From the master of memorable melodies, a short unison setting easy enough for children, sophisticated enough for adults. This piece has been recorded by the trebles of King’s College Choir, Cambridge, and will linger in your singers’ minds and hearts.
Unison, piano. Latin. Easy.

This meditation on a graveyard ("Easter Monday") brings the poet to an acceptance of the mystery of death. Sung by the Louisiana State University Women’s Choir, directed by Sara Lynn Baird, at the ACDA 2002 Southern Division convention in Charlotte, its mostly-homophonic texture is evocative and touching. Appropriate for memorial services.
SSA and Piano (strings score and parts available); English. Easy-Medium.

The central poem, by Madeleine L'Engle, depicts Neptune as a Sea Bishop who blesses all the creatures of sea and land. Gawthrop's vocally grateful text setting is particularly strong here, with occasional imitative entrances.
SSAA a cappella. Medium.

Gawthrop, Daniel E.
Within Thy House Forever…..TC-168…..$1.20 

Excerpts of the Requiem text in Latin, and metric verses of Psalm 23 in English, make this moving elegy suitable for memorial services and All Saints’ observations, as well as for general sacred use......

• SSAA a cappella
• duration: 4’25”
• range: a flat-a”
• difficulty: medium

This "macho march" setting of an Israeli pioneer song makes fine use of rapid alternation between unisons and vigorous chords. This one is a rouser! The Hebrew text is phonetically underlaid, with full Hebrew text and translation, with prononciation guide, included. 

• SSAA a cappella
• duration: 1’50”
• range: g-g”
• difficulty: easy-medium

From the Nina Gilbert Choral Series

Gilbert, Nina arr.
K’wae-jina ching-ching nah-neh….. TC-171….. $1.70.....

Because this arrangement builds on repeating short verses and refrains, this song of warning and complaint is accessible to western singers. Suggestions for performance alternatives give additional flexibility.The Korean text is underlaid phonetically, with full Korean text and translation, and guides to pronunciation, given as well.

• SSAA a cappella
• duration: 2’00”
• range: c-g”
• difficulty: medium

From the Nina Gilbert Choral Series

Gilbert, Nina arr.
Shaker Suite.....TC-162.....$2.85 

Explore the American heritage of Shaker hymnody with these three settings of lesser-known, very appealing Shaker spirituals. Each brief setting grows from its underlying melody to make an exceptionally unified arrangement. With a different technique as the focus for each arrangement, these minute-long pieces make fine vocalises for your choir. "Oh the beautiful treasure," with its square rhythms, horn calls, and harmonic texture opening out and closing, is excellent for teaching chord tuning. "We will walk with Mother and mourn," with its smooth, stepwise, rising and falling melody, is a fine exercise for legato singing. "Hop up and jump up," with its crisp rhythms and phrase fragments tossed from part to part, calls for rhythmic clarity and clean entrances and cutoffs.

• SSAA a cappella
• 13 pages, plus editorial notes
• duration: 3:15 min.
• range: g to f"
• difficulty: easy-medium

From the Nina Gilbert Choral Series

This lively cumulative table song--the Jewish equivalent of “The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly”--has for centuries been sung toward the end of the Passover Seder meal, when the adults are wine-mellowed and the children are falling asleep. This arrangement, with its zesty piano and small percussion parts, and maximum flexibility in assigning stanzas of the text, makes a fine closer for a spring concert. Aramaic, with full translation.
SSAA with piano and sm. percussion. Medium.

"Rejoice with me, all ye who love the Lord" is the beginning of the text, expressing Mary's joy in a first-person responsory text incorporating parts of the Magnificat. This sturdy polyphonic setting concludes with an exultant homophonic section in triple meter.
SSAA a cappella. Medium.

