Treble Clef Music Press Catalogue, 1999-2000

All pieces marked with the symbol are new this year.
For a biographical note on each composer, click on the composer's name.

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Adam Lay I-bounden......TC-123......$1.50
Katherine Dienes

Exciting rhythms for the singers and descending pedal scales for the organist give this setting great vitality. Especially suitable for a Service of Lessons and Carols.
SA and organ. Medium.

The Animals' Carol......TC-124......$1.80
Felicity Williams

The animals sing antiphonal questions and answers (in Latin) about what is happening in Bethlehem, with an exceptionally evocative piano part. Winner, 1989 Carol Writing Competition, Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto.
SA, two soprano solos, and piano. Easy.

Ave Maria......TC-135......$1.10
Katherine Dienes

This short gem of a setting has drones, chant fragments, and overlapping "ora pro nobis" figures which evoke the sounds of a medieval convent. Latin.
SSAA a cappella. Medium.

Ave verum......TC-116......$1.10
Katherine Dienes

Choral phrases end on sustained sixth chords, forming a background for soprano and alto solos in octaves. Subtle rhythmic groupings of quarter and eighth notes declaim the text beautifully. Chosen for the 1997 ACDA National Convention women's chorus reading session.
SSAA, soprano and alto solo a cappella. Medium.

Castitatis thalamum (Marriage bed of chastity)......TC-111......$1.10
Anonymous (c. 1300)

This lively 13th-century conductus from the Las Huelgas manuscript, with added optional percussion parts, makes a very effective processional. Mary is the "marriage bed of chastity" sought by God the Father for bearing the Son.
SA a cappella (optional percussion). Easy.

The Christ-Child Lay in Mary's Lap......TC-113......$1.10
Edith Borroff

The text by G.K. Chesterton expresses the physical closeness of mother and child, and the wonder of the observer, in a setting with gentle, rocking rhythms and rich harmonies.
SSA a cappella. Medium.

A Christmas Alleluia ("Mary, What You Going to Name That Pretty Little Baby")......TC-139......$1.50
arranged by Undine Smith Moore

Antiphonal choirs and a small unison chant group exchange alleluias, while the soloist sings the melody of this spiritual written for the Spelman College Choir in 1971.
SSAA/SSAA, unison chant group, and soprano solo, a cappella. Medium.

Christmas is Coming......TC-122......$1.50
arranged by Lana Walter

The traditional round, "Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat" is set over a charmingly goofy three-part scat choral accompaniment. Soprano I section, or a guest children's chorus, can sing the round.
SSA & 2-part treble melody chorus a cappella. Easy.

Christus natus hodie.....TC-154.....$1.30
Lana Walter

Bouncy 6/8 to 3/4 metric changes, unified by an ascending figure in the short keyboard interludes, make this joyful Christmas piece a fine concert opener. Suitable for church use as well, the text is a metric version of the Christmas antiphon, "Hodie Christus natus est" ("Christ is born today").

Congratulamini mihi, omnes (Rejoice with me)......TC-110......$1.50
Jakob Handl

"Rejoice with me, all ye who love the Lord" is the beginning of the text, expressing Mary's joy in a first-person responsory text incorporating parts of the Magnificat. This sturdy polyphonic setting concludes with an exultant homophonic section in triple meter.
SSAA a cappella. Medium.

Da pacem Domine (Give Peace in Our Time, O Lord).....TC-159.....$1.00
Håkan Olsson

This powerful plea for peace makes a fine invocation, or opening selection for a concert dedicated to issues of nonviolence, war and peace. Easier than it appears, its clear tonal center provides a firm footing for introducing techniques such as sudden harmonic changes and gradually built tone clusters. Sung by the Peninsula Women's Chorus, Dr. Patricia F. Hennings, Director, at the 1992 Western Division ACDA convention in Honolulu, this piece is exceptionally rewarding for both singers and audience.

Done Foun' My Los' Sheep......TC-108......$1.10
arranged by Marylou India Jackson

This quiet and gentle setting is a showcase for your soprano soloist, with the chorus singing background chords and alleluias throughout. The text is on the parable of the lost sheep--excellent for church use.
SSAA and soprano solo a cappella. Easy/Medium.

