If I Can Sing, I Still am Free
2016 Idaho All-State, 2018 Arkansas All-State selection
“If I Can Sing, I Still Am Free” was the winner of the San Diego choir SACRA/PROFANA’s 2014 composition competition. It’s an ideal piece for festivals and large ensembles, with a text that champions inner strength in the face of adversity. It has quickly become one of Campbell’s most performed works, performed by high school, collegiate, and community & professional ensembles.
Here’s what SACRA/PROFANA director, Krishan Oberoi, had to say about the piece: “We were struck by Rich Campbell’s unconventional approach to Sara Teasdale’s poem, ‘Refuge’. Rich’s setting of the text represents a radical departure from almost all other choral settings of the poem. Campbell eschews an introspective interpretation of the poem (which seems like the natural response to Teasdale’s pensive text), favoring instead a brash, declamatory setting which mirrors the composer’s own contemporary urban environment. The musical language reflects Campbell’s eclectic musical influences, incorporating strains of jazz, musical theater, and balletic composers like Stravinsky in a propulsive union that carries the listener forward to a rousing climax of human affirmation.“
| Descriptive Tags: | Inspiration, Music About Music, Poetry, Singing |
| Difficulty: | Intermediate |
| Season or Event: | Graduation |
| Instrumentation: | Piano |
| Sacred or Secular: | Secular |
| Duration: | 1-5 Minutes |
| Voicing: | SATB |
| Language: | English |
$2.50
This title is available in print or for immediate download. For both options, there is a minimum required quantity of 8 copies for choral titles. Please support self-publishing composers by ordering the quantity according to the number of singers in the ensemble that will perform the work.
Print orders are printed on demand and shipped by our printing partner, and can be expected to be processed within a few days of the order. Please do not hesitate to contact [email protected] to follow up.
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| SATB | 4' | English | A setting of Robert Frost’s metaphorical rendering of feelings of depression, isolation and alienation. Rhythmic and thought-provoking. Medium difficulty, appropriate for high school, collegiate and community choirs. Commissioned by Penn High School Choirs, IN. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A setting of Robert Frost’s metaphorical rendering of feelings of depression, isolation and alienation. Rhythmic and thought-provoking. Medium difficulty, appropriate for high school, collegiate and community choirs. Commissioned by Penn High School Choirs, IN. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TTBB | 3'15" | English | When I first discovered Charles Bernstein’s beautiful poem, I knew immediately that I wanted to set it for men’s chorus. The poem expresses so much within a brief, 4-verse form. I set out to use harmony to color the text’s rich imagery while honoring the poem’s lyrical and repetitive nature in the melody. The surprising […] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| When I first discovered Charles Bernstein’s beautiful poem, I knew immediately that I wanted to set it for men’s chorus. The poem expresses so much within a brief, 4-verse form. I set out to use harmony to color the text’s rich imagery while honoring the poem’s lyrical and repetitive nature in the melody. The surprising […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SATB | 2' 10" | Latin | This communion motet, setting the famous 14th century words attributed to Innocent VI, took the prize in the Composition Competition of The Wessex Festival in August 2016. It has since been sung in venues including Ripon Cathedral, UK. Set largely homophonically for SATB choir without divisions, its well-structured melody is complemented by the texture created […] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This communion motet, setting the famous 14th century words attributed to Innocent VI, took the prize in the Composition Competition of The Wessex Festival in August 2016. It has since been sung in venues including Ripon Cathedral, UK. Set largely homophonically for SATB choir without divisions, its well-structured melody is complemented by the texture created […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SATB | 4'20" | English | Deep peace of the running wave to you.Deep peace of the flowing air to you.Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.Deep peace of the shining stars to you.Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you. (Words adapted from an ancient Gaelic blessing) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deep peace of the running wave to you.Deep peace of the flowing air to you.Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.Deep peace of the shining stars to you.Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you. (Words adapted from an ancient Gaelic blessing) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SSAATTBB | 1' | English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| SATB | 12' | English | Most This Amazing is a colorful, pulse-driven setting of E. E. Cummings’ well-known poem of gratitude and wonder. Two pianos and percussion add rhythmic energy, sparkle, and a magical sheen, with the choir carrying the text in broad, singable phrases. 📖 Download the Perusal Score Choose the “free perusal score” option in the shopping cart. […] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Most This Amazing is a colorful, pulse-driven setting of E. E. Cummings’ well-known poem of gratitude and wonder. Two pianos and percussion add rhythmic energy, sparkle, and a magical sheen, with the choir carrying the text in broad, singable phrases. 📖 Download the Perusal Score Choose the “free perusal score” option in the shopping cart. […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SATB | 3' 32" | English | This anthem is a setting of words from Psalm 5. It is particularly suited to church performance during devotional or penitential seasons such as Lent, or in prayer or dedication services. The anthem was also incorporated as the middle piece of the contrasting set of “Three Anthems“, commissioned by the Purbeck Arts Choir in the […] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This anthem is a setting of words from Psalm 5. It is particularly suited to church performance during devotional or penitential seasons such as Lent, or in prayer or dedication services. The anthem was also incorporated as the middle piece of the contrasting set of “Three Anthems“, commissioned by the Purbeck Arts Choir in the […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| A tender new Christmas lullaby is combined with a solo trumpet, which begins to play “Lo, How a Rose ‘ere Blooming.” Text by Edward Caswall (1814-1878) Mary Breden led her Consort Singers of Loyola Marymount University in the premiere at their 2018 Christmas program. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Equal Voices ⋅ SSAA | Each round 1′30″ to 2′ (in performance) | English ⋅ Latin | All vocal groups need short, portable items in their repertoire. A round is a melody which can unfold into harmony, the prime tool of choral directors who wish to develop in singers an ability to listen to others while holding an independent line. Rounds build cohesion among singers and provide opportunities for improving ensemble, sight-reading, […] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| All vocal groups need short, portable items in their repertoire. A round is a melody which can unfold into harmony, the prime tool of choral directors who wish to develop in singers an ability to listen to others while holding an independent line. Rounds build cohesion among singers and provide opportunities for improving ensemble, sight-reading, […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||