January Sacred Choral Reading Session!

Once again, we are coming up on the Stanton’s Sacred Choral Clinic, January 9th, 2010, featuring new choral publications for Lent, Easter and beyond. The clinic will be held in its usual place at the Battelle Fine Arts Center at Otterbein College in Westerville, OH. Attending this clinic is a fantastic way for you to choose new church anthems for your choir by hearing the music read live at the clinic. This January’s clinicians will be Stanton’s own Judy Henry and president emeritus Jim Strouse. Please feel free to contact Stanton’s at 1-800-42-MUSIC and speak with choral staff member for the details of the event. We look forward to seeing you at 8:30 for coffee and doughnuts followed by a wonderful morning of singing!

Messiah Sing-along

During the holiday season, many cities organize community sing-alongs of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah.  Here in Columbus, this year is no exception – especially because 2009 marks the 250th anniversary of Handel’s death.  The ProMusica Chamber Orchestra will be hosting their annual Messiah sing-along on Friday, December 11, at 7:30 p.m. at the Southern Theatre in downtown Columbus.  Please check their website for further information or to purchase tickets for the event.

For those of you wanting to “get in shape” for the event, check out the Do-It-Yourself Messiah.  Each CD has a particular voice part (soprano, alto, etc.) highlighted, and is perfect for practicing as you drive to and from work.

Many musicians reading this blog already own their own Messiah score – the ProMusica event will be using the G. Schirmer edition.  If you would like to purchase your own copy, or for more information, please contact us.

Hear the Choirs Sing…online!

If you are searching for a performance recording of a particular song, or if you’re trying to find something new and fresh to use with your choirs, you may find Hear the Choirs Sing to be a helpful resource. This website offers a searchable database of online clips of choral music, and it also includes a list of other websites that contain choral sound files.

While these recordings may not represent an “author-endorsed” interpretation of any particular composition or arrangement, they could certainly be helpful in providing an aural reference when choosing or rehearsing a piece that is new to you and your singers.

Also, for some great listening, check out the newly launched ACDA Radio.  Choose from 4 different channels – Choral (Secular & Sacred), Early Music, English Choral Music, and Baroque Choral & Vocal.  While you can’t search for specific titles or skip ahead to different tracks, there are no disruptive commercial breaks or announcers, and the track information is always easily provided to take the guesswork out of finding the music heard.

If you’ve discovered any great online resources—let Stanton’s know! We’d love to share your tips with the rest of our readers…

Holidays for Piano and Strings

Do you have a pianist playing with your string orchestra?  If so, you know that they are often the unheralded “glue” that holds the harmonic structure of the group together.  Isn’t it time that they got their share of the spotlight?

Renowned conductor Leonard Slatkin thinks so!  When his son, the pianist in a school string orchestra, mentioned to his father that he never got featured on anything, his famous father got busy and wrote a series of fresh, creative, non-traditional arrangements of holiday carols for solo piano and string orchestra.  They were such a hit at his son’s school, that he decided to publish them.  Now they are available to the public in two volumes so that school pianists around the world can finally get their time in the sun!

Listen to a sample online–click on the “ear with notes” icon.  If you like what you hear, order yours today!

If you don’t already have an account with Stanton’s Sheet Music, one can be set up in minutes to your board of education, music boosters, orchestra activity account or school credit card.  Orders to your personal Visa, Mastercard or Discover card are also welcome.  Call 1-800-42-MUSIC, order online or FAX your order to 614-224-5929.

HOLIDAYS FOR PIANO AND STRINGS Volume 1
Arranged by Leonard Slatkin
Contents: Carol of the Kings; Silent Night; The Twelve Days of Christmas; Veni, Veni, Emmanuel; Moonlight Carol; The First Noel; God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen; O Come all Ye Faithful; Pat-a-Fum and Deck the Halls with Joy.
Conductor – Violin 1  – Violin 2 – Violin 3 (Viola T. C.) – Viola – Cello – Bass -Solo Piano – Percussion

HOLIDAYS FOR PIANO AND STRINGS Volume 2
Arranged by Leonard Slatkin
Contents: Of Kings, Saints and Pigs; The Angels Sing; Three Kings, Three Ships; O holy night; A Czech Christmas; The Watchmen at Coventry; festival of Lights; Christmas Lights; a Holiday Trio; Jingle Bells and Pastorale (from Messiah – strings only)
Conductor – Violin 1  – Violin 2 – Violin 3 (Viola T. C.) -Viola – Cello – Bass – Solo Piano – Percussion

Choral Resources by Tim Seelig

Conductor Dr. Timothy Seelig is perhaps best-known for his 20 year tenure as director of the Turtle Creek Chorale.  Now retired from that position (but still an active guest conductor throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe), he has imparted much of his wisdom and experience in a series of books.  Tim’s entertaining yet practical approach to the voice and to the choir is easy to read, enlightening, informational, and often laugh-out-loud funny!

His first book, The Perfect Blend, is a collection of over 100 warm-up exercises, including photos, rehearsal and programming tips, and “things they didn’t teach you in school.”  The accompanying DVD shows the exercises in action.

Tim followed up with The Perfect Rehearsal, a resource to help maximize your rehearsal time to the fullest.  Written as if taking a trip, Tim gives you refreshing, informative and entertaining new ways to plan and execute your rehearsals.  A DVD is available for this resource as well.

