Spring 2005 NEW ISSUE

STEPHEN CHATMAN [b. 1950]: Carols of the Nativity
1. As I Lay Upon a Night (Alma redemptoris Mater)
   • SSAATBB, optional Piano or Organ • #7.0451 • $2.05 • c. 2:50
2. Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella (Un flambeau, Jeannette, Isabella)
   • SATB, optional Piano or Organ • #7.0452 • $2.05 • c. 1:40
3. The Huron Carol (’Twas In the Moon of Winter Time)
   • Soprano & Baritone Soli, SATB, optional Piano or Organ • #7.0453 • $2.05 • c. 3:30
4. A Christmas Lullaby
   • SSAATBB • #7.0454 • $2.05 • c. 2:35
5. The First Noël
   • Soprano Solo, SSATB, optional Piano or Organ • #7.0455 • $2.05 • c. 3:00
6. Wassail
   • SSAATB, optional Piano or Organ • #7.0456 • $2.05 • c. 2:00
7. Angels We Have Heard On High
   • SSATBB, optional Piano or Organ • #7.0457 • $2.05 • c. 2:30

Our major offering on this new issue, Carols of the Nativity can be performed either unaccompanied or accompanied by piano or organ, brass quintet or orchestra. Information on the latter two versions appears below. Some of the movements are arrangements, others are original compositions.

The set opens with a moderately paced, flowing, original setting of the well-known annonymous fifteenth century words, As I Lay Upon a Night in which the English words are intertwined wirth the Latin words “Redemptoris Mater.”

Next follows a bouncy arrangement set to the familiar words from Recueil de nöel en langue Provençal (1856), Un flambeau, Jeannette, Isabella. The tunes are derived from the drinking song, Qu’ils sont doux bouteille jolie, which Marc-Antoine Charpentier composed for the later performances of Moliere’s Le medecin malgré lui (1866). This arrangement features both English and French lyrics.

The Huron Carol is believed to be the first Canadian Christmas carol. It was composed in 1643 by Father Saint Jean de Brébeuf (1593–1649) and was intended as a present for the Huron people. Father Brébeuf served as a Jesuit missionary with the Hurons in Ste. Marie. Initially penned in the Huron language, The Huron Carol was eventually translated into French. In 1926, Jesse Edgar Middleton translated this carol into English using a French translation. Middleton subsequently renamed the carol. Father Brébeuf was abducted and killed by the Iroquois tribe on March 16, 1649 , in their revolt of 1648–1650. Pope Pious XI canonized Father Brébeuf on June 29, 1930.

The tune for Iesous Ahatonnia is based on a sixteenth century French Canadian melody. This sweet, simple arrangement features pronunciation guides in the front and lyrics in both Huron and English.

A Christmas Lullaby is the only movement that is explicitly unaccompanied. An original composition, this tender slumber song features words by John Addington Symonds (1840–1893) adapted by the composer. “Sleep, baby, sleep, the Mother sings: The angels kneel and fold their wings: /With swathes of scented hay thy bed /By Mary’s hand at eve was spread. /Sleep, baby, sleep, sleep, baby, sleep, sleep, /Thou liest slumb’ring there, /Sleep, baby, sleep, sleep, baby, sleep, /The King of kings, earth, ocean, air.”

The First Noël is a moderately paced arrangement of the best-known traditional melody in which William Sandys’ version (c. 1833) of the words is employed.

Wassail is a fast, spirited, original composition set to words by John Bale (c. 1548): “Wassail, wassail, out of the milk pail, /Wassail, wassail, as white as my nail, /Wassail, wassail, in snow, frost and hail, /Wassail, wassail, with partridge and rail, /Wassail, wassail, that much doth avail, /Wassail, wassail, that never will fail.”

The set ends with a joyous arrangement of another well-known traditional melody, Angels We Have Heard On High, in which the traditional eighteenth century words are used.

Carols of the Nativity is also available with accompaniments for brass quintet (Catalog No. 7.0467 [score], Catalog No. 7.0468 [parts]) or orchestra. The former version is available for purchase and the latter version is available for rental from the publisher.
USE: Christmas services or concerts
        • moderately difficult (for divisi, where applicable)
        • church, college, community, professional choruses

CHRISTMAS CHORAL — Treble Chorus Unaccompanied

STEPHEN CHATMAN [b. 1950]: “A Christmas Lullaby” from Carols of the Nativity
• SSAA • #7.0491 • $2.05 • c. 2:35

A treble version made by the composer of #4 from the set described above.