Down by the Salley Gardens.....TC-163.....$1.30
arranged by Michael Cleveland

This frankly sentimental Irish ballad of long-lost love has appealing double descants, independent four-part writing for a full soprano and alto range, yummy harmonies and voicing, and an irresistible choral cadenza which imitates the easy movement of the waving grass. Regretful but never self-pitying, the Yeats poem concludes, "But I was young and foolish, and now am full of tears."

Dum Dianae vitrea (When Diana's silver light)......TC-112......$1.50
Mabel Wheeler Daniels

Both sound and sense of the Carmina Burana text on the restful loveliness of moonrise are beautifully set in this lyrical, technically strong piece, first published in 1942.
SSA a cappella. Medium.

Elinor Wylie: Incantations
Alice Parker

Mirroring the poems they set, these pieces express a rare depth of emotion through spare choral textures. Demanding—and rewarding—parts for piano and clarinet.
For SA (some divisi), piano, and clarinet. Medium difficulty.

I. Incantation......TC-131......$1.30

A driving 7/8 piano ostinato heightens the musical tension of antiphonal invocations of darkness and light.

II. Nameless Song......TC-132......$1.30

"My heart is cold and weather-worn": heavy chromatic chords in the piano underlie choral appoggiaturas in parallel movement, expressing sorrow and loss.

III. Fair Annet's Song......TC-133......$1.30

Arpeggiated passages in contrary motion for piano and clarinet, and scattered choral melodies, express fleeting nature: "One thing comes and another thing goes."

IV. Madman's Song......TC-134......$1.70

Galloping rhythms portray the lure of the hunt, and the urge to follow and "hallo, hallo," in this paean to impulsive action.

Elizabeth's "Ave"......TC-141......$1.50
Lana Walter

The "Ave Maria" text has interpolations (tropes) from a 12th century manuscript. The "benedictus fructus" words (from Elizabeth's greeting to Mary at the Visitation) and the lively rhythms express Elizabeth's joy in greeting her pregnant cousin, as the infant John the Baptist leaps in her womb.
SSA and keyboard. Medium.

Exite Sion filiae (Go Forth, Daughters of Zion)......TC-145......$1.90
Carl Czerny (1791-1857)

A setting of a hymn text on Jesus' crown of thorns, this largely homophonic setting, by a composer most known for his piano exercises, is beautifully grave and dignified. Suitable for Lent. Latin, with full translation.
SSAA a cappella. Easy/Medium.

Flow Gently, Sweet Afton......TC-126......$1.50
arranged by Lana Walter

A lyrical setting of this Robert Burns text, with sensitively drawn rhythmic interest in the piano part.
SSA, optional alto solo, piano. Easy.

Hodie (on a text by Hildegard of Bingen)......TC-127......$1.90
Naomi Stephan

Strong rhythms, a wide range, unusual voicing, and the use of open fifths and medieval cantus firmus and tone painting techniques give this piece its unique excitement. A major contribution to the literature for women's voices.
SSSAA and two soprano solos a cappella. Medium/Difficult.

Housekeeper's Tragedy......TC-109......$1.50
arranged by Hermene Eichhorn

Every chorus needs a silly song, and this North Carolina folk song is it: a jaunty tune, passed from part to part, chronicles the struggles of the grime-fighting housewife who finally "lay down and died and was buried in dirt." Audiences really enjoy this one!
SSA, soprano and alto solo, and piano. Easy.

How Do I Love Thee?......TC-143......$1.90
Nathan Christensen

Elizabeth Barrett Browning meets Mae West in this swing setting of the immortal love poem, paraphrased by the composer. "Boh-doo" and "wah-wah" scat passages put an original spin on this text, and bring the house down when it is performed with gusto. Winner of the Diva Complex 1996 Composition Contest.
SSAA a cappella. Medium.

