Dear Laura,
Here's my advanced treble choir rep list from choral reh. techniques. Enjoy!
Advanced Treble Choir Repertoire List
“Ahe Lau Makani” by Princess Lili’uokalani, arr. by Stephen Hatfield, 3-part Treble with Guitar & Bass Guitar, Boosey & Hawkes, M-051-47215-4
• Set only against the guitar and bass guitar, this piece starts in unison before splitting into easy harmonies. Embraces sweet, gentle Hawaiian feel with guitar tuning, cross-rhythms, and scoops and slides. Moderate.
“Are You Ready to Fly?” by Mark Hayes, SSA, Roger Dean, 15/2436R-2
• This piece is a longer (23 pages!) interpretation of the whimsical powers of flying through the means of fairy tale. Piano accompaniment adds much to the fairly simple harmonies. Different sections combine to tell this story’s great morale. Moderately difficult.
“Ceremony of Carols” by Benjamin Britten, SSA, Boosey & Hawkes, M060014109
• Contains 13 Christmas Carols arranged for Treble voices (SSA) and Harp or Piano. Titles include - Procession, Wolcum Yole, There Is No Rose, That Yonge Child, Balulalow, As Dew in Aprille, This Little Babe, Interlude, In Freezing Winter Night, Spring Carol, Deo Gracias, Recession, Spring Carol. It would be possible to take This Little Babe, which is faster, out of the set and perform separately (OCTB5138). Moderate-Difficult.
“Comic Duet for Two Cats” attributed to Rossini, by de Pearsall, arr. Craig/Mason, 2-part, Plymouth Music, PCS 538
• Snippets of Rossini’s Otello make this hilarious duet about competing singing cats, which never fails to amuse the singers nor the audience. While only singing on a “Meow” there is a lot to work with, including the Italian opera melismatic style. Moderate.
“Da Pacem Domine” by Melchior Frank, arr. by Mary Goetze, 4-part, Boosey & Hawkes, M05146187-5
• A beautiful simple round from early Baroque/late Renaissance that is sung at the 5th, in parts I a+b, and II a+b. Could potentially double with a consort. Easy.
“The Drinking Gourd” arr. by Andre J. Thomas, 2-part, Heritage Music, 15/1564H-3
• Gospel-inspired accompaniment and arrangement of vocal parts gives this piece a new identity that is steeped in heaviness and yet is light. The end broadens into an impressive ending. Easy to moderate challenge, watch for intonation and sloppiness.
“El Monigote” Venezuelan Folk Song arr. by Diana V. Saez, SSAA a cappella, Roger Dean, 15/2317R
• A fabulous interpretation of a joropo, a form of music and dance in ¾ or 6/8 from Venezuela. Melody is set against voices imitating plucking of harps and percussive sounds. Melody also very nicely is distributed throughout the different sections. Moderate.
“Eletelephony”: text by Laura E. Richards, music by David L. Brunner, Unison, Boosey & Hawkes, OCTB 6532
• A fun, funky mixed meter piece that through composed musically depicts the humorous text. Moderate challenge in angularity of line and rhythmic interest.
“Exaudi! Lauduate!” by Beverly A. Patton, SSA, Roger Dean, 15/1401R
• An energetic piece with layered a cappella entrances. High F’s for all parts. D.S. al Coda, ABCA. Good use of contrasting sections. Moderately difficult.
“Fire” by Mary Goetze, SSA, Boosey & Hawkes, OCTB6482.
• A very fast take on a 13-year-old’s poem. It consists of several simple ostinato patterns, and the range is limited. Piano accompaniment difficult. The agitated section is set with a legato middle section before returning to the beginning interpretation. In Teaching Music Through Performance in Choir, v. 1. Moderate.
“Hamisha Asar” by Flory Jagoda, arr. by Nick Page, 3-part Treble, Boosey & Hawkes, M-051-47234-5
• A Ladino song in a klezmer mode, this festive song is in 7/8. The words and melody capture the spirit of “come to visit us, we will sing.” The words seem difficult at first, but repeat as not to be too difficult. Interestingly enough, it can be performed simultaneously with the SATB version. Moderately difficult.
“Hotaru Koi” by Ro Ogura, SSA a cappella, Theodore Presser, 312-4150
• “Ho, Firefly” is a traditional Japanese children’s song and in this arrangement utilizes a one-beat canon for most of the extremely short (1:40 minute) piece. The piece utilizes text painting to hear the fireflies fly around. Very interesting piece. Moderately difficult- difficult.
“J’entends le moulin” arr. Donald Patriquin, SS, earthsongs, W-10
• With percussion and an accomplished accompaniment part, this folksong is given a very fun arrangement. Fast, the French will need some time in rehearsal, especially with 9 verses of two-line couplets. In Teaching Music Through Performance in Choir, v. 1. Moderately difficult.
