THE LIFE AND WORKS OF FOUR FEMALE CANADIAN CHORAL COMPOSERS

Recommendations

Info

CANADIAN CHORAL COMPOSERS cally ascribed to the small bird. This unaccompanied work is voiced for the SATB choir, with minimal divisi in the tenor and bass lines. The ranges are quite moderate and the pitches accessible, but the work requires skilled attention to the length and shading of Luengen’s characteristically lyrical phrases as to the fluidity and flexibility of tempo needed to effectively communicate the mood of the text. (Figure 13) Her acuity for text setting is perhaps best exemplified in her approach to meter, frequently, but covertly shifting, always in service to the integrity of the text. Similarly, the use of non-chord tones offers a wonderful array of textural possibilities for choral balance and weight, particularly at phrase endings. Overall, the harmonic language of “Mésange” consistently reinforces “g” as the tonal center, in both modal and minor forms. Yet at the end, the g functions to tonicize C, leaving the listener with a sense of incompletion or of “more to come,” pointing perhaps to the anticipated dawn of spring. (Figure 14) “How the Blossoms are Falling” “How the Blossoms are Falling” was commissioned in honor of the late Diane Loomer on the occasion of her retirement from the internationally acclaimed Ele- CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 56 Number 3 51
THE LIFE AND WORKS OF FOUR FEMALE ktra Women’s Choir. Composed in 2008, the work was recently published (again by Cypress) in 2014. It features the powerful poetry of Canadian poet Joy Kogawa and celebrates the exquisite beauty of fertility and growth as fruit trees come to full blossom. The work opens with an extensive unaccompanied section, the piano not entering until measure 36, necessitating excellent intonation. Many of the phrases throughout begin in unison and unfold rapidly into a lush, four-part harmony. This, coupled with the use of seconds moving toward more extensive harmonies, offers a depiction of the gradual “coming to life” of the blossom in spring. (Figure 15) Other forms of text painting abound, with wonderfully illustrated phrases, such as: “the skin swells to green, swells to red, swells to ripeness”/ “the wind thuds and seeds the earth” / “the rich brown soil receives the flight down”/ or “the blossoms are falling.” Luengen masterfully supports the text with a musical language that strengthens the power of the message. A most poignant moment comes near the end, when the choir, singing in unison, signals the end of the journey: “and to walk at that moment in the orchard once again.” (Figure 16) 52 CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 56 Number 3
Page 1 and 2: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF FOUR FEMALE C
Page 3 and 4: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF FOUR FEMALE W
Page 5 and 6: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF FOUR FEMALE 3
Page 7 and 8: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF FOUR FEMALE S
Page 9 and 10: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF FOUR FEMALE s
Page 11 and 12: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF FOUR FEMALE S
Page 13 and 14: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF FOUR FEMALE a
Page 15 and 16: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF FOUR FEMALE f
Page 17: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF FOUR FEMALE L
Page 21 and 22: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF FOUR FEMALE K
Page 23 and 24: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF FOUR FEMALE L
Page 25 and 26: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF FOUR FEMALE M
Page 27: FOUR CANADIAN CHORAL COMPOSERS NOTE

THE LIFE AND WORKS OF FOUR FEMALE CANADIAN CHORAL COMPOSERS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?