Chamber Orchestra - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.533578 Composed by Carson Cooman. Christian,Contemporary,Spiritual. Score and parts. 189 pages. Musik Fabrik Music Publishing #3025409. Published by Musik Fabrik Music Publishing (A0.533578). The Acts of the Apostles (2009), an oratorio for baritone, chorus, congregation/audience, and chamber orchestra (piano, organ, strings-suggested minimum of 3.3.3.2.1),was commissioned by The Memorial Church at Harvard University. It is dedicated to Edward Elwyn Jones and theHarvard University Choir.The biblical books of Luke and Acts form a pair of documents from a single author and with a single audience (thelikely-metaphorical “Theophilus�), yet they are unusual for being composed in such contrasting genres. Luke’sgospel, using Mark as a primary source throughout, features a comparable literary style to that of the otherevangelists. Acts, by contrast, is a historical monograph that charts the birth of the Church with dramatic storiesabout—and speeches from—the apostles, painting a vivid, if not necessarily chronological, picture of their victoriesand struggles. As such, it is a book that provides excellent source material for a dramatic choral libretto of this scale.Although much of Acts is focused on the ministry of Saul/Paul, this oratorio draws most of its material from thefirst third of the book, prior to and including the conversion of Saul. In the Prologue, Christ’s ascension is narratedand—following an orchestral Sinfonia—the chorus sings words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Plain in Luke’sgospel that foreshadow many of the trials the apostles go on to face. The astounding account of Pentecost follows:here, words from the book of Ruth, customarily read on the feast of Shavuot (Pentecost), are included, telling thestory of a Moabite woman who converted to the Israelite faith—a parallel to the expansion of the Christian messageto all nations by the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Prayer for Boldness, quoting Psalm 2, asks God for protection fromthe threats of persecution that the apostles will now face.Stephen, regarded as the proto-martyr of the Christian Church, offers one of the most developed speeches in Acts,only a small portion of which is presented here. Full of scriptural references, including the quotation from Isaiah“Heaven is my throne…�, the end of the narrative is remarkable for two reasons: firstly, Stephen’s final wordsmirror those of Christ on the cross in Luke’s gospel—where Jesus forgives his executioners and prays “Father, intoyour hands I commend my spirit� (Luke 23:46); secondly, Saul is specifically mentioned as one who approved ofStephen’s stoning, indicative of the redemptive possibilities of the Christian message.The account of the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch here in the oratorio ends with the First Song of Isaiah—whilenot quoted in Acts, it seems a fitting conclusion to the scene as Philip and the eunuch were reading Isaiah together,and the canticle has often been associated by Christians with the rite of baptism. Similarly, the story of Saul’sConversion is followed here by a Christological poem found in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, though it is likely aquotation from an earlier source. It is often regarded as the earliest extant Christian hymn.The Acts of the Apostles concludes with Luke’s realistic assessment that in spite of Paul’s energetic evangelism manyremained unconvinced by the Christian message. At the heart of both Luke’s gospel and Acts is the tension betweenthe uniquely important role of the Jewish traditions that Jesus himself practiced and the expansion of the gospel togentiles, of whom Luke himself is one. It is appropriate, therefore, to follow Paul’s message of salvation to thegentiles with the Magnificat: a canticle that emphasizes the promises of God to the people of Israel throughouthistory.Three traditional hymn texts are found in the oratorio, each set congregationally to a pre-existing tune. The first,“Spirit of mercy, truth, and love� is an eighteenth century poem that e.

Chamber Orchestra - Level 2 - Digital Download SKU: A0.620718 Composed by Albert Hay Malotte. Arranged by Stephen DeCesare. 20th Century. Score and parts. 18 pages. Exultet Music #3434805. Published by Exultet Music (A0.620718). The musical setting which has been recorded by numerous singers and groups has now been arranged for String Quartet (Violin (2), Viola, Cello) with Organ accompaniment. Accessible and appropriate for any time throughout the liturgical year but especially during the seasons of Christmas and Easter.

Chamber Orchestra - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1453498 Composed by Sy Brandon. 21st Century,Contest,Festival. 235 pages. Sy Brandon #1032727. Published by Sy Brandon (A0.1453498). Legacy is a three-movement composition for chamber orchestra that makes social commentary on the issue of global warming. It was commission in 2007 by the Washington Sinfonietta, Rufus Jones, conductor and rewritten for chamber orchestra in 2023. I. Conflicts - This movement begins with a cry from native cultures admonishing our neglect of the environment. The cry is interspersed with debate regarding the seriousness of global warming (woodwinds). The debate grows stronger as the cries grow weaker. The debate isquieted by a measure of repeated chords that could be the words, stop it! stop it now!” A weak cry in the English Horn brings the introduction to a close. An Allegro section follows with a rhythmic and primitive sounding section representing the underdeveloped nations that are destroying the rain forests for economic gain. This material evolves into a more harmonic and contrapuntal section representing industrialized nations reluctant to change, also for economic reasons. Things quiet down as the music takes the listener to another part of the globe, East Asia. Conflict is again present in this section. The music returns to a varied restatement of the industrialized nations music before traveling to India for a section influenced by Raga. This section builds in dissonance until we hear the repeated stop it now chords from the introduction. A brief reprise of the cries brings the movement to a close. II. Consequences - This movement evokes a somber mood that is reflective of living in a climate of extremes. The movement is in arch form as it begins and ends with open harmony reflective of barren lands that once were fertile. The middle section serves as a climax expressing the harshness of the climate. Colleen McCullough's book, A Creed for the Third Millennium was a source of inspiration for this movement. III. Sacrifice and Compromise - The movement begins with a strong section that suggests progress. It is followed by a quieter and intense section that alternates lyrical lines over a staccato ostinato creating a sense of urgency. The opening section returns and is followed by a development of the ostinato section. This section is symbolic of how ideas need to be adapted in order for progress to be made. The opening section returns once more before leading into the concluding section where there is coming together of the instruments on a long lyrical line representing more and more people working together for change. The movement ends with a sense of triumph over adversity. Score prints on legal size paper and parts on letter.

Chamber Orchestra - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.597295 Composed by Gabriel Faure. Arranged by Flavio Regis Cunha. Concert,Contemporary,Easter,Romantic Period,Sacred. Score and parts. 28 pages. Flavio Regis Cunha #5222165. Published by Flavio Regis Cunha (A0.597295). Gabriel Fauré composed his Requiem in D minor, Op. 48, between 1887 and 1890. The choral-orchestral setting of the shortened Catholic Mass for the Dead in Latin is the best-known of his large works. Its focus is on eternal rest and consolation. Fauré's reasons for composing the work are unclear, but do not appear to have had anything to do with the death of his parents in the mid-1880s. He composed the work in the late 1880s and revised it in the 1890s, finishing it in 1900.