Positive:

--based on a melody by Joseph Haydn (very familiar, beautiful melody)

--three part, but good tessitura for all

--3 short 4 measure phrases: quick to learn

--English or simple to learn German

--a secular, sad or melancholy piece from the classic period, but more romantic in nature

--there are 4 voice parts, but parts 3 and 4 are the same but written in a different octave

--divide your chorus in three equal parts because it is all the same canon melody until the very end. On the last page, go to specific parts.

--this is the same publisher who gave us "I Will Rejoice" which if you haven't bought yet, go get it! (Particulars in previous review.)

--good accompaniment

Negative:

--limited venue possibilities

--give the German a try: simple and short yet impressive when used

Positive:

--a new, interesting arrangement: sometimes we need a new approach to an old song

--all parts have the melody at some time (unison, plus other ways)

--a very nice section of a cappella: but if you can't do this, it has a special cut to leave this section out.

--good, supporting accompaniment (though somewhat difficult)

Negative:

--some of the dissonant chording seems a little out of place.

--some split Baritone and Tenor II parts

--Tenor I tessitura high in the last part

--the a cappella section is very nice, but extremely difficult

Positive:

--I usually don't like to suggest 2 part songs, but this one is the exception which has many uses.

--ideal for a church service (great text)

--includes part for 3 octave handbells

--very clever rhythmic pattern in echo type setting

--some rhythmic surprises

--up-beat and fun to sing and listen to

Negative:

--long: it does move at a good speed, but still long and repetitive

--the hymn at M 37 doesn't quite seem to fit

--it is 2 part (which also makes it a fast learn)

Positive:

--an old, familiar melody, but I can't place it

--possible solo section

--starts with a strong unison which helps establish the key in an a cappella piece

--a strong funeral piece: excellent text

--starts and ends softly (for a funeral) but with a strong center section

Negative:

--long

--the middle section has some moving parts that will make it difficult to put the chords together (but sounds great)

--I think I would rather see this accompanied

--will be difficult when you think a cappella

Positive:

--a real classic

--easy to learn and impressive to sing

--could use at Christmas

--TTB usually means high and for a younger group. Tessitura not a problem in this arrangement.

Negative:

--this is an arrangement and does not have all the same parts of the original

--don't compare it to the original-- the sound is just not the same

--demands a GREAT accompanist

Comment:

I usually don't like arrangements like this. However, I think that this one is good

enough (not perfect) to give your chorus an introduction to Vivaldi, and a real classical musical experience. Check closely.

Positive:

--familiar text, great new melody

--another secular piece: one which would be very good on a Big Sing concert program

--has a great ending

Negative:

--a cappella section

--accompaniment looks simple, but isn't (will take a very sensitive accompanist) you may have to add limited accompaniment to maintain the pitch (parts >not easy at this point)

--long: not an easy learn

--key changes are a little difficult for the singer

Positive:

--text from the poem by Dr. John McCrae

--a new, different melody than the one which we are accustomed to (not really sure, at this point, if I like it or not)

--only three parts, but well written and arranged

--good accompaniment: interesting and supportive when needs to be

Negative:

--I'm not sure if I like this melody: it works, but not memorable

--not a real bass part: bass is really baritone, and baritone is really a second tenor

--some of the phrase pick-ups have no accompaniment. I would imagine most will have to add the voice parts to the piano part

Comment:

If you want something different from the standard melody, this would be a good one. It fits many situations. And, it has a program note about the poem which is really very well written. It's worth buying a copy just to read this.

Positive:

--a new tune which includes "America the Beautiful"

--a lot of unison and 2 part making it easy to learn

--the voicing

--double text (see comment)

Negative:

--there are parts of the new melody that are awkward, but written that way to fit the traditional "America..." melody

--the new melody stays quite low for the tenors

--the accompaniment looks easy, but it really isn't

--I wish it had gone 4 part at the section from M 47, and at the end

Comment:

The double text is a great idea. I wish that more publishers would do this. I have done this with some of my arrangements and it really makes a difference on how you can use a song. The alternate text title is: I SING A PRAYER FOR AMERICA. This is the only song for male voices presented at the Schmitt Music Expo reading clinic in Minneapolis this past summer. This is it from 3 full days of singing and I bought if for my chorus because it fits the many military needs that we have. It is really a good piece. Do look at it.

Positive:

--great tune which everyone will know

--introduction chord building very effective

--there are so many 8th notes, and so much text, that it is like "patter" to get everything in

--a fun piece for the chorus and has great audience appeal

--parts are not hard, but it will be difficult to put together in some spots

--basses will have to learn to do octave jumps, both up and down

--nice contrasting sections

Negative:

--some divisi parts are hard (Tenor I with high tessitura)

--a cappella

--long, but it does have repeated parts

--1st ending at M 29 is too high for bass: could put bass/bari an octave lower

Comment:

This is a great piece which all choruses would enjoy. It might make a good

Big Sing number if the chorus isn't too large as it would be difficult to put all

of these 8th notes together with limited rehearsal time.