Handl, Jakob (1551-1591) Preview
O magnum mysterium (O great mystery).....TC-220.....$2.25

Handl, Jakob (1551-1591)
Virgines prudentes (O ye wise maidens).....TC-120.....$1.70

This very easy double chorus piece, with Chorus I-II echoes, is a wonderful introduction to the world of more than four parts. The text, based on the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, is suitable for Advent. Chosen for the 1997 ACDA National Convention women's chorus reading session.
SSAA/SSAA (double chorus) a cappella. Easy.

 

In this opening movement from a major baroque work from the Venetian ospedali repertoire, the choir's sustained, mostly homophonic chords are interwoven with angular chromatic lines in the upper strings. The lower strings and continuo support this texture with detached repeated chords, to make a rich texture of complementary independent parts. Edited by Ralph Hunter from the composer's autograph manuscript, this piece was sung by the 1999 ACDA National Women's Honor Choir in Chicago. 

• SSAA, strings, and continuo (score and parts available); Latin
• 8 pages, plus literary translation and editorial notes
• duration: 4:30 min.
• range: g to g"
• difficulty: easy-medium

Instrumental parts:

• Violin 1.....TC-149-VLN1.....$1.70
• Violin 2.....TC-149-VLN2.....$1.70
• Viola.....TC-149-VLA.....$1.70
• Cello/Bass.....TC-149-VC.....$1.70
• Continuo realization.....TC-149-CONT.....$1.70
• Full score.....TC-149-ORCH.....$10.00

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1. Johnny's Gone A-Sailing.....TC-211.....$2.25
A young woman disguises herself as a sailor, and follows her Johnny to war. As “Jack Munro” she is small and slender, but never falters in battle. SA, Piano and optional Oboe; English. Medium.

2. When I Was in My Prime.....TC-212.....$2.25 In this lament over a faithless lover, the deserted one chooses a weeping willow over the violet and the rose. The modal tonality is very appealing, especially in the solo stanza. SAA, Soprano Solo, Piano and optional Oboe; English. Medium.

3. Nell Flaherty's Drake.....TC-213.....$2.85 This lively tribute to a much-loved dead duck praises his attributes in life (“his feet they were yellow”), and details the horrible fate wished upon his killer. With choral “quack-quacks” in seconds, never has revenge been so much fun. SAA, Piano and optional Oboe; English. Medium.

“Adorable” is the only word for this parlor piece from the 1860’s, with its rumtity-tum piano accompaniment and operatic flourishes for the singers. The two choral parts, like true friends, are sometimes parallel, sometimes divergent, each maintaining her own character and taking it in turns to shine. Italian or English.
SA and piano. Easy-Medium.

These carols are of modest scale but great effect, written with sensitivity and economy so as not to overwhelm the original texts. The variety of voicings and accompaniments provides fine contrasts within the set.

1. A Babe is Born
• SSA,soprano solo with piano
• duration: 2’00”
• range: b-flat - f”
• difficulty: easy
2. Now Let Us Sing
• SSA, soprano solo with piano
• duration: 2’30”
• range: b-flat -f”
• difficulty: easy
3. Jesu, Thou the Virgin-born
• SSAA, soprano and alto solos, a cappella
• duration: 2’35”
• range: a flat - e flat”
• difficulty: easy
4. The Saviour of the World is Born
• unison with piano
• duration: 1’45”
• range: a flat - e flat”
• diffculty: easy

This new edition of Holst’s beloved settings (from Tennyson’s long narrative poem) reveals them to be models of musical economy for the time-starved teacher, as well as gems of pure loveliness. Devices such as antiphonal and echo choirs, repeated sections in parallel major and minor, and well-handled canonic techniques, make each movement a distinctive delight.
5 movements: SSAA/SSAA; SSAA/SSAA; SSAA; SSA; SSSAA; all a cappella; English. Medium.

"Lisa, go dip your long white hands/In the cool waters of that spring..." The "evanescent dreaminess" (Mrs. Howe's words) of the text are set in an impressionistic style, with repeated evocations of "Lisa, Lisa" by the chorus. First published in 1936.
SSA and piano. Medium.

