Repertoire Post #8

L'ultimo di di maggio, Ottorino Respighi, arr. Robert Sieving - SATB HS Madrigal

•Why this piece is worthy of consideration:

 -  I really like that this is an arrangement of a madrigal because I think this is a valuable style that all high school ensembles should sing at least once. The parts are also very independent so all the singers need to be solid on their parts and work on fitting everything together. Also, the piece is in Italian, which I think all HS choirs should sing at least once as well.

•The ensemble for which the piece will be appropriate:

 - Given the part complexity, this is definitely for a HS group. There are also large ranges for all the parts, which makes this a solid HS piece as middle-schoolers would not have the range or technical skill to sing this work.

 

•Discuss range/tessitura and how the piece works for singers:

- Soprano: low D - high A, the piece concentrates in the higher part of the range, which gets the voice up and light.

- Alto: low A - high D, the alto part does stay lower than the soprano part, but it stays in the middle of the range. The alto part also has divisi, which I like because it creates more independence in the parts as well as harmonic contrast.

- Tenor: low E - F#, I believe this is a comfortable range for tenors post voice change.

- Bass: low E - high D, the bass part is melodic, which I like, instead of just outlining harmonic progression.

•What musical ideas can be taught:

-blend, unifying vowel shape, phrasing, independence of part/line, madrigal singing style, articulating multiple notes in slurs, rhythmic and harmonic complexity, Italian text

 

•What about the text is worthy of singing:

- This arrangement combines the text of an anonymous sixteenth-century poem with music from Respighi's Ancient Aires and Dances for Lute, Suite 1: Balletto. Not only is the style valuable, but the text and musical ideas are incredibly valuable as well because it introduces this style to the choir.

 

•What, if any, material should be adapted/re-written:

- The divisi alto part may not be feasible with a smaller choir because of number constraints, however, I feel like the ranges are all fine given the targeted age group for the arrangement.

Repertoire Post #7

Awake, My Soul, and Sing!, Victor C. Johnson - SSA MS Choir

•Why this piece is worthy of consideration:

 -  I like that this is a newer piece (2014) that was commissioned specifically for a Children's Choir with young voices in mind. I also like that this piece has the option to feature a small group or solo as the piece progresses.

•The ensemble for which the piece will be appropriate:

 - This would be a middle school SSA piece. The parts move in parallel motion and is mostly in 2-part with some 3-part, however, it would be good for a beginning choir that is just starting to move into singing harmony.

 

•Discuss range/tessitura and how the piece works for singers:

-Soprano 1: low D - F (descant to high Ab), I like that there is a descant part for girls who have this range. This would be a way to celebrate all the voices in the ensemble instead of limiting voices to specific parts all the time.

- Soprano 2: low D - Db, I would like the part a little higher, but it does go to the higher part of the range instead of staying low.

- Alto: low Bb - high Db, I like that the alto part goes up to the same range as the soprano 2 part. It also doesn't stay around the low Bb very much, so it gets any alto singers into their higher range as well.

•What musical ideas can be taught:

-blend, unifying vowel shape, phrasing, sustained breath/spinning air

 

•What about the text is worthy of singing:

- The text is very upbeat and the piano part drives the piece forward. I think this might be a good opening song on a concert given the uplifting text.

 

•What, if any, material should be adapted/re-written:

- I like the flexibility of having a soloist or a small group. I also like the optional descant if there are singers who can do this. Some of these parts may not be used for every choir, but I like that I have the option to tailor the piece to the group in front of me.

Repertoire Post #6

Alleluia! Sing for Joy!, Jean Baptiste Lully, arr. by Patrick Liebergen - Unison or 2-Part for MS

•Why this piece is worthy of consideration:

 -  I like that this piece could be either unison or 2-part depending on the choir and what they need. I also like that this is an arrangement of a Baroque piece, so that it is exposing the students to some traditional music. This piece also has shorter phrases with lots of places for the choir to breathe and regroup if anyone gets off.

•The ensemble for which the piece will be appropriate:

 - I think this would be great for a beginning middle school choir. This piece could be done in unison for a first semester choir or in two-part for a second semester or second year choir. The parts move in contrary motion, which I like, however, the second part does go pretty low in places so I would either stick with the unison line or re-write the second part so that it is higher.

 

•Discuss range/tessitura and how the piece works for singers:

- Part 1: low E - Eb, this part allows singers to explore the whole range of their voice, which I like

- Opt. Part 2: low Ab - Bb, this part is very low, but if there are voices that have already changed it may work for them.

•What musical ideas can be taught:

-blend, unifying vowel shape, phrasing, contrast between phrases

 

•What about the text is worthy of singing:

- The text in this piece is pretty standard. It's not great, but other songs are much worse and don't have the musical value that this song does given the Baroque era compositional value.

 

•What, if any, material should be adapted/re-written:

- I would probably use this song as a unison piece, but if I ever did want to use the second part, I would most likely need to re-write most of it since it is very low right now.

 

 

Repertoire Post #5

My Heart's in the Highlands, Sherri Porterfield, TTB/TBB MS Choir

•Why this piece is worthy of consideration:

 -  I like that this piece is just for guys and geared towards middle school. It gives them a chance to explore their voices and their sound and learn how to blend together. I also like that the piece includes a key change as well as opportunities for solos if there are some boys that would like that opportunity.

