About the piece
A grand processional for the Christmas season, which grows from chant to polyphonic ecstasy.
This arrangement combines the medieval aesthetic for independence of voice with contemporary diatonic harmonic practices. Bells were often a critical part of Medieval and Renaissance processions. Here the repetition of the fifth in the bells sets the tempo for the processional chant. The descending bell patterns in the second half of the composition mimics the practice of pealing bells to announce important events. The premier performance used the carillon in the Williams College Chapel and the coordination was attempted with the use of a walkie-talkie. The use of handbells facilitates much easier coordination, but the part can be performed by a carillon.
Listen
Williams College Concert Choir
Instrumentation
SATB chorus with organ and optional handbells
Duration
5 minutes 30 seconds
year written
2000
Sheet Music Format
Digital PDF, 8.5 x 11"
More Works for Choral, SATB
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the truth you cannot see
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Choral
Wanderer
SATB chorus, SSAA chorus
1 minute 30 seconds
Wanderer was written soon after I began singing Renaissance music in my high school madrigal group. I became enamored with the concept of text painting and imitation. Each verse of the poem is reset with slightly different decorative elements to illustrate the text.