Positive:

--familiar hymn melody by Anthony Showalter and Elisha Hoffman from 1887

--great for a church service

--great natural build-up: starts in 2 part, then 3 then 4 plus with a big ending

--accompaniment fairly easy and very supportive: but it does become a bit stodgy--seems to plod along

Negative:

--baritone really has to read the Tenor II line when it goes into 4 parts

--in the last section, the cued parts are for Tenor I, and the tessitura is high

--some divisi parts which you will have to work around

--a very predictable, but interesting hymn arrangement

Positive:

--the melody is "The Navy Hymn"

--new, interesting arrangement

--two texts to select from: the traditional Navy Hymn, and a new one

--solo part

--a cappella: good for outside or away from a piano

Negative:

--a cappella: the humming under the solo part is not easy

--awkward placement of fermatas

Comment:

This is a very different arrangement than the one we have used so much.

Not sure if I like this one.

Positive:

--great melody and parts

--optional SSA part

--Tenor solo

--a folk song (love song from a young man)

--great taste of Russian choral music on the pop-side

Negative:

--in Yiddish with a pronunciation guide

--would have been nice to have at least one verse in English because the translation is great

--open score reading for the accompanist (6 lines at one point)

--not easy: but worth doing if you have the time for the Yiddish

Positive:

--great old traditional melody

--wonderful part writing, but very difficult

--divisi parts make it very interesting

--solo part for tenor

--great rhythmic patterns

--fun to sing, and the audience would love it

Negative:

--very difficult, especially in divisi parts with dissonance, and being that it is a cappella it will take a lot of work, but well worth it.

--Tenor I tessitura is high

Comment:

Moses Hogan is the best of the new arrangers and composers in Spirituals and

Gospel pieces. Look at anything you see from him. And, go to any extent to hear

his singers. Here is the rising star of choral music.

Positive:

--a traditional hymn by Walter from 1894

--great arrangement of voice parts (text has some slight variations on the original translation)

--a cappella (would work well outside, in a church, or somewhere without a piano)

--Introduction and ending have really nice trumpet-like parts: fun and interesting

Negative:

--There is another edition which is probably a little better arrangement, but without the introduction and ending

--fermatas seem awkward in some spots: but you can change this yourself

Positive:

--great melody which everyone knows and likes (singers and audience)

--very supportive accompaniment: but will take a great pianist to do it

Negative:

--very long and difficult

--the tenor tessitura is very high, especially in divisi parts

--rhythms are tricky: from 6/8 to 3/4

--divisi parts are difficult to cover

--long, long phrases which will wilt before you get to the end: needs a lot of rehearsal time

Comment:

I really like this piece. However, I debated whether to include it or not because of the difficulties in learning it. You have to stop and figure out if you have enough time to learn it, plus places to perform it. It is one of those pieces which you must have a dozen uses to justify the rehearsal time. Most great music is usually like this.

Positive:

--a "gospel-rock" tune that is fun to sing and listen to

--fantastic piano part: but difficult

--the center section (E) has the bass-baritone part chanting rhythmically on a single, octave pitch with the tenor parts introducing a new counter-melody and the contrast makes great listening

--great soft ending

Negative:

--very difficult piano (close to blues style)

--tenor divisi in section E

--tenor solo (or a few voices) in the ending section: very short, but hard to cover

Comment:

This is one of those re-releases that you need to look at. Check you files to see if you already have it.

Positive:

--great parts

--clever rhythmic pattern arranged in 2 part and gives a great sound for something so simple

--a lot of it is in 2 part, and the 4 part is repetitious so it shouldn't take that much time to learn

--accompaniment very supportive of parts

Negative:

--begins like a love song, but it is really love of God and church

--some strange chording in 4 part (Not that difficult to learn, but strange to the ear)

--some dissonance parts don't make sense

--seems a bit long, but it does move fairly fast

Positive:

--a love song (at last another secular piece)

--optional solo parts

--would be good for a wedding

--great individual parts

--M 41 to the end is rhythmically very interesting, and fun to sing (will take a little work to get it right)

Negative:

--accompaniment is not always the best

--the tenor divisi at the end is kind of a problem (you want all the notes, but can you split your tenor sections that much--no matter how short a note >duration)

Comment to Directors:

This "August Review" is a summary of a summer of looking for new music. There will be a Christmas review coming to a theater near you in September, but I thought I should get this out first. I have had suggestions from directors, singers, music reading workshops, going through bins of samples (Minneapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee) and preview copies sent by publishers. There isn't a lot of new material--much of it is re-issued with a new date on it, or it is being sent out again with the hope we will pick it up second or third time around. However, the one thing is that I think I've found some of the best new music in several years. No big blockbusters, but music which is very useable, has many venue possibilities, and fairly quick to learn. There are a couple of good patriotic songs, and there are some for funerals which I have not been able to find before. There are a couple of great secular "fun" pieces which almost any chorus would enjoy. I hope you can find at least one piece to add to your repertoire. If you have any ideas, send me titles, or a copy by snail-mail. (I don't have a fax machine.) Let me hear from you if possible.

DWCrouch
August 2002