Shelby Ribblett

Choral Literature – Concert Program

For my concerts, I went with a theme for each of them. The fall concert is American Folk songs,
the holiday concert is Christmas, obviously, our spring competition concert is contemporary
composers, and our final concert is a journey through the musical time periods. I wanted to
have some sort of theme to the concerts, and while I was looking for pieces, this program
took shape. I wanted to do a grand culmination of musical time periods at the end of the year,
because I knew that the pieces I would include in that concert would be the most challenging.
Almost all of the songs in my final concert are a 4/5 or 5/5 difficulty rating because I wanted
the students to show off the progress they have made throughout the year. For the order of
songs, I actually put recordings of each of the songs into playlists on YouTube and listened
to the flow of one song to the next and that’s how I picked my song order. The only concert I
did not put the songs in a specific order was the spring concert. My thoughts were that I
would want the audience to hear the songs the choir is singing as they were presented in
competition, so I have one group going at a time singing their set. Overall, this project was
very time-consuming, but also very fun!
1) Fall Concert – American Folk Songs
a) SATB – I Got a Hog and a Pig
i) Arr. John Wykoff
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
iv) Contemporary Period
v) Performance time: 1:28
vi) This song is a capella.
vii) Tempo is not marked, it seems like performances normally have tempo around 120
with the quarter note getting the beat in 4/4 time.
viii) This song is perfect for a high school choir. The lines and rhythms are fairly
simple, there is one section of “chaos” where each part comes in at a different time,
but everyone is singing the same thing so it’s not too challenging.
ix) I rate this a 3/5, only because I believe the entrances will take some work.
x) This is such a fun song, and I know the choir will enjoy getting into it and being a
little silly with it as well. I think the lyrics will make audiences laugh and enjoy it as
well.
b) SSAA – Bring Me a Little Water, Sily
i) Arr. Moira Smiley
ii) [Link]
iii) I couldn’t find a view of this arrangement’s sheet music.
iv) Contemporary Period
v) Performance time: 3:14
vi) Tempo is around 100.
vii) This song is written to be a capella.
 viii) I think song would be awesome for a high school women’s chorus. The lines,
rhythms, everything about the music itself is fairly simple. What makes this song so
awesome is the clapping, movement, and the potential to not need a conductor. The
claps and movements are not difficult by themselves either, so putting all of those
elements together won’t be too challenging. My goal would obviously be to try not to
conduct, but that depends on the choir’s ability to keep in time by themselves.
ix) I rate this a 2/5 difficulty.
x) This is such a simple and sweet song, I know the audience will be impressed with it
and the movements. The students will definitely enjoy getting to clap and move
around more than they normally get to.
c) SATB – Shenandoah
i) Arr. James Erb
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
iv) Contemporary Period
v) Performance time: 3:50
vi) Tempo is 58-60 with the quarter note getting the beat in 4/4 time.
vii) This song is arranged a capella.
viii) This arrangement is great for high schoolers. While it is not homophonic, the
different entrances and cutoffs feel natural in the music, and it helps make a tradition
tune sound new and interesting. The ranges are all comfortable for the voice parts,
and the rhythms and lines stay consistent without any crazy unexpected leaps or
rhythms.
ix) I rate this song a 3/5 difficulty, mostly because it is a capella and intonation tends to
be an issue there.
x) I think audiences will enjoy hearing a familiar tune in a slightly different way. When I
listen to this arrangement it makes me tear up, and I hope it will do the same for
audience members. I believe the students will enjoy a slower, ballade-esque song in
this concert too.
d) SSAA – No Time
i) Arr. Susan Brumfield
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
iv) Contemporary Period
v) Performance time: 5:21
vi) Tempo is 72 with the quarter note getting the beat in 4/4. There is also a marking in
the beginning for piano “molto rubato” and a retard before the choir enters.
vii) This song is composed for piano accompaniment.
viii) This song is a beautiful arrangement for a high school women’s choir. None of
the ranges are too low or high, everyone rests comfortably in their range. None of the
rhythms or lines are too difficult either. The most challenging part will probably be
making sure the background parts are solid when one part has the melody.
ix) I rate this a 3/5.
 x) This song sounds so lovely in women’s voices, and I think the choir will enjoy
singing it because of how well it sits in their ranges, and because of how well it
blends all of the voice parts together to sound like one. Audiences will love the
harmonies and hearing the melody come from different places creates this
encapsulating sensation that you can only feel with music.