I Sing of a Maiden.....TC-164.....$1.00
 Jennifer Bennett

"He came al so still," repeats the 15th century English text, and this gentle setting, largely in unison, evokes the awed quiet of Christmas night. A deceptively simple minor melody, with eighth-note syncopations, floats over triplets in the spare texture of the accompaniment. Winner of honorable mention in the 1998 Amadeus Choir Christmas Carol and Chanukah Song Writing Competition, Toronto, Ontario.

Jesu, dulcis memoria (Jesus, the very thought of thee)......TC-148......$1.50
Michael Cleveland

This mellifluous setting is achingly sweet but never sappy, with distinctive writing for all parts and an independent keyboard accompaniment. An unusually good match of a12th century hymn text (known in English as "Jesus, the very thought of thee") and its musical setting. Latin, with full translation.
SSAA and keyboard. Medium.

Joshua Fit de Battle of Jericho......TC-107......$1.10
arranged by Marylou India Jackson

Your second altos will love this setting--they get the melody in the refrain, and lots of low f's during the verses. The strong rhythms of this setting will energize your chorus!
SSAA and soprano solo a cappella. Easy/Medium.

Joys Seven......TC-146......$1.90
arranged by James Laster

"The first great joy that Mary had," begins this counting carol on a traditional English tune. The varied verse settings in this charming arrangement are unified by a short, repeated keyboard interlude. This setting is just right for a service of lessons and carols.
SSA and keyboard. Easy.

Les sirènes (The Sirens)......TC-115......$1.90
Lili Boulanger (1893-1918)

The sea creatures whose irresistible singing lures sailors onto the rocks, boast of their deadly beauty in this impressionistic setting of a French text. "We are the loveliness that charms the strongest..." Chosen for the 1997 ACDA National Convention women's chorus reading session.
SSA, SAA[or T] semi-chorus, and soprano solo with piano. Medium.

Listen to the Angels Shouting.....TC-165.....$2.10
arranged by Clifton J. Noble, Jr.

This arrangement is a medley of three spirituals: "Come down, angels," "Listen to the angels," and "My way's cloudy," all from The Story of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, one of the earliest printed collections of slave spirituals. In all three, angels are the heavenly messengers who inspire and lead the singers out of bondage into the promised land.
In this arrangement, the angels are not dimpled cherubs, but rather towering figures who energize the singers in their difficult and dangerous journey. Swing rhythm sections alternate with softer sections in straight rhythm, in this fine concert closer with barn-burning piano accompaniment.
The spirituals' Exodus imagery makes this medley suitable for Passover programming, as well as for concerts which honor slave spirituals.

Little Dove......TC-138......$1.90
Elizabeth Raum

This romantic, Schubertian song tells of a dove who, in her flight, sees both the world's suffering and the power of singing to heal it: "Oh, how the music melts the sadness!" Strophic, with metric and major/minor key changes, this setting lingers in the ear.
SSAA and piano. Easy/Medium.

Magnificat.....TC-161.....$1.90
Jeanne E. Shaffer

This setting of the Canticle of Mary is suitable for both church and concert use. A refrain in 5/4 time on the antiphon "for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant" unifies the structure and lends the piece much of its rhythmic vitality and interest. The harmonies—largely diatonic but with some chromatic clashes—are mature, but do not overwhelm the text.
Liturgical use: Evensong; Advent; Annunciation; Feast of the Visitation (May 31).

The Maid on the Shore......TC-142......$1.90
Stella Goud

This new setting of a Newfoundland folk song text relates the tale of a young woman, abducted by sailors, who outwits and escapes them, and steals their gold. It begins and ends with bagpipe-like choral drones. Singers will enjoy the different accompaniment figures as the modal melody is passed from one part to another. Finalist in the Diva Complex 1996 Composition contest.
SSAA, high bongo, and tambourine. Medium.

Malolo (Lullaby on a Samoan text).....TC-158.....$1.10
Annea Lockwood

Mellifluous Samoan lull words, like "manulele" (bird) and "suamalie" (sweet), are the basis for this hypnotic lullaby of repeated and recombined pentatonic patterns. Accessible to average choirs, this piece, with its subtle rhythmic interest and carefully crafted dynamic changes, is rewarding for more advanced choirs as well.