JAMES MCCULLOUGH [b. 1939]: Look At Sweet Mary’s Baby
• Soprano Solo, SSAA • #6213 • $1.75 • c. 2:15

This arrangement of a traditional African-American spiritual was written for the Manitou Singers, the Women’s Chorus of St. Olaf College, Northfield , MN , Sigrid Johnson, Conductor.

James McCullough’s piece How Far Is It To Bethlehem? (Catalog No. 6036 [SATB]) remains very popular for Christmas programs.
USE: Christmas services or concerts
        • moderately easy (requires 2nd altos who can sing down to low F)
        • church, school, community, professional choruses

CHRISTMAS CHORAL — Mixed Chorus Unaccompanied

DAVID MOONEY IRISH CHORAL SERIES

This new issue brings another installment of the DAVID MOONEY IRISH CHORAL SERIES. Other installments of Mooney’s stunning arrangements of Irish traditional music were instant successes. As head of the keyboard department at the Conservatory of Music and Drama at the Dublin Institute of Technology, Mooney is well known throughout Ireland and the UK where his arrangements have appeared on record, TV and radio. Unlike all of our previous releases of his music which were arrangements of traditional Irish tunes, the two titles listed below are original compositions.

Sleep, o sleep my little one
• Solo Voice, SATB divisi • #6326 • $2.05 • c. 4:16

Dublin Bells Carol
• SATB divisi • #6323 • $2.05 • c. 3:04

Sleep, o sleep my little one is a gentle lullaby imagined to be sung by Mary to the baby Jesus. “Sleep, o sleep, my little one, sleep, o sleep, my baby. / May the angels guard your slumbering dreams, singing their peaceful song. / Stars and planets circle thee, sleep, o sleep, my baby. / As the moonlit heavens whisper your name, singing their peaceful song.”

Dublin Bells Carol celebrates the joyous spirit of Christmas Eve in the city of Dublin. The bells of the city’s parish churches (many of which are enumerated in the words) ring out over the rooftops and the river Liffey.
USE: Christmas concerts or services
        • moderately difficult (for divisi writing)
        • skilled church, school, community, professional choruses

CHRISTMAS CHORAL — Unison and Two-part Mixed Chorus and Keyboard

DANIEL PINKHAM [b. 1923]: All Christendom be Merry *
• Unison, Keyboard & optional Guitar & Handbells • #6302 • $1.45 • c. 1:30

Heigh, the Holly! **
• Two-part Mixed or Equal & Keyboard or Guitar • #6303 • $1.45 • c. 1:30

All Christendom be Merry is set to a text by Miles Coverdale (1487–1568). The edition includes the optional guitar and handbells parts on the back page.

Heigh, the Holly! is a joyous carol featuring a text written by the composer. Performance notes and the alternative guitar part appear on page 3 of the piece.
USE: Christmas services or concerts
        • * moderately difficult (for contemporary harmonies only)
        • ** moderately easy
        • church, school, community, professional choruses

CHRISTMAS CHORAL — Mixed Chorus and Keyboard

JANE MARSHALL [b. 1924]: What Child Is This?
• SATB & Keyboard • #6066 • $1.45 • c. 2:10

Set to an original text by John Thornburg, this pensive work was commissioned by the Choir of First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, MS. A fragment of the carol Greensleeves appears in the keyboard introduction and the composer suggests that her piece may be preceded by the congregation’s singing of that carol.
USE: Christmas services or concerts
        • moderately easy
        • church, school, community, professional choruses

CHRISTMAS CHORAL — Mixed Chorus and Piano or Harp

DEREK HEALEY [b. 1936]: A Maiden Mild
• SATB & Piano or Harp • #6205 • $2.05 • c. 4:45
• Harp part • #6223 • $2.50

“This carol was completed in Eugene, Oregon on Christmas day, 1985 and revised in Brooklyn, New York on December 18, 1997 . This is original music, not an arrangement of a traditional melody. The late medieval English text is by James Ryman; the spelling is modernized. Each verse is essentially in 5/8 with meter changes at cadence points. There are eight verses in all, the text telling of the appearance of the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary.” —Derek Healey
USE: Annunciation services, Christmas concerts
        • moderately difficult (for rhythms)
        • accomplished church, school, community, professional choruses

CHRISTMAS CHORAL — Mixed Chorus, Flute and Organ or String Quartet

THOMAS FIELDING [b. 1975]: Creator of the Stars of Night
• SATB, Flute & Organ • #6239 • $2.05 • c. 5:00
• *Flute part • #6464 • $1.25
• *SATB, Flute & String Quartet • #6240 • $7.50
• *Flute and String parts • #6241 • $6.25
* Composer’s engraved facsimile editions.

