Choral Music Reviews
Alma Redemptoris Mater György Orbán (b. 1947) Text: Liturgical Marian Antiphon SATB Chorus, divisi, and Piano Publisher: Hinshaw Music, HMC 2343 Approximate performance time: (ca. 3’45”) Performance video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNtD55xe124 (Salt Lake Vocal Artists, Brady Allred, Conductor)
Born in Romania and an immigrant to Hungary, Orbán uses a unique mix of traditional Renaissance and Baroque compositional techniques and infuses modern and unexpected rhythmic and harmonic surprises in an effort to develop eloquent and highly musical text paintings. The interplay here between piano and voices demonstrates Orbán’s sensitivity to the plaintive nature of this text. The meters change often between 2/4, 3/4, 6/8, and 3/8 (sometimes every measure), which also serves the dramatic narrative of the piece.
Loving Mother of the Redeemer, Gate of Heaven, star of the sea,
Assist your people who have fallen yet strive to rise again. To the wonderment of nature you bore your Creator, Yet remained a virgin after as before.
Yet who received Gabriel’s joyful greeting, Have pity on us poor sinners.
A suggested pairing for this piece would be the Palestrina (c. 1525- 1594) version of the same title. One of four Marian antiphons, this version of Alma Redemptoris Mater was traditionally sung during the liturgical season that runs from the first Sunday of Advent until February 2. This lovely Renaissance setting has a meditative quality and is based on the more ornate version of the Gregorian Chant (which can be intoned at the beginning of the piece). This piece is readily accessible on
cpdl.org.
Ave Maria Daniel Elder (b. 1986) Text: Latin SATB divisi, unaccompanied Publisher: Walton Music (Andrew Crane Choral Series, HL00144579, WW1554) Approximate performance time: 4’45” Performance video:
https://www.giamusic.com/search_details.cfm?title_id=26782 (East Carolina Chamber Singers, Andrew Crane, Conductor)
Part of J.W. Pepper’s Editors’ Choice collection and the Andrew Crane Choral series, this setting of a very familiar Latin text is a great programming choice for a more advanced a cappella choir. One critic commented that Elder created a “gorgeous soundscape” and Elder’s bio indicates that his music draws from the Impressionist movement, using “lush lyricism to jagged polyphony”. I describe the opening statement (one that he employs throughout) as creating cascades of polytonal sound that envelops the listener. All parts are featured as the text often spins out, quickly utilizing one voice to eight voices. This effect creates a liquid texture that gives way to
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Diane D. Orlofsky, Ph.D.
motivic echoes. I love how many of these sections are led by the alto and tenor sections (this piece gives those parts a chance to truly shine!). Give this one a listen! I think you will enjoy what you hear and your choir will relish every rehearsal with this little gem.
Holocene Words and Music by John Stevens and Toby Gad Arranged by Kerry Marsh SSATBaB (approximate level 3.5), Piano Publisher: Kerry Marsh (
kerrymarshvocaljazzmyshopify.com) Approximate performance time: 4’58”
Made famous by the Indie folk band, Bon Iver (2011), Holocene was named one of the best songs of 2011 by various music publications. It was also nominated for both Song of the Year and Record of the Year for the 54th
Grammy Awards and featured in several films.
Pitchfork Media included the following description in its review: “ . . .the rising and falling choir changes create a sense of motion that develops throughout the whole song, a tide-like ebb and fly that ends with an abrupt denouement, so swift it withholds almost as much pleasure as it yields” (Staff Lists: The Top 100 Tracks of 2011”, Pitchfork Media, December 12, 2011). One of the band members, Justin Vernon, explained the song in this way: “It’s partly named after the geological era but it’s also the name of a bar in Portland where I had a dark night of the soul…it is a metaphor for when you’re not doing well, but it’s also a song about redemption and realizing that you’re worth something; that you’re special and not special at the same time”. Filmed in Iceland, the official music video of the song debuted on the National Geographic Channel and also came to some acclaim. It captures the ethereal nature of the piece (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWcyIpul8OE). Kerry Marsh’s arrangement of Holocene stays true to Bon Iver’s original performance intent (capturing the undulating movement created by the mixed meters and equal importance of sound and silence), but fleshes it out with his own signature harmonies, dissonances, and sensitivity to musical nuance. Kerry believes this piece can serve as a crossover chart, “working well with both traditional choirs as a “special” piece in the program and with vocal jazz ensembles as a ballad” and I quite agree. Listen to the original and then listen to the demo on Kerry Marsh’s website (
kerryarshvocaljazz.myshopify.com/products/ holocene- ssatab-14) – I fall in love more and more with this piece with every hearing and think you will, too!
Dr. Diane Orlofsky is Professor of Music and Director of Choirs at Troy University, where she oversees the choral program and teaches undergraduate and graduate classes in music education. She is the conductor of the Troy University Concert Chorale and the Director of the Troy University vocal jazz ensemble, frequency.
October/November 2016
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