Pastorale
‘The Lord is my shepherd……..’
This 9 minute setting of Psalm 23 for male choir, soprano soloist, and small wind ensemble was commissioned by Orphei Drängar – arguably Sweden’s foremost male voice choir. In its current, final form it has never been performed.
An early, shorter version of Pastorale for a smaller ensemble of woodwinds was performed by the University Mens Choir of Indiana, PA, under the late James Dearing in 2003.
In 2013 Pastorale was extensively revised and its instrumentation augmented to its current form: Flute, Oboe, Cor Anglais, Clarinet in B flat, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn in F, Tenor Trombone, Bass Trombone, Euphonium and Tuba, and Vibraphone/Glockenspiel.
In this gentle and evocative setting of the most frequently set of all the psalms, the choir supports and answers the soprano soloist, the winds frequently setting up a rhythmic counterpoint with the voices, while the vibraphone’s endlessly repeating figurations spin a luminescent web. The harmonic language is strongly triadic, the most obvious inspiration being the vocal music of Mozart.
Please contact me for a score and MIDI recording of this work.
“A valuable and very beautiful addition to 20th century male choir literature.” Dr. Robert Sund, Uppsala, Sweden.
The music starts in a reflective mood, as if the singer is trying to recall the words of the song. Then flowing lines suggest a single dancer performing the graceful, dignified movements of the ‘siva sa’o’, or formal dance. Gradually more and more dancers join in, excitement builds, and the music becomes an expression of unrestrained exuberance.
Then, as in a dream, the sounds and images of the dancers dissolve in the fragrant calm of the night.
Okaoka was commissioned by Jim Cochran of Shattinger Music and Cort McClaren of C. Alan Publications.
It was premiered on July 14, 2005 in Singapore at the 12th Annual Conference of WASBE, by the Senjoku Gakuen Wind Ensemble. The highly successful Japan premiere was given by the Freshman Wind Ensemble of Senjoku Gakuen College under the baton of Ito Yasuhide, in Tokyo on December 11, 2005.
An expressive and warmly American premiere was given by the Amherst Regional High School Wind Ensemble directed by Brian Messier in Amherst Massachusetts in December 2008.
C. Alan Publications
1 Picc. 3 Fl. 1 Ob. 3 BbCl. 1 BassCl. 2 Alt.Sax. 1 Ten.Sax. 1 Bar.Sax. 1 Bsn. // 2 FHn. 3 BbTpt. 3 Tbn. 1 Euph. 1 Tba. // 1 Str.Bass // Timp. 4 Perc.
Persusal Score
US Premiere: Amherst Regional High School W.E., Brian Messier
Premiere
A recording of the original folksong that inspired this piece
Performance
Duration:
±5.5″
Difficulty:
Grade 5