This meditation on stillness begins with gentle guidance in quieting the mind, continuing to lead the soul toward serenity and light, with the assurance that true knowledge is not to be found in the external world but in one's own calmly abiding consciousness. This music offers many points of discussion for the young choir. / Choeur Et Piano

The three movements of North Dakota: The Peace Garden State capture the spirit of this northern state. In 'The Meandering Missouri,' an atmospheric piece in Dorian mode and 3/4 meter, the Missouri River is depicted by a gentle accompaniment and lingering melody, making the piece reminiscent of a 'Gymnopédie.' A contrasting middle section with unexpected harmonies and parallel-moving triads brings the movement to a majestic climax before the opening melody returns and the movement ends quietly. By contrast, 'Black Gold Rag' is an upbeat ragtime number, which captures the excitement of the modern crude oil 'gold rush' in the state. Lively syncopation and playful gestures in the melody evoke the booming population of the thriving region. To conclude the suite, 'A Garden of Peace' paints a picture of the International Peace Garden on the border of the United States and Canada. Long, meditative melodies and descending arpeggios that weave between the hands contribute to this movement's serenity. Changing meters and changing key signatures provide students with musical challenges, while the pianistic patterns lay comfortably in the hands. / Piano

Par CORP RONALD. Among the UK's most noted choral composers and conductors, Ronald Corp does not hesitate to bring his own musical vision to a much-loved poem by the sixteenth-century lutenist songwriter and 'Doctor of Physick' Thomas Campion, following the example not only of Campion himself but also of Charles Wood and Hubert Parry. Eschewing the manner of Parry's resonant polyphony for a simple harmonised setting in a flexible verbal rhythm reflecting the measure of the words, this is a heartfelt plea for spiritual release uttered in a quietly elegiac tone, in which the serenity of the entreaty rather than its pathos is to the fore./ Feuillet / SATB a Cappella