Stephen Smith

Vancouver pianist, composer/arranger, choral conductor, teacher, and writer on music

So Hallowed Is That Time

SM-000523837
ComposerStephen Smith
Lyricist William Shakespeare
PublisherStephen Smith
Genre Classical / Choral music
Instrumentation Piano, Violin, Cello, Female choir
Scored forTrio, Choir
Type of scoreFull score, Parts
Duration 4'45"
LanguageEnglish
Difficulty Advanced
Year of composition 2008
Description:
A piece for SSSAAA choir, violin, cello, and piano, commissioned by Elektra Women's Choir for their 2008 Christmas concert with "Joe Trio." The text is a speech from the first scene of Shakespeare's "Hamlet," about the mysterious phenomena thought to be associated with the season of Christmas: "The bird of dawning singeth all night long... no planets strike, no fairy takes... So hallowed and so gracious is that time."

The piece begins with an instrumental "dawn chorus," incorporating the songs of seven species of birds native to British Columbia, and the rest of the work (taking its pitch material from those seven songs) is imbued with a sense of the magic and mystery that are in the air as Christmas approaches. Elektra's recent recording of the piece, conducted by Morna Edmundson, with violinist Joan Blackman, cellist Rebecca Wenham, and the composer at the piano, can be heard on YouTube at https://youtu.be/MzoUqQkMpZE .

Upload date: 10 May 2021

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