e) TTBB – Hard Times
i) By Stephen Foster (1826 – 1864), Arr. Nick Johnson
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
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iv) Contemporary Period
v) Performance time: 4:04
vi) Tempo is 96 with the quarter note getting the beat, described as “gently.”
vii) This song is arranged for guitar, fiddle, and cello. There are other arrangements that
have only a guitar, just in case you can’t get access to a fiddle or cello.
viii) This song is great for high school guys. Especially if you have a couple superstar
male soloists, this song will quickly become their favorite. The background vocals
have some beautiful chords that aren’t too difficult or weird to the ear. The ranges are
comfortable, with the basses going low a couple times but that can be easily modified
to accommodate younger singers.
ix) I rate this song a 4/5 difficulty because it really depends on the talent of your soloists.
The main solo you can split up into multiple guys, but you’ll need some solid people
when it splits into the harmonies.
x) Overall, this song is such a gut-wrencher. I know it will bring tears to the eyes of the
audience members, and I hope the choir will also really connect to the message.
f) SATB – Bright Morning Stars
i) Arr. Shawn Kirchner (b. 1970)
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
iv) Contemporary Period
v) Performance time: 5:42
vi) Tempo is 60 with the quarter note getting the beat in 4/4 time. Described as “simply
and soulfully.”
vii) Arranged for piano accompaniment.
viii) This song is great for high schoolers. It has some intricate harmonies that will
challenge them without being unattainable. The ranges are pretty good, though the
sopranos do have some soft high notes towards the end, but that can remedied by
having only a few sopranos on that top note. There also is a baritone/tenor solo at the
beginning and the end which will be a good time to show off some guy’s voices in the
choir. Overall, it’s a beautiful song that will challenge them just enough without
being too difficult.
ix) I rate this a 3/5 difficulty – again, not very hard, but not very easy either.
 x) I think the choir will enjoy the tenderness of this song, and it will be a nice contrast to
the rest of the rep they sing in this concert. I think audiences will love the tenderness
as well.
g) TTB – Old Dan Tucker
i) Arr. Douglas Ipson
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
iv) Contemporary Period
v) Performance time: 2:47
vi) Tempo is described as “deliberate a t first, but gradually grinning momentum.” In the
beginning, it later has more definite tempo markings.
vii) This arrangement was 4 hand piano with an optional tambourine, wood block, and
string bass.
viii) This song is great for high school boys. It’s fun while still having some difficult
harmonies and part intervals. The ranges aren’t strenuous and the rhythms aren’t too
complicated. Most of the song is homophonic so there isn’t an issue of differing
entrances or cutoffs, which makes it easier on the conductor and the choir.
ix) I rate this song a 3/5 – While it’s not difficult, it is hard to hear some of the
harmonies, and so they will need some work in rehearsal. The claps shouldn’t be
difficult, but adding claps is always process.
x) This song will be so much fun for the guys and the audience. The choir will be able to
loosen up a bit and goof off while singing, which they are more likely to do in a
men’s choir than in mixed. The audience will think the whole thing is a hoot.
h) SATB – Bile Them Cabbage
i) Arr. Mark Wilberg (b. 1955)
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
iv) Contemporary Period
v) Performance time: 3:00
vi) Tempo is 112 – 116 with the quarter note getting the beat in 2/4 time. Described as
“rhythmic and articulated.”
vii) Written for 4- hand piano and optional guitar and fiddle. I have seen performances
with only 2 hand piano, so that is always an option too.
viii) This song is such a great song for a high school choir. It is fun, energetic, and
very upbeat. The ranges for all of the parts are comfortable, with just a high soprano
note option at the end. None of the lines or rhythms are tricky or difficult, just an all-
around great song for high schoolers.
ix) I rate this song 3/5 – none of the lines are hard, but they still do require rehearsal. It
would be a 2/5, but I went up by one because it will have some convincing and
making a fool of myself to get the high school to have as much fun in this song as I
want to.
x) Audiences will get a kick out of this song. It’s both entertaining and musically fun, so
the audience and choir alike will enjoy it.
