choir and harp

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This topic has 20 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 12 months ago by Saul Davis Zlatkovski.

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December 11, 2007 at 6:22 pm #85818

unknown-user
Participant

Hello.

Anyone know of any good works (or arrangements) for choir and harp – treble or female voices. I’m on the hunt for works suitable for a gurls choir, around the age 10 to 14. i have perused many of the lists of choral works, but know little of the repertoire, and want some works not too hard for the gurls but with challenges for me and that show the harp to good advantage.

Love to hear from anyone that has played with gurls choir, or just knows the repertoire better than me!

Any help appreciated,

December 11, 2007 at 8:31 pm #85819

lisa-green
Participant

Hey Curls–I can actually suggest something. There is a wonderful American composer, Libby Larsen, who has written a piece called “The Ballerina and the Clown” for chorus and harp. She also has a few other pieces in her choral works that call for harp and one or two other instruments.

She was just in town for a residency at the university where my husband teaches. He played a few of her pieces (both excellent) and I got to speak with her. She was delightful.

Her Web site is LibbyLarsen.com.

Lisa

December 11, 2007 at 11:39 pm #85820

unknown-user
Participant

Thanks Lisa! I’ll check her out!!

December 17, 2007 at 3:09 am #85821

Calista Anne Koch
Spectator

For next Christmas, there is always Angel’s Carol by Rutter.

December 17, 2007 at 6:40 am #85822

unknown-user
Participant

Thanks Calista, just did the Angels Carol with the gurlies this year! It was

December 17, 2007 at 7:17 am #85823

c-k
Participant

Hi Curly,

The Four Songs for women’s chorus, two horns and harp by Brahms (opus 17) is a nice piece. It’s been a while since I did this one so I don’t remember how difficult the vocal part is. I especially like the 3rd song called

December 17, 2007 at 9:30 pm #85824

patricia-jaeger
Member

Hi Curly,

“Music for Treble Voices with Harp Accompaniment” was published in American Harp Journal, Summer, 1975, by Julia S. Anderson.It looks very interesting and if you need it I’ll get the 4 pages of the list to you. Another compilation: Repertoire for Voice and Harp by Helen Watkins, with foreword by Professor David Watkins, published in July 1999, 24 pages of lists and suggestion, spiral bound. For an individual volume that I have and never used, “Songs of the Irish Harpers” collected and arranged for voice and harp or piano by C. Milligan Fox, published by Lyra Music, now in Florida. Contains beautiful arrangements of thirteen songs such as The Foggy Dew, The Red Haired Girl, Men of Connaught, Farewell, My Gentle Harp, and others. I hope this helps.

December 17, 2007 at 11:08 pm #85825

unknown-user
Participant

Hi Carol,

Thanks for that, the Brahms would be too hard for these gurls. But maybe for the senoir choir next year, its a lovely work! I agree, I like the 3rd song the best.

December 17, 2007 at 11:12 pm #85826

unknown-user
Participant

Hi Patricia,

Thanks for that. I would love the list from the AHS journal, 1975!

I will contact Lyra bout the Milligan-Fox work. I have the Watkins Folk Songs, and you can have choir sing them in Unison to good effect too. Scarborough Fair has a particularly pretty harp accompaniment, that would be lovely

December 24, 2007 at 12:25 am #85827

Susan Abken
Participant

Since it’s the 23rd of December, I recommend this piece for you next year. It’s beautiful, and calls for a SSA choir with one soloist, and has an artful pedal harp accompaniment, and can be sung in Catalan or English. There is also another arrangement for lower voices. A good page turner is a help here!

EL NOI DE LA MARE

arr. Paul Carey

copyright 2006 Walton Music Corp.

12 pages, starting a capella for five measures, then the harp comes in with chords and glisses, short harp solo with harmonics on fourth page, second short harp solo on sixth page, followed by one solo voice with harp, nicely intertwined, choir comes back in and fades out on last two pages with harp glisses.

Very pretty, all about what children with their drums can give the Christ child, candy, figs, cheese, traditional Carol of the Barcelona area.

Best wishes, Susan Abken

January 3, 2008 at 6:11 am #85828

unknown-user
Participant

Well hi there harpists!

Just happened to see my name mentioned here and thanks for the nice recommendation of my piece El Noi de la mare! Its been pretty popular in its 18 months or so of being in print. By the way, I am a former harpist, thus my interest in writing some pieces that call for harp (though the publishers usually try to get me to make the part also playable on piano and you all know here that harp and piano really arent the same!). Anyway, please visit my website at http://www.paulcarey.net

I do have some other harp and treble voices pieces- A Cradle Song (Xmas piece) very pretty, published by Oxford (SA and harp- recording on my website). And Winter Solstice- for SSA and harp to texts by modern New Mexico poets. Wonderful imagery about winter/solstice, rebirth, nature, etc. This piece is still in manuscript and I can give folks perusal scores if interested (about 9 minutes, medium diiffculty for voices- not hard at all for harp).

Thanks harp folks!

Paul Carey, Oak Park, IL

January 3, 2008 at 7:30 pm #85829

Tacye
Participant

There is always Rutter’s Dancing Day (the set, not just the one piece) too- the vocal parts don’t seem that hard, the harp part would hopefully have enough challenges for you and an interlude for just harp.

January 4, 2008 at 7:46 am #85830

unknown-user
Participant

Thanks Tacye

Yep, I have the Rutter.. some of them do seem to be appropriate for their level and the harp part is really rather nice!

I also found a really nice work at the Australian Music Center, by Wilcock, Southern Star –

January 4, 2008 at 7:49 am #85831

unknown-user
Participant

Thanks Susan,

That sounds like such a evocative work for kids…really lovely. I’m definitely going add that to my list. And thanks to Paul for checking in with us!

Write more works for harp, okay?? (teasing dreadfully)

Curls.

January 16, 2008 at 6:21 am #85832

unknown-user
Participant

hi “curls”!

Well actually I have a very evocative piece commissioned by the Santa Fe Womens Ensemble and premiered there Dec 2006 called Winter Solstice. Harp and SSA choir with wonderful solstice texts by New Mexico poets Lonnie Howard and Elizabeth Searle. I can send a pdf to anyone interested. I was lucky enough to be at the premiere and be hosted by the ensemble with a free casita for a week- Santa Fe is magical!

Paul Carey
http://www.paulcarey.net
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