A Midsummer Night's Dream: Fairy Songs.....TC-157.....$1.80
Alice Parker

  1. Lullaby for Titania ("You spotted snakes")
  2. Oberon's Blessing ("Now until the break of day")

These deceptively simple pieces are perfect for use as teaching pieces, and as incidental music for a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare's comedy of the fairies' enchantment of two pairs of noble lovers and of Bottom the weaver.
As teaching pieces, their pentatonic melodies, limited range, and use of repetition and canon make them ideally suited to Kodaly techniques. Their rhythmic clarity makes them a good vehicle for simple choreography, and the recorder parts can be played by onstage musicians.

Miserere mei, Deus (Have mercy on me, O Lord).....TC-149.....$1.80
from Miserere in D Minor
Johann Adolph Hasse (1699-1783), edited by Ralph Hunter

In this opening movement from a major baroque work from the Venetian ospedali repertoire, the choir's sustained, mostly homophonic chords are interwoven with angular chromatic lines in the upper strings. The lower strings and continuo support this texture with detached repeated chords, to make a rich texture of complementary independent parts. Edited by Ralph Hunter from the composer's autograph manuscript, this piece was sung by the 1999 ACDA National Women's Honor Choir in Chicago.

Instrumental parts:

My Girls: Three songs on poetry by Lucille Clifton
Gwyneth Walker
SSA a cappella.

  1. This Morning.....TC-151.....$1.80
    "A bright girl, a jungle girl, shining quick as a snake" is the gutsy narrator of this morning song of bold greeting. The voices have strong, syncopated rhythmic figures on "nn" and "la" sounds, and slide upward on "girl" for well-crafted—and enjoyable—instrumental effects.

  2. To My Girls.....TC-152.....$1.50
    "I command you to be good runners," the poet tells her four graceful, nearly grown daughters. Reflective homophonic sections tell the mother's hopes. They alternate with ostinato patterns of simmering energy, reflecting the dancing excitement of four girls ready to burst forth, out into the world.

  3. Sisters.....TC-153.....$2.10
    The most percussive of the set, this "can't wait to do this" piece features schoolyard-style partnered handclap patterns for singers in pairs. That's in addition to finger snaps, and cymbal, brush, and sticks-on-the-rim vocal percussion effects, all painting a lively picture of the "very same place" that "you and me," sisters, come from.

O frondens virga (O branch, coming into leaf)......TC-144......$1.90
Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)

This new edition of Hildegard's antiphon places it in its liturgical context, pairing it with a plainchant "Magnificat" (included in this edition by William Flynn). The reprise of the antiphon has an optional added voice in organum, reflecting medieval performance practice. Latin, with full translation and historical and performance notes. In honor of Hildegard's 900th birthday.
Unison (antiphonal) a cappella. Easy/Medium.

The Old Woman in a Basket......TC-147......$1.50
arranged by Lana Walter

The lilting setting reflects the happy-go-lucky nonsense of the text: "There was an old woman who lived in a basket seventy times as high as the moon." Traditional words and tune.
SSA and piano. Easy.

O Regem coeli (O King of Heaven)......TC-130......$1.80
Victoria, Tomás Luis de (1548-1611)

This loveliest of all Christmas motets for upper voices, long out of print in the U.S., is newly edited from the original print of 1572, with literal word-by-word and prose translations and keyboard reduction.
SSAA a cappella. Medium.

Out in the City (Songs of the City, No. 2)......TC-137......$1.90
Anthony Ritchie

A "Cries of London" for right now, this bouncy boogie-woogie praises city sights, sounds, and smells: neon lights, the bus conductor's call, and the inviting smells from take-away restaurants. "It's the city life for me!" SA, piano, flute, and cello. Easy/Medium.

Instrumental parts:

Petite Mass......TC-140......$2.50
Lana Walter

This Latin setting of the Kyrie, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei (and parts of the Gloria and Credo) works beautifully for both church and concert use. Its modest scale serves well at a Mass or service of Holy Communion, and its interesting harmonies, metric structure, and texture make the work stand well alone. Take it on tour!
SSA a cappella. Medium.

