Piano and voice (solo and SATB chorus) - Digital Download

SKU: LV.4075

Composed by P.B. Isaacs. War casualties, Families, Correspondence, Death, Civil War. Lester S. Levy Collection. 5 pages. Published by Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries (LV.4075).

Write a Letter to My Mother. Song and Chorus. Companion to Brother's Fainting at the Door. Words by E. Bowers. Music by P.B. Isaacs. Published 1864 by S.T. Gordon, 538 Broadway in New York. Composition of strophic with chorus with piano and voice (solo and satb chorus) instrumentation. Subject headings for this piece include War casualties, Families, Correspondence, Death, Civil War. First line reads Raise me in your arms, my brother, let me see the glorious sun..

About The Lester S. Levy Collection

The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music consists of over 29,000 pieces of American popular music. Donated to Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries, the collection's strength is its thorough documentation of nineteenth-century American through popular music. This sheet music has been provided by Project Gado, a San Francisco Bay Area startup whose mission is to digitize and share the world's visual history.

WARNING: These titles are provided as historical documents. Language and concepts within reflect the opinions and values of the time and may be offensive to some.

Piano and voice (solo and SATB chorus) - Digital Download

SKU: LV.4591

Composed by George T. Evans. Courtship, Love, Correspondence, Absences. Lester S. Levy Collection. 5 pages. Published by Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries (LV.4591).

There's a Letter in the Candle. Song and Chorus. By Geo. T. Evans. Published 1873 by M. Gray, 623 & 625 Clay Street in San Francisco. Composition of strophic with chorus with piano and voice (solo and satb chorus) instrumentation. Subject headings for this piece include Courtship, Love, Correspondence, Absences. First line reads There's a letter in the candle, and it points direct to me..

About The Lester S. Levy Collection

The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music consists of over 29,000 pieces of American popular music. Donated to Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries, the collection's strength is its thorough documentation of nineteenth-century American through popular music. This sheet music has been provided by Project Gado, a San Francisco Bay Area startup whose mission is to digitize and share the world's visual history.

WARNING: These titles are provided as historical documents. Language and concepts within reflect the opinions and values of the time and may be offensive to some.

Choral Choir (SATB) - Level 3 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.835452

Composed by Stuart Brown. 20th Century,Contemporary,World. Octavo. 211 pages. Stuart Brown Music #5990681. Published by Stuart Brown Music (A0.835452).

A fantastic offer price for the full score and all parts! ... Looking for something to add a sense of oriental exoticism to your amateur orchestral/choral concert? This may be what you're looking for! This charming little suite of six dances lasts about 15½ minutes. It consists of a Pavane, Bourée, Sarabande, Allemande, Basse Danse and Galliard, which vary widely in character. As a whole the suite provides some interesting challenges for both performers and listeners. Apart from conventional strings, flute and harp (which can be either pedal or lever) you will need:
- One or maybe two Arabian ouds. The parts are playable also on a fretless acoustic guitar. (Needs to be fretless because of the quarter-tones in some of the Arabic modes used.)
- A cimbalom (the part can be played on a piano also, with slight modification). You might get away with using a hammered dulcimer but you'd need to make a number of compromises.
- A doumbek and a djembe. These beautiful drums are a must for Middle-Eastern or African music. They're fairly easy to find, though finding somebody who can play them properly may take a bit more doing!
- Finger cymbals and a gong. These are regular western instruments.
- A wind-chime. Anything that produces a nice shimmering spangle of sound will probably do!
- A group of singers (SATB). Nothing particularly challenging but see below.

The primary oud part, the strings and the singers need to have sufficiently good intonation to pitch quarter tones. These are the exception rather than the rule, but nevertheless play an important part in the character of the music. Apart from this, the music is relatively straightforward and probably playable by any reasonably competent amateur or high school orchestra.

In the spring of 2020 I wrote a set of short music tracks for a charity of which I'm a trustee. In order to protect my intellectual property rights in the music, I decided to bring it together into an attractive if not intellectually challenging little suite, hence An Omani Dance Suite. Originally the dances were all in Arabic quarter-tone temperament, but obviously quarter-tones cannot be played easily (if at all) on the flute, harp and cimbalom. So I have made some adjustments but retained the Arabic temperament wherever reasonably possible. I had thought initially of using a santur instead of a cimbalom, but the santur lacks the range and the dynamic capability to be used with a string chamber orchestra. The cimbalom doesn't need to be a concert grand model; in fact it doesn't even need to have dampers.

