Music Time:Intermediate: Mixed Choir a Cappella: Classroom Musical

SKU: GI.WW1790

UPC: 785147023463. English. Text Source: Jeffery Ames. Text by Jeffery L. Ames.

The sentiment of this work reminds us to look all around for examples of love and beauty. Acting as a benediction or prayer, Live Long and Prosper will make a thoughtful concert or service closer for mixed choirs of varying abilities.

SKU: XC.HRMG1940

UPC: 785147103554. Latin. Text source: Traditional.

The eleventh movement from Bach's Magnificat is a wonderful introduction to polyphonic singing for mixed choirs. This updated edition of the masterwork may be performed with the notated keyboard reduction as it originally appeared, or as an a cappella concert piece appropriate for any time of year.  .

SKU: HL.49018099

ISBN 9790001158428. UPC: 884088567347. 8.25x11.75x0.457 inches. Latin - German.

On letting go(Concerning the selection of the texts) In the selection of the texts, I have allowed myself to be motivated and inspired by the concept of 'letting go'. This appears to me to be one of the essential aspects of dying, but also of life itself. We humans cling far too strongly to successful achievements, whether they have to do with material or ideal values, or relationships of all kinds. We cannot and do not want to let go, almost as if our life depended on it. As we will have to practise the art of letting go at the latest during our hour of death, perhaps we could already make a start on this while we are still alive. Tagore describes this farewell with very simple but strikingly vivid imagery: 'I will return the key of my door'. I have set this text for tenor solo. Here I imagine, and have correspondingly noted in a certain passage of the score, that the protagonist finds himself as though 'in an ocean' of voices in which he is however not drowning, but immersing himself in complete relaxation. The phenomenon of letting go is described even more simply and tersely in Psalm 90, verse 12: 'So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom'. This cannot be expressed more plainly.I have begun the requiem with a solo boy's voice singing the beginning of this psalm on a single note, the note A. This in effect says it all. The work comes full circle at the culmination with a repeat of the psalm which subsequently leads into a resplendent 'lux aeterna'. The intermediate texts of the Requiem which highlight the phenomenon of letting go in the widest spectrum of colours originate on the one hand from the Latin liturgy of the Messa da Requiem (In Paradisum, Libera me, Requiem aeternam, Mors stupebit) and on the other hand from poems by Joseph von Eichendorff, Hermann Hesse, Rabindranath Tagore and Rainer Maria Rilke.All texts have a distinctive positive element in common and view death as being an organic process within the great system of the universe, for example when Hermann Hesse writes: 'Entreiss dich, Seele, nun der Zeit, entreiss dich deinen Sorgen und mache dich zum Flug bereit in den ersehnten Morgen' ['Tear yourself way , o soul, from time, tear yourself away from your sorrows and prepare yourself to fly away into the long-awaited morning'] and later: 'Und die Seele unbewacht will in freien Flugen schweben, um im Zauberkreis der Nacht tief und tausendfach zu leben' ['And the unfettered soul strives to soar in free flight to live in the magic sphere of the night, deep and thousandfold']. Or Joseph von Eichendorff whose text evokes a distant song in his lines: 'Und meine Seele spannte weit ihre Flugel aus. Flog durch die stillen Lande, als floge sie nach Haus' ['And my soul spread its wings wide. Flew through the still country as if homeward bound.']Here a strong romantically tinged occidental resonance can be detected which is however also accompanied by a universal spirit going far beyond all cultures and religions. In the beginning was the sound Long before any sort of word or meaningful phrase was uttered by vocal chords, sounds, vibrations and tones already existed. This brings us back to the music. Both during my years of study and at subsequent periods, I had been an active participant in the world of contemporary music, both as percussionist and also as conductor and composer. My early scores had a somewhat adventurous appearance, filled with an abundance of small black dots: no rhythm could be too complicated, no register too extreme and no harmony too dissonant. I devoted myself intensely to the handling of different parameters which in serial music coexist in total equality: I also studied aleatory principles and so-called minimal music.I subsequently emigrated and took up residence in Spain from where I embarked on numerous travels over the years to India, Africa and South America. I spent repeated periods during this time as a resident in non-European countries. This meant that the currents of contemporary music swept past me vaguely and at a great distance. What I instead absorbed during this period were other completely new cultures in which I attempted to immerse myself as intensively as possible.I learned foreign languages and came into contact with musicians of all classes and styles who had a different cultural heritage than my own: I was intoxicated with the diversity of artistic potential.Nevertheless, the further I distanced myself from my own Western musical heritage, the more this returned insistently in my consciousness.The scene can be imagined of sitting somewhere in the middle of the Brazilian jungle surrounded by the wailing of Indians and out of the blue being provided with the opportunity to hear Beethoven's late string quartets: this can be a heart-wrenching experience, akin to an identity crisis. This type of experience can also be described as cathartic. Whatever the circumstances, my 'renewed' occupation with the 'old' country would not permit me to return to the point at which I as an audacious young student had maltreated the musical parameters of so-called contemporary music. A completely different approach would be necessary: an extremely careful approach, inching my way gradually back into the Western world: an approach which would welcome tradition back into the fold, attempt to unfurl the petals and gently infuse this tradition with a breath of contemporary life.Although I am aware that I will not unleash a revolution or scandal with this approach, I am nevertheless confident as, with the musical vocabulary of this Requiem, I am travelling in an orbit in which no ballast or complex structures will be transported or intimated: on the contrary, I have attempted to form the message of the texts in music with the naivety of a 'homecomer'. Harald WeissColonia de San PedroMarch 2009.

