Katy Perry's 2020 single returns her to her sugary pop roots and this turbo-paced, lyrically meaningful song is full of syncopation and close-quarter harmonies sure to keep your choir and your audience beaming!
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List: $2.25
Text: anon.
Publisher: Boosey & HawkesDifficulty level: 3The Ceremony of Carols is one of Britten's best-known and most-performed works. It is a brilliantly conceived and dramatic concert work which sees the voices process to their places singing unaccompanied plainsong and, at the end, processing out again to the same chant. These movements can also be accompanied but strictly only if the voices do not process. The final Alleluia can be repeated as many times as necessary to get the singers to and from their destination.
The carols are for three-part children's voices (though, of course they can be sung by female adults as well) and they form a two-part work around a central Interlude for harp which is based on the plainsong from the Procession. Variety is the key word here as all the carols have such individual identities. The forthright Wolcum Yole!, the deliciously lyrical There is no Rose, the swinging Balulalow, the fiery and dramatic This little Babe all contribute to a work which is a feast of discovery throughout. Lovely solos and duos add further colour and the harp part, an inspired choice of accompaniment, enriches, colours and surrounds the voices with its pictorial musical imagery. If anything shows Brittens genius for writing for voices it must be this work.
The challenges here are in creating a real equality between voice parts, fielding a confident pair of soloists, and making the most of the wonderfully colourful poems Britten has chosen to set. Pronunciation is not really an issue, but when I recorded this work with the Finzi Singers I decided to follow the example of Sacred and Profane and use authentic medieval pronunciation for which an expert coach was necessary. It brings an added element of colour to a familiar aural experience.
Duration: 22 minutes
Paul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011
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Lee Dengler creates a gentle mood with this four-part a cappella arrangement of the Welsh “Poverty Carol.” Lovely in its simplicity of both melody and text, “Poverty Carol” reiterates to us the fact that Jesus was of humble, lowly birth, and that it is the least of us who shall find favor in his service. This quiet, contemplative moment is useful for concert or worship.
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Bruno Mars is the number one selling artist worldwide for 2011 by digital sales and a tremendous young talent. Experience the range of his talent with this 6-minute medley that showcases his success. Opening reflectively with a snippet of “Lighters,” it moves into the Grammy-winning “Just the Way You Are,” and then transitions into a quicker pace with the reggae-infused Billionaire, The Lazy Song, Nothin' on You, and Grenade. Available separately: SATB, 3-Part Mixed. 2-Part, ShowTrax CD. Rhythm parts available as a digital download (syn, gtr, b, dm). Duration: ca. 5:50.
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List: $3.75
Selected by the National Endowment for the Arts as an one of the “American Masterpieces” of choral music.
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List: $1.90