Thomas Fielding is new to ECS Publishing. Originally written in Latin in the ninth century, the English version the composer used for this flowing work is from the Hymnal 1940.
USE: Christmas services and concerts
        • moderately difficult (for mild dissonances, bass range)
        • skilled church, school, community, professional choruses

CHRISTMAS CHORAL — Mixed Chorus, Treble Chorus, Percussion and Piano

FRANK FERKO [b. 1950]: Nos Galan
• SATB (divisi) , Treble, Percussion& Piano• #6168 • $3.10 • c. 5:02
• Piano & Percussion parts • #6169 • $7.50

“Commissioned by the Dale Warland Singers in the summer of 2001, Nos Galan was originally composed to a sacred text by Katharine E. Roberts combined with the traditional, secular text, Deck the Hall. Following the initial performances of the work, I decided that the Roberts text was not entirely suitable for the piece, so I asked my friend and collaborator, Sally Gall, if she would write a new text for this work. As a result, Sally provided an exquisite new sacred text for Christmas which is being presented for the first time in this work. The secular text originally included in this work, as well as the original music for mixed chorus, treble chorus, percussion and piano, all remain intact.”

“The original version of this work was first performed at two concerts in December 2001 by the Dale Warland Singers with the Concert Choir of the Northfield Youth Choirs (Cora Scholz, conductor), conducted by Dale Warland.” —Frank Ferko
USE: Christmas concerts or services
        • moderately difficult (for shifting meters and divisi )
        • accomplished school, community, professional, church choruses

CHRISTMAS CHORAL — Mixed Chorus and Keyboard

PETER ALDINS [b. 1953]: On Christmas Night
• SATB, Descant & Keyboard• #6230 • $2.50 • c. 4:30

This joyous carol is set to the traditional text which begins “On Christmas night all Christians sing, / To hear the news the angels bring, News of great joy, news of great mirth, News of our holy Savior’s birth.” Two other works by Peter Aldins are available from the publisher: My Soul Shall Sing (Catalog No. 5362, Soprano solo, SATB, oboe, organ, optional viola or cello) and Kyrie (Catalog No. 5874, SATB and keyboard).
USE: Christmas services or concerts
        • moderately easy
        • church, school, community, professional choruses

SACRED (MAYBE SECULAR) CHORAL — Treble Chorus and optional Percussion

ROBERT KYR [b. 1952]: Dance of Life
• SSA & optional Percussion• #5797 • $1.75 • c. 3:00
• Percussion part • #6139 • $2.50

This rhythmical setting features words by the composer after Ecclesiastes : “A time for all seasons under heaven...”
USE: services, concerts
        • moderately easy
        • church, school, community, professional choruses

SECULAR CHORAL — Women’s Chorus unaccompanied

GWYNETH WALKER [b. 1947]: The Spirit of Women
• Women (SSAA divisi )

1. So Many Angels!
• #6184 • $2.50 • c. 3:40
2. Walk That Valley
• #6185 • $2.05 • c. 3:15
3. Never Sit Down!
• #6186 • $2.50 • c. 3:45

Each song in this set is based on a different traditional American spiritual, each was commissioned and premiered by a different women’s chorus in the US and each portrays women of strength and character.

“Many people feel the presence of angels in their lives. The angels are either operating ‘behind the scenes,’ or perhaps embodied in the people we encounter in daily life. So Many Angels! takes the concept one step further. Using the traditional song, Angels Watching Over Me, this new setting envisions angels everywhere, guarding and guiding! Moreover, they seem to pop up anytime and anywhere. They are playful, even flirtatious angels! Although they are a bit too much at times, they are cherished. ‘Don’t you ever stop watching over me, gal!’ ”

"Walk That Valley is based on the traditional American spiritual, Lonesome Valley. New lyrics and harmonies have been added to the original, and new musical interludes have been inserted. The focus is on the individual encountering times of difficulty alone. ‘Walk that lonesome valley by yourself.’ Moments of confusion, doubting, fear and pain occur. Yet, by facing adversity by oneself, one often finds the strength and faith to move forward through life. In this setting, solo voices often represent doubt and fear. The chorus responds with guidance: ‘Walk that lonesome valley,’ and later, ‘You’ll find a faith to walk there beside you.’ This is a song of triumph and growth.

