The title of this years Winter Concert with the Galveston College Choir was "The Sounds of the Season."
The choir performed the 1st half.
* In dulci jubio - Michael Praetorius
(We began our set with a piece from the early Baroque period written in 1609.)
* My Heart is Always Wandering - Sigvald Tveit
(A piece written in 1990 by a Norwegian composer.)
* A Lullaby - Deen E. Entsminger
(Not a piece specifically for Christmas but definitely appropriate since it is about a baby sleeping.)
* Majesty and Glory of Your Name - Tom Fettke
(The next piece has been sung by thousands of church and school choirs throughout the world. A powerful piece that sends shivers through me every time I have sung or conducted this piece.)
* Java Jive - Milton Drake and Ben Oakland
(When it is cold outside, all you want is something hot like coffee and tea. Originally sung by the Ink Spots in 1940 and later sung by the Manhattan Transfer in 1997.)
* All Through the House
(This piece is not your typical performance of the Night before Christmas. This is more like a realistic performance of what happens today in every house on Christmas Eve. It utilises the use of speech choir techniques like saying words instead of singing them and making sound effects like ring or sleeping noises.)
* The Musicological Journey Through the Twelve Days of Christmas - Craig Courtney
(In this piece, each day of Christmas is represented by a different musical time period and is an imitation of a particular composer. After the piece I had the audience try to tell me which the composer was imitated.)
Day 1 from 6th Century Rome was Gregorian Chant.
Day 2 from 15th Century France was Machaut.
Day 3 from 16th Century Italy was Giovanni Palestrina.
Day 4 from 17th Century Italy was Antonio Vivaldi.
Day 5 from 18th Century Germany was George Frideric Handel.
Day 6 from 18th Century Austria was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Day 7 from 19th Century France was Charles Camille Saint-Saëns.
Day 8 from 19th Century Germany was Richard Wagner.
Day 9 from 19th Century Austria was Johann Strauss II.
Day 10 from 19th Century Italy was Gioachino Antonio Rossini.
Day 11 from 19th Century Russia was Peter Tchaikovsky.
And Day 12 from 19th Century USA was John Philip Sousa.
* Mary's Little Boy Chile - Jester Hairston
(The steel band is not the only group that can perform calypso music.)
* The Son of God Has Come Down - Eric D. Sharp
(This piece is an original composition that I composed for the choir and steel band. To my knowledge is the 1st piece originally written specifically for choir and a steel drum band. I also wrote the words of this piece. The piece is in the style of island music and since I composed it here on Galveston Island, it is in the style of Galveston Island Music.)
The Island Steel Drum Band continued with the 2nd half.
* The Hammer - Brad Shores
* The Girl from Ipanema - Eric D. Sharp
* Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Eric D. Sharp
* Winter Wonderland - Eric D. Sharp
* Steeling the Blues - Brad Shores
* The Groove in the Mist - Eric D. Sharp
There were over 100 people at the concert. It was a great concert and both groups sounded incredible. Even the president of the college attended. And of course I had way too much fun.
Posted by Eric at December 3, 2007 8:06 PM