2) Holiday Concert
a) SATB – Brightest and Best
i) Arr. Shawn Kirchner
ii) [Link]
iii) Sheet music with performance video.
iv) Contemporary Period
v) Performance time: 2:35
vi) Tempo is 120-132 with the half note getting the beat in cut time. Tempo is described
as “with great spirit and fire”
vii) This song has the option for a small chamber orchestra, or just piano. The chamber
orchestra sounds wonderful, but I didn’t have access to a whole chamber orchestra I
might try to get one or two violinists with the piano at least.
viii) This song has some difficult passages, like the middle when it splits into 6 voices
with different entrances, but overall, the song doesn’t have any difficult rhythms or
crazy lines. I think this song would be just challenging enough for high schoolers to
enjoy without being too frustrating.
ix) I give it a 4/5 rating.
(1) The middle of the song with the different entrances would be a challenging part of
the song that would take some time to master. Also, there are a couple B6 at the
end for sopranos that would be hard to sing, I would probably delegate one or two
people to sing those or modify the note altogether.
x) I think students would enjoy this song because it sounds like a more mature
Christmas song. I do believe they would enjoy singing with the chamber orchestra as
well if we were able to have one. I think audiences’ would enjoy the song for the
same reasons.
b) There is Faint Music (TTBB)
i) By Dan Forrest (b. 1978)
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
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iv) Contemporary Period
v) Performance length: 4:03
vi) Tempo: around 70, overall, it is slow with lots of ritards and freely moving passages
vii) Accompaniment is 2-hand piano. Piano part is the minimum and not optional. Most
pianists should be able to play this with relative ease.
viii) This song is four parts for men’s choir, so it needs male voices that are more
developed in order to hit the Tenor 1 and Bass 2 notes. This also needs attention to
the musicality that would be less difficult to achieve at a secondary level compared to
a middle school age group.
ix) Difficulty rating: 3/5
(1) Solely on the fact that it is a four-part arrangement for guys. Depending on the
male students available, this song may be unattainable.
 x) I chose this song arranged in TTBB because of the richness of sound that the male
voices give this piece. I think this piece is overall gorgeous, but the TTBB
arrangement stuck out as a beautiful, lyrical piece for men’s choir that was both
interesting, and somewhat challenging. The students would probably enjoy this piece
because it is English and challenging enough without becoming frustratingly difficult.
I think audiences would enjoy this piece because everyone loves a good, lyrical men’s
piece.
c) SSA – The First Noel/Pachelbel’s Canon
i) By Pachelbel (1653 – 1706), Arr. Michael Clawson
ii) [Link]
iii) I have a physical copy of music, no digital copy.
iv) Baroque Period
v) Performance time: 3:15
vi) Tempo is given is Andante, however, recording I have heard speed the tempo up to
around 110 and I prefer this faster tempo.
vii) This song has piano accompaniment with an option for organ instead.
viii) This song is not difficult at all. There are no hard lines, parts, or rhythms. It is a
simple and lovely song that a women’s choir could learn fairly quickly and end up
spending more time working on expression.
ix) I give this a 2/5 rating.
(1) There are a few places where sopranos come in on the fourth beat or on the beat
right after the melody, and that might take a bit of time to get them used to it, but
it really is a simple song.
x) The audience would love this song because they will be able to recognize it. Altos
will like this song because they get the melody for once, and sopranos will like it
because they get to have some higher notes on top that show off their voices.
d) SSATB – Exultate Deo
i) By Hans Hassler (1564 – 1612)
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
iv) Renaissance Period
v) Performance time: 3:00
vi) Tempo is 90 with the half note getting the beat in cut time.
vii) This song is a capella, so no accompaniment needed.
viii) This is another somewhat difficult song with polyphonic passages for the majority
of the piece. The rhythms and pitches themselves are not difficult, but when
everything is polyphonic, it makes the lines difficult. This would be a piece that we
end up spending lots of time on, but I think in the end it would be worth it.
ix) I rate this one a 5/5.