This radiant setting of the Hymn of Saint Francis to Brother Son and Sister Moon is a harmonized chant, in which the declamation of speech rhythms and accents is a vital part of the performance. It is the traditional festival song of the School Sisters of St. Francis in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, sung at all their reunions. English.
SSAA a cappella. Easy.

This quiet and gentle setting is a showcase for your soprano soloist, with the chorus singing background chords and alleluias throughout. The text is on the parable of the lost sheep--excellent for church use.
SSAA and soprano solo a cappella. Easy/Medium.

Jackson, Marylou India arr.
Joshua Fit de Battle of Jericho.....TC-107.....$1.20

Your second altos will love this setting--they get the melody in the refrain, and lots of low f's during the verses. The strong rhythms of this setting will energize your chorus!
SSAA and soprano solo a cappella. Easy/Medium.

Jackson, Marylou India arr.
Steal Away.....TC-248.....$1.20 Preview

Audiences get very quiet when they hear that special simple piece. This setting is one such, a lost gem from the choral director at Bennett College for Women, 1931-1935.
SSAA; a cappella; English; Easy.

"The first great joy that Mary had," begins this counting carol on a traditional English tune. The varied verse settings in this charming arrangement are unified by a short, repeated keyboard interlude. This setting is just right for a service of lessons and carols.
SSA and keyboard. Easy.

This original spiritual has an easygoing style, with dotted rhythms, chromatic interest, finger snaps, and an independent piano part.
SSA and piano. Medium.

Mellifluous Samoan lull words, like "manulele" (bird), and "suamalie," (sweet) are the basis for this hypnotic lullaby of repeated and recombined pentatonic patterns. Accessible to average choirs, this piece, with its subtle rhythmic interest and carefully crafted dynamic changes, is rewarding for more advanced choirs as well. 

• SSA a cappella; Samoan
• 4 pages
• duration: 2:30 min.
• range: e' to d"
• difficulty: easy-medium

This supple and mellifluous setting seems to grow from plainchant--its largely stepwise motion grows naturally out of text accents, and individual sections are singled out now and then, for variety in texture. This deceptively simple piece is intelligent and lovely.

• SSAA a cappella
• duration: 2’00”
• range: a-g”
• difficulty: medium

Christina Rossetti’s text is beautifully reflected in the quiet, almost detached mood of the beginning of this setting, which changes to a more impassioned sorrow at the words, “I shall not see the shadows.”
SA and piano; optional cello, harp. Easy-Medium.

This agreeable setting, with imitative entrances but a largely homophonic texture, is a fine introduction to baroque style. In several sections with contrasting meters, it employs dotted rhythms, hemiolas, and melismatic settings of the “alleluia” text refrain. A realization of the figured bass is included. Latin, with full translation.
SSA and organ. Easy-Medium.

The haunting melody is variously placed against pedal points, with unison phrase closings, in the alto line, and at close imitation, to give the acoustic feeling of the singers' listening and longing for the sound of the beloved. 

• SSAA (some divisi) a cappella
• 6 pages
• duration: 2:30 min.
• range: f to g"
• difficulty: medium

Composed in 1934, this original, through-composed setting includes all five stanzas of the Rossetti text--even the “breastful of milk” stanza often purged from hymnals. The minor tonality, elegant and spare choral writing, and lush piano accompaniment make this a piece your choir will cherish and remember......

• SSAA with piano
• duration: 4’45”
• range: g-g”
• difficulty: easy-medium

These four songs describe the pangs of thwarted romantic love:torment, desire, and longing.(The third may be the world's only love song declaring envy of a flea--including hopping rhythms.) These songs include a wide range of Renaissance musical devices, including imitation, cadential suspensions, metric changes, and dance-like rhythms.Since they are short and strophic, they give your singers multiple chances of mastering idioms of Renaissance polyphony on a small scale.
 

