I asked Jed to share a few titles for men from his area of expertise and he more than met the challenge. I hope that you enjoy considering more great titles for your male choir in our continuing series! –Susan
I am pleased to share the men’s repertoire I used during my recent European Tour with the Rockford Aces. They earned gold and silver medals for their performances at the 2014 World Choir Games in Riga, Latvia and are currently ranked by Interkultur among the top-50 male choruses worldwide. Each competition set consisted of four pieces; however, one of the pop pieces is my manuscript arrangement of “Runaround Sue” that is not available due to copyright restrictions.
CLASSICAL SET
Sing Dem Herrn
Michael Praetorius, Arr. Wallace DePue
Two to Five Voices, Any Combination, Alfred Publishing Co. SV8640
Difficulty level: 2
Ranges: TI: D3-G4; TII:D3-D4; BI: D3-D4; BII: G2-D4
This is a familiar and popular processional for many men’s choruses, and for good reason. It fits well in male voices and gives you a chance to work with the ensemble on unison singing and become comfortable singing independently from tho around you. With just 14 members in the group last year, my students were quite successful at singing it powerfully with only 2 or 3 people per canon part.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ce5bYj6haE
Cindy
Traditional American, Arr. Alice Parker
TTBB (brief T2 divisi), SBMP 1215
Difficulty level: 3
Ranges: TI: D3-A4; TII:D3-F4; BI:C3-D4; BII:F2-D4
I am so proud to be able to recommend this piece to men’s choirs around the world, having been the solo group with permission to perform it for the last year. The Rockford Aces commissioned and premiered this new work from Alice Parker, and it surpassed our dreams. Alice’s decades of experience writing for voices shows in this piece, which sat perfectly in all voice parts. It displays her trademark writing style, with great linear writing for all parts and clever twists on every page. I believe it should become a standard of the male choir repertory.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvIHeXRH2C4
Frobisher Bay
James Gordon, Arr. Diane Loomer
TTBB + Solo, Cypress Choral Music CP1115
Difficulty level: 3
Ranges: TI: Bb2-Eb4; TII:Bb2-Eb4; BI: Bb2-C4; BII: Eb2-C4
This is a powerful Canadian ballad written from the perspective of a 19th century whaler. At roughly six minutes duration, it challenges the stamina of young singers, but the payoff is worth it – the repeated chorus beginning “cold is the Arctic sea…” lulls audiences into a trance and has consistently given both singers and audiences a profound emotional experience. I have added some very slight staging elements to accentuate the emotional content and tend to conduct it from the side so my students can have a direct connection with their audience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH7y4RrTkDw
Dúlamán
Michael McGlynn
TBB + solo, Self Published
Difficulty level: 3
Ranges: TI: D3-E4; BI: A2-B3; BII: A2-E3
Michael McGlynn writes wonderfully for the male voice and this is probably his most popular piece, having been performed by Chanticleer and Cantus among many other groups. It is fun to sing and sounds quite impressive. But fortunately the hardest part of this piece is the Gaelic pronunciation. Once your ensemble gets a handle on that, and provided you have soloists willing to go the extra mile, the mixed meter and modal approach are relatively easy to master.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMVGsQsiNl8
POP SET
Little Lion Man
Mumford & Sons, Arr. Deke Sharon
TTBB + solo, contemporary a cappella publishing 00121038
Difficulty level 3
Ranges: TI: C4-G4; TII: F3-D4; BI: E3-Bb3; BII: F2-D3 (Middle C being C4)
A straightforward version of the great rock-folk song by a cappella king Deke Sharon. It’s relatively easy to get off the page, and stylistically approachable for students who speak this musical language. Note the arrangement has already expunged the frequent f-bombs to make it perfectly appropriate at the high school level.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PucDg6QljAE
Lullabye
Billy Joel, arr. Philip Lawson
TTBB, Hal Leonard 08751288
Difficulty level 4
Ranges: TI: G3-G4; TII: E3-D4; BI: C3-Bb3; BII: Eb2-A3 (Middle C being C4)
Unquestionably one of the finest pop arrangements Lawson wrote for The King’s Singers, “Lullabye” conveys all the emotion and power of the Billy Joel original. This transcription for TTBB works perfectly well. Some of the unexpected harmonies will give your students a stretch, particularly if they lean on their ears rather than the notation. When learned, it breathes beautifully and connects deeply with students.
http://www.choir-tv.com/video/The-Rockford-Aces-Lullabye/9df326c34dc58751394fbc8e7c60a834
Some Nights
fun., Arr. Andy Beck
TTBB, Alfred 39919
Difficulty level 4
Ranges: TI: G3-E5; TII: G3-A4; BI: D3-C4; BII: F2-A3 (Middle C being C4)
You’re going to need a tenor. Actually, several tenors comfortable above the staff for solo work and upper divisi. This arrangement is shortened from the fun. original, but is otherwise faithful to the familiar pop version. As with much pop material, a challenge is to get the students to sing with fidelity to the musical details: my students knew the song so well that it impeded their learning of the arrangement. Challenges include tone and range, but with those things mastered, it’s a great closer for a pop set and is sure to get a rousing reaction from an audience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4GqULpNIQU
Jed Scott is an active freelance composer and arranger, with particular interests in vocal jazz, contemporary a cappella, and traditional choral music. A number of his arrangements are published by UNC Jazz Press and Sound Music Publications, leading independent jazz presses. His vocal music is performed throughout the United States by top vocal jazz and choral ensembles.
Jed is an alumnus of the University of Miami with a Master of Music Degree in Studio Jazz Writing. He received bachelor degrees in music and Latin from Western Michigan University.
As a conductor, Jed founded the Rockford Aces, a small extracurricular men’s ensemble he founded at Rockford High School, in 2008. The Aces have twice been selected as Michigan Youth Arts Festival (MYAF) Finalists through Michigan School Vocal Music Association (MSVMA) Solo & Ensemble (2010 & 2014) and have earned Gold and Silver medals at the 2012 & 2014 World Choir Games. They have recorded three CDs, the most recent of which will be released in spring, 2015.
Jed currently serves ACDA-Michigan as Repertory and Standards Chair of Vocal Jazz and MSVMA as the coordinator of the MYAF Jazz Choir and Coordinator of the Summer Workshop.
Jed is a lifelong resident of Michigan, and currently lives in Rockford with his brilliant wife Mandy and their three children, Owen, Julian, and Daniel. He is blessed to spend his days with them and his mornings and evenings working to create music. He blogs daily about creativity, choral music, and arranging at www.jedscott.com. Follow him here:
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