(1) The polyphony will be very difficult for high school students, but it has been done
before and I have every confidence that they will be able to do it too.
x) I think audiences would like this song for the moments it comes together. The middle
and the end when all of the voices come together sounds so pleasing to the ear, and I
believe the audience will enjoy it for that reason. I think students will like the feeling
 of independence on their parts. High schoolers want to feel important, especially in
their parts in choir, and this song makes everyone responsible for their own line and
every line is important. I think this would help build a confidence in themselves and
their contributions to the choir as a whole.
e) SATB – Gaudete!
i) By Piae Cantiones (1582), Arr. Michael Engelhardt (b. 1974)
ii) [Link]
iii) Sheet music included in sound recording.
iv) From Renaissance Period, arranged in Contemporary style
v) Performance time: 4:47
vi) Tempo at the beginning is free for the soloists, once the song starts it is at 78 with the
half note getting the beat in cut time.
vii) This song is a capella with percussion instruments. I would probably have students in
the choir play the instruments since the song isn’t very challenging.
viii) This song is not difficult. Rhythms are fairly simple and so are the notes. The
words are in Latin which is not a problem. There are some higher notes for soprano 1
at the end, but that could be easily delegated to a few voices if need be.
ix) I give this song a 2/5 rating.
(1) It’s not a difficult song. My only concerns would be those few high notes for
sopranos and the percussion instruments.
x) This song will serve as a tone shift in the program, and I feel like the audience will
enjoy the change of sound. Students will like the instruments and getting to play
those.
f) SSAA – Christmas Chopsticks
i) Arr. Earl Moon
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
unpub/
iv) Contemporary Period.
v) Performance time: 1:00
vi) Tempo is not specified, but I would take it around 110.
vii) This is a barbershop arrangement so there is no accompaniment.
viii) This is a very easy song; nothing is particularly difficult.
ix) I give this a 1/5 difficulty rating.
x) This song would be fun for the women because they get to do a more upbeat song. In
rehearsal we would mess with the tempos and how the different parts sound to make
it even more fun. The audience will love how fast and fun it is.
g) TTBB – Mele Kalikimaka
i) Arr. Jay Althouse
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
iv) Contemporary Period
v) Performance time: 2:01
 vi) Tempo at the beginning is 72 with the half note getting the beat in cut time, in
measure 13 the tempo speeds up to 104.
vii) This song has only piano accompaniment.
viii) This is not a difficult song in any way. Everything is simple and straight forward.
ix) I rate this song a 1/5 in difficulty.
x) I believe the audience and the kids would love this song. It’s such a fun, easy song for
men’s choir to learn. If they were up for it, I might have some guys volunteer to come
out on stage wearing grass skirts and leis on over their concert attire.
h) SATB – Here We Come A-Caroling
i) Arr. Molly Ijames
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
iv) Contemporary Period
v) Performance time: 2:00
vi) Tempo is 96-100 with the dotted quarter getting the beat in 6/8
vii) This song has piano and flute accompaniment.
viii) Overall, this is not a very difficult song. Rhythms and notes are fairly simple.
ix) I give this a 2/5 difficulty rating
x) This would be the closing number with all choirs singing together. I believe that with
all of the voices together, it will be a heart-warming ending and I think the students
will enjoy singing altogether. The song is sweet, and audiences will like it because of
that.
3) Spring Concert – Contemporary Competition Set
a) O Du Stille Zeit
i) By Simon Wawer (b. 1979)
ii) [Link]
iii) I have a physical copy of sheet music, but no digital copy.
iv) Contemporary Period
v) Performance time: 3:26
vi) Tempo is 63, very expressionistic though with retards at the end of most phrases.
vii) This song is a capella, so no accompaniment.
viii) While this song is fairly difficult, I believe it would be good for a good piece for
an advanced SATB to spend time learning. The text is in German; however, the
words are not super complicated to pronounce, and the verses repeat so there are only
4 lines of text they will have to learn to pronounce. Rhythms are not difficult; the
only tricky part would be the short 3/2 section just because it will take them a little
while to get used to the meter change. There are a few part divisions that happen
every other measure, but the divisions are mostly in 3rds, 4ths, and 6ths, so nothing
crazy. It has some tricky harmonies and dissonances, but the song is short and
repetitive with every almost every phrase repeated. Because there is so much
repetition, I believe that an advanced high school would be able to attain this piece
with practice.
ix) I give this a 5/5 difficulty.
 (1) The harmonies and dissonances combined with the German make me believe this
is a challenging song for high school students.
x) This is a beautiful song that would absolutely kill at a choir competition, if they can
perform it well. I believe the students would lie the challenge and that they would
enjoy the accomplishment of putting time into a song and having it turn out well.