1. Il mio martir (My torment)
• SSA a cappella
• duration: 1’40” x 4
• range: g-g”
• difficulty: medium
2. Son quest’I crespi crini (These are the curly locks)
• SSA a cappella
• duration: 0’56” x 4
• range: f sharp - g”
• difficulty: medium
3. Godi pur del bel sen (Delight in the beautiful bosom)
• SSA a cappella
• duration: 1’00” x 4
• range: g-g”
• difficulty: medium
4. Hor care canzonette (Now dear canzonets)
• SSA a cappella
• duration: 0’55” x 2
• range: g-a”
• difficulty: medium

Antiphonal choirs and a small unison chant group exchange alleluias, while the soloist sings the melody of this spiritual written for the Spelman College Choir in 1971.
SSAA/SSAA, unison chant group, and soprano solo, a cappella. Medium. 

Lush voicing and the subtle rhythmic texture of the choral accompaniment highlight the simple appeal of the ageless tune. With full Welsh text and phonetic rendition underlaid in the score, and word-by-word and prose translations.
SSAA (much divisi) and soprano solo a cappella. Easy. 

Noble, Jr., Clifton J., arr.
Bring a Torch.....TC-258.....$2.25 Preview

Your experienced jazz quartet (or larger ensemble) will love this smooth arrangement of the "Jeanette, Isabella" carol with interpolated text. ("Don't be makin' a noise...")
SSAA; string bass; English; Med.-Diff.

Noble, Jr., Clifton J., arr.
Elijah Rock.....TC-217.....$2.85

Did someone say the treble choir is the wimpy choir? I don’t think so. Not if you turn them loose on the driving rhythms of this Gospel arrangement, which incorporates “Rock-a My Soul” and an optional rap section. This piece is definitely a concert closer.
SSAA and Piano; English. Medium.

Noble, Jr., Clifton J., arr.
The Erie Canal.....TC-214.....$2.25

That mule named Sal may never be the same after this rambunctious musical treatment. The swing choral rhythms, with scat interpolations of the names of towns “from Albany to Buffalo,” are supported by a down-and-dirty accompaniment your pianist will love. Performed by the Smith College Glee Club, Jonathan Hirsh, Director, at the ACDA Eastern Division 2002 convention in Pittsburgh.
SSAA and Piano; English. Medium-Difficult.

Noble, Jr., Clifton J.
Listen to the Angels Shouting.....TC-165.....$2.85

This arrangement is a medley of three spirituals: "Come down, angels," "Listen to the angels," and "My way's cloudy," all from The Story of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, one of the earliest printed collections of slave spirituals. In all three, angels are the heavenly messengers who inspire and lead the singers out of bondage into the promised land.
In this arrangement, the angels are not dimpled cherubs, but rather towering figures who energize the singers in their difficult and dangerous journey. Swing rhythm sections alternate with softer sections in straight rhythm, in this fine concert closer with barn-burning piano accompaniment.
The spirituals' Exodus imagery makes this medley suitable for Passover programming, as well as for concerts which honor slave spirituals.

• SSAA and piano
• 14 pages
• duration: 5:00 min.
• range: e to g#''
• difficulty: medium

The languorous rhythms in this bossa nova setting of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 portray love in full bloom, when the sun is hot and love will be forever.
SSA, piano, English. Medium.

Noble, Jr., Clifton J. Preview
Sigh No More, Ladies.....TC-263.....$2.85

This high-energy setting of the song from Much Ado about Nothing advises ladies to be happy without fickle men, who have "one foot in sea and one on shore." At the refrains, with their "hey nonny nonny's" and "woe, woe, woe's", the bard goes be-bop. See if your singers catch the piano's reference to a hornpipe!
SSA and Piano; English; Medium.

Noble, Jr., Clifton J., arr.
Sussex Carol (traditional English).....TC-203.....$2.25

This new arrangement of an old favorite has wide, clanging voicing in the handbell accompaniment, and particularly good use of duple counter-rhythms and rhythmic extension of the melody in the final stanza. The handbell part may be played on piano, organ, or harp.
SSAA and Handbells; English. Medium.