The Perfect Choral Workbook explores all the “other” jobs a choral conductor must tackle.  Subtitled “Everything You Need to Organize Your Choral Program,” there are over 50 forms and lists on the included CD-ROM with printable files that will assist you with a range of tasks from making sure you are in the right place, to possessing the necessary tools, and to cultivating magic in your music program.

Tim Seelig’s Quick Fixes asks the question, “What do you do when the choir starts the repertoire and all of the beautiful singing heard during warm-ups goes out the window?”  With this resource, you can quickly identify the symptom in the index, read the plan of treatment and immediately fix the problem…right on the spot!

For our readers in New York, make sure to check out Dr. Seelig’s sessions at the upcoming NYSSMA Winter Conference (December 3-6 in Rochester, NY).  A dynamic clinician with lots of information to offer you, his sessions are not to be missed!  And after the session, stop by the Stanton’s booth in the exhibit hall to pick up your own copy of the resources he discusses. 

For more choral conducting resources, please contact us!

“Solfege Suites” by Ken Berg

Composer and educator Ken Berg’s Solfege Suites are a perfect way to introduce musical concepts to young singers. The names give away the character of each piece, but the truly fabulous part is that the text is all solfege syllables. Besides teaching solfege, form and other musical elements, these selections also stand alone as performance pieces. Galop from Solfege Suite #1 is our best-seller from the series. Full of accelerating excitement and teaching opportunities, it’s a perfect concert closer. Solfege Suite #1 also includes March and Bolero, and Solfege Suite #2 contains Mazurka, Chaconne and Gavotte.

For more concert suggestions for young choirs, please contact us!

New Jazz Arranging Book!

It has been some time in the making but at long last the much touted book by authors Mike Tomaro and John Wilson is available for purchase.

Instrumental Jazz Arranging consists of a systematic presentation of the essential techniques and materials of jazz arranging. Authors Mike Tomaro and John Wilson draw upon 50+ years of combined teaching experience to bring you a book that addresses all of the basic needs for beginning arrangers. Topics include counterpoint/linear writing, jazz harmony, compositional techniques, and orchestration. All topics serve to address issues concerned with true arranging in great detail. The book may be used in both individual and classroom instructional situations. The accompanying CDs – 170 tracks in all! – include many of the examples in the book, plus templates for assignments formatted for Finale®.

Available from Stanton’s Sheet Music, the book sells for $49.95 and would make a great gift for that aspiring jazz arranger you know. Call us today at 800 42-MUSIC or email to jazz@stantons.com.

Celebrating the Musical Heritage of John Ness Beck

Choral composer and arranger John Ness Beck was born on November 11, 1930 in Warren, Ohio.  After graduating from Warren High School in 1948, he enrolled at The Ohio State University.  In 1952 he graduated from Ohio State with Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees with a major in English.  After working for a year in Student Union activities at the State College of Washington, he spent two years in the U.S. Army.  During this time, he became increasingly involved in arranging for various musical groups.  After his discharge from military service, he returned to Ohio State and completed Bachelor of Music and Master of Arts degrees in music with composition as his major.

John was a faculty member of The Ohio State University School of Music for seven years, teaching harmony and theory.  He left the university to become owner and manager of The University Music House, a retail sheet music store in Columbus.  In this capacity, he was able to observe the business side of the music industry, gaining insight into the complexities of music publishing and merchandising.  As his compositions found their way into print and popularity, he joined forces in 1972 with John Tatgenhorst in the creation of Beckenhorst Press.  His reputation as a composer and his experience as a choral director soon led to an increasing demand for appearances as guest conductor and lecturer at various music clinics and festivals throughout the country.  John has left a wonderful legacy of music to be enjoyed by all.

The musical heritage of John Ness Beck is well-known here in the central Ohio area, but those of you in other areas around the country may not be as familiar with his vast catalogue of work.  If you’re still looking for pieces for December concerts, check out his Lullaby or Where is the Child?  Some other long-time favorites are Canticle of Praise, Benediction, and Consecration.  Solo singers will find many options in the collections Sacred Songs of John Ness Beck and Hymn Settings of John Ness Beck.

Contact us for more information.

Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir

Want to be a part of something new and exciting?  Composer Eric Whitacre is in the process of compiling his second Virtual Choir on YouTube.  Begun as an experiment on Eric’s blog in May, the final product (a massed “virtual choir” performance of Sleep) was posted to YouTube in July.  Singers from around the world recorded themselves performing their individual part of the work and posted it, and Eric compiled all the individual recordings into an amazingly musical mass performance!

Now the internet community is preparing the perform Lux Aurumque.  The deadline to submit YOUR performance is December 1st, 2009.  Eric has posted a conductor track with some performance suggestions and tips on his blog. 

Don’t miss out on your opportunity to be a part of this amazing undertaking, and please let us know if you decide to participate!  To quote Eric, “Our goal this time is to take the whole thing to the next level and try to create a truly musical experience, a graceful and delicate performance full of passion and life and light.  Share your voices and your souls with the world!”

Online Resources for Public Domain Materials

Are you aware that there are a number of online libraries for sheet music in the public domain? While not an authoritative resource, these sites can be very useful for research, educational exercises and, in some cases, even performance.

The Choral Public Domain Library (CPDL) is a large archive of free choral music. Anyone may contribute, so selections range from early music to the unpublished work of current composers.

International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP) is a WIKI site offering scanned-in public domain scores which can be browsed by composer, time period or instrument.

Werner Icking Music Archive (WIMA) contains an EXTENSIVE list of links to other online public domain libraries.