Vocal(/Wind Ensemble) Composition of the Day, Installment 5:
"Selections from 'The Song of Songs'",
Three Interconnected Songs for Male Voice and Wind Ensemble or Piano
(1997, 14 minutes)
Composed as a wedding/anniversary gift for my wife, Ruth—we were married in 1995, "Selections from 'The Song of Songs'" is a tonal/modal piece that consists of the following movements:
I. Kumee Lach (Rise Up) sung in Hebrew;
II. Ich Bin Gekumen In Mein Gorten (I Have Come Into My Garden) sung in Yiddish;
III. Behold, Thou Art Fair, My Love sung in English.
While I state that this piece is for male voice and wind ensemble or piano, I heavily favor the wind ensemble accompaniment because of the spectrum of sounds it produces. While the version with piano accompaniment was also created to increase the potential number of performances, I view its primary purpose is that of a piano/vocal/rehearsal score for the male vocalist.
I also state that "Selections from 'The Song of Songs'" is for male voice rather than a specific male voice type. This is because I offer the performer ossia (alternative) notes so that either a tenor or baritone/bass can perform the piece.
"Selections from 'The Song of Songs'" has been played several times in Massachusetts, including performances where I performed as the male vocal soloist. I also participated in a recording session in that capacity with an area wind ensemble.
Baritone Andrew White performed "Selections from 'The Song of Songs'" as part of the Composer's Voice series presented by Vox Novus with a synthesized wind ensemble accompaniment with which I provided him. This virtual concert was streamed on 8 July 2023. His performance of this piece can be viewed on YouTube by following the next URL.
I also created two other YouTube synthesized videos for "Selections from 'The Song of Songs'".
Follow the next URL to view a YouTube video in which the texts are featured
Follow the next URL to view a YouTube video in which a scrolling score is featured.
"Selections from 'The Song of Songs'" was published by ECS Publishing Group in 2017.
Music: © Copyright 2017 by Highgate Press, Inc., a division of ECS Publishing Group. www.ecspublishing.com All rights reserved. Used by permission. ECS Publishing Group Catalog Nos. 8411–13. Follow the next URL for ordering information for all performance materials.
I hope you enjoy "Selections from 'The Song of Songs'". Thank you for your time and attention. —
Editorial: A plea to musicians of all kinds: PERFORM JEWISH-CENTRIC MUSIC!
So much of Jewish-centric music has been and continues to be ignored, or worse, boycotted, today because of the crazy, divisive, upside-down times in which we live. A rich treasure-trove of Jewish-centric music exists.
Explore creative programming options from the time of the Renaissance through the music of today. Many reliable databases of sacred and secular Jewish-centric music exist.
Contact me for more programming ideas about my Jewish-centric music, and the music of countless other composers and arrangers, who include both Jews and Gentiles. I will be happy to help point you in whatever direction I am able.
If you are truly devoted to diversity, then you simply cannot arbitrarily exclude the music of a culture that is over 3500 years old because of geopolitics; to do so is the height of hypocrisy. Embrace and perform Jewish music as you would the music of any other culture.
—
Stanley M. Hoffman, PhD
Link to my website: https://www.stanleymhoffman.com
Biography Published in Grove Music Online (The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Oxford University Press)
The "Stanley M. Hoffman Special Collection" was established at The Berklee College of Music Library Archive in January 2025. It will take whatever time is necessary for the archive to catalog my collection and make it available to the public.
Website: https://archives.berklee.edu
Comentários