Chorus a cappella
SKU:
BR.CHB-5381-00
Composed by Howard Arman.
Choir; stapled.
Chor-Bibliothek (Choral
Library). Song; Music
post-1945; New music
(post-2000). Choral
score. 80 pages.
Breitkopf and Haertel
#ChB 5381-00. Published
by Breitkopf and Haertel
(BR.CHB-5381-00).
ISBN
9790004413821. 7.5 x 10.5
inches. English.
As
director of the Bavarian
Radio Choir, Howard Arman
has been actively engaged
with international
Christmas carols through
various Christmas-related
CD productions in the
past years. This has
resulted in a number of
original arrangements for
four- to eight-part mixed
choir a cappella,
shedding new light on
well-known classics such
as O du frohliche [O, you
joyful], Stille Nacht
[Silent Night] and Lasst
uns froh und munter sein
[Let us be happy and
cheerful]. The first
volume includes five
Christmas carols from the
German-speaking regions.
They range from simple
but harmonically
intriguing settings such
as Lieb Nachtigall, wach
auf [Dear nightingale,
wake up] to eight-part
sound paintings with
bell-like chimes as in O
du frohliche and
classical double choir
settings such as Resonet
in laudibus. The second
volume includes five
Christmas spirituals with
English texts, forming a
contrast to the solemn
and festive character of
the first. The choir can
prove its swing and jazz
qualities here; the
stirring arrangements are
a gain for classical
Christmas concerts, too.
Following the tradition
of the spiritual, some
settings also require
soloists, which can,
however, also be
recruited from the choir
if adequate singers are
available. The first
piece combines the
spirituals It's a
Birthday and Wasn't That
a Mighty Day to form a
medley, Ain't That a
Rockin' gives a moment of
tranquility before the
likewise rousing
spirituals Mary Had a
Baby and Little David
conclude the volume. In
both volumes, Howard
Arman provides a short
preface in German and
English, explaining the
background of each piece
and giving advice on
performance.
Swing A Christmas Carol
Anonymous : medley de cantiques de noël
