Songs in Celebration of Singing

Love Me

Stephen Chatman’s setting of Sara Teasdale’s whimsical poem pertaining to a brown-thrush April love and kisses emulates the meaning strict rhythm rhyme and strophic structure of the text. The soft rolled chords of the harp-like piano accompaniment highlight the lilting 6/8-meter folk-like melody and consistent homophonic choral texture. The repetitive lines “Love me love me love me!” and “kiss me kiss me kiss me!” inspire the musical refrains. One of a set of six of Teasdale's love songs. Duration: 1:45

The opening lines “Listen I love you. Do not turn your face / Nor touch me.” reflect the somber feelings encompassing Sara Teasdale’s poem. Paired voices initially express contrapuntal melodic lines enhanced by underlying harmony and slow syncopation in the piano accompaniment. The middle and final sections imbued with sad words such as “let me ease my heart ” “with broken wing” and “Forget that I am speaking ” evolve beautifully within contrasting tonal regions supported by undulating keyboard arpeggios. One of a set of six of Teasdale's love songs. Duration: 2:00

Sara Teasdale’s poem The Mystery depicts deep lasting love - “Your eyes drink of me” and “We have long been lovers”. It also raises a question - “Can I ever know you / Or you know me?” Stephen Chatman’s expressive setting begins with a unison melody supported by modulating harmonies in the piano accompaniment and evolves toward four-part voices. The middle section featuring rising vocal lines in imitative counterpoint precedes a return to the initial melody. One of a set of six of Teasdale's love songs. Duration: 2:30

The composer's initial use of the Scottish snap rhythm becomes a recurring motif throughout the piece. Strong almost fanfare-like declamations of the Isaiah 40 text alternate with imitative sections and soaring text painting giving a tremendous dynamic and emotional variety to this setting. The only divisi is in the soprano and occurs fairly frequently. Duration: 3:30

The texts for this set of three songs are mostly from the 19th century but the sentiments are ageless. The special imagery in each of the poems finds its way into the musical setting. Evening Song features moonlight sparkling on glimmering waves. The Cloths of Heaven has the lover yearning to give his beloved beautiful gifts. She Walks in Beauty provides a strong close to the set with a quote from the Song of Solomon (Set Me As A Seal) as a coda. Duration: 9:00 Contents: 1. Evening Song 2. The Cloths of Heaven 3. She Walks in Beauty

The opening line of Sara Teasdale’s poem After Love “There is no magic any more ” establishes the theme of vanishing love. Stephen Chatman’s setting of the poignant text in the key of E flat major emphasizes the natural rhythm of the words mixed meters and irregular phrase lengths. The climax of the melody embraces sustained intense vocal lines in contrary motion supported by an undulating piano accompaniment. One of a set of six of Teasdale's love songs. Duration: 1:45

This substantial collection of five- or six-page trumpet tunes opens up some great new possibilities in this genre. Creatively written so that although the hymn tune is in there (thus the word quoting in the title) it is often not what the trumpet voice is playing. Fun and useful throughout the church year. Contents: A Tudor Trumpet An Easter Trumpet Palm Sunday Trumpet Tune The Holy Trumpet The King's Trumpet Zion's Tuba

A majestic fanfare gives way to the melody played on the solo Great. A flowing interlude follows in a minor key on the Swell strings building to a restatement of the opening material a full maestoso setting of the melody with big crashing chords and again the fanfare material to close the voluntary. Duration 4:00

Jesus Shall Reign

Eucharistic Acclamations on Diademata

Fanfare Introit and Procession for the Dedication of a Church

After a short preamble the soaring original melody is passed back and forth between the women's and men's voices I am the resurrection and the life. The middle contrasting section has the voices singing homophonically and then the alternating material returns. A coda reminiscent of the preamble contains the title text. An easy effective anthem which is useful at several points in the liturgical year. Duration: 4:30

Psalm 139

This flowing SATB piece for Pentecost has a simple but effective piano part and the choral writing is lyrical and approachable with moderate tessitura. The first of four stanzas is marked as a solo. Stanza three has contrasting music. A nice contrast to the usual bombast of Pentecost this piece is prayerful and lovely. Duration 3:00

Up Through Endless Ranks of Angels

Set in 6/8 with a sparkling organ accompaniment the hymn tune MARION appears in a dance-like sometimes ornamented fashion. Straightforward and exuberant this anthem is easy to sing yet sounds more difficult. Duration: 3:00

This is the kind of piece that might sound more difficult than it is. Michael Trotta employs an economy of choral writing: The SATB parts are sometimes unison move often by steps are repeated in the outer sections and have only occasional divisi in the treble voices. The text is an innovative combination of Old and New Testament passages put in a question-and-answer format with the question sung in a subdued matter and the answer intensifying in range complexity and volume. The piano and flute parts flow more quickly than the voices—save for a short contrasting middle section—and provide an underlying momentum to this expressive work. Duration: 4:30

Concert March