From The Troubadour (Issue 30, Winter 2007-2008):

FROM OUR LIBRARY
Alexis Ervin
Library Committee Chair

One of the ways we acquire new scores for the Carolyn Nielsen Music Library is through our workshops. Last spring the vice-president of our board, music teacher Donita Tompkins, came up with the inspired idea of holding a jazz workshop for teens in conjunction with our annual adult workshop at Kings Landing. This gave us a wonderful excuse to augment our jazz offerings for choirs. And after the Blame It On My Youth choir strutted their stuff in the Ingraham Barn Theatre, many of our adult choristers were heard to say, "Can't we do jazz too?" (We will soon, we promise!) Below are annotations, prepared by Donita Tompkins and Alexis Ervin, on the four scores we purchased for the Blame It On My Youth workshop, now available for loan to NBCF members:

A Jazz Trio
Jay Althouse, SAB
Alfred Publishing Co.

DT: Three tunes perfect for young and developing singers: a light swing number, followed by a traditional vocal jazz ballad and, later, a tight, up-tempo chart. Includes "Swingin' The Night Away," "Nightingale" and "I-95" (which is reminiscent of "Route 66").

AE: Arranged for SAB, these three short jazzy selections feature very easy harmony and rhythm, vocal lines which move together, a simple piano accompaniment.

Stormy Weather
Harold Arlen & Ted Koehler
Arr. Jay Althouse, SATB
Alfred Publishing Co.

DT: Hold onto your hats! This 14-karat swinger pairs "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing" with "Sing, Sing, Sing," for a 1930s melody that's pure gold!

AE: This is a very approachable arrangement for SATB. The harmonies are straightforward but lush and there is a delightful piano accompaniment of only moderate difficulty.

Choo Choo Ch'Boogie
Vaughn Horton, Denver Darling & Milton Gabler
Arr. Kirby Shaw, SATB
Hal Leonard

DT: Here's an exceptional arrangement of this great American standard in a classic, concert-choral style. The arrangement opens and closes with a lush a cappella setting. In between are beautiful harmonies, an unusually tasty piano part and great choral writing.

AE: A lively arrangement in a swing style for SATB. Vocal parts move together and harmonies are fairly simple and repetitive. Rhythms may present a challenge and the piano part is of moderate difficulty.

Java Jive
Milton Drake & Ben Oakland.
Arr. Kirby Shaw, SAB
Hal Leonard

DT: "I love coffee, I love tea ..." People started singing and swinging to this catchy tune decades ago. A total blast from start to finish!

AE: This is a very accessible fun arrangement in a relaxed swing style for SAB. Both harmonies and rhythms are simple, as is the optional piano accompaniment. The melody is shared among the three voice parts and there are several optional harmonies suggested here and there.

For MadriGala, we did something a little different this year. Instead of providing loose photocopies of the workshop music, Dr. Tim Cooper, our clinician, suggested we create our own compilation of the public domain madrigals he'd selected. The result is a handsome 40-page coiled 8 1/2 x 11 (i.e. easy to read!) booklet, which is now part of our permanent library collection. MadriGala 2007 features six English, four French and four Italian madrigals, along with translations by NBCF member Giovanni Merlini and biographical notes on the composers (Jacques Arcadelt, Josquin Des Prez, Orlando di Lasso, and John Dowland, to name but a few).