SKU: GI.G-6669

UPC: 785147666905. English. Text by Francis Scott Key.

SKU: HL.49045940

Artfully combining the old with the new - that is one of the hallmarks of Alwin M. Schronen. That this versatile balancing actor andbearer of numerous compositional prizes succeeds in mastering this artistic balancing act, he proves once again in his sacred choralcomposition Hodie Christus natus est. This Latin-speaking work for 8-part mixed choir a cappella (SSAATTBB) is based on the antiphonto the Magnificat of the Christmas Vespers. Schronen opens his Christmas song with the literal intonation of the traditional Gregorian melody. After this beginning, alternating between male and female voices, the composer lets the entire choir join in the jubilation of thanks for the birth of Jesus. He manages to lift the listener with his very own musical language in other heavenly realms. A wonderful, but at the same time vocally demanding piece of music, which is equally suitable for the use of church music asit is for concert use.

SKU: HL.50499601

ISBN 9781480383630. UPC: 884088992323. 6.75x10.5 inches.

Commissioned by Soli Deo Gloria, this 9-minute setting of Psalm 104 is described by the composer as “overflowing with the glories of creation, earth, and the heavens.” Glorious Majesty is a work of contrasts, with sections performed by both large and small groups of singers, as well as shifting moods and harmonies, “to highlight the distinction between passages in the text that praise God and those that praise God's creation.&rdquo.

SKU: CA.739600

ISBN M-007-25264-9. Language: English.

The motet Bless the Lord, O My Soul (2013) on verses from Psalm 103 exploits the possibilities of vocal combinations and the resulting sound effects to a high degree: In the opening invocation O my soul, the soprano 1 ascends to float above the fanned out low chord of the other voices; and beginning from For as the heavens are high above the earth, an eight-part fugato masses together into an extensive architecture of sound. The harmony of the work is tonal, but many enriched chords create a tension rich in nuances in the setting. The work has been released on the CD Rejoice. Vocal Music by Kay Johannsen (Carus 83.496/00).