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.
Paul Manz – 1919-2009
Beloved composer, organist and church musician Dr. Paul Manz passed away in St. Paul, Minnesota on Wednesday evening, October 28. He was 90 years old. He died surrounded by his family while they sang his famous motet, “E’en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come.”
Manz long served the church as recitalist, composer, teacher and leader in worship. He was Cantor Emeritus at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saint Luke, Chicago, Illinois; as well as Cantor Emeritus of Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was the director of the newly established Paul Manz Institute of Church Music, and was Professor Emeritus of Church Music at Christ Seminary Seminex at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
As a performer, Manz was most famous for his celebrated hymn festivals. Instead of playing traditional organ recitals, Manz would generally lead a “festival” of hymns from the organ, in which he introduced each hymn with one of his famously creative organ improvisations based on the hymn tune in question. The congregation would then sing the hymn with his accompaniment. Sometimes he would play an improvisation between each sung stanza, as with his well-known variations on the tune, ST. ANNE, sung to the Isaac Watts text “Oh God, Our Help in Ages Past” with which he would traditionally end each festival. Many volumes of these improvisations have been written out and published and are played by church organists throughout the world.
Click here for Manz’s full obituary, and here for a beautiful recording of his choral motet, “E’en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come.”
Winter Concert Choices for SAB Choirs
Finding appropriate music for 8th, 9th and 10th grade singers can be a challenge – “3-part mixed” voicings often aren’t appropriate for the boys’ developing ranges, and much of the SAB literature out there sometimes seems like just “watered down SATB.” It can be difficult to find repertoire with the right level of difficulty for the singers without it being too cheesy, too simplified or too complicated. For your holiday concert this year, try one of these wonderful octavos with your choir; both are thoughtfully and skillfully crafted specifically for the SAB choir:
Willow Carol by Bruce Campbell takes it’s text from Kenneth Grahame’s “The Wind in the Willows,” in which the field mice rejoice that the miracle of the Christ Child was first witnessed by animals in the stable. The joyful, singable melody will immediately capture your heart.
It’s Time for Caroling is a wonderfully sophisticated light-concert choice. By creatively weaving familiar Christmas tunes through a charming narrative about caroling, Valerie Showers Crescenz has crafted a fresh and unique secular piece for the SAB choir.
If you’re looking for more winter and holiday concert recommendations for your SAB choir, please contact us!
“Christmas Lullaby” by Jason Robert Brown
Fans of Jason Robert Brown will be thrilled to find his music now appearing in choral repertoire. Christmas Lullaby is from the memorable 1995 theatrical revue and album Songs for a New World, which put Brown on the musical map. This exquisite choral is a reflection on the blessing of Mary and the miracle within us all. It’s particularly powerful in the SSA voicing – “And I will be like Mother Mary with a blessing in my soul and the future of the world inside of me…”
Also available from Brown for choirs is Brand New You, from his new musical 13. Packed with infectious energy, this Broadway powerhouse absolutely rocks with youthful spirit and humor! A fantastic concert closer.
Contact us for more terrific recommendations for your choir!
Honor Our Veterans with Music
This November, help your community honor those who have served and protected our country by featuring your choir at your local Veteran’s Day events.
I Dream a World by Andre J. Thomas sets an introspective and contemplative text by African-American poet Langston Hughes – “I dream a world where man No other man will scorn, Where love will bless the earth and peace its paths adorn.” A beautifully emotional poetic thought and equally moving music, now available in a new SSA voicing.
From the musical Chess, Anthem is a stirring tribute honoring the country we love. Beautifully expressing the idea that no matter how far and wide one travels, our country is always a part of us, it closes with the moving sentiment “My land’s only borders lie around my heart.”
Both of the above selections have instrumental accompaniment parts available, so you can join forces with your school orchestra, local community band or other instrumental ensemble; contact us for more information. For those wishing to highlight a solo instrumentalist, Joseph M. Martin’s Song for the Unsung Hero features a powerful trumpet descant on the last verse. Incorporating “America (My Country ‘Tis of Thee),” this emotive choral is a moving tribute to those who dedicate their lives to preserving our freedom and keeping our country safe.
For more patriotic suggests for your Veteran’s Day commemorations, call us at 1-800-426-8742 or visit us online.
Hanukkah Music for Choirs
Looking for the perfect Hanukkah piece for your December choral concert? Take a look at one of these selections:
Jason Robert Brown is best known for his award-winning musical theatre writing (Parade, The Last Five Years, Songs for a New World), and his Chanukah Suite is arranged with his usual flair. Set in three movements: S’vivon al Hanisism, Mi Yemalel, and Ma’oz Tsur.
Concert pianist and composer Jeffrey Biegel has penned Hanukah Fantasy, an incredibly sophisticated choral tour-de-force. This work features a full panorama of choral textures over a fresh harmonic palette. A great feature for an accomplished accompanist.
Perfect for middle school choirs, Kindle the Candles Tonight is a memorable Hanukkah original that employs a fluid piano accompaniment, picturesque imagery, melodic vocals and effective dynamic contrasts. A great opportunity for students to learn about the history of this holiday and its meaning for the families who celebrate it.
For a lighter (and maybe a little silly) approach to the festival of lights, check out How Do You Spell Chanukah? (complete with placards displaying all the spelling variations!) or Chanukah in Santa Monica.
Need more ideas? Contact us!
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Recent
- Celebrating the Musical Heritage of John Ness Beck
- This Weekend: The 8th Annual “New Music Reading Band Clinic”
- You work hard for the money…
- “Al Shlosha D’varim” for SATB
- Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir
- It’s the Holiday Season…
- Italian Songs & Arias for Choir
- Online Resources for Public Domain Materials
- Paul Manz – 1919-2009
- Feedback Friday: Kiddie “fright night”
- In The Navy Now!
- How-to: Musical Rentals and Performance Permission
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Stanton’s Sheet Music
All of these reputable companies offer script preview programs (similar to Stanton’s
There’s a bite in the air and the leaves are changing colors and dropping from the trees. It’s time for the