God, You Enfold Me

SKU: PR.111402890

ISBN 9781491134672. UPC: 680160685264.

Whatâ??s in a name? While the title is French for â??Eight Flower Songs,â? the texts are all in English. The poemsâ?? flowers metaphorically evoke fragrance, love and loss, life and death, rebirth and regrowth. Perhaps the texture and beauty of Gordonâ??s music are themselves French. The 20-minute song cycle draws on poems from Wordsworth to Dorothy Parker, as well as from contemporary poets including the composer himself.
When So-Chung Shinn came to me with the idea of commissioning a song cycle with her spectacular husband Tony Lee, she had in mind something having to do with flowers. Tony had asked her what she wanted for her birthday, and she said she wanted to be behind the creating of a new work. Lucky me, I was the recipient of the commission. So-Chung sent me a little description of all the flowers she loves, but I had to take the idea and create a narrative in my head.It is always a matter of pleasing the commissioner, yet coming up with something you can get behind and hear music for as well. I already knew I wanted to use my â??Tulipsâ? poem which is really about the arc of a relationship as represented through the life span of the Tulips, and, in many ways, disappointment; and Dorothy Parkerâ??s â??One Perfect Rose,â? which is wry, bitter, cynical, and funny, in a way only Dorothy Parker can so pithily express.I thought of Jane Kenyonâ??s exquisite â??Peonies at Dusk,â? because knowing she died so young (46) of leukemia, the poem has such a particular resonance, almost humanizing the Peonies, casting the moon as a sentient being, illustrating so beautifully how connected everything is, alive here, and revolving around these exquisite blossoms. Then, I remembered her husband Donald Hallâ??s poem â??Her Garden,â? which he wrote after Jane died, his grief intermingled with his inability to care for what she had created, to keep alive what so represented her aliveness, broken as he was, and I felt I already had a story.I found the Wordsworth, because it felt like pure joy to me, but also, if each of the songs has a color in my head, â??The Daffodilsâ? is pure yellow and a good place to start. My partner Kevin and I live on a lake, and every year, the first Daffodils, the shock of yellows, the oranges, the blinding whites, after the long snowy winters, sing of the newness that is about to enfold us in its green miraculousness.At first, the cycle ended with the Langston Hughes poem â??Cycle,â? or â??New Flowers,â? because it was lovely, and about rebirth, which is obviously optimistic, and apt, but then, my friend Telmo Dos Santos, a wonderful Canadian poet whom I met at Banff, sent me his poem â??Afterlife With Lilacs,â? having no idea what I was working on. I felt I had to add it because it is so dazzling, and it immediately felt like the missing link. Finally, there were unfortunately rights issues, namely, we could not, no how, get in touch with the Langston Hughes Estate, after so many happy collaborations.After almost a yearâ??s frustration, I wrote my own text, â??Play, Orpheus,â? which ended up being fortuitous, because the first time I met So-Chung, she entered the room and the most exquisite scent of Lillies of the Valley, Muguet de Bois, filled the room. I went right over to her and rudely put my nose to her neck, for the intoxication of the scent. So â??Play, Orpheusâ? is for So-Chung, to remind us of the precious treasures of this world flowers remind us of. Everything and everyone lives and dies, lives and dies. Death and resurrection.And of course, this is music, this is song, so the inclusion of the God of music, Orpheus, seems apt. Huit Chansons de Fleurs is really about what flowers represent, their radiance, their flickering impermanence, the way they are used to celebrate, as well as to mourn...... and of course, their fragrance. Their fragrance.Ricky Ian GordonJuly 28, 2021.

SKU: HP.C6447

UPC: 763628164478.

Nostolgic Ballad This medley of nostalgic classics pairs two songs that share a common theme. Two pleas for God to enfold us with his Spirit and his love, so we may enter into life in Jesus' name.

SKU: CF.CM9743IN

ISBN 9781491162231. UPC: 680160920990. Key: E minor. English. Iyana Davis. Negro Spiritual with Rap crafter by Ayana Davis.