Poor Wayfaring Stranger......TC-114......$1.10
arranged by Lee Bratton

This texture of this setting evokes the longing to go "over Jordan, over home" with its effective use of octaves, and of chords blossoming out from unisons to wide voicings and back again.
SSAA and soprano solo a cappella. Easy/Medium.

The Quangle Wangle's Hat......TC-125......$1.80
Felicity Williams

Chorus members play small percussion to represent the flock of imaginary animals who come to roost on the Quangle-Wangle's hat. While this piece was written for school children, adult women have been known to argue, "No, I wanna be the Fimble Fowl!" Fun for chorus and audience.
SA, piano, and percussion. Very easy.

Ronde du crépuscule (Round dance at twilight).....TC-166.....$2.10
Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944)

"Ronde du crépuscule," first published in 1909, is a fine example of the effortless, buoyant charm which characterizes Chaminade's music. The text tells the story of the fairy Queen Mab and her unnamed lover, kissing at twilight at the edge of the wood. Attendant elves dance and sing praises of their love.
The choral parts are easy, the soaring solo is just made for a soprano who loves to get up on a "g" and hold it, and the ripply piano part is showy without being terribly difficult. This piece is a treat for you and your choir.

Sea Visions......TC-121......$1.90
Daniel E. Gawthrop

The central poem, by Madeleine L'Engle, depicts Neptune as a Sea Bishop who blesses all the creatures of sea and land. Gawthrop's vocally grateful text setting is particularly strong here, with occasional imitative entrances.
SSAA a cappella. Medium.

Shaker Suite (three Shaker spirituals).....TC-162.....$2.10
arranged by Nina Gilbert

  1. Oh, the Beautiful Treasure
  2. We Will Walk with Mother and Mourn
  3. Hop Up and Jump Up

Explore the American heritage of Shaker hymnody with these three settings of lesser-known, very appealing Shaker spirituals.
Each brief setting grows from its underlying melody to make an exceptionally unified arrangement. With a different technique as the focus for each arrangement, these minute-long pieces make fine vocalises for your choir. "Oh the beautiful treasure," with its square rhythms, horn calls, and harmonic texture opening out and closing, is excellent for teaching chord tuning. "We will walk with Mother and mourn," with its smooth, stepwise, rising and falling melody, is a fine exercise for legato singing. "Hop up and jump up," with its crisp rhythms and phrase fragments tossed from part to part, calls for rhythmic clarity and clean entrances and cutoffs.
 From the Nina Gilbert Choral Series

Shenandoah.....TC-156.....$1.30
arranged by William Lycan

The haunting melody is variously placed against pedal points, with unison phrase closings, in the alto line, and at close imitation, to give the acoustic feeling of the singers' listening and longing for the sound of the beloved.

Silent Night.....TC-155.....$1.00
arranged by Katherine Dienes

This full, yet gentle setting of the beloved Christmas hymn is perfect for a candlelight service or quiet concert closer. The low, rocking chords of the background choral parts are the same for all three stanzas. Interest is built by the addition of a second-stanza solo and third-stanza descants. Experiment with assigning the descants to instruments, or with supporting or replacing the lower voices with organ.

Songs of Sunrise
Ethel Smyth (1858-1944)

1. Laggard Dawn......TC-102......$1.10

"Sisters, the poor and friendless need you..." An elegaic song of keeping hope alive during the long struggle for women's suffrage, first published in 1911. Lovely horn calls in paired voices, with an effective chromatic coda.
SSA a cappella. Easy.

3. The March of the Women......TC-101......$1.10

"Shout! Shout! Up with your song!" The battle anthem of the British women's suffrage movement, this stirring piece expresses women's strength and solidarity in wider struggles, "shoulder to shoulder and friend to friend." First published in 1911.
SSA and piano. Easy.

