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Chanukah: Kwanzaa/Chanukah repertoireMany thanks to everyone who responded to my query. You are fantastic colleagues! Mary Turner ********** Here is the compilation of all response that I received: I have a 7th and 8th grade chorus for the first time this year. I found a nice "suite" of pieces by Patsy Ford Simms called "Celebrate the Season." The three pieces included are sub-titled "Hanukkah is Here," "King of Kings," and "Let's Celebrate Kwanzaa." The style of each piece is reflective of each tradition. I'm using the 3-part arrangement, but I think there was a 2-part as well. Beth Chapman Broyles Winton Woods Middle School Greenhills, Ohio ***** Here are some that I've been very successful with. I've done all but the Glick and Shur pieces jointly with my choirs aged 6 through high school, and they've loved them. The easiest pieces are "Hanerot Halalu" and "Hanuka Dedication" and they are a lot of fun. The ssaa arrangements by David Eddleman are 4-part canonic ("Round and Round") or very simple "partner song" ("Hanukkah Dedication") styled arrangements. The Glick and Shur pieces are a little more difficult but well within the ability of junior high school singers. All are chosen because musically they stand up well. Hanerot Halalu Baruch Cohen, arr. Blanche Chass 2 pt Mark Foster pno Hanukah Nagilah Linda Spevacek 2-pt Heritage Music Press (Lorenz) 15/1458H pno, opt. tambourine S'Vivon and Candle Lullaby, from "Music for Chanukah" by Srul Irving Glick 2pt 3pt GVT VG-254 piano S'Vivon arr. B. Bertaux 4pt B&H OCTB6193 a cappella Hanukkah Dedication David Eddleman ssaa Kjos ED.6231 pno, tamb Round and Round the Dreydl Spins David Eddleman ssaa Kjos pno Three Songs for Hannukah Traditional, arr. B. Shur ssa Walton 5022 Linda Beaupre labeaupre(a)home.com ***** "The Principles of Kwanzaa (Nguzo Saba)" by Lois Brownsey & Marti Lunn Lantz Alfred Publishing available two part mixed or three part mixed I did the two part last year with my middle school students and the three part with my high school students. It was well received. It has 6 short speaking parts incorporated to explain each of the principles. It does have a sound trax available which I did not purchase. Lynne :>o ***** A piece I have used in both middle school and adult choir is "Hannukah Dance" by David Stocker. It is written in 3 parts (any combination. Each part has its own 8 measure melody which combine after being sung seperately. Very easy to teach and perform. You need a cracker jack pianist, however, as it goes quite quick in 2/2. Craig C. Hawkins Director Endwell (NY) Community Chorus craigchawkins(a)usa.net ***** 1. Eight Bright Candles, Weintraub, arr. Merman, Shawnee Press (SAB) -- nice piece for 7th-8th chorus 2. Bashana Haba-a, Hirsh, arr. Leck (Boosey & Hawkes?) (SA) is not Hanukah but New Year related so it could work in a program like this. (J. Leavitt also has a decent arrangement for SAB & SATB) 3. Here In My House, Shader, Thedore Presser, Pub. (SA/2 Part) partner song with Christmas and Hanukkah text. All groups I have done this with like it a lot (even my adult choir) Very easy to put together. Linda Saripalli Music Department Johnson Middle School 111 Robbins Road Walpole, MA 02081 Tel. 508-660-7242 Fax 508-660-7240 Email lsaripal(a)jms.walpole.ma.us ***** I hope this is of help. Yelton Rhodes Music's Hanukkah and Kwanzaa music is some of our best selling music. Kwanzaa Joseph Jenning "Harambee" for mixed or treble or men's voices and percussion Ginger Starling "Kwanzaa Spirit" for mixed chorus and piano Hanukkah Lot's of selections from Yelton Rhodes Music, see the following links: YRM New Releases for the spirit http://www.yrmusic.com/nsptitles/cat2000nspcontent.html Other music for Hanukkah http://www.yrmusic.com/catalog/topic/hanukkah/hanukkahcontent.html YRM Website: http://www.yrmusic.com/ We also have just received a new piece by Scott Henderson entitled "Flames of Faith" for SATB which is not yet in the catalog but could be made available should there be a call for it. Roger Bourland Yelton Rhodes Music Publishers (BMI) Barton Rhodes Press (ASCAP) PO Box 46249 Los Angeles, CA 90046 www.yrmusic.com 323 848-2021 (voice) 323 650-1875 (fax) bourland(a)yrmusic.com ***** There is a contemporary Hanukkah piece composed