•The ensemble for which the piece will be appropriate:

 - I think this would be for a middle school boys choir. There isn't much independence of line and often the lines are singing the same notes or similar notes. The tenor 1 and tenor 2 lines are often moving in contrary motion to the bass line, which will make it easier to keep their parts separate as they sing.

 

•Discuss range/tessitura and how the piece works for singers:

- Tenor 1: low D - F (one note), I like that there is over an octave range, but the upper part of the range may be problematic for some changing voices.

- Tenor 2: low D - E, I like that the tenor lines are similar in range so that all the singers learn how to access their full voice.

- Bass: C - high A, some of this may be a little high, but there are alternate notes written in and notes can be dropped down if needed.

•What musical ideas can be taught:

- dynamics, blend, spinning air, phrases, sustained breath/longer phrases, key changes

 

•What about the text is worthy of singing:

- I really like the text. I think it has more depth than a lot of the traditional middle school repertoire, especially for boys.

 

•What, if any, material should be adapted/re-written:

- As I mentioned earlier, some of the bass notes may be a little too high and may need to be taken down. Also, depending on voice change, some of the tenor lines may go too high and have to be adjusted as well.

Repertoire Post #4

The Silence and the Song, Mark Patterson - SATB 9th Grade Choir

•Why this piece is worthy of consideration:

 -  I really love how musical this piece is in terms of phrasing and color. I love the melody and the words and it sounds really beautiful when sung, as we saw in class when I used this for my final teach. The piece is also in 4-part, which is great for an intermediate choir that is still exploring blend and independence of line.

•The ensemble for which the piece will be appropriate:

 - I think this would be a really good piece for either an advanced middle school choir or a 9th grade high school choir. The musical aspects are relatively simple, but there is the potential for a lot of musical things to be worked on, like phrasing.

 

•Discuss range/tessitura and how the piece works for singers:

- Soprano: C - E, this gets the sopranos into the higher part of their range.

- Alto: B - E, I really like this because the alto range is very similar to the soprano - more like part 1 and part 2 as opposed to soprano and alto.

- Tenor: G - E, this may be tricky with changing voices.

- Bass: B - B, some of this may be a little low, but for the boys that can do it, I like that they have the opportunity to.

•What musical ideas can be taught:

-blend, phrasing, dynamics, spinning air/sustaining breath

 

•What about the text is worthy of singing:

- As with many Mark Patterson songs, this piece has some really nice text. It is easy to relate to and really beautiful - definitely not fluff text.

 

•What, if any, material should be adapted/re-written:

- Some of the lower bass notes may need to be taken up depending on the guys. Also, some of the tenor parts may need to be re-written if the boys singing it are still going through voice change.

 

 

Repertoire Post #3

Sisi Ni Afrika (We Are Africa), Christian "Ceej" Oliver - TTB High School Choir

 
•Why this piece is worthy of consideration:

 -  I really like that this piece is written in Swahili and Amharic instead of English because it exposes the choir to world music and different languages. I also love the optional percussion element because I could bring in band students and involve more students in the concert. It also gives this piece a unique sound that I think students would like and get into, especially when the ensemble begins clapping and adding body percussion.

•The ensemble for which the piece will be appropriate:

 - I think this would be for a high school ensemble. The parts are in 3rds and have a lot of parallel motion, which would make it harder for a beginning choir in middle school. There is also some independence in the parts in between the chorus, so I think this would be good for an intermediate male ensemble.

 

•Discuss range/tessitura and how the piece works for singers:

- Tenor: low E - F, some of the lower notes may be too low, but there are alternate notes written above them for singers who can't sing that low.
- Baritone: E to D, this range is problematic for changing voices, so this should be sing with voices that have already changed.
- Bass: low C to B, again, this is a larger ranges (over an octave) so it might be better for a HS choir.

•What musical ideas can be taught:

- accents, solo/independent parts, body percussion, syncopated rhythms

 

•What about the text is worthy of singing:

- The text translates to "No matter where we are from, we can all celebrate who we are."I think this is a great message, especially for a school with a diverse student body.

 

•What, if any, material should be adapted/re-written:

-  Some of the lower notes for the tenors may need to be taken up. Also, some of the solo lines may need to have additional singers added to it depending on balance issues.

Repertoire Post #2

Hope Is the Thing with Feathers, Kenny Potter (SATB) - MS mixed choir

•Why this piece is worthy of consideration:

 -  I like that the piece is in 7/8 and 8/8, which gives rhythmic variety in a compound meter as opposed to the same old duple. Also, it's an SATB piece for middle school, so it should definitely be looked at!

•The ensemble for which the piece will be appropriate:

 - This would be best for an intermediate to advanced middle school mixed choir. There is a lot of parallel motion and some independence between the lines, so I would not give this to a beginning choir.

 

•Discuss range/tessitura and how the piece works for singers:

- Soprano: low D - E, this gets the female voices into all parts of their developing ranges

- Alto: low C - B, the part stays around D and E, so it doesn't go super low, but I wish it went a little higher

- Tenor: G - F#, the part is mostly around B and only goes up to the C or higher by step, so it should be manageable

- Bass: low C - C, the part hovers around the G, so it stays out of the range where holes may be for changing voices

•What musical ideas can be taught:

-compound meter, phrases, interacting parts across the choir, sustained breath/notes

 

•What about the text is worthy of singing:

- The text is by Emily Dickinson so it is "real" text instead of middle school fluff text.

 

•What, if any, material should be adapted/re-written:

-  The basses need to sustain a high C, which may need to be re-written depending on the voices in the choir.