Two and a half years ago we did a similar-themed concert; one song I chose was "The Girl I Left Behind Me," which was a common fife-and-drum tune from Revolutionary War days. The arranger's name was Vantine (I think); it was published by Curtis Music [Kjos - ed.]. SATB.

I have a great fun "Lo Yisa Goi" (Nation shall not lift up sword against nation), in Hebrew and English...SATB/piano...hot off the press Transcontinental (Hal Leonard)...take a look.

J.A. Kawarsky

Westminster Choir College

Princeton, NJ

I don't know of any arrangements of this title, but there is the song Revolutionary Tea that can be found in some children's and folk song books.  Down by the Riverside is another upbeat song that would fit your theme (and age group).

 

Christina Kennedy

Middlesex Children's Chorale

Westford, MA

How about the Boogie-Woogie Bugle boy of company B?

Hello Jason,

I'm a composer.  I have 2 pieces which might fit well:

We Are All One for SATB & children's chorus, w/ piano accomp.

Love Is! for SATB w/ some solos, esp. Baritone, w/ piano accomp.

Both are knock-out pieces, and fun.

Requires rather good singers.

 

Please let me know if you're interested - I'll send you pdfs of them to review.

 

Yours,

Dwight Stone

pegasuspacificmusic.com

Turn the World Around by Harry Belafonte is not explicitly a peace song but certainly expresses the sentiments of how to find world peace. Very upbeat and uplifting; it can be done with or without a drum; my chorus did it this year and it made a great finale.

Not very intellectual, but "I ain't gonna study war no more" might add something to the mix

Suzanne Tiemstra

sstiemstra(a)sbcglobal.net

Hi Jason... Here's page 1 of a composition I did... It definitely fits the "peace" category and is upbeat... I can e-mail you the whole score if you're interested in using it.

 

My college groups' concert falls on Pearl Harbor day this year, so we, too, are presenting music of war and peace.  Some of our lighter-side numbers include Moses Hogan's Down by the Riverside (simple & straightforward setting, no divisi except for last two chords), Arthur Sullivan's Song of Peace (lends itself well to staging, marching, or general operetta-inspired gestures! - available on CPDL), Abbie Betinis' Jerusalem Luminosa (SA or TB - you can hear it on her website and read her notes about her peace-inspiration), movement 2 "Chief Joseph" from Charles Forsberg's From Where the Sun Now Stands, Phillip Stopford's stunning & simple Lully, Lulla, Lullay (you can hear it and see an excerpt on his website) and there is always the wonderfully victorious "Dona nobis pacem" from Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass (alternatively titled Mass in Troubled Times - we are performing the whole thing, but that last movement would be a great excerpt!).  Hope that helps.

Ed Lojeski's Lo Yisa Goy is terrific.

Thank you for the replies thus far!  I did not state in my request that this would be for a HS grades 9-12.

 

Jason

"Amavolovolo" is a Zulu song that "tells the story of the people who were afraid to go to Kwa-Mashu, the township outside Durban in KwaZulu-Natal because there was so much violence. Amavolovolo is a direct mutation of the English word revolver." It's SATB, a cappella with optional percussion and very fun to sing. My high school ended their fall concert with it last year with all 3 choirs (Freshmen, Concert, and Choral Ensemble) joining together to sing it.

Jason,

 

Somewhere out there is a song called "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition."

 

Brian Clissold, Artistic Director

Fort Wayne Children's Choir

bclissold(a)fwcchoir.org

We did a set called "An Emotional History Tour of the Revolutionary War".  It told both sides and I was afraid it would get too heavy also so added a bit of lightness in the middle.  So not all War and Piece but all the emotions involved

 

British Grenadiers - arr. Rutter

Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ye - Shaw/ Parker - (if you don't know this you should)

My Spirit Sang all Day - Finzi

Island Queen - taken from a DeCormier Set - A Revolutionary Portrait (maybe out of print now) very funny and fun w/ Tea Party references making it timely as well

No Mark - Fissinger

Buttermilk Hill (my arrangement - avail from Hinshaw) uses muster rolls as text under the folk song

Black is the Color of my True Love's Hair - Clausen

Homeland - Stroope

 

We've also done Beat, Beat Drums - V. Williams -  w/ piano 4 hands its doable.  There's a "No More Warfare" by Monteverdi? as well I beileve and certainly lots of "Peace" Songs.  I remember hearing a setting of CSNY's "Find the Cost of Freedom" somewhere but not sure if it was published. 

 

Good Luck

 

Phil