This jaunty swing duet, from Shakespeare's As You Like It, is a lovers' dance of mutual attraction. Some of its "Come hither" passages are in seductive quarter-note triplets. Others are antiphonal, in swing eighths with rhythmic shifts of the text. This setting perfectly expresses the happy springtime flirtatiousness of the text.
SA and Piano; English; Medium.

Noble, Jr., Clifton J., arr. Preview
Wade in the Jordan River.....TC-228.....$2.25

Noble, Jr., Clifton J., arr.
Wassailin'.....TC-257.....$1.70 Preview

This raucous jazz arrangement with "doo-wah" patterns goes "all over the town" in its depiction of a rowdy Christmas feast. Try it as a change of pace at a madrigal dinner!
SSAA; a cappella; English; Med.-Diff.

Noble, Jr., Clifton J., arr. Preview
The Water is Wide.....TC-218.....$2.25

This powerful plea for peace makes a fine invocation, or opening selection for a concert dedicated to issues of nonviolence, war and peace. Easier than it appears, its clear tonal center provides a firm footing for introducing techniques such as sudden harmonic changes and gradually built tone clusters. Sung by the Peninsula Women's Chorus, Dr. Patricia F. Hennings, Director, at the 1992 Western Division ACDA convention in Honolulu, this piece is exceptionally rewarding for both singers and audience.

• SSAA (some divisi) a cappella; Latin
• 2 pages
• duration: 2:00 min.
• range: e to a"
• difficulty: medium

Every note counts in the spare, evocative texture of this haunting prayer for peace. Choral parts in stark contrary motion alternate with recitative-like solos; the accompaniment may also by played on strings.
SA and piano or organ. Easy-Medium.

Parker, Alice
Elinor Wylie: Incantations

Mirroring the poems they set, these pieces express a rare depth of emotion through spare choral textures. Demanding—and rewarding—parts for piano and clarinet.
For SA (some divisi), piano, and clarinet. Medium difficulty. 

I. Incantation.....TC-131.....$1.70

A driving 7/8 piano ostinato heightens the musical tension of antiphonal invocations of darkness and light. 

II. Nameless Song.....TC-132.....$1.70

"My heart is cold and weather-worn": heavy chromatic chords in the piano underlie choral appoggiaturas in parallel movement, expressing sorrow and loss.

III. Fair Annet's Song.....TC-133.....$1.70

Arpeggiated passages in contrary motion for piano and clarinet, and scattered choral melodies, express fleeting nature: "One thing comes and another thing goes."

IV. Madman's Song.....TC-134.....$2.25

Galloping rhythms portray the lure of the hunt, and the urge to follow and "hallo, hallo," in this paean to impulsive action. 

Parker, Alice arr.
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Fairy Songs.....TC-157.....$2.25

1. Lullaby for Titania ("You spotted snakes")
2. Oberon's Blessing ("Now until the break of day")

These deceptively simple pieces are perfect for use as teaching pieces, and as incidental music for a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare's comedy of the fairies' enchantment of two pairs of noble lovers and of Bottom the weaver. As teaching pieces, their pentatonic melodies, limited range, and use of repetition and canon make them ideally suited to Kodaly techniques. Their rhythmic clarity makes them a good vehicle for simple choreography, and the recorder parts can be played by onstage musicians.

• SA, mezzo solo, and two recorders
• 10 pages
• duration: 2:00 min. each
• range: e' to e" (chorus); c' to c" (solo)
• difficulty: easy

Parker, Alice
Sing and Make Melody.....TC-260.....$2.25 Preview

With pentatonic tunes backed by syncopated repeated patterns, this cheerful anthem, in 4/4 throughout, recalls Alice Parker's leading of improvisatory sings.
SSAA; a cappella; English; Medium.

