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: PE.EP68578
ISBN 9790300759630. English.
Of Time and Passing (2016) is a cycle of three choral songs written specifically for the London-based ensemble, VOCES8, taking into consideration their versatilityand ability to beautifully intone a range of vocal colors with precision and grace.
The first song, I. Life, sets my translation of the poem A Vida by Brazilian poet Olavo Bilac (1865-1918), a poet I discovered while studying Brazilian Portuguese at the University of Michigan. I was drawn both to the simplicity of the text and to the possibilities of teasing out dual contrasting moods. In the beginning and end, this song explores a texture that is very much alive: wave-like contours, throbbing sounds, and plenty of flowing movement. Rising eighth-note motives in particular emphasize the fleetingness of life. But in the middle of the song, the listener is given a slowed-down atmosphere to savor life's beauty.
II. To Everything a Season capitalizes on VOCES8's ability to effectively interpret popular genres a cappella. This ancient text is taken from Ecclesiastes (dated around 300 B.C.) but I set it to a modern, rhythmically-regular and percussive pop-style idiom. Since popular music in whatever era is designedto appeal to a specific ?present time?, it is by its very nature ephemeral, and therefore seemed an apt metaphor to evoke the transitory nature of seasons.
III. Into Your Hands, confines the writing into no more than four parts, often with octave unisons.This creates a more direct and word-focused setting in which the Psalmist?s urgent words are placed at the forefront. Largely homophonic, this song is at times chorale-like, at times madrigal-like,finally relinquishing it?s tension into peaceful rest, proclaiming ?You have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God??
- Daniel Knaggs
SKU: CA.742900
ISBN M-007-25230-4. Language: Hebrew.
The a cappella motet Alleluja (2018) is a song of longing which resonates existential need as well as the hope of a profound connection to God. In the beginning, which is delicate and motivically very concentrated but metrically deliberately uncoordinated, more and more voices gather to sing together, until suddenly, starting from the bass, a violent and rhythmically exalted incantation breaks out. The following fortissimo unison in a high register is the climax of the entire work piece. In the Abgesang, the beginning is taken up, but now in a polyphonic and harmonically intensified setting. The end in A major seems like a salvation. The work has been released on the CD Rejoice. Vocal Music by Kay Johannsen (Carus 83.496/00).
SKU: HL.48024185
ISBN 9781540012258. UPC: 888680705121. 6.75x10.5 inches.
Beginning with the repeated phrase “Hey! now, now, now” as a whisper in the bass voice and expanding to all voice parts throughout the piece, this carol portrays the exciting news of the new born baby Jesus. The excitement of sharing a secret becomes too much to contain by the end of the music.
SKU: GI.G-6188
English.
A thrilling blockbuster of praise for SSAA and TTBB choirs. Except for a very brief contrapuntal “Alleluia†section, the piece moves forward with big block chords, changing dynamics, and tempos to its brilliant, highsweeping, final cadence. A great anthem of praise for developed voices or combined choirs. Wow!
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).
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