Hymn To Freedom – Oscar Peterson, arr. by Hovi

Title: Hymn To Freedom
Composer/Lyricist: Oscar Petersen, arr. by Seppo Hovi
Publisher: Walton Music Group
Catalogue #: WW1135
JW Pepper Cat. #: SSA (reviewed) 3118130, SATB 3118155
Price: $1.75 SSA, $1.85 SATB
Duration: 2:30
Voicing: SSA (reviewed), SATB
Obligatto: None, but inclusion of jazz trio is recommended
Key: C
Tessitura: Pt. 1: c-e', Pt. 2: c – d', Pt. 3: G-a'. All parts: c-c'
Piano Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Recording Available: http://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/mp3player.jsp?song_url=3118155.mp3&song_title=HYMN%20TO%20FREEDOM&filename=/dbload/C/C_3118155.xml

Notes: Classic music of jazz pianist Oscar Peterson and an inspiring text combine wonderfully in this octavo. Detailed notes (by Doreen Rao) on the inside cover of the octavo provide some illuminating light on the history of the arrangement. It is accessible for older treble choirs – I'd hesitate to add anything other than the descant to the melody with an younger/inexperienced choir. This feels more like a true SSA arrangement, rather than a 3-part as in indicated by the publisher. Middle school and High School treble choirs will be very successful with this.

Rhythmically, there is not much challenge here – no changing meter, written in 4, consisting mostly of eighth notes and quarter notes. The only potentially problematic construction may be the quarter note followed by an eighth note, followed by an eighth note tied to a half note in mm. 8, 16, 24, 32, and 35. It will be problematic only at first sight, as it feels very comfortable in performance.

The part writing is what makes this piece so challenging and appropriate for older/experienced choirs. As written before, this is much more an SSA arrangement than a 3-part arrangement. Fortunately, the melody sings itself and will be mastered very quickly. This could be a problem for younger/inexperienced choirs who do not discriminate parts well. The most obvious areas of concern are the parallel ascending 3rds in mm. 9-10, and 25-26, and the close harmonies in mm 22-24 and 27-40. The third (alto) part goes very low for young adolescent (read: middle school), but if you're in a middle school and are blessed with a group of girls who can sink low into their chest voices, then you should bring the part out proudly! The parallel thirds in descant in mm. 19-20 between Parts 1 and 2 will need some special attention as well. The ending (mm. 36-40) will also require more dedicated rehearsal time than other places. I personally find the a bit cheesy, but that's in keeping with the tone of the piece. As a matter of personal taste, I'd eliminate the piano roll in m. 40 and replace with a good strong chord on the downbeat and another one at the cut-off.

As a final note to educators, the melody is very easily solfeged and the 2nd and 3rd parts allow for exploration of chromatic solfege or can be taught by rote. This also makes a very effective closer for any concert, or a stand-alone piece for special performances for school groups.

Shake the Papaya Down - Dwyer & Walker

Title: Shake the Papaya Down
Composer/Lyricist: Ruth Dwyer & Judith Walker
Publisher: Colla Voce Publishing
Catalogue #: 21-20222
JW Pepper Cat. #: 1925650
Price: $1.55 (as of 8/6/09)
Duration: 2:15
Voicing: 3-part Treble, piano
Obligatto: None
Key: F
Tessitura: c-c'
Piano Difficulty: Easy
Recording Available: None publicly available as of 8/6/09


Notes: This song is on no way meant to be a serious concert piece, and for that reason will probably be immediately popular with the group that performs it! I love a lot of what Colla Voce Publishing puts together and the Henry Leck Choral Series in particular. In this case, the inside cover of the octave lists helpful teaching tips, optional percission parts, etc. - invaluable to a beginning teacher/conductor and for students who are expected to do some learning on their own.

There are very few rhythmic challenges in this piece, as most of it is built from repetition of rhythmic patters - no more difficult than any partner song. The only difference here would be that it is a partner song of 3 partners, not 2. If there is any challenge, it comes in the syncopated rhythm in the 1st part, an the tied rhythms going from the upbeat of beat 2 into the downbeat of beat 3 in both the 2nd and 3rd parts.

Melodically, the song sings itself and is internalized fairly quickly. This can be a problem at the cadences with more than one part, as young/inexperienced singers will likely have a tendancy to stray to a familiar/favorite part instead of holding their own. The 2nd and 3rd parts are very easy for an advanced elementary school or middle school treble or 6th grade chorus to sink their teeth into, and to have some relatively quick success in reading. High School choirs should have no problem performing both parts at sight. The 1st part, however, with its many skips and rapid changes from head to chest voice may require a bit more time to teach effectively, and high school choirs may need a moment or two to look at it before performing it. Putting all 3 parts together may prove a challenge for younger choirs with their tendancy to stray (as stated before), but it shouldn't take long with some preparation on the director's part and careful listening on the singers' parts.

This piece is fantastic for school choirs as an in-depth learning piece or one that needs to be rote-learned quickly for a performance, or for community choris as a "fluff" number that won't require much rehearsal prep.