The Year 2020

SKU: CF.YPS245F

ISBN 9781491159927. UPC: 680160918515.

In December of 2020, after almost a year of living socially distanced, isolated, and not knowing when we would return to life as we knew it, I began to think about what life used to look like. I realized that I sometimes might have taken all the beautiful things in my life for granted. Personally, the year 2020 was a time of loss where someone close to me left, and at the same time, I was also able to have other successes. This dichotomy inspired me to realize that there is hope in all that we do; it is how we perceive life. Boundless Hope represents my thoughts, feelings, and emotions during this time. The piece is roughly based on the Lydian mode, introducing the raised fourth degree in m. 2 of the mallet percussion and then at m. 15 in the main melody. The Lydian mode naturally gives a sense of positivity, hopefulness, inspiration, and heavenly colors. That was my exact intention with this piece: using the mode to define the mood showing gratitude for all that we have, and yearning to return to normalcy with a new and fresh perspective. Measure 30 should be slightly faster, followed by a rit. into the grandiose recapitulation of the theme in m. 38. At m. 45, the wind chimes should start before the clarinet entrance, with the subsequent measures representing dark and warm colors. This piece is very personal to me, and I appreciate you playing the composition.
In December of 2020, after almost a year of living socially distanced, isolated, and not knowing when we would return to life as we knew it, I began to think about what life used to look like. I realized that I sometimes might have taken all the beautiful things in my life for granted. Personally, the year 2020 was a time of loss where someone close to me left, and at the same time, I was also able to have other successes. This dichotomy inspired me to realize that there is hope in all that we do; it is how we perceive life. Boundless Hope represents my thoughts, feelings, and emotions during this time. The piece is roughly based on the Lydian mode, introducing the raised fourth degree in m.  2 of the mallet percussion and then at m. 15 in the main melody. The Lydian mode naturally gives a sense of positivity, hopefulness, inspiration, and heavenly colors. That was my exact intention with this piece: using the mode to define the mood showing gratitude for all that we have, and yearning to return to normalcy with a new and fresh perspective. Measure 30 should be slightly faster, followed by a rit. into the grandiose recapitulation of the theme in m. 38. At m. 45, the wind chimes should start before the clarinet entrance, with the subsequent measures representing dark and warm colors.This piece is very personal to me, and I appreciate you playing the composition.

SKU: SU.94010750

Ekah is the Hebrew word for Lamentations, as in the book of Lamentations in the Bible. The literal translation of this word would be How or Ah! How. When the cellist, Inbal Segev asked me to write a new piece for cello and piano, and as a part of our discussion, I decided to compose a new piece that reflected on the immense challenges that the year 2020 has presented. The hows and lamentations in this piece might be: how can there still be so much hate in the world since we are all equal and created in the image of God? How can there be such police brutality in 2020? How and why is the whole world suffering with the Coronavirus (COVID-19)? How can our mental health, cities, and communities be so desolate? We can hope, pray, and do our responsible part to make our life on this planet meaningful during these challenging times of the year 2020. — James Lee III Violoncello & Piano Duration: 6' Composed: 2020 Published by: Subito Music Publishing.

SKU: SU.94010761

Dedicated to Demarre McGill, Principal Flute, Seattle Symphony OrchestraFlute Duration: 6' Composed: 2020 Published by: Subito Music Publishing PROGRAM NOTE: The year 2020 has definitely been a very challenging year with many upheavals. During this time of the COVID-19 health crisis, wearing masks, and high racial tensions, I decided to compose four short solo woodwind works for flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon, which represent the core woodwind section in an orchestra. I was inspired to compose these short pieces after I first heard Igor Stravinsky's three short pieces for clarinet, which totals a little more than four minutes in duration. I thought that it would be nice to highlight and honor my African-American male colleagues in the orchestral music world. I wanted to celebrate the fact that they are the principal player in the section of their respective orchestras. The short pieces are as follows: Principal Brother No. 1 for flute solo for Demarre McGill, Principal Flute of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Principal Brother No. 2 for oboe solo for Titus Underwood, Principal Oboe of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Principal Brother No. 3 for clarinet solo for Anthony McGill, Principal Clarinet of the New York Philharmonic, and Principal Brother No. 4 for bassoon solo for Bryan Young, Principal Bassoon of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra. These works all begin with notes that are representative of their name; D for Demarre, B for Titus (ti in solfège starting on C), A for Anthony, and Bb for Bryan. There is also a rhythmic figure in the opening measures of each piece, which represent the utterance of their names. All four of these works are rhapsodic in nature with elements of improvisation. - James Lee III.

