Keep Your Head Up, Kid is a round for flexible voicing based on a mantra by Amy Gordon. It features a repeating phrase designed to help us keep going in the midst of rough times. It is from the original series: Mantra Rounds.
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Mountaintop is a round for flexible voicing based on a mantra by Amy Gordon. It features body percussion and a repeating phrase designed to help us make sense of life’s highs and lows.
We Sang Before We Spoke, originally commissioned for SSAA Choir by the Chanteuses treble choir of Sacramento directed by William Zinn, set this celebratory text by Libby Weber. This SATB revoicing was commissioned by The Stockton Chorale directed by Nate Widelitz. The opening bright harmonies are designed to be acoustically vibrant when sung in a reverberant space, such as a stairwell, a parking lot, or a stone church. The conductor may adjust the length of rests after phrases, fermatas, and breath marks to account for the reverb in the space in which the piece is sung. The middle section (“we instruments refine”) contains a Baroque-inspired fugue, which allows each part to shine as the Subject and Countersubject material are passed among the ensemble. The piece concludes with the opening bright harmonies, which are arpeggiated downwards to allow for timbral nuances as each part moves through their range. The final line is reminiscent of the Fugue-like subject, which then cadences into a final resonant harmony, allowing for a reverberant ending.
This piece is suitable for any Mixed Voice Choir and would fit well on a concert about music or singing.
Continue reading We Sang Before We Spoke – SATBConstant began as an original song by Amy Gordon in 2007, written in her college days. The lyrics and poignant melody express deep gratitude to those people in our lives who are by our sides for a long time. This “constant” could be a romantic partner, a parent, friend, community, or any entity whose lasting presence brings deep comfort, even in times of hardship. This arrangement for SSATBB reimagines this song in a lush, choral settng featuring rich harmonies and vocal jazz-inspired instrumental textures.
This piece would fit well in a concert about friendship and/or featuring a Mixed Voice Choir or 6-voice Jazz Choir.
VIRTUAL CHOIR VIDEO OF “CONSTANT” BY PRETEND CHOIR
CREDITS:
Performed by Pretend Choir, a worldwide virtual choir
Director: Jacob A. Beal
Audio engineer: David Zeppieri
Song video: David Zeppieri
Performers: Tom Griffiths, Kate Ullman, Dawn Penguin, Rose Dickson, Dan Inglis, Tracey Vacher
Check out these 2025 Fall Performances featuring Amy Gordon’s choral and instrumental music!
We Sang Before We Spoke, commissioned by the Chanteuses treble choir of Sacramento directed by William Zinn, sets the celebratory text by Libby Weber for SSAA Choir. The opening bright harmonies are designed to be acoustically vibrant when sung in a reverberant space, such as a stairwell, a parking lot, or a stone church. The conductor may adjust the length of rests after phrases, fermatas, and breath marks to account for the reverb in the space in which the piece is sung. The middle section (“we instruments refine”) contains a Baroque-inspired fugue, which allows each part to shine as the Subject and Countersubject material are passed among the ensemble. The piece concludes with the opening bright harmonies, which are arpeggiated downwards to allow for timbral nuances as each part moves through their range. The final line is reminiscent of the Fugue-like subject, which then cadences into a final resonant harmony, allowing for a reverberant ending.
This piece is suitable for any Treble Choir and would fit well on a concert about music or singing.
PERFORMANCE CREDITS:
Conductor: William Zinn
Choir: Chanteuses
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The music and lyrics of Songs of Hope in Strange Times: In Times of Re-Emergence was written during the COVID-19 global pandemic of 2020-onwards and was commissioned by SACRA/PROFANA, directed by Juan Carlos Acosta. The overall song cycle is five movements long, with each movement reflecting on how to find hope and meaning during strange and unknown times of life. In Times of Re-Emergence, the fourth movement of the song cycle, represents a joyful return to one’s life, albeit a cautious return initially, after a prolonged hiatus. The 9/8 meter has a dance-like quality, allowing a lighter mood after the more intense third movement, In Times of Stasis. The overall Strophic form (containing three Verses with the same melody and overall harmonies) allows for the performers and audience alike to relax in the familiarity of the material as it unfolds.
This movement could be performed as a stand-alone piece or as part of the entire Songs of Hope in Strange Times song cycle.
See other movements:
I. In Times of Descent
II. In Times of Hibernation
III. In Times of Stasis
V. In Times of Rising
Check out these upcoming Spring 2023 performances around the Southern California region!