The Omani was something of an afterthought: a musician friend of mine had worked in Oman and commented on how authentically Omani the Basse Danse sounded. The period of composition coincided with a time when I was really missing friends in Vietnam and Romania, so somehow influences from those countries found their way into the music.

I'm not bothering with performing rights for this - just go away and enjoy the music! ... but if it inspires you find out more about the charity work that inspires me, feel free to get in touch!

https://www.facebook.com/stuartbrownmusic/

Choral Choir (SATB) - Level 4 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1129659

Composed by Kevin G. Pace (ASCAP), Kathryn W. Hales. 20th Century,Blues,Jazz,Religious,Spiritual. Octavo. 14 pages. Kevin G. Pace #730069. Published by Kevin G. Pace (A0.1129659).

A fun, jazzy, energetic choral composition telling the story of Ebed-Melech and how he saved the prophet Jeremiah. Music by Kevin G. Pace. Text by Kathryn W. Hales. Text: The Good Book says that Moses Was buried by the hand of God; And those bitten by fiery serpents Were healed by lookin’ at a rod. Elijah was taken up to heaven By a chariot of fire, But the prophet Jeremiah Was cast into a pit of mire. “Can’t you hear me, Lord?� Jeremiah is a’cryin’, “Wilt Thou deliver me? For I am surely dyin’.� The Lord touched the heart On one Ethiopian And says to Ebed-Melech, “Go and save my son.� That black man, he did hearken And went straight up to the king, “What you’ve done to Jeremiah Is a very wicked thing.� “Can’t you see his misery? Can’t you hear him cryin’? Let me deliver him, O King, For he is surely dyin’.� Then Zedekiah repented, Said, “Go get Jeremiah Out of that old dungeon Out of the pit of mire. Take thirty strong men with you Do not delay or wait, Bring the prophet up again Before it is too late.� Ebed went to the pit, Called down into the dark, “I’s a comin’ to save you, Now, oh man, take heart. The king has relented, But before we start, Put old rags beneath your arms, So the ropes won’t leave a mark. Poor Jeremiah was so weak, He’d almost lost all hope, The men did gently lift him up ‘Cause he couldn’t climb the rope. He was kept in prison, But now he had some food, Until the Babylonians came To seize the multitude. ‘Twas an Ethiopian that saved him, A servant to Judah’s King, Blessed be the name of Ebed-Melek For doin’ such brave things. The Lord uses many people From every tribe and race To be an instrument in His hands, An implement of His grace. “Repent all House of Judah,� Jeremiah kept on a’cryin’, “Turn unto the Lord again, Otherwise you’all be dyin’. His words come down through the years To the people of today, “Repent and turn back to the Lord, And walk His chosen Way.�.

Choral Choir (SATB divisi) - Level 4 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1265200

By Britney Spears. By Cathy Dennis, Christian Karlsson, Henrik Jonback, and Pontus Winnberg. Arranged by Jason Howard. A Cappella,Contemporary,Pop. Octavo. 9 pages. Jason Howard #858044. Published by Jason Howard (A0.1265200).

This arrangement of Toxic is a fresh take on the popular 2000's hit! Taking inspiration from the original and several other different covers of this song, I've written out what is probably one of my favorite arrangements I've written. It's sure to challenge your performers and keep your audience engaged from start to finish!

It starts with a soft drone in the Basses that continuously adds chord tones and volume to build sonic intensity and set the tone right out of the gate! We then move on to a slowed down first verse with the melody supported only by chords in the choir. Vocal Percussion leads us into a tempo change and explosive snippet of the melody before the piece hits its stride. Lots of upbeats, syncopations, and altered melodic tones throughout adds a high level of difficulty to this piece. As we get to the end of this piece, the ensemble will suddenly alter time to a half time feel that not only adds to excitement but also helps to bring the piece to a dramatic closing.

This is written for Solo voice and SSAATTBB choir and a Vocal Percussionist.

As with most of my arrangements I leave many of the syllables blank to encourage the director/performers to put their own spin on the arrangement with their own choice of syllables! Suggested syllables in certain spots and all necessary melodic lyrics have all been included for you!

