Greetings, singers!
I hope you find these resources helpful as you work to learn your part to upcoming anthems. If I can find online resources, I’ll attach them here, and when I can’t find any, I’ll make them myself. I’m learning how to program AI singers, so you’ll sometimes hear them, and other times, just a MIDI note. Let me know if you have any questions, and looking forward to working with you Wednesday nights!
——- Bryan
Praise to the Lord (Distler)
(Click on the title above to download the music) Your individual parts are the first four links, sung by my trained AI singers, and the bottom is a video of humans singing it. We’ll be more expressive than them. Be careful not to take every single AI singer’s vowel as meaning that you should sing it that way, but I hope this helps you find your parts. A couple changes: In measure 36, sopranos sing the top line as marked, altos the second line (no soprano divisi), tenors take the third line in the alto register (unless that’s too high for you, in which case jump to the bass part), and basses, sing as written. The 2/4 bar at the end is more like a 4/4 with the fermata, and the song repeats back to the first page, and ends at the bottom of the first. It’s quite a journey. Enjoy!
For the Beauty of the Earth
Click the title above to view or download the score. This one is pretty straight-forward. I’ve always loved this text, and we’ll be sure to have the congregation do the hymn of the same title on the day we offer this anthem. Someone else has already made files for this, so I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel. Youtube videos are available to the right for you.
Soprano
Alto
Tenor
Bass
Overflow with Hope
Click the title above for the score. Here’s another one with the AI choir. Notice that there is a descant part beginning at one beat before measure 27. Just a few treble voices will be great there. The descant file is mostly empty until measure 27, so you’ll want to fast forward that one. Here’s a recording from youtube where you can also follow along with the score.
When In Our Music God Is Glorified - Laura Farnell
Click the title above for a digital pdf of the score. These recordings are a little slower than we’ll sing it. Think about connecting the line and singing through each phrase with consistent air and phrase shape. Notice the fun ways Farnell brings the main theme into the piano part of the alleluia sections and how she incorporates Ode to Joy into the piano part. I couldn’t find a recording of this arrangement, so I generated one for you - the last one in the list. Enjoy!
Jesus Loves Me
Internet searches for this title under the composer’s name, Fred Bock (no relation) seem to come up with mostly people performing this as a piano solo to feature the connection to Debussy’s Clair de Lune. On the day that we offer this as an anthem, I’ll play the Debussy as prelude. Since you won’t likely find a choral recording, I’ve mixed the AI choir so that you can hear the blend and how your part fits in. We’ll be a little more rubato with the tempo than the AI choir, but hopefully this gives you the idea. Here is a recording with sheet music of the Debussy piece that this arrangement is based on. Enjoy!
Jubilate Deo
Click above for the very short sheet music, and here is a youtube video of this being sung by a treble choir.
An Advent Acclamation
Click above for the sheet music. Here is a youtube recording from the publisher of all parts together. Think about whether you might be willing to hold your music with one hand and a chime bell in the other. We’d like ten ringers with one chime each, or 5 people who have their vocal parts memorized and can hold two chimes each. Let me know if you’re up to this fun challenge!
Who’s That Baby
Sheet music is linked above. If you’re missing the AI choir, I’m sorry - these are just MIDI notes, but the note that represents your part will be obvious. The solo/descant file is played in the treble octave, but anyone can learn that part - no bias. Let me know if you’re interested in any of those. To avoid divisi, we’ll keep the sopranos on top, and altos will do the following, which is reflected in the files: Measures 49-53 sing the lower note when it splits except for the last note of 53, sing F. Ms. 55, sing the middle note F#, then back to the bottom note G on 56. In measure 80, sing the low note E, and then the middle notes for 81-82, and finally the low notes for the last measure.
Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming
The music is linked above, and here is a link to a youtube playlist where you can click on your part to hear it highlighted over the others. The notes are all correct, but you might notice a slight rhythmic discrepancy. Here is a nice recording of a choir singing this.
Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light
Music is linked above. Videos to the right are for each part. We’ll go slower than this and we’ll sustain the fermatas closer to three beats, so a little longer than on these recordings. These still should be helpful as you learn these notes. Here is a recording of a choir singing this.
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Music is linked above. This is the one with no title because it was my transcription, and I just never formalized it. This is the Pentatonix version condensed down to SATB to avoid divisi yet remain strong within our sections. Once you grasp the rhythms, you’ll be great with this. Files are to the right.