Audiences will love the sound and would be impressed with high school students
singing German.
b) Music of Living
i) By Dan Forrest (b. 1978)
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
iv) Contemporary Period
v) Performance time: 3:33
vi) Tempo is 60 with the half note getting the beat in 2/2. Described as “with great
confidence and exaltation.
vii) Written for piano accompaniment.
viii) This song has some tricky lines and part dissonances, but nothing too crazy. The
triplet rhythms will be tricky to get lined up across the voice parts, but that is the most
challenging part of learning this song.
ix) I give this a 3/5 rating.
x) This song has a beautiful and intense piano part that helps drive the vocals. The
harmonies and dynamic changes are full and lush, and this song would kill at a
competition. Audiences and the choir alike will fall in love with the sound and the
message.
c) Elegy
i) By Daniel Elder (b. 1986)
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
iv) Contemporary Period
v) Performance time: 4:29
vi) Tempo is 60 with the half note getting the beat in 2/2 time.
vii) This song is written a capella.
viii) This song will be difficult because of the long, held notes that the choir has to
sustain. I suspect problem with intonation will arise because of these quiet, held
notes. There is also a female trio in the middle of the song, so there will need to be
enough women in the choir to take care of the choral parts while the trio is singing.
Some of the lines have weird jumps, particularly in the male voices, but I believe the
hardest part will be keeping intonation throughout the song.
ix) I rate this a 3/5.
(1) Mostly because of possible intonation problems.
x) The song has such a light and delicate tone, it pulls audiences in and every harmony
seems to move you because of it. I hope that the choir will enjoy the experience of
singing music like this, since they do not have many songs similar to this one that
they will singing throughout the year.
d) Ballade to the Moon
i) By Daniel Elder (b. 1986)
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
iv) Contemporary Period
v) Performance time: 5:07
vi) Tempo is 66 with the quarter note getting the beat in ¾ time.
vii) This song is written for piano accompaniment.
viii) This song has quite a few difficult leaps and intervals. The result is beautiful lines,
but there are several times the tenors and sopranos in particular have consecutive
leaps in their line, and that will definitely be a problem area. Some of the intervals
between parts are also very dissonant, which will take some time to perfect. The most
difficult part of this song will be getting the dynamics up to the level that this song
demands. There are so many very quiet and still sections that will take a lot of work
to get the choir to do properly.
ix) I rate this piece a 5/5.
(1) It’s a 5/5 mostly for the delicacies in the dynamics. That will be hard to do with a
high school choir, but they can do it.
x) This song has a gentle, tender tone for the majority of it, and then when it gets to the
climax near the end, your heart just soars listening to it. Every time I listen to a
recording of this song I tear up, and that’s what I hope the audience and the choir will
do as well.
e) SSAA – Cancion de Los Tsachilas
i) Arr. Michael Sample
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
iv) Contemporary Period
v) Performance time: 4:12
vi) Tempo is 165 with the quarter note getting the beat in 6/4 time.
vii) This song is a capella with lines written in for percussion. Since this is a competition
piece, I would try to pull in percussionists to do the instruments, but I could also have
boys or girls from the other choirs do it as well.
viii) This has some difficult rhythms since the lines are all off of each other a just a bit
in the beginning. Obviously the Spanish will be a tricky part as well, though it would
be great to have the Spanish teacher come in and help with pronunciations.
ix) I give this a 3/5 rating.
x) I think the students would enjoy the upbeat nature of the song, and the atmospheric
noises at the beginning especially. Audiences would hopefully enjoy a break from the
classical sound in favor of this lively piece.
f) SSAA - Stars in Your Bones
i) By Joan Szymko (b. 1957)
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
iv) Contemporary Period
 v) Performance time: 4:45
vi) Tempo is 68 with the quarter note getting the beat in 4/4 time.
vii) This song is written for piano accompaniment.
viii) This song has some very challenging lines that will take some rehearsal in order
to get the leaps and skips learned. Some of the entrances with the different parts will
be difficult as well. Overall, not an incredibly challenging piece.
ix) I rate this a 3/5.
x) I hope the students will get something out of the emotional message of this piece as
well enjoying the music they are making. Hearing this song as an audience member is
such an incredible experience, I hope that whatever audience listens to this will be
touched by it.
g) TTBB – The Ground
i) By Ola Gjeilo (b. 1978)
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
iv) Contemporary Period
v) Performance time: 5:20
vi) Tempo is 76 with the quarter note getting the beat in ¾ time.
vii) This song is written for piano accompaniment with an optional string quartet as well.
viii) This song has a few tricky harmonies and entrances that could prove challenging.
