The Children’s Hour
The Children’s Hour is a setting of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem of the same name (first published in 1860) composed by Alberto Roque Santana for the Bowdoin Chamber Choir during the summer of 2011. The work is written for an actor, soprano solo, mixed choir and piano, and the composer writes that “the weight of the piece falls on the actor´s interpretation, not only performing as a simple reciter, but as a true character — sometimes becoming Longfellow himself — bringing to life this most intimate and delightful poetry.”
“The musical setting reflects the often whimsical nature of the poem through many contrasts in mood and style, such as the reciter’s seemingly serious melodramatic recitations, the soprano soloist’s dancing tales, and the choir’s bellows of feigned fear. The piano part is at times virtuosic and at others nothing but clusters at the low end of the piano, helping to place the tone of the music somewhere between high art and mischievous playfulness.”
— Robert Greenlee, Music Director, Bowdoin Chamber Choir
The Children’s Hour was premiered on May 5, 2012, by the Bowdoin Chamber Choir (Robert Greenlee, conductor) at Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine. The soloists: Ben Haile (actor), Katarina Holmgren (soprano), and George Lopez (piano)
| Instrumentation: | Piano |
| Voicing: | SATB |
| Sacred or Secular: | Secular |
| Language: | English |
| Duration: | 10-15 Minutes |
$5.95 – $90.00Price range: $5.95 through $90.00
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Title | View | Voicing | Duration | Language | Composer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| SATB | 4'15" | English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| SATB | 0'30" | English | This is a small colection of original descants with complete or partial hymns. The descants are for Come, Thou long expected Jesus; O Come All Ye Faithful (descant and verse 5); Joy to the World; and See amid the Winter’s Snow (refrain with descant). ISMN 979-0-9025253-2-9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This is a small colection of original descants with complete or partial hymns. The descants are for Come, Thou long expected Jesus; O Come All Ye Faithful (descant and verse 5); Joy to the World; and See amid the Winter’s Snow (refrain with descant). ISMN 979-0-9025253-2-9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SATB | – | English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| SSAATTBB | 1' | English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| SATB | 5'50" | English | Near the turn of the 20th century, Colin Sterne penned a tender Christmas text, which has been transformed into a Christmas lullaby. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Near the turn of the 20th century, Colin Sterne penned a tender Christmas text, which has been transformed into a Christmas lullaby. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SATB | 1'05" | English | An effective way to close a service or concert during the seasons of Christmas and Epiphany, this short choral benediction is easy to learn and will be an enjoyable addition to the repertoire of choirs of varying sizes and skill levels. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| An effective way to close a service or concert during the seasons of Christmas and Epiphany, this short choral benediction is easy to learn and will be an enjoyable addition to the repertoire of choirs of varying sizes and skill levels. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SATB | 6'30" | English | Steven Paxton’s VISIONS for SATB choir is a moving setting of the poem by Wisconsin poet Charlotte A. Cote: “You catch sometimes a glimpse of forever — a lake… .” It was commissioned by Paul Rusterholz and the La Crosse Chamber Chorale in celebration of the 1998 Wisconsin Sesquicentennial. Two versions are available, one with […] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Steven Paxton’s VISIONS for SATB choir is a moving setting of the poem by Wisconsin poet Charlotte A. Cote: “You catch sometimes a glimpse of forever — a lake… .” It was commissioned by Paul Rusterholz and the La Crosse Chamber Chorale in celebration of the 1998 Wisconsin Sesquicentennial. Two versions are available, one with […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SATB | 3'01" | English | (Choral SATB, divisi) When Shiloh Came is a Christmas poem by Marie Radcliffe Butler, published in 1877, associating the coming of the baby Jesus with initiating the hope of the Gospels. The birth of this work started with notes of E, F and A. Starting as a minimalist, dissonant piece, it turned out to be […] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Choral SATB, divisi) When Shiloh Came is a Christmas poem by Marie Radcliffe Butler, published in 1877, associating the coming of the baby Jesus with initiating the hope of the Gospels. The birth of this work started with notes of E, F and A. Starting as a minimalist, dissonant piece, it turned out to be […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||