I hope that you and your group enjoys my arrangement! If you do (or even if you don't), please leave a comment and let me know! As a current full time band director who would love to be able to do this full time one day, any and all critiques are appreciated, and I'm particularly interested in formatting suggestions! If you would rather email me than leave a comment, shoot me an email at jhowardarranging@gmail.com!

A little about me:
My name is Jason Howard, and at the time of this publication, I'm going into my 5th year as a band director at the middle and high school levels. I have quite a bit of experience with arranging of various types of vocal and instrumental ensembles and combos. Most are for personal use, but as I get time, I hope to publish more and more for public consumption! Primarily, I focus on popular music, and I one day hope to bring important and influential classical musics to audiences and younger students everywhere!

Choral Choir (SATB) - Level 3 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.575798

Composed by David Warin Solomons. 20th Century. Octavo. 5 pages. David Warin Solomons #2028255. Published by David Warin Solomons (A0.575798).

Many years before Lloyd Webber's Cats I created my own setting for TS Eliot's Song of the Jellicles
(from Old Possum's book of practical cats)
The estate of T S Eliot would not let me use the poem itself as a choral piece.
 So this is the choral version of the Jellicle music as a drinking song for SATB choir,
 with new words by Jill Mitchell called Praise to the Vine

Bring out the goblets! Pour the wine!
 Praise to the vintage, red and white!
 Salute to the harvest of the vine!
 Banish sobriety! Welcome delight!

 The performance is a live recording from a concert by Duodecimo.
 Other (instrumental) versions of the Jellicle music which are available are:
A duo for descant recorder and guitar (Jellicle Duo for recorder and guitar)
A quartet for recorders (Jellicle Quartet for recorders) and
A quartet for strings (Jellicle Catgut for string quartet).

Choral Choir,Choral (SATB divisi) - Level 4 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1308788

Composed by Charles Tenet. Arranged by Tobi Crawford. Jazz. 11 pages. Tobi Crawford #898034. Published by Tobi Crawford (A0.1308788).

*Purchase 10 copies to perform this piece with your ensemble of any size
*Purchase the instrumental pack (bass and drum part) here: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/en/product/beyond-the-sea-instrumental-pack-only-22605052.html

This arrangement came to me over a number of weeks in a very organic way that began with the ostinato piano figure that prevails throughout the piece. I began playing it unattached to any tune and I just liked the way the line descended in the left hand and how I had to find voicings in the right hand that made harmonic sense – like a puzzle. As I was playing around with this puzzle, thoughts of my father were swirling around in my head – I was at the end of a 4 year period of separation from my parents owing to the fact that I’m a Canadian expat living in the US and the borders were closed for a long time because of Covid, and then I had work visa issues and my parents were getting older before my eyes. They were also losing friends to cancer and other ailments and my dad, in particular, had experienced the loss of many close family members and friends during our separation and it was taking a toll.

 

One day I sat down and played the now familiar-to-me ostinato but randomly I started to sing “Beyond the Sea� over it and it fit perfectly. I thought it a happy coincidence. As the days went on I committed to putting my ostinato with Beyond the Sea and the lyrics started to seep into my brain. I have, of course, heard these lyrics many times before, (who hasn’t seen Finding Nemo?) but the lyrics didn’t mean what I thought they meant… They’re NOT about the ocean, they are about my dad!!! Well, kind of… I realized, through careful reflection and by slowing the words down, that the lyrics are talking about a person in heaven who is patiently waiting for their partner to join them.

 

Somewhere beyond the sea

She’s there watching for me

…

It’s far beyond the stars

It’s near beyond the moon

 

And the lyrics end with them meeting, “We’ll meet beyond the shore, we’ll kiss just like before,� and the song ends with: “and never again I’ll go sailing.� It’s like the big bang went off in my head about why all these thoughts of my dad, and his friends, and this arrangement, and what it all meant suddenly just MADE SENSE and I was able to start formulating a plan.

 

Performance Suggestions: 

The improvisation solo in the middle should be free of any traditional “scat syllables� and should be more of a lament. Listen to singers like Aubrey Johnson improvise on ballads for inspiration. An idea for that improv section might be to have a male singer start the improv, then a female singer joins (as if together in heaven) then they sing letter F together (warning: will cause tears…). All solo sections do not have to be sung as written – soloists can take liberties with the melody as the spirit moves.