SKU: SU.94010763

Dedicated to Anthony McGill, Principal Clarinet, New York PhilharmonicClarinet Duration: 5'30 Composed: 2020 Published by: Subito Music Publishing PROGRAM NOTE: The year 2020 has definitely been a very challenging year with many upheavals. During this time of the COVID-19 health crisis, wearing masks, and high racial tensions, I decided to compose four short solo woodwind works for flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon, which represent the core woodwind section in an orchestra. I was inspired to compose these short pieces after I first heard Igor Stravinsky's three short pieces for clarinet, which totals a little more than four minutes in duration. I thought that it would be nice to highlight and honor my African-American male colleagues in the orchestral music world. I wanted to celebrate the fact that they are the principal player in the section of their respective orchestras. The short pieces are as follows: Principal Brother No. 1 for flute solo for Demarre McGill, Principal Flute of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Principal Brother No. 2 for oboe solo for Titus Underwood, Principal Oboe of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Principal Brother No. 3 for clarinet solo for Anthony McGill, Principal Clarinet of the New York Philharmonic, and Principal Brother No. 4 for bassoon solo for Bryan Young, Principal Bassoon of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra. These works all begin with notes that are representative of their name; D for Demarre, B for Titus (ti in solfège starting on C), A for Anthony, and Bb for Bryan. There is also a rhythmic figure in the opening measures of each piece, which represent the utterance of their names. All four of these works are rhapsodic in nature with elements of improvisation. - James Lee III.

SKU: HL.49046935

ISBN 9781705169353. UPC: 842819116837. 9.25x12.0x0.5 inches.

SEVEN DAYS is a cycle for solo piano in 21 movements, most lasting between three and seven minutes, distributed in the form of a custom app produced by the 92Y and released during their Fall 2021 season. Using the app on their phones, listeners are asked to listen to three movements a day according to an approximate schedule - one movement in the morning, one in the afternoon, and another sometime in the evening - for seven days. The music is performed by Pedja Muzijevic and presented alongside paintings by Gloria Maximo. (Please visit 92Y.org for information on how to download the Seven Days app.) The work is designed as a listening experience that tunes us into the passing of time, connecting us both to the present moment as well as the cycle of the week. The experience invites music to inhabit and structure our everyday - to find us where we are in the world. The morning-afternoonevening schedule is meant to focus participants on the dawn-to-dusk cycle as well as to create a communal listening ritual. It is also an experiment in large-scale form, designed to draw attention to musical material developing across a week-long expanse, interspersed with vast silences. SEVEN DAYS was shaped by a year spent in relative isolation due to the pandemic. While it is a work composed during a time of quarantine, it will be experienced first by an audience in the process of returning to a more normal world. In that sense, it is an artwork born out of a year of relatively cloistered existence that seeks to preserve aspects of that experience as we move forward. The piece was also inspired by the work of Morton Feldman and Chantal Akerman, whose large-scale works consider time, process, and stillness. Their art struck me with a fresh relevance during the silent stretches of the pandemic year 2020. It was also a year in which writings about time, penned by contemplatives like Henry David Thoreau and Thomas Merton, held new weight. All of this in turnresonated with Gloria Maximo's profound paintings, which I've long admired. SEVEN DAYS is an artwork we are invited to do - using music to point our attention to the present moment, the everyday, and the seemingly mundane. It is a piece listeners are also asked to live within as it unfolds over a week rather than to witness it live. The key players here are time and the listener's own surroundings, starring together alongside music and art in a wordless drama. -Gregory Spears.

SKU: GI.G-006773

ISBN 9781622774944.

Includes the year's Lectionary readings along with commentary and discussion questions for Sundays and holy days. A welcome resource for presiders, homilists, small faith communities, Bible study classes, and high school or adult religious education programs. Living the Word has been used widely and successfully by catechumens, candidates, and the newly initiated looking for a deeper understanding of their chosen faith. Quantity pricing is available. 1 copy: $14.95 2-9 copies: $10.95 each 10-24 copies: $9.95 each  25-99 copies: $8.95 each 100 or more copies: $6.95 each.

SKU: GI.G-10037

English.

Sunday’s Word may be used in conjunction with any hymnal, service book, or other music resource. It is intended for those who wish to pre-read the Scriptures of the day as a preparation for the celebration, who have difficulty hearing, or feel the need to read the text as it is proclaimed for full comprehension. The assembly’s responsorial psalm refrain for each Sunday and major feast and the eucharistic prayers are also included in large, easy to read print. The weekday section includes the entrance antiphon, psalm response, gospel verse, and communion antiphon for all feasts, memorials, and weekdays of the year. In addition, the Order of Mass texts including both the Nicene Creed and the Apostle’s Creed are printed on the inside front cover for convenience.

SKU: AP.48830

UPC: 038081561547. Lat.

The title provides an important timestamp for an unprecedented year. Veteran choral composer Jay Althouse constructed this very special work in remembrance of lives lost during the pandemic. His setting of the traditional Latin text is built upon a melody inspired by nature: Near the end of my walk that day, I heard a bird singing three notes over and over again. I came home and began writing. The bird's song is the first three notes of the opening melody. Solemn, prayerful, and poignant.

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.