Parker, Alice
Give Thanks for Music.....TC-272.....$1.70 Preview

Invoking the key, tempo, and rhythms of the Thanksgiving hymn, "We gather together," this setting builds a cumulative texture over an original melody in the alto line. Commissioned by Sigma Alpha Iota in honor of their hundredth anniversary, it makes a fine festival opener.
SSA and piano, English. Easy-Medium.

Alice Parker here uses simple devices to achieve sophisticated effects:first, choral unisons expanding to long chords; then melodic tritones in 5/8 meter, with the voices in canon; then rocking rhythms in contrary motion. Instrumental score and parts are available from the publisher.
 

1. There is a solitude of space
• SAA with piano OR 2 flutes, harp, and bassoon
• duration: 2’10”
• range: a flat - g flat”
• difficulty: medium
2. As if the Sea should part
• SSA with piano OR harp and bassoon
• duration: 1’50”
• range: b-f”
• difficulty: medium
3. A soft Sea washed around the House
• SA with piano OR flute, harp and bassoon
• duration: 2’55”
• range: a-a”
• difficulty: medium

Parker, Alice arr.
Women on the Plains: Three Canadian Folk Songs

1. Old Grandma.....TC-117.....$1.70 

Vigorous hemiola rhythms paint the picture of the endlessly busy woman pioneer, the loyal helpmeet to Grandpa, as she works through her staggering list of chores. "It's no wonder Grandma's hair turned gray!"
SSAA and piano. Easy/medium.

2. Away, Far down the River (Adieu de la mariée).....TC-118.....$1.70

The pioneer bride bids farewell to her parents as she prepares to go West, leaving everything she knows. This haunting setting has lovely birdcall effects in the accompaniment.
SSA and piano. Easy.

3. Punching the Dough.....TC-119.....$1.70

This pioneer wife speaks for every exasperated woman who knows that "shooting out biscuits" takes more gumption than shooting out windows and lights! Energetic syncopations will keep you on your toes.
SSAA and piano. Easy/medium.

This is that special piece for your special choir: a tonal, a cappella, double chorus tour de force of minimalist techniques that sounds like...the desert! This piece repays careful study: the conductor who helps the singers identify repeated patterns, and the relation of each part to its counterpart in the other chorus, will accelerate the learning process. Your reward is four sections of differing programmatic effects, to be performed as one long movement......

1. Pyramid Lake
• SSAA/SSAA a cappella
• duration: 1’30”
• range: g-e”
• difficulty: medium-difficult
2. Death Valley
• SSAA/SSAA a cappella
• duration: 1’50"
• range: b flat - f”
• difficulty: medium-difficult
3. Bryce Canyon
• SSAA/SSAA a cappella
• duration: 2’40”
• range: a-d”
• difficulty: medium-difficult
4. Devil’s Playground
• SSAA/SSAA a cappella
• duration: 2’20”
• range: f-a”
• difficulty: medium-difficult

Poston, Elizabeth (1905-1987), arr. Preview
Qui creavit coelum (He who created the sky).....TC-230.....$2.25

This medieval "Song of the Nuns of Chester" has lullaby syllables at the end of each line. Elizabeth Poston has provided two versions, which the director may employ with maximum flexibility. The setting for unison voices may be performed with organ or a cappella, antiphonally or responsorially. The four-part a cappella setting has fluid vocal writing and charming modal harmony. Both settings preserve the chant rhythms of the original.
Unison or SSAA; with organ or a cappella; Latin. Easy-Medium.

Raum, Elizabeth
Little Dove.....TC-138.....$2.25

This romantic, Schubertian song tells of a dove who, in her flight, sees both the world's suffering and the power of singing to heal it: "Oh, how the music melts the sadness!" Strophic, with metric and major/minor key changes, this setting lingers in the ear.
SSAA and piano. Easy/Medium.

Rheinberger, Josef (1839-1901)