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

Shelter Song, commissioned by the Ramona Convent Secondary School Choirs, directed by Ruth Ballenger, sets the charming text by Libby Weber about the joy of adopting a rescue animal. The text playfully explores the different decisions required when adopting a pet, such as choosing which animal to adopt (the Sopranos want to adopt a Cat, while the Altos prefer a Dog) and what to name them! The poem also features a few moments of overlapping texts, which create funny new phrases between the Soprano and Alto lyrics (“I want them all” at mm. 34-35 and “OMG!” at mm. 39-45).

The music has historical influences reminiscent of J.S. Bach’s keyboard stylings, Baroque arias, and opera-like recitatives for dramatic and comedic effect. There is also a bit of G. Rossini’s famous Duetto Buffo di due Gatti (Comic Duet for Two Cats) and the music of comedian Peter Schickele’s fictional Baroque composer, P.D.Q Bach.

There is a customizable NAMES section (Rehearsal Letter E) where directors and choirs may choose to replace any of the names (except the last name of each line, in order to maintain the rhymes) with pet names meaningful to them or the community.

The hope of this piece is to foster awareness of the importance of adopting rescue pets and treating our furry friends with the love they deserve. It would be wonderful to encourage donations to a local animal shelter or animal-oriented charity at any concert or event featuring this piece.

This piece is suitable for any Treble Choir and would fit well on a concert about animals or nature.

Advice from a Kitten in Spring, commissioned by the South Bay Children’s Choir, directed by Julie Corallo, is a playful exploration of a day in the life of a kitten in spring. We would be wise to take some life advice from this lighthearted kitten, especially the piece’s concluding words of wisdom: “love, live, listen”. The melodic content and text were inspired by several composition workshops with the singers in the South Bay Children’s Choir in preparation for this commission.

This piece is suitable for any Treble Choir and would fit well on a concert about animals or nature.

Alchemy, commissioned by Indianola Presbyterian Church, Christopher Dent, Director of Music, to celebrate the generations of children’s music ministry leadership of Carol Winans, Sharon Renkes, and Mary Rebekah Fortman, sets the powerful poem by Libby Weber. The poem and piece are inspired by a real-life charity called Swords to Plowshares (Northeast USA), which collects firearms from the community, melts them into gardening tools, distributes the tools to community gardens, harvests the food grown, and then donates the food to local food banks. This piece features a repeating refrain that traces each step of the alchemical cycle that transforms guns into sustenance. This poem form is called a circular, in which the last item of each stanza becomes the first item of the next stanza, similar to the famous “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” by Peter, Paul, and Mary.

Visit https://www.s2pnortheast.org/ to find out more about the Swords to Plowshares charity, research ways to get involved, and/or make a donation.

This piece is suitable for any Mixed-Voice ensemble and would fit well in any concert about action-based love.

The music and lyrics of We Have a Choice were composed as a reaction to the COVID-19 crisis. The piece explores aleatoric and performer-based textures that can be sung remotely through video conferencing platforms, such as Zoom, or in live settings. The text explores our ability to choose our own paths and reactions in every situation, hopefully ultimately choosing to embrace the story with love, joy, hope, and peace.

The piece alternates between mostly-unison chant-like textures and aleatoric branching textures, in which the performers may choose their own path.

This piece is suitable for any Treble-Voice Choir interested in exploring virtual singing and limited- aleatoric textures that give performers ownership of the material. The piece may be sung in virtual or live settings as circumstances allow.

The music and lyrics of We Have a Choice were composed as a reaction to the COVID-19 crisis. The piece explores aleatoric and performer-based textures that can be sung remotely through video conferencing platforms, such as Zoom. The text explores our ability to choose our own paths and reactions in every situation, hopefully ultimately choosing to embrace the story with love, joy, hope, and peace.

The piece alternates between mostly-unison chant-like textures and aleatoric branching textures, in which the performers may choose their own path.

This piece is suitable for any Mixed-Voice Choir interested in exploring virtual singing and limited- aleatoric textures that give performers ownership of the material.