SKU: LO.70-2449L

ISBN 9780787779085.

Drawing from over 250 years of evolving American hymnody, John Dixon has curated a diverse series of 12 organ settings that capture the essence of this rich heritage. Featuring a variety of tunes, half of which are rooted in 19th-century folk hymn tradition and the remainder hailing from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, these settings are designed to inspire, uplift, and console.

SKU: HL.365818

UPC: 840126962093. 6.75x10.5x0.019 inches. I Timothy 2:5, Luke 2:8-10, Matthew 2:9, Numbers 24:17.

This melodic gem from the early-American hymn tradition is thoughtfully presented by carefully maintaining the spirit of the source material. The arrangement unfolds naturally from a single line and gradually moves with care through the various ranges of the chorus. A spaciousness in the harmonic treatment adds an air of mystery and sacred reverence to the anthem's impact.

SKU: HL.35028867

UPC: 884088888633. 5.25x7.5 inches.

From the composer of Festival of Carols and The Winter Rose comes a cantata that celebrates the legacy of early American carols and hymnody. Composed in the spirit of folk music, the cantata combines traditional sounds with more rustic elements creating a blend that is fresh and pleasing. Popular American carols like Away In a Manger and O Little Town of Bethlehem dance with traditional spirituals such as Children, Go Where I Send Thee and Go, Tell It on the Mountain. Sacred Harp tunes are re-tooled for Advent and stand alongside new versions of Shaker hymns and Appalachian melodies. Thoughtful narration weaves the movements together in a meaningful tapestry of song and Scripture. Two orchestral options are available allowing maximum flexibility in performance. A full line of support products is also available. Available separately: SATB, CD-ROM Full Orchestration (Score & Parts for Flute 1 & 2, alto recorder, Oboe/English Horn, Clarinet 1 & 2, Bassoon, Horn 1 & 2, Trumpet 1-3, Trombone 1 & 2, Bass Trombone/Tuba, Timpani, Percussion, Acoustic Guitar, Banjo, Harp, Piano, Synth, Solo fiddle, Violin 1 & 2, Viola, Cello, Double Bass), Printed Full Orchestration, Appalachian Consort Orchestration (Score & parts for Flute, Violin, Cello, Mandolin, Guitar, Percussion and Piano), StudioTrax CD (accompaniment only), SplitTrax CD, Listening CD, 10-Pack Listening CDs, Preview Pack (Book/CD combo), RehearsalTrax CDs (part predominant, reproducible), Digital Resource Kit (PowerPoint, Choir Devotionals, Poster, Program, Flyers, Children's Program PDFs). Duration: approx. 40 min.

SKU: BT.MUSM570368679

Isthmus denotes a narrow strip of land with sea on either side, forming a link between two larger ars of land. The title is a metaphor for an effort to bond artistically my experiences of living in Cyprus, my birthplace, and in the USA, my recently adopted homeland. Having lived in a small, partitioned island for my formative years and in England for eleven years, water has always had a double meaning: it has at once served as a gateway to other cultures but also as a border, a violent and absolute interruption of a continuum. While in the USA, or indeed in a now connected Europe, it is possible to travel on land for days without having to encounter a border, in the countries where I lived for most of my life, that was not possible. As an artist, this notion of establishing boundaries and consciously trying to break them is very close to me, as my music deals both with modernity but also with tradition and, similarly, with metaphor and reality. As a Cypriot, the sea, the world of antiquity, the mysteries of the oracles, the notion of borders and the pastoral are all very central to my way of thinking. In Cyprus, different layers of history are frequently superimposed on a single building that might still preserve its Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman features in its layers of stone and architecture. Similarly, ancient ruins or the barbed wire of modern conflict often interrupt placid fields. An isthmus, therefore, can be seen to symbolize my artistic struggle to join strikingly different experiences and notions in a cohesive way. Similar to an isthmus, in this short piece, I connect these experiences with the purpose of creating a distinct and unique sonic context, connecting technology and tradition, the pastoral with the urban, the musical with the extra-musical and the abstract with the concrete. For example, the choir does not always sing in the traditional sense, but the singers imitate various natural sounds, such as water, air, crickets or birds, to create a vivid visual impression for the work. Scandinavian herding calls blend with field recordings from the seas of Cyprus and the lakes of Upstate New York, communicated within clearly defined, singular acoustic sources and spaces through wireless speakers. The text used is both onomatopoeic, articulating an imaginary language, but also literal, with a setting of the poem, “To make a prairie” by the iconic American poet Emily Dickinson and a tiny fragment from Callimachus’ “Hymn to Demeter.” Technology is used sparsely and very intentionally to articulate the expressive qualities of pastoral imagery, creating one unified synthetic timbre with the choristers’ sounds. This piece is dedicated to the wonderful singers of the Georgia Institute of Technology Chamber Choir with special thanks to Professors Hsu and Ulrich, without whose support this composition would not have been possible. Practical notes: A choir of no less than 24 singers is sought with 4 additional soloists (2 Sopranos and 2 Altos). Each singer must have their own wireless speaker, secured either in the music folder or as a strap inside their shirts. All sounds must match in volume the sound from the speakers, creating one unified timbre. The speakers should not be noticeable to the public. The four soloists are placed offstage at the beginning of the work. From 1:35’ onwards they enter the hall and take their positions, ideally at the four corners of the hall. If the hall is too large, the singers can find alternate positions, but these should always be antiphonal. The four soloists sing predominantly in the “kulning” style and the antiphonal aspect is very important to the work. There are two sound files for each section (SATB) that are triggered by each singer’s mobile device. The first occurs at the start of the piece, and the second, about a minute before the end. The sound files are able to be purchased separately, on CD, or are available directly from UYMP.