by Robert Evans Holmes called "Beams of Gentle Light" which is absolutely lovely. The most common arrangement is SATB, but the melody line is consistent and could certainly be sung as a unison piece. *** My wife is Linda Spevacek. I showed her your message and she gave me two of her titles that may be of interest. I have included the JW Pepper link for the first so that you may see the first two pages of the music and listen to the music. Hanukkah Nagilah, 2 Part - Heritage Music Press 15/1458H http://www.jwpepper.com/pdf/3192945.pdf http://www.jwpepper.com/ram/3192945.ram Joy Of Hanukkah, 2 Part - Heritage Music Press 15/1220H Warren Avery for Linda Spevacek Spevacek.Productions(a)azwest.net *** Ocho Kandelikas Haneyros Halawlu Hanukah Tarantella are all available in SA arrangements from HaZamir Publications at Transcontinental Music Publ. http://www.uahc.org/transmp/ HaNeiros Halawlu (We Light the Menorah) Louis Lewandowski Medium: SA, Organ Language: Hebrew /English 'A Hymn for Chanukah' No. 982069 $1.50 Polansky, David/Jacobson, Joshua, arr. Hannukah Tarantella Medium: 2 Part Choir, Piano Language: English No. 982083 $2.75 Ocho Kandelikas (8 Little Candles) (SA) Flory Jagoda Medium: Solo (Med), SA, Guitar Language: Ladino 'Ladino song for Chanukah' No. 982070 $1.75 -- Josh Jacobson jrj(a)neu.edu *** There's several lists of Hanukah (spelled Chanukah) music on ChoralNet: click on Repertoire, then Lists, then Other Occasions. Some of it is bound to be suitable for your ensemble. If you do get an extensive list (especially of Kwanzaa stuff, though I doubt there is much), send a summary to me (or post to Choralist) and I'll put it on ChoralNet. Allen H Simon VP for Website Development ChoralNet Inc. http://choralnet.org allen(a)choralnet.org *** Shawnee Press has a unison/2-part setting of HANUKKAH, O HANUKKAH by Edwin T. Childs. It's easy and works well for kids. *** >Not Kwanza but African Allunde Alluia set by Margerite duGard perfectly lovely lullaby (I always made it part of my Winter concert, kept everybody happy. >I just love Hanerot Halalu by Baruch Cohen arr Blanche Chass Mark Foster (so did my students). *** I teach at a Catholic school, so Hannukah music isn't an issue for me... however, as a Jewish student in middle and high school, I was somewhat sensitive about the Hannukah songs chosen. I really did NOT like pieces (don't know composer) entitled "Hannukah, Holiday of the Heart" and "Light the Candles of Freedom" as they struck me as songs written in a Christmas style or pop style with Hannukah lyrics. I would recommend arrangements of more traditional songs such as "Mi Yemalel" (an English version should be available "Who Can Retell" easily done in a 2 part round, highly recommended), or perhaps a beautiful song called "Ner Li." I suppose that's my best advice, err on the side of traditional Hannukah songs rather than the songs that were clearly written for the specific purpose of being performed by choirs that were looking for a token Hannukah song to throw into a Christmas concert. Even doing a traditional Hebrew piece that isn't specifically for Hannukah strikes me as better than the latter possibility. *** We have a few things that seem to fit your criteria - and that others have enjoyed using. One is Zol Zain Sholem, an eastern European song in Yiddish that is in a sort of call-and-response, solo/chorus style with vampy piano (feels a bit like Klezmer music) - the words are easy, and various suggested Chanukah phrases can be fit into the appropriate spots. VTS#24A $1. For Kwanzaa, you could use the South African song, Somagwaza, which is a coming of age song - has three simple interlocking parts, a cappella. VTS#07 $1, or, my arrangement of Yonder Come Day (based on a Georgia Sea Islands spiritual), also a cappella, three VERY EASY parts that encourage audience participation on the melody. VTS#10 $1. Judith Cook Tucker, Publisher World Music Press Intercultural Understanding through Music www.worldmusicpress.com WMPress(a)aol.com ***** My favorite Hanukkah choral selection is: Al Shlosha D'varim - 2-part treble by Alan Naplan. I believe it is published by Boosey & Hawkes. It is gorgeous. -Denise Baccadutre Moriarty High School Choral Department Moriarty, NM bac(a)swcp.com |
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