The Children’s Hour (In Print)
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)
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SATB+SATB | 1' 45" | English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This a cappella setting of Emily Dickinson’s poem is an excerpt from Michael Kaulkin’s larger work Cycle of Friends for soprano solo, chorus and chamber orchestra. It is for mixed chorus divided into two ideally antiphonal SATB groups. Program Note Completed and premiered in 1996, Cycle of Friends for soprano solo, chorus and orchestra is […] More info & view score » | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SATB | 1'40" | Latin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sanford Dole’s Ave Maria is a harmonized setting of the Gregorian chant antiphon. The soprano part is a metrical version of the Gregorian chant melody. The other parts create a harmonic world that is uniquely Dole’s; what his choirs refer to as the “Dolian mode.” More info & view score » | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SATB ⋅ SSAATTB | 25' | English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Completed and premiered in 1996, Cycle of Friends is a lush, emotional journey through five texts taken from such diverse sources as Tang Dynasty poetry of China, Sappho and Emily Dickinson, each dealing in its own way with the universal theme of friendship. Cycle of Friends was commissioned and premiered by the Music Group of Philadelphia, Seán […] More info & view score » | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SATB | 2'30" | Latin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A very rhythmic drive characterizes this exuberant setting of the traditional Christmas text, “Christ is born today” set in Latin. Choirs love to sing the jazzy rhythms and harmonies that require care in tuning, but once mastered create a contemporary sound world that will energize any Christmas concert or service. More info & view score » | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SATB | 2'15" | English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Short choral blessing (text from the Old Testament) written as part of 2001-2003 Composer Residency at San Francisco’s National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi. Premiered by resident ensemble, Schola Cantorum SF More info & view score » | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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SATB | 3'20" | English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Musick to Heare, a madrigal on Sonnet VIII of William Shakespeare, was composed in 2006. It is written for a cappella SATB chorus, and although it has infrequent divisi a due in each of the parts, the use of smaller vocal forces (8 or 16 performers), with lighter Renaissance-style singing is preferred. Difficulty level: Difficult. More info & view score » | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SSAA | 4'30" | Latin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Commissioned premiere performance at Davies Symphony Hall (San Francisco) by the San Francisco Girls Chorus. The explosive Lang work was appropriately contrasted by the excellent, gentle and more subtle O Magnum Mysterium by Kurt Erickson. This world premiere was commissioned by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Here the “mystery” part of the thematic trinity […] More info & view score » | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SATB | 3'15" | Latin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Using jazz-influenced harmonies Dole seeks to capture the mystery implied in the text. Adding the text Noe, and omitting the concluding O beata Virgo verse, the piece builds to a peppier Noel! section before returning to the opening O magnum music and leaving the audience with the quiet chords of the mystery of the scene […] More info & view score » | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SATB | 2'50" | English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Roll the Tide is a short, a cappella setting in a quasi-spiritual style of Elisabeth T. Eliassen’s poem of peace and longing. More info & view score » | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||