Spring Pastoral: Lisa......TC-128......$1.30
Mary Howe (1882-1964)

"Lisa, go dip your long white hands/In the cool waters of that spring..." The "evanescent dreaminess" (Mrs. Howe's words) of the text are set in an impressionistic style, with repeated evocations of "Lisa, Lisa" by the chorus. First published in 1936.
SSA and piano. Medium.

Suo Gân (traditional Welsh lullaby)......TC-129......$1.40
arranged by Thomas Edward Morgan

Lush voicing and the subtle rhythmic texture of the choral accompaniment highlight the simple appeal of the ageless tune. With full Welsh text and phonetic rendition underlaid in the score, and word-by-word and prose translations.
SSAA (much divisi) and soprano solo a cappella. Easy.

Three Shakespeare Songs, Op. 39
Amy Beach (1867-1944)

Clear-textured settings of the fairies' songs from A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Tempest, these songs are lavishly effective in their text setting, harmony, rhythm, and dynamics. The beauty of sound of women's voices shines through these pieces. First published in 1897.
SSAA a cappella. Medium difficulty.

Over Hill, over Dale, No. 1......TC-104......$1.10

Come unto These Yellow Sands, No. 2......TC-105......$1.10

Through the House Give Glimmering Light, No. 3......TC-106......$1.70

Tragico tecti syrmate (Clothed with Tragic Robes).....TC-160.....$2.10
Orlando di Lasso (1532-1594)

This angels' lament for the destruction of a city is the crown of Renaissance music for upper voices. While each of the largely syllabic parts is independent, together they interweave in a stately harmonic rhythm, conveying both the dignity of formal mourning, and the richness of the city and its people that are no more. The text, with its images of ice, fire, smoke, and wind-borne ash, is chilling in its prescience of nuclear winter, and in its evocation of past and present wars.
This piece may be appropriately programmed for concerts centered around issues of peace and war, or commemorating the Holocaust or the bombing of Hiroshima.

Übers Gebirg' Maria geht (O'er Judah's Hills, from Nazareth).....TC-150.....$1.60
Johannes Eccard (1553-1611), arranged by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

This charming, canzonet-style motet was arranged by the young Brahms for his Hamburg women's choir in the late 1850's. The strophic text is based on the account in Luke 1 of Mary's visitation to Elizabeth. Both text and music convey the cousins' joy at seeing one another; the refrain paraphrases the Magnificat.
This piece was a favorite of the Hamberg women's choir, performed many times as its members, also, gathered to sing joyfully.
Liturgical use: Advent; Feast of the Visitation, May 31.

Virgines Prudentes (O ye wise maidens)......TC-120......$1.50
Jakob Handl

This very easy double chorus piece, with Chorus I-II echoes, is a wonderful introduction to the world of more than four parts. The text, based on the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, is suitable for Advent. Chosen for the 1997 ACDA National Convention women's chorus reading session.
SSAA/SSAA (double chorus) a cappella. Easy.

Wedding Day (Songs of the City, No. 1)......TC-136......$1.50
Anthony Ritchie

A little girl pretends she is dressed in her mother's wedding gown. With her dandelion bouquet and tiara of daisies she welcomes her imaginary guests in this nostalgic hesitation waltz setting.
SA, piano, flute, and cello. Easy.
Instrumental parts:

Women on the Plains: Three Canadian Folk Songs
 arranged by Alice Parker

1. Old Grandma......TC-117......$1.50

Vigorous hemiola rhythms paint the picture of the endlessly busy woman pioneer, the loyal helpmeet to Grandpa, as she works through her staggering list of chores. "It's no wonder Grandma's hair turned gray!"
SSAA and piano. Easy/medium.

2. Away, Far down the River (Adieu de la mariée)......TC-118......$1.40

The pioneer bride bids farewell to her parents as she prepares to go West, leaving everything she knows. This haunting setting has lovely birdcall effects in the accompaniment.
SSA and piano. Easy.

3. Punching the Dough......TC-119......$1.50

This pioneer wife speaks for every exasperated woman who knows that "shooting out biscuits" takes more gumption than shooting out windows and lights! Energetic syncopations will keep you on your toes.
SSAA and piano. Easy/medium.

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