SKU: HL.49043945
ISBN 9790220133503. 8.25x12.0x0.3 inches. English.
Sea Songs, commissioned jointly by Ars Nova Copenhagen and Glasgow Concert Halls, is a kind of sequel to Martland's Street Songs (originally written for the Kings Singers and Evelyn Glennie). As with the earlier piece, Martland made use of to the library of the English Folk Song and Dance Society at Cecil Sharp House in north London.I wanted specifically to find texts that were not just the usual nautical heave-ho sort of thing, but instead explored the dangers and hardships still being experienced by sailors as recently as the early 19th century. I was also very happy to see in these texts the sense of camaraderie and mutual support that existed between the sailors. (Steve Martland)Dance to your Daddy sets the scene of a sailor's wife at home, dandling her baby son and singing to him about his daddy away fishing, and about the future. Both the tune and the words come from the Northumberland area around Newcastle. This song is very well known in the UK and gave the title to a famous television series When the boat comes in.Fire Down Below is about the effects of fire - a constant danger on board wooden ships. At the end of this song the words take on an extended meaning: Fire in our hearts for the friends that we love.The Dead Horse is about the initial month of work without pay in which all seamen had to take part. They referred to it as the dead horse - hence the expression to flog a dead horse when something is a waste of time. The seamen resented this unpaid time, and the text expresses their frustrations metaphorically by listing what they would do to the horse! The music's frantic gallop alludes to the horse's desperation.Although The Sea Martyrs presents itself as a ballad, this text has a more literary feel, and unlike the other songs it doesn't include a chorus refrain. It concerns the sailors' lack of pay, the consequences of asking for pay (being hanged!), and the poverty of their families at home. The poem portrays the sailors' deaths as an almost religious sacrifice to help future seamen.At the end of the work, the opening of Dance to your Daddy returns as a kind of descant, sung by an angel calling to the hanged men. Paul Hillier, 2012.
SKU: KJ.SO194C
UPC: 8402700498.
Work Song, Twilight, and Men and Machines comprise this 3-movement set depicting active work life outdoors. The sounds of sailors, field workers, bulldozer operators at their busy jobs comes to life, but not without the tranquil rest time during a gorgeous sunset.
SKU: KJ.SO194F
SKU: AP.41333
ISBN 9780739097762. UPC: 038081462264. English.
Over the course of ten years, legendary young-band composers John O'Reilly and Mark Williams composed and arranged over 100 creative works that correlate with specific pages in their highly successful band method, Accent on Achievement. Alfred Music is now proud to make these arrangements available in a book format that includes 22 full arrangements in each collection. The Light Concert Collection includes creative arrangements of folk, rock, jazz, and Latin-American music. Titles: Rockin' la Bamba * Sailors Holiday * River Trilogy * No Drummer Left Behind * African Marching Song * Stand Up and Swing * and 16 others.
SKU: AP.41335
ISBN 9780739097786. UPC: 038081462288. English.
SKU: HL.4003043
UPC: 884088562199. 10.5x14 inches.
Translated from Gaelic as “Eternal September,” this marvelous setting for band is designed to take each listener back to their own vivid fall memories on a college campus. Commissioned by the University of Notre Dame and premiered at their Carnegie Hall performance in 2010, this work is also dedicated to the composer's father, Dr. Samuel J. Hazo, a 1949 graduate of Notre Dame. Additionally, Dr. Hazo's poem “Home Are the Sailors” is incorporated in the middle of the piece. Rich in musical references and varied textures, this is a dramatic and rewarding work for mature ensembles. Duration: c. 5:30.
SKU: HL.14017449
UPC: 884088810412. 8.75x11.75x0.284 inches.
