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

We are the Voices, commissioned by Dr. Kyle Weary and dedicated to the South Middleton School District Choirs, is an anthemic text that calls upon both the singer and the listener to sing: for ourselves, for those who have passed, and for the future we would like to create. This piece is full of rhythmic drive in the piano, creating an exciting bed for the singers.

This piece is also designed to use limited pitch and rhythmic materials in order to build singer confidence and solidify learned concepts. The melody only uses Major Pentascale (do-re-mi-fa-sol) and simple rhythms in simple meters (whole, dotted half, half, quarter, & paired eighth Notes, as well as whole, half, and quarter Rests).

A Guitar may accompany the Piano using the provided chord symbols. An optional Bongo Drum part has also been included and may be used or omitted as desired.

This piece is suitable for any Treble Choir looking for an accessible setting and anthemic text.