SKU: PR.312419270
ISBN 9781491137918. UPC: 680160692606. English. Charles Mackay.
Terra Nostra focuses on the relationship between our planet and mankind, how this relationship has shifted over time, and how we can re-establish a harmonious balance. The oratorio is divided into three parts:Part I: Creation of the World celebrates the birth and beauty of our planet. The oratorio begins with creation myths from India, North America, and Egypt that are integrated into the opening lines of Genesis from the Old Testament. The music surges forth from these creation stories into “God’s World” by Edna St. Vincent Millay, which describes the world in exuberant and vivid detail. Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “On thine own child” praises Mother Earth for her role bringing forth all life, while Walt Whitman sings a love song to the planet in “Smile O voluptuous cool-breathed earth!” Part I ends with “A Blade of Grass” in which Whitman muses how our planet has been spinning in the heavens for a very long time.Part II: The Rise of Humanity examines the achievements of mankind, particularly since the dawn of the Industrial Age. Lord Alfred Tennyson’s “Locksley Hall” sets an auspicious tone that mankind is on the verge of great discoveries. This is followed in short order by Charles Mackay’s “Railways 1846,” William Ernest Henley’s “A Song of Speed,” and John Gillespie Magee, Jr.’s “High Flight,” each of which celebrates a new milestone in technological achievement. In “Binsey Poplars,” Gerard Manley Hopkins takes note of the effect that these advances are having on the planet, with trees being brought down and landscapes forever changed. Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “A Dirge” concludes Part II with a warning that the planet is beginning to sound a grave alarm.Part III: Searching for Balance questions how we can create more awareness for our planet’s plight, re-establish a deeper connection to it, and find a balance for living within our planet’s resources. Three texts continue the earth’s plea that ended the previous section: Lord Byron’s “Darkness” speaks of a natural disaster (a volcano) that has blotted out the sun from humanity and the panic that ensues; contemporary poet Esther Iverem’s “Earth Screaming” gives voice to the modern issues of our changing climate; and William Wordsworth’s “The World Is Too Much With Us” warns us that we are almost out of time to change our course. Contemporary/agrarian poet Wendell Berry’s “The Want of Peace” speaks to us at the climax of the oratorio, reminding us that we can find harmony with the planet if we choose to live more simply, and to recall that we ourselves came from the earth. Two Walt Whitman texts (“A Child said, What is the grass?” and “There was a child went forth every day”) echo Berry’s thoughts, reminding us that we are of the earth, as is everything that we see on our planet. The oratorio concludes with a reprise of Whitman’s “A Blade of Grass” from Part I, this time interspersed with an additional Whitman text that sublimely states, “I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love…”My hope in writing this oratorio is to invite audience members to consider how we interact with our planet, and what we can each personally do to keep the planet going for future generations. We are the only stewards Earth has; what can we each do to leave her in better shape than we found her?
SKU: GI.WW1752
UPC: 785147014362. English. Text by Stephen C. Foster.
A simple expression of empathy for those less fortunate, Hard Times, offers a universal message that we can perservere through difficult times. This setting for men's chorus with guitar and strings is a dynamic and modern interpretation. The arrangement can be used with a soloist or with a section of tenors. Guitar lead sheet available for free download. Recording:Ă‚Â University of Kentucky Men's Chorus,Ă‚Â Jefferson Johnson, conductor, Eric Poore, soloist.
SKU: HL.1359946
UPC: 196288192794. 6.75x10.5 inches.
Now available for low voices. This re-imagined interpretation of the classic Bob Dylan song is perfect for any concert with a social justice theme. The re-harmonization and contrasting musical style will bring a new attention and poignancy to these well-known words.
SKU: SU.YR1414V1
Choral Cycle in 5 Movements. Text by Bruce Olstad 1. Welcome Winter! 2. An Old-Fashioned Christmas 3. One Family at a Time 4. Lullaby for a Winter's Eve 5. Welcome Winter! (II) TTBB Chorus & Piano Composed: 2002 Published by: Yelton Rhodes Music Minimum order quantity: 8 copies. To order quantities fewer than 8, please call customer service at (973) 857-3440.
SKU: GI.WW1815
UPC: 785147026167. English. Text Source: American Folk Song.
Old Joe Clark is a tremendously fun American folksong from the Appalachian region. Fantastic and fun vocal lines are supported by a lively, yet accessible, piano accompaniment. Add spoons and clapping/stomping for a great time! MP3 is SATB version.
SKU: AP.49831
UPC: 038081571454. English. Words by Robert Frost.
A lesser known yet deeply poignant Robert Frost poem. Greg's emotional choral setting is full of expressive rubato that invites time to thoughtfully process the meaningful words. Changing time signatures make space for effortless phrasing and sensitive syllabic stress. A consistently warm harmonic palette and several fully realized suspensions leave us with a feeling of resolution. An exquisite selection for SATB or TTBB choirs and their responsive accompanists.
About Alfred Choral Designs
The Alfred Choral Designs Series provides student and adult choirs with a variety of secular choral music that is useful, practical, educationally appropriate, and a pleasure to sing. To that end, the Choral Designs series features original works, folk song settings, spiritual arrangements, choral masterworks, and holiday selections suitable for use in concerts, festivals, and contests.
SKU: LP.765762132627
UPC: 765762132627.
Joseph Linn has captured all the excitement and joy of southern gospel music in one collection. Sunday Go-to-Meetin' Songs for Men is arranged quartet-style and provides singable arrangements of 12 gospel quartet classics. Men's ensembles and quartets will love the warm harmonies and energetic accompaniment trax that make Sunday Go-to-Meetin' Songs for Men a toe-tapping good time for your men's ensemble.