“Never Sit Down! is a contemporary adaptation of the traditional song, Sit Down, Sister. The new lyrics focus on the energy and celebration of women experiencing the freedom of equality. ‘I can’t sit down, ’cause I just got my freedom. Gonna look around.’ References to heroic women of the past who worked for women’s rights appear: the suffragettes, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Sojourner Truth. These women ‘didn’t sit down!’ They worked for their freedom and for ours today. The musical alterations to the original song include ‘blues’harmonies and joyful hand-claps. Two interludes are inserted in the middle of the song. One is a restless ‘walking bass’ pattern sung by the altos, with the upper voices ‘movin’ around’ above. The other is the appearance of a would-be detractor trying to coax the women to stop their work and sit down. This is met with a very determined ‘No, I’ll never sit down!’ ” —Gwyneth Walker
USE: concerts
        • moderately easy (but contains divisi writing)
        • college, community, professional choruses

CHANUKAH CHORAL — Mixed Chorus and Piano

STANLEY M. HOFFMAN [b. 1959]: Mi y’maleil (Who can recount)
• SATB & Piano• #6460 • $2.05 • c. 3:00

“In this spirited, original composition, the traditional Hebrew words Mi y’maleil ask who can retell all the terrible things that have happened to the Jewish people over the millenia. The response, that does not answer this insurmountable question, is that in each era a hero or sage came to offer us assistance. It is a traditional Jewish attitude to grant a sage equal stature to a hero. Ideally, a hero posesses both qualities.”
— Stanley M. Hoffman

The edition includes program notes, an English singing translation by the composer, the original Hebrew text, a Hebrew singing transliteration and an IPA guide to the Hebrew pronunciation. The congregation or audience can be easily be taught to sing the Chorus sections.
USE: Chanukah services and concerts, seasonal concerts
        • moderately easy
        • temple, school, community, professional choruses

CHANUKAH VOCAL — Voice and Piano

STANLEY M. HOFFMAN [b. 1959]: Mi y’maleil (Who can recount)
• Voice & Piano • #6461 • $1.75 • c. 3:00
See the notes for the SATB version above.

ORCHESTRAL MUSIC — Now Available

Make Way for Ducklings by Daniel Pinkham
• #6129 • $45.00 • c. 24:00

This work for narrator and orchestra was commissioned by Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Charles Ansbacher, Conductor, through a grant from State Street. <www.landmarksorchestra.org>

“The Boston Landmarks Orchestra approached me in 2002 about composing music for the much-loved children’s book Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey. The book, which he both wrote and illustrated, tells the story of two ducks, Mr. and Mrs. Mallard, who fly up to Boston to seek a summer home in which to raise their large family. My task was to illustrate this story in music.”

“Peter and the Wolf by Sergey Prokofiev was my model and point of departure. I was quick to follow the suggestion of Maestro Ansbacher to begin the score by presenting the instruments of the orchestra (as had Prokofiev) to show what characters they represent. Of course the duck had to be represented by the oboe!”

“The orchestra gave twenty-five performances of Make Way for Ducklings in the summer of 2003. Some children in the audience caught the rhythm and did impromptu dances! Subsequently, Maestro Ansbacher recorded both Make Way for Ducklings (with Senator Ted Kennedy as narrator) and Peter and the Wolf (with Cathy Fuller as narrator) with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra.” —Daniel Pinkham

The instrumentation is as follows: Narrator (with microphone), 1-1-1-1, 2-1-1-0, Percussion (1 player), Strings (minimum 4-3-2-2-1). The study score (#6129) is available from the publisher. The conductor’s score and parts are available on rental from the publisher. The narrator’s part is included in the set of parts. This piece is a great choice for family-oriented Pops concerts.

A Christmas Garland by Conrad Susa is now available with full orchestral accompaniment!

Conrad Susa has completed a new orchestration of his perennial Christmas classic. The instrumentation of this version is as follows: 3-3-3-3, 4-3-3-1, Timpani, Percussion (2 players), Harp, Piano (Celesta), Strings (10-8-6-6-3 minimum), SATB Chorus, 3 Male Soloists (Tenor, Baritone, Bass, optional), audience participation in God Rest Ye Merry, We Three Kings, O Come, All Ye Faithful, and Joy to the World. The duration is c. 12:00.

The premier of this version of A Christmas Garland was given by the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and chorus (and audience) under the direction of Vance George at Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, on December 17, 2004.

The conductor’s score and parts are available on rental from the publisher.

ORGAN MUSIC — Now Available

A Christmas Rhapsody by Conrad Susa
• #6405 • $15.00 • c. 6:25

A Christmas Rhapsody for organ solo is a freestanding concert piece drawn from A Christmas Garland (see above). The succession of carols— God Rest Ye Merry, O Come All Ye Faithful, Joy to the World —are presented in an improvisational style and are connected by garlands of bells and sparkles. The accomplished player will welcome the many opportunities for jollity, tender adoration and festive brilliance.