can come off feeling childish or young, as they are often geared towards children’s or elementary choirs. While this song is a lullaby, meant to be sung to a baby or small child, the song itself does not feel juvenile. “This tender lullaby combines snapshots of winter scenes with the sentimentality of life’s fleeting moments.” (Composer’s website) And, from experience, I can say the song works well as an actual, functional lullaby too, having sung it after more than one rehearsal to my 6-month old son!

My college-age singers are 100% emotionally invested in this selection, and I know they are looking forward to singing it for friends and family. Not only do they like it, they are succeeding at it. “Winter Lullaby” is exactly what these students needed this term, for this concert, and I cannot wait to watch them shine in their first performance.

Title: Winter Lullaby
Composer: PINKZEBRA
Date of Composition: 2016
Subject(s), Genre: Winter
Language: English
Listed Voicing: 2-part
Voicing Details: 2-part and unison
Ranges: I: Bb3-Eb5
II: Ab3-C5
Accompaniment: Piano
Duration: ~3:30
Tempo: MM=84, Sweetly and tenderly, stretching phrases expressively
Publisher: www.pinkzebramusic.com
Further descriptions and details, including program notes, audio, perusal score, and purchasing:
https://pinkzebramusic.com/secular-winter-choir-songs/

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: 2-part, treble choir, Women's Chorus

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