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Accessible Music for MEN’S Voices by Women Composers
Submitted by Daniel Wolfgram

1. Away from the Roll of the Sea
DIANE LOOMER. CYPRESS PUBLISHING (NO OCTAVO NUMBER), TTBB, PIANO.
This piece sings very well and features wonderful legato lines with accessible ranges in all parts. Easy (class A or B).

2. Colorado Trail
LANA WALTER. ALLIANCE #AP-1214, TTB, PIANO.
Take a look at Walter’s wonderful arrangement of this timeless Cowboy classic. Easy (class A or B).

3. Festival Hosanna
MARY LYNN LIGHTFOOT. HERITAGE #15/1518H, TTBB, PIANO.
Lightfoot’s new setting makes for a great festival piece. Rousing! (class B)

4. Musica Dei
MARY LYNN LIGHTFOOT. HERITAGE #15/1419H, TTB, PIANO.
With its infectious melody, Musica Dei skillfully combines Latin and English texts. Appropriate for any concert. (class B)

5. Jubilate Deo
MOZART/ARR. SPEVACEK-AVERY. HERITAGE #15/1589, TB, PIANO.
This Spevacek-Avery arrangement makes Mozart Accessible for young male voices. Consider this piece a standard that young singers should be exposed to and have the chance to sing. (class C)

6. Gloria In Excelsis Deo
VIVALDI, ARR. PORTERFIELD. HERITAGE #15/1610H, TTB, PIANO.
Once again, a wonderful treatment of the work of a master (this time, Vivaldi) made accessible for male singers of any age. Great Repertoire! (class C)

7. Sea Fever
SHERRI PORTERFIELD. HERITAGE #15/ 1349H, TTB, PIANO.
I recommend this accompanied, legato “sea song,” which is not your typical men’s shanty. I especially like the long but accessible lines and think the voicing will have your young men sounding great! (class C)
 

Music for WOMEN’S Voices by Women Composers
Submitted by Alan Rieck

1. Mary’s Song of Praise
CHRISTINE TEMPLEEVANS. SANTA BARBARA MUSIC PRESS #SBMP 280, SSAA, UNACCOMPANIED.
This is an outstanding English setting of the Magnificat text written by the choir director at Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona. This setting provides a mother’s perspective to the events that surround Mary’s song. While the wonder and amazement still exist within this setting, there is an obvious thoughtfulness regarding the responsibilities and trepidations of becoming a first-time mother in these circumstances. This piece uses traditional harmonic structures with occasional additional harmonic color notes. There is a tremendous build in energy and excitement to the triumphant conclusion. (Christine Temple-Evans will be at the WMEA October Conference in Madison for the premier of her new setting of Psalm 150 for women’s voices—come meet her!)

2. No Mirrors
YSAYE M. BARNWELL. MUSICAL SOURCE PUBLISHING #YMB 101, SSSAA, UNACCOMPANIED.
This piece is published as an SSATB piece, but since it was originally performed by “Sweet Honey in the Rock” as a women’s piece, I have used it frequently with treble ensembles by raising the pitch. It works very well and has been loved and appreciated by all the groups with whom I have worked. A great text that helps students to examine the ways in which they see the world around them. Lots of fun.

3. Alleluia
EMMA LOU DIEMER. CARL FISCHER #CF CM7289, SSA, UNACCOMPANIED. 
This piece has been in the repertoire of women’s choirs for several years, but it still presents women’s ensembles the opportunity to explore the wide range of statements that are possible in just one word. It contains high energy rhythmic sections as well as lyrically flowing statements. Great for teaching articulations and harmonic structures.

4. Come, Ye Makers of Song
RUTH WATSON HENDERSON. GORDON V. THOMPSON MUSIC #VG-363, SSA, PIANO.
I was introduced to this piece by Sharon Hansen of UW-Milwaukee at Singspiel ‘01. It uses the text by Henry Purcell from Come Ye Sons of Art. The rhythmic intensity of this piece is exciting for the singers. With a mixture of textures, this is a winning piece with wonderful opportunities to teach a variety of musical concepts with immediate results.

5. I Thank You God
GWYNETH WALKER. E.C. SCHIRMER MUSIC COMPANY #5331, SSA, PIANO.
A warm and lush setting of this popular text for women’s chorus. The piano adds some wonderful colors to the delightful e. e. cummings text. This piece was commissioned by the ACDA Endowment Fund in memory of Raymond W. Brock, a very suiting memorial, indeed.
 

Music for CHILDREN’S Choir by Women Composers
Submitted by Karen Bruno

1. Blustery Day
VICTORIA EBEL-SABO. BOOSEY & HAWKES #OCTB6856, UNISON TREBLE VOICES, PIANO.
This song takes a spirited textual idea—if you want to play outside, are you going to allow a little wind or rain to get in your way?—and adds a rhythmic challenge for young singers. The meter shifts from 6/8 to 3/4 while the accompaniment continues to have triple subdivisions. This piece will excite and energize your singers—and they may not even realize how difficult the rhythmic challenges are!

2. A Great Big Sea
NEWFOUNDLAND FOLK SONG, ARR. LORI-ANNE DOLLOFF. BOOSEY & HAWKES #OCTB6914, UNISON TREBLE VOICES; PIANO, FIDDLE, AND SPOONS.
If you are looking for a sea chanty to sing and are tired of making your girls sing texts obviously written for men or boys, this is your answer. The song tells the story of the effects of a flood on a village; each verse musically depicts the rising sea by elevating the key by a half step. The traditional fiddle and spoons add tremendously to the arrangement and should be included. The melody is easily learned with solfege or aurally and spans only one octave per verse. This piece would certainly be accessible for elementary school choirs.

3. Niño Lindo
VENEZUELAN CHRISTMAS SONG, ARR. RUTH BOSHKOFF. BOOSEY & HAWKES #OCTB6876, 2-PART TREBLE VOICES; PIANO, OPTIONAL GLOCKENSPIEL.
This beautiful song begins in unison and then splits into two homophonic parts. The melody is slow and sustained. The tessitura is quite accessible and the language is repetitive enough to enable young singers to learn it quickly and easily. The combination of minor tonality, slower tempo, relative independence from the piano accompaniment, and introduction of triplet patterns into both the melody and harmony make this a piece that has many teachable components.

4. I’m Goin’ Home on a Cloud
SPIRITUAL, ARR. SUSAN TAYLOR-HOWELL. BOOSEY & HAWKES #OCTB6389, 4-PART TREBLE VOICES, UNACCOMPANIED.
If your young group is ready for the jump to three- or four-part music, this is a wonderful choice. The piece begins in unison, divides into two parts, and eventually flowers into four parts. The harmonies are written using mostly step-wise motion, and the relaxed tempo makes it easier for singers to anticipate chord changes.

5. Aftermath
SHIRLEY WHITECOTTON. SHAWNEE PRESS #B0473, SSA, PIANO.
This piece is for slightly more advanced children’s choirs or perhaps even a freshman treble choir. Based on a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the tempo is rather slow and provides many opportunities to develop long phrases. The chords are lush and the harmonies beautiful, particularly when Whitecotton takes us somewhere tonally we were not expecting.