Stephen Smith
Vancouver pianist, composer/arranger, choral conductor, teacher, and writer on music
So Hallowed Is That Time
SM-000523837
Composer | Stephen Smith |
Lyricist
|
William Shakespeare |
Publisher | Stephen Smith |
Genre |
Classical / Choral music |
Instrumentation |
Piano, Violin, Cello, Female choir |
Scored for | Trio, Choir |
Type of score | Full score, Parts |
Duration |
4'45" |
Language | English |
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