It requires a lot of individual counting on behalf of the different voices, so having the
guys pay attention enough the count and know where they are at. Despite this,
nothing is too difficult or straining in this song that would stop me from letting a high
school men’s choir sing this. My only real concern is numbers. Most public schools
have either a very small men’s choir or none at all, but this rep selection is in the
perfect world where I can have a men’s choir with 30 guys who want to be there.
ix) I rate it a 4/5.
(1) Some of the cutoffs are weirdly placed, and the entrances in different areas could
be very tricky for the guys to get.
x) The beauty of this song is how well succeeds by allowing men’s voices to just exist
where they are comfortable. It does such a good job of accentuating men’s voices in a
way that sounds very natural and beautiful. I believe audience’s will like it for this
reason.
h) TTBB – Always Something Sings
i) By Dan Forrest (b. 1978)
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
iv) Contemporary Period
v) Performance time: 5:56
vi) Tempo is 66 with the quarter note getting the beat in ¾ time. The song does change
tempo as it goes on, speeding up to 72-76 before slowing back down to 60. In
fluctuates the duration of the piece.
vii) This song is written for piano accompaniment or for a string quartet/orchestra.
 viii) Despite some tricky harmonies and intervals between parts, I think this would be
a great song for high schoolers. The tenors don’t go too high and the basses never go
too low. I think this song would be great for high school voices to sing, giving them
experience singing music in a higher-level style without being too difficult.
ix) I rate this song a 3/5.
x) This song has such a beautiful, almost haunting tone. I hope that the guys in the choir
will resonate with the message behind it and enjoy making music, which in turn will
make the audience enjoy it as well.
4) Final Concert – A Journey Through the Musical Time Periods.
a) SSAATB – Hosanna to the Son of David
i) By Orlando Gibbons (1583 – 1625)
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
bons)
iv) Renaissance Period
v) Performance time: 2:20
vi) No given tempo, but typically is it’s being conducted in 4/4 the tempo is around 110-
120
vii) This piece is a Capella.
viii) This is a difficult piece because of the polyphony. The lines can sometime be
challenging with every line having a jump or two that is difficult to do. The rhythms
themselves are not hard, sometimes the notes can be. This song does have a 4-part
split in the women, so it could be difficult depending on how many women are in the
choir.
ix) I rate this a 4/5 on difficulty.
(1) I would say 3/5, but the polyphony and the 4-part women split could prove to be
very challenging for the choir.
x) I think students would enjoy this song after they learned how to sing it. I believe that
after putting in the work they will enjoy the song a lot more.
b) SA - Stabat Mater Dolorosa
i) By Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710 – 1736)
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
iv) Baroque Period
v) Performance time: 4:06
vi) Tempo is Grave.
vii) Accompaniment is for piano only.
viii) This song is not super complicated. It is in only two parts, and the rhythms are not
challenging. Some of the lines have difficult jumps and intervals, but that should not
be too difficult to learn. There are a couple places where the harmonies are either very
tight or dissonant, which could lead to some problems, so I would look out for that.
ix) I rate this 3/5 difficulty.
(1) Just those few difficult harmony spots are what makes this a 3/5 as opposed to a
2/5.
 x) This is a beautiful song that has no much emotion in its slowness, and I hope that
students and audiences alike would enjoy the dissonances and resolutions as much as
I do.
c) SATB – Il Carnevale di Venezia
i) By Gioachino Rossini (1792 – 1868)
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
iv) Classical Period
v) Performance time: 2:47
vi) Tempo not given, there several marking “a piacere,” meaning at pleasure. With
“allegro giusto,” “moderato,” and “cresc. poco a poco” also placed throughout the
song as tempo markings.
vii) This song has piano accompaniment only.
viii) This song is not a complicated song. The notes and rhythms have a few tricky
spots, but overall, this song is another easier one for the choir to have fun with. The
text is in Italian, which adds some more difficulty, but the Italian words are repeated
often and there are not many different lines.
ix) I rate this 3/5.
