Fill the World with Music! For High School Choir Wednesday, August 18, 2021
As you return to live music-making with your choirs, remember that Stanton’s is your partner in music education! Start off the year with one of our recommended Five Star Features for High School Choir.
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recommended by Jen Sper, School Choral Music Specialist
for MIXED CHOIR
Fill the World with Music by David Waggoner, SATB with piano
After a year with limited music making, there could be nothing better. Imagine throwing open the shutters to sing with your neighbors as this beautiful piece unfolds. It’s consistently lyrical and legato, with peaks and valleys built into the dynamics to heighten emotions and capture joy. We love this expressive piano part, especially the delicate music box-inspired introduction. Don’t miss the dramatic modulation before the pinnacle refrain crescendos to a big finish.
O Quam Gloriosum by Jacob Narverud, SATB divisi with piano
Vibrant, bold, rhythmic and harmonically rich, Narverud’s mixed meter accompanied Latin text setting for mixed voices is powerful. For the burgeoning or advanced mixed chorus, it is sure to make your choir gloriously shine. “O how glorious is the kingdom in which all of the saints rejoice!”
A Red, Red Rose by Greg Gilpin, SATB with piano
This poem has long been a favorite of singers due to its deep passion and expressive imagery, not to mention the warm vowels at the end of each line. In this artistic setting, Greg Gilpin incorporates a contemporary harmonic palette, expressive tempo nuances, and elegant dynamic shading to form a colorful garden of sound. The final chord suggests the rose/thorn quality of love, as singers sustain sweet dissonance.
What Love Can Do by Mark Burrows, SATB with piano
“We will reach out, sing out, make a change. We will show the world what love can do!” These empowering lyrics were inspired by thoughts and feelings from amazing young people at a virtual conference held in 2020. Spread the important message with this stirring anthem of hope by stellar composer and youth mentor, Mark Burrows. Starts with a tiny mezzo-soprano seed and blossoms into a full bloom fortissimo. Along the way, intuitive pop rhythms, satisfying harmonies, an especially memorable bridge, a moment of a cappella, and even handclaps help to secure that full finale effect.
Seeking Light by Brandon Williams, SATB with piano
With a text inspired by the full life of a relative and music that is lush this is an uplifting anthem for community and college choirs. Featured at the virtual 2021 ACDA National conference, collegiate reading session, this inspirational anthem will brighten any concert.
Sim Shalom by Jennaya Robison, SATB a cappella with optional piano or string quartet
Although the work is newly composed, the music seems reminiscent of what you might hear in a Hebrew morning service, and the melody is one that you will carry with you throughout the entire day. The work is suitable for both concerts and worship services and can be performed in a variety of ways: unaccompanied (beginning at measure 8), with piano, or with string quartet.
for TREBLE CHOIR
Come, Travel with Me by Scott Farthing, SSA with piano
An SSA version of this wonderful, spirited work. The limited ranges, diatonic harmonies, and a vocal line supported by the accompaniment helps make this work ideal for all levels of SSA choirs.
Where the Light Begins by Susan LaBarr, SSA with piano
This is an accessible and fresh work for treble choirs on the themes of peace and hope. Approachable vocal lines and a supportive accompaniment make this appropriate for young treble choirs, while the rich and universal text will also work for high school, college, and community groups.
Crowded Table arr. Andrea Ramsey, SSAA with piano and optional fiddle
The Highwomen is a new country supergroup featuring Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris and Amanda Shires. With a message for women and young girls to “band together, abandon as much ego as humanly possible, hold one another up and amplify other women every chance we get” this is a powerful message for your women to sing about and your audiences to hear. This song from their debut album is about “looking for a world where everyone is given a chance to fit in. This isn’t about leaning in or fighting for the top chair. It’s about making room.”
Where Do We Find Joy? by Jim Papoulis, SSA with piano and optional percussion
“Where do we find joy? Where do we find hope? Where do we find love? … If you listen with your heart, it will find you.” This uplifting song features a lively texture for treble chorus with piano and optional percussion for shaker and djembe. Inspirational words, syncopated rhythms, and the interplay between the voices make this an appealing choice.
for TENOR/BASS CHOIR
Desperta Ferro! (Rise, Iron!) by Christopher Fox, TTB with piano and optional percussion
“Desperta Ferro!” – literally, “Rise, iron!” in medieval Catalan – was one of the battle cries employed by the fierce Almogàvers as they struck the earth with their weapons, causing sparks to fly from the stones. Here, it becomes the main idea of a thrilling work for Tenor/Bass voices, piano, and optional percussion. Bravado and confidence surge with each additive cry of the powerful, newly composed text. Sure to spark a lifelong love of choral singing!
I Got a Hog and a Pig arr. John Wykoff/ed. Alan Stevens, TTBB a cappella
A lively song that is quintessentially American. Excellent vocal writing makes the arrangement both rowdy and well-constructed. Accessible to many choirs and a blast to learn and sing!
Find all of our High School Choir recommendations for Fall 2021 on our website, and shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!
About the Author:
Jen Sper is a Choral Music Specialist here at Stanton’s Sheet Music. A native of Cincinnati, she holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Baldwin Wallace College (now University) Conservatory of Music, and taught 7-12 choir, music theory, class piano, and drama in Southern Ohio before joining the Stanton’s team in 2006. An active choral singer and accompanist throughout the Central Ohio area, Jen can also often be found exploring the exciting restaurant, brewery, and theater scenes in Columbus, wandering through the local metro parks, visiting family around the Great Lakes, or at home with her very friendly cat.