SKU: A0.1003298

Sunset: St. Louis for SSA choir and piano was written at the suggestion of a conductor I met at the 2013 American Choral Directors’ Association national conference in Dallas, TX. He lamented the lack of new music for SSA choir that kept the voices within a restricted range yet wasn’t simplistic, and also didn’t use a restricitve number of accompanying instruments; throughout the week his sentiment was echoed by countless other conductors who I had the pleasure of spending time with. At that point, I also had no music for treble/women’s choir in my catalog, so this piece is not only an attempt to fill in this hole in the repertoire, but also an attempt to fill in the hole in my own choral output.

The piece opens with a short passage for solo piano evocative of late afternoon light on water which leads into the voices’ hazy entrance of close diatonic harmonies and loose, liquid rhythms. After this soft opening, the piano begins a gently undulating, water-like accompaniment that – like the Mississippi – flows by, bringing harmonic shifts and swells.

The words Dream by the river captured my imagination, conjuring images of the city drifting to sleep as the sun sets, so I couldn’t resist making the single word Dream into a refrain, weaving it into the larger structure of the poem, which makes the piece not only a love song to the city, but also a lullaby.

The vocal parts have a compressed range: Soprano 1 has a few unsustained Gs, and the Alto line never drops below B-flat. There are some minor challenges with rhythm and pitch (hemiolas, tuplets, and some harmonic cross-relations with the piano), but all are navigable.

The piece was written and prepared for publication in a compositional frenzy between 1pm on March 30, 2013 and 7pm on March 31, 2013 in Montauk, NY.

Duration: ca. 4 min.
Composed: 2013

Registered with ASCAP.

SKU: A0.890639

This hauntingly beautiful and artistic arrangement of She's Like the Swallow contains the original, very old Newfoundland folk text very rarely used due to it's tragic story line. It is in the genre of beware the uncaring man common in folk songs of Europe which served to teach and warn young girls about the dangers of infatuation.  This genre travelled to the United States and Canada in the 1700's. The expression apron low/apron high is a common thread in this genre and refers to being pregnant.  She's Like the Swallow tells the tragic tale of a young girl who has fallen in love with, no doubt, a handsome but uncaring man.  The story is told from each character's perspective plus an observer (narrator).  The girl ultimately creates her own funeral bower of rose petals (ripping them off in desperation as she frantically runs through a garden), lies down on this 'bed of roses' and dies.  You have probably heard this song many times without ever knowing the true meaning due to significant verses left out.

You will need a skilled accompanist!  The accompaniment utilizes significant word painting throughout to highlight the haunting melody line. Word painting depicts the swallow, uncaring cruelty, desperation, blindly going in circles, anger, church bells and fading away/dying.  The conductor is free to take liberties with the tempi and dynamics in order to create a unique interpretation that will resonate with their own choral group.

This arrangement of She's Like the Swallow is an exceptional festival or competition piece and one that should be in the repertoire of every skilled women's choir!

Duration:  4 minutes                                                                                                                                                             Key: C minor (plus modulations)                                                                                                                                                                      Level: intermediate/early advanced

SKU: A0.630714

The popular song, commonly associated with the Christmas and holiday season which was recorded by Perry Como, has now been arranged for SAB with Piano accompaniment. Accessible for any school or concert program.