(1) The Italian will probably end up being the most difficult part of this song, but
some of the lines are tricky as well.
x) The tempo changes in this song make it fun to perform and listen to. I believe the
students will love speeding up the tempo and they will enjoy spitting out all of the
Italian words once they learn it.
d) TTBB – Ständchen
i) By Franz Schubert (1797 – 1828)
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
iv) Classical Period
v) Performance time: 5:58
vi) Tempo is andante.
vii) This song is written for piano accompaniment with an alto solo. The most difficult
part of this would of course be the alto solo. For this, I would audition girls from the
other choirs to sing or bring in an alumni.
viii) The most difficult part of this song will be the German. German is not easy to
teach to high schoolers and they would definitely struggle with this part. There are
also several difficult lines throughout the song where the intervals are weird, for the
rhythms line up weirdly with the solo. It is also difficult because it is a long song. The
is almost 6 minutes long with lots of German words. Despite these difficulties, I
believe this song would be beautiful for guys to sing.
ix) I rate this a 5/5.
(1) This would be the challenge piece for guys for the semester, but I believe that if
the group puts in the effort in class, I can at least get them to a performance level
for this song.
 x) I think the guys would enjoy doing something a little more difficult. Most of my
men’s pieces are very simple, so I believe they will be up for the challenge. I think
audiences will enjoy hearing something different from the guys as well.
e) Der Abend
i) By Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897)
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
s)
iv) Romantic Period
v) Performance time: 4:20
vi) Tempo is described as Ruhig with no other tempo markings made throughout the
piece.
vii) This song is written for piano accompaniment only.
viii) This piece is a little tricky because it is in German, and some of the lines have
different leaps. For the lines though, I feel as though those will be easily fixed. The
German will obviously take some work.
ix) I rate this song a 4/5.
(1) It would be a 3, but the German with some tricky lines makes it a 4.
x) I think this song has some beautiful harmonies in it, and the piano accompaniment
accentuates the harmonies in the voices. I hope that audiences and the students would
love the intricacies of this piece as much as I do.
f) SA – Dome Epais from Lakme
i) By Delibes (1836 – 1891), Arr. by Francisco Nunez (b. 1965)
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
iv) Romantic Period
v) Performance time: 2:00
vi) Tempo at the beginning is andantino con moto, in measure 5 it becomes 144 where
the eighth note gets the beat in 6/8.
vii) This is written for piano accompaniment only.
viii) This piece is only in two parts, which does help make it less difficult. On the other
hand, the lines and harmonies are still difficult, and it is in French. The lines will take
some work to get them to line up together, but the French will be a battle to perfect
right up till the end. French is just a difficult language to sing in general, and high
schoolers especially will struggle.
ix) I rate this a 4/5.
(1) Even though the French is extremely difficult, the lines themselves aren’t
challenging enough to make this a 5/5 in my opinion.
x) This is such a popular, recognizable tune that I hope audiences will enjoy hearing it
and recognizing from a tv show or movie. I hope the women would get enjoyment out
of this song too. Women’s choirs don’t often get a chance to use their big girl voices,
so I hope they would enjoy this song for that reason.
g) SSAATTBB - Nunc Dimittis
i) By Gustav Holst (1874 – 1934)
 ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
iv) 20th Century Period
v) Performance time: 3:34
vi) Tempo is adagio with a rallentando at the end.
vii) This song is a capella.
viii) This piece would be difficult mostly because it is 8 parts. It will require a choir
with enough skilled members to successfully pull this song off. The lines themselves
are about 3/5, what makes them challenging is the polyphony. However, this is not a
super challenging piece.
ix) Overall, I rate this song a 5/5.
x) The dissonance and resolutions in this piece are truly breathtaking and wonderful to
listen to. I hope this song would enchant the audience and the choir alike when it is
performed.
h) TTBB – Loch Lomond
i) By Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 – 1958)
ii) [Link]
iii) [Link]
iv) 20th Century Period
v) Performance time: 5:16
vi) Tempo is only described as slow.
vii) This song is a capella.
viii) This piece is much easier than the other TTBB song I picked for this concert. This
was done on purpose, because this song is much simpler and would give the guys a
chance to breathe and sing a simpler song. The only problems I see is intonation on
an a capella song like this, and the tenor 1 can be high sometimes.
ix) I rate this a 2/5.
x) This is a sweet, British folk song that I believe audiences will love to listen to and
enjoy. I believe the guys will enjoy the sweet beginning and have a blast at the big
ending.