SKU: HL.49018904

ISBN 9790001168281. 7.5x11.0x0.048 inches. German.

Singing, especially singing in small groups, is a valuable and even the most natural musical activity - that is what Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) firmly believed: 'Everybody has got a voice ... A choir is the least demanding and at the same time best educational tool.' And that is why singing had always been part of his teaching activities, be it while trying and practising musical-theoretical tasks, be it while rehearsing old and modern choral settings. No wonder that the composer had dealt with choral music all his life, addressing himself to all different kinds of vocal ensembles: to mixed choirs, male-voice and children's choirs, professional choirs and trained singers. He developed his a-cappella style during his training with Arnold Mendelssohn and Bernhard Sekles at the Hoch Conservatoire in Frankfurt. As a consequence, the sketch books from his student days also contain three-part vocal settings on cantus firmi. The sacred choral works presented here (1. Christus, der ist mein Leben, 2. Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort, 3. Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, 4. Gott des Himmels) are not only interesting as compositional studies, but also as sonorous and catchy choral music which can be easily performed by any good church choir.

SKU: HL.49018273

ISBN 9790220131721. 8.25x11.75x0.052 inches. Latin.

During his time as Master of the Queen's Music, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies wrote a new carol for Her Majesty the Queen each Christmas. Ave, Plena Gracia , written for Christmas 2009, was the fifth in this series after An Heavenly Song, Wonder Tidings, The Yule-tide Bell and Kings and Shepherds all of which are published in the Schott Royal Collection.First performed in St. James's Palace by the choir of the Chapel Royal on the Epiphany at the end of the 2009/2010 Christmas period, Ave, Plena Gracia is a short and traditional Latin setting that would be perfect for amateur choirs looking for new repertoire.

SKU: WD.080689541179

UPC: 080689541179.

Choral Classics is a new choral collection featuring 14 all-time favorite songs and arrangements by today’s most gifted arrangers for the Church. These songs are 14 all-time winners, embraced by thousands of singers across the world, ready to be re-introduced to a new generation of choirs eager to be a relevant voice without leaving behind songs that have helped build the platforms on which they stand.

Newly mixed and re-mastered, and now available for the first time with Accompaniment Split-Trax CDs and Practice Trax, Choral Classics from The Word Choral Club is poised to reconnect these powerful songs in a fresh new way with those who already love and cherish them, while proudly introducing them to a new audience to enjoy for many years to come.

SKU: MN.80-304

UPC: 688670803048. English.

Reflective , ethereal. Any size choir, any time of year. This quiet, prayerful English setting for choir with congregational response uses mixed meters to create a timeless flow. Commissioned by Dr. Phil Steinhaus for St. Margaret Mary's, Lomita, CA.

SKU: HL.49044344

ISBN 9790001194143. 9.0x12.0x0.196 inches. German.

As a child, I sometimes closed my eyes for an extended period of time and imagined what it would be like to experience the world exclusively through my ears. In doing this exercise, I found over and over, with increasing intensity, that my sense of hearing enabled a far denser differentiation of images and information to penetrate my soul. It is my wish that audiences listen to my composition with their eyes closed, at least partially. Perhaps this would permit a few particles of light to appear in their mind's eye. Harald Weiss.

SKU: GI.G-4651S

English. Text by Joseph Reiser.

Fresh on the heels of Poly-Phonics is this new collection of vocal etudes, especially suited to the younger student. These 15 delightful and creative pieces will help you teach concepts of meter, rhythm, solfege, syncopation, and more. Songs such as “I Just Want to Tell You,” “I’m Gonna Sing a Lotta Do,” “How Many Times Can You Sing One Note?” and “Sail with Me” provide a context for music learning and fun at the same time. These etudes can be an integral part of early musical training and lead to a lifetime of musical enjoyment.

SKU: CR.984331

ISBN 9780758666185. 7 X 10.25 inches.

David von Kampen brings his imaginative style to this anthem for two-part mixed voices and piano. Two stanzas are featured of unison singing by women and then men, and the final stanza brings both forces together in an accessible two-part arrangement. Useable anytime, this piece is perfect for summer choirs looking to learn something quickly.

SKU: GI.G-9957

UPC: 785147995708. English. Text by Kazuaki Tanahashi.

In my opinion our world is currently in great need of reestablishing strong connections one to another, be it with family and friends, neighbors and strangers, nations and nations, or with those of different cultures and religions. In his important book, I and Thou, philosopher-theologian Martin Buber says that the most meaningful life is centered on relationship. As a musician, I felt compelled to express the I-THOU thesis through the human voice. In searching for the right words to express this sentiment, I was fortunate to find Kazuaki Tanahashi’s eloquent poem, “Encounter.” Mr. Tanahashi is a poet, Zen artist, scholar and peace activist.  This combined-voices version has been adapted from an SATB scoring that features prominently in the original song cycle, I-THOU, written for vocal quartet, commissioned and premiered in 2018 by Fourth Coast Ensemble in Chicago. —Wayland Rogers About the Series: Doreen Rao, 2019 Robert Shaw Award recipient, launches her culturally inclusive choral series, Global Encounters for Young Voices, featuring accessible treble- and mixed-voice works for developing choirs.