“The Lake Isle of Innisfree” by Eleanor Daley, SA divisi, Oxford University Press, W154
• Beautiful piano accompaniment makes this piece with its colorful harmonies reflect the exquisite poetry of Yeats. Challenging with sparing 3-parts, but most vocal harmonies are predictable. Moderate.
“The Log Driver’s Waltz” by Wade Hemsworth, arr. by Ron Smail, SSAA a cappella with coloratura soprano solo, Cypress Publishing, CP 1030
• A very fun arrangement of a cheeky Canadian new folk song. It contains lots of divisi and rhythmic challenges since the melody is supported mostly through the solo and the accompaniment is within the choir. Needs a very strong and dramatic colorature soprano solo, who is willing to have fun with the piece. Difficult.
“Now to Sleep”; text by Jim Schley, music by Paul Carey, 2-part Treble, Roger Dean, 15/2598R
• Very simple lullaby set in unison and then expands to two-part harmony. Setting of more difficult vocabulary interpolated with easy vocal harmonies against interesting piano accompaniment. Easy.
“Old Abram Brown” by Benjamin Britten, SSAA, Boosey & Hawkes, OCTB1787
• The final composition in a set of twelve entitled Friday Afternoons, this piece is an eerie dirge setting of a single melodic line, sung initially in unison but primarily in canon. There is an octave leap that will require some work. In Teaching Music through Performance in Choir, v. 1. Easy.
“Pergolesi Suite” ed. by Doreen Rao, 2-part Treble, Boosey & Hawkes, OCTB6703
• From Stabat Mater, this two-movement piece starts with unison or a solo before splitting into two-parts. The first movement is “Inflammatus et accensus” which is very Baroque in texture with terraced dynamics. The second movement,
“Quando corpus,” starts largo with layered entrances, and then becomes presto with the cascading “Amen” sequence. Difficult piano accompaniment. Moderate.
“Radiant Sister of the Day” by David L. Brunner, 2-part Treble, Boosey & Hawkes, 48019153
• An uplifting setting of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s text, this song has playful rhythms and an “undercurrent of pulsation”. Difficult in passages due to unexpected notes and mixed meters. Splits into 3 parts, then 4 parts at the enthusiastic ending. Moderately Difficult
“The Rose” by Jeffrey Cobb, 2-part Treble, Roger Dean, 15/2449R
• Though appearing child-like at first in text and simple folksong-like melody, Mr. Cobb conveys how adult the text is through a countermelody in the accompaniment. Starts and ends unison, with easy harmonies in the middle. Easy.
“Som W Stawie Rybecki (Fish in the Pond)” by Stanislaw Wiechowicz, ed. Richard Zielinski, SAA a cappella, Roger Dean, 15/2318R-5
• From a larger collection, this first Polish Folk Song from his Three Polish Folk Songs for Treble Voices is set as a slow, in three, and melancholy Polish folk dance. The alto line starts as an ostinato, until the top two voices go into harmony and the lower alto has a rhythmic grounding. Moderately difficult.
“Thula S’Thandwa” Zulu Lullaby, arr. by Nick Page, 2-part Treble (divisi), Boosey & Hawkes, 48004873
• Three simple variations on a lovely Zulu lullaby first starts with a running piano accompaniment, then 3 against 2 (similar to mbira rhythms), and then ends with a countermelody. Alternates between Zulu and English, and dynamics add interest. Moderate.
“There Is Love in a Song” by Stan Spottswood, Three-part Treble, Roger Dean, 15/2600R
• Exuberant song that speaks to the students due to text and music. Rhythmic groove and easy harmony make the text come alive. “People everywhere can know the joy of music.” Moderate.
“V’eirastich Li L’Olam” by Valerie Shields, 2-part Treble, Boosey & Hawkes, M-051-47353-3
• Slow lyrical piece in Hebrew, with repeating words set differently throughout. Very expressive in tempo, dynamics, and vocal range. Good supportive piano accompaniment. Moderately difficult.
“Vivaldi for Treble Choirs- Selections from Magnificat” ed. by Janet Galvan, Unison/2-part, Roger Dean, 15/1474R-3
• Two movements, “Et Exultavit” and “Esurientes” combine to make this suite. The first movement is allegro and unison, and the second movement is allegro and 2-part. Melismas abound in this very dance-like Baroque piece. Could potentially supplement with cello and continuo. Easy.
“Waltzing with the Moon”: text by Vachel Lindsay, music by Paul Carey, Unison, Roger Dean, 15/2589R
• A fascinating text painting musical whole with three movements: “The Moon’s the North Wind’s Cooky,” “Euclid,” and “What the Rattlesnake Said.” Elements of bitonality, mixed meter, jazzy blues waltz, and snakey whispers. Moderate.