Amers is the title of a book of poems by Saint-John Perse, dedicated to the sea. It is also the title chosen by Kaija Saariaho, born in Finland in 1952, for a work completed in the studios of IRCAM in Paris. Amers is the French word for 'navigation beacons', strategically spaced along the coast for sailors. One of the earliest ideas about the piece was the effect of a solo cello “as a sailor charting a course through a sea of soundsâ€, but his journey, scattered with phrases defined by the existing sound material, is hampered by the surroundings. To a certain extent Amers is a concerto, even though the composer has tried to avoid the usual duel between orchestra and soloist. Instead the piece divides naturally on three levels - each with a certain independence. The cello, juxtaposed with the instrumental ensemble and with computer generated sounds, cannot reach its scheduled ports of call directly and is often pulled off course.
SKU: PE.EP72698A
ISBN 9790577010519. 210 x 297mm inches. English.
Commissioned by Making Music with funds from the Nicholas Berwin Charitable Foundation
First performance: 12th March 2016, Waltham Singers, conducted by Andrew Fardell, King Edward's Grammar School, Chelmsford.
Music runs through the story of Arion, which begins with a singing competition in Sicily. Arion wins the prize, and this puts his life in danger: his newfound wealth excites the Greed of the sailors who are supposed to be bringing him back to Corinth, and they threaten to kill him. They allow Arion to sing one last song, and the power of his singing attracts dolphins to the ship. At The End of his song, he jumps overboard, and one of the dolphins carries him to safety. So Arion’s musical gift gets him into trouble, but it is also his salvation.
The idea of being rescued by a music-loving dolphin is very appealing. In Robert Graves’ account of the myth, the dolphin could not bear to be parted from Arion, and accompanied him back to court, where “it soon succumbed to a life of luxury.” However, Herodotus says that, after his rescue and return to Corinth, Arion failed to return the dolphin to the sea, and it died there. Apollo placed the dolphin among the stars, and next to it, Arion’s lyre, in recognition of his musical skill. This is one of the mythical explanations of the origins of the constellations Delphinus and Lyra.
It seems natural to sing a story that has singing at its heart. When I was asked by the Nicholas Berwin Charitable Trust to write a choral work for Making Music, something that would be within reach of many choirs, and involve children, this story struck me as ideal: the men of the chorus could be the bloodthirsty sailors, and the women could create an atmosphere of mystery for the arrival of the dolphins, represented by children’s voices. There would be one solo voice: Arion, the marvellous singer. Andrew Fardell, the conductor who was advisor to this commission, had suggested that I might use the same instrumentation as a popular arrangement of Orff’s Carmina Burana, a work that, as well as using children’s chorus, features a solo countertenor. I thought the magical, otherworldly quality of this voice would help to convey the extraordinary effect Arion’s singing had on all who heard it.
- Jonathan Dove
SKU: AP.48891
UPC: 038081562155. English. Traditional Sea Ballad.
Clamoring to join the sea song craze? Here's an exceptionally well-prepared traditional sea ballad that is equal parts authentic and enjoyable. Dating back to the mid 1700s, this rollicking nautical adventure (probably from England or Scotland) tells the story of a ship's captain who spots a mermaid in the distance. Since mermaids were thought to bring bad luck, the whole crew panics! A chorus of sailors, a captain, the chef, and a parrot take turns expressing their woe---often in a comedic way. Singers will quickly be hooked, so directors can sink into the educational merits to uncover many hidden treasures. View the arranger's intro video for even more history and teaching ideas.
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: AP.48892
UPC: 038081562162. English. Traditional Sea Ballad.
Clamoring to join the sea song craze? Here's an exceptionally well prepared traditional sea ballad that is equal parts authentic and enjoyable. Dating back to the mid 1700s, this rollicking nautical adventure (probably from England or Scotland) tells the story of a ship's captain who spots a mermaid in the distance. Since mermaids were thought to bring bad luck, the whole crew panics! A chorus of sailors, a captain, the chef, and a parrot take turns expressing their woe---often in a comedic way. Singers will quickly be hooked, so directors can sink into the educational merits to uncover many hidden treasures. View the arranger's intro video for even more history and teaching ideas.
SKU: AP.48890
UPC: 038081562148. English. Traditional Sea Ballad.
SKU: AP.48889
UPC: 038081562131. English. Traditional Sea Ballad.