This Negro Spiritual was made popular by the Golden Gate Quartet in the 1930s. Willie T. Johnson, the lead singer of the group, is the father of Kevin P. Johnson the arranger of this version. The composer, like his father, uses rhythm in exciting new ways to deliver Negro Spirituals to contemporary audiences. The text of this spiritual has been interpreted in many different ways over the years. Here's a popular interpretation of the text. One for the little bitty baby born, born, born in Bethlehem: This refers to the infant Jesus. Two for Paul and Silas: This verse honors Paul and Silas who went on many missionary journeys to spread the teachings of Christ. Three for the Hebrew children: The three Hebrew children could be Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Four for the four that stood at the door: Many people interpret the four to be the four writers of the Gospel books - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, though this does not explain the part about standing at the door. Five for the gospel preachers: The five are Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Peter. Paul is already mentioned above, in line two. Six for the six that never got fixed: Could this mean the sinners who never change their ways? Seven for the seven that went up to heaven: The seven in heaven could be the seven stars in Ursa Major or the sevenfold spirit of God or the seven early Christian churches or the seven stars in the right hand of Christ mentioned in the Revelation. Eight for the eight that stood at the gate: This could refer to the eight people who entered Noah's ark (Noah, his wife, their three sons and their wives). Nine for the nine that dressed so fine: This could refer to the nine orders of Angels in heaven. Ten for the ten commandments: This refers to the ten commandments given to Moses. Performance notes: Swing the 8th notes Djembe drums should be played freely with flexible precision The rap can be optional The ending solo can be sung down an octave and can be changed to match the ability of the soloist. Do not clap louder than you sing If doing choral movement on the piece, pay attention to detail synchronizing movements as much as possible. While the rap is words in rhythm, if adding one is not possible for your performance, consider a spoken word of your own choosing Have fun!.
This Negro Spiritual was made popular by the Golden Gate Quartet in the 1930s. Willie T. Johnson, the lead singer of the group, is the father of Kevin P. Johnson the arranger of this version.  The composer, like his father, uses rhythm in exciting new ways to deliver Negro Spirituals to contemporary audiences.The text of this spiritual has been interpreted in many different ways over the  years. Here's a popular interpretation of the text. One for the little bitty baby born, born, born in Bethlehem: This refers to the infant Jesus. Two for Paul and Silas: This verse honors Paul and Silas who went on many missionary journeys to spread the teachings of Christ.  Three for the Hebrew children: The three Hebrew children could be Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  Four for the four that stood at the door:  Many people interpret the four to be the four writers of the Gospel books – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, though this does not explain the part about standing at the door. Five for the gospel preachers: The five are Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Peter. Paul is already mentioned above, in line two. Six for the six that never got fixed: Could this mean the sinners who never change their ways?  Seven for the seven that went up to heaven: The seven in heaven could be the seven stars in Ursa Major or the sevenfold spirit of God or the seven early Christian churches or the seven stars in the right hand of Christ mentioned in the Revelation. Eight for the eight that stood at the gate: This could refer to the eight people who entered Noah’s ark (Noah, his wife, their three sons and their wives). Nine for the nine that dressed so fine: This could refer to the nine orders of Angels in heaven.  Ten for the ten commandments: This refers to the ten commandments given to Moses.Performance notes: Swing the 8th notes Djembe drums should be played freely with flexible precision The rap can be optional The ending solo can be sung down an octave and can be changed to match the ability of the soloist. Do not clap louder than you sing If doing choral movement on the piece, pay attention to detail synchronizing movements as much as possible. While the rap is words in rhythm, if adding one is not possible for your performance, consider a spoken word of your own choosing Have fun!

SKU: CF.CM9742

ISBN 9781491161555. UPC: 680160920204. Key: E minor. English. Iyana Davis.

This Negro Spiritual was made popular by the Golden Gate Quartet in the 1930s. Willie T. Johnson, the lead singer of the group, is the father of Kevin P. Johnson the arranger of this version. The composer, like his father, uses rhythm in exciting new ways to deliver Negro Spirituals to contemporary audiences. The text of this spiritual has been interpreted in many different ways over the years. Here's a popular interpretation of the text. One for the little bitty baby born, born, born in Bethlehem: This refers to the infant Jesus. Two for Paul and Silas: This verse honors Paul and Silas who went on many missionary journeys to spread the teachings of Christ. Three for the Hebrew children: The three Hebrew children could be Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Four for the four that stood at the door: Many people interpret the four to be the four writers of the Gospel books - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, though this does not explain the part about standing at the door. Five for the gospel preachers: The five are Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Peter. Paul is already mentioned above, in line two. Six for the six that never got fixed: Could this mean the sinners who never change their ways? Seven for the seven that went up to heaven: The seven in heaven could be the seven stars in Ursa Major or the sevenfold spirit of God or the seven early Christian churches or the seven stars in the right hand of Christ mentioned in the Revelation. Eight for the eight that stood at the gate: This could refer to the eight people who entered Noah's ark (Noah, his wife, their three sons and their wives). Nine for the nine that dressed so fine: This could refer to the nine orders of Angels in heaven. Ten for the ten commandments: This refers to the ten commandments given to Moses. Performance notes: Swing the 8th notes Djembe drums should be played freely with flexible precision The rap can be optional The ending solo can be sung down an octave and can be changed to match the ability of the soloist. Do not clap louder than you sing If doing choral movement on the piece, pay attention to detail synchronizing movements as much as possible. While the rap is words in rhythm, if adding one is not possible for your performance, consider a spoken word of your own choosing Have fun!.
This Negro Spiritual was made popular by the Golden Gate Quartet in the 1930s. Willie T. Johnson, the lead singer of the group, is the father of Kevin P. Johnson the arranger of this version.  The composer, like his father, uses rhythm in exciting new ways to deliver Negro Spirituals to contemporary audiences.The text of this spiritual has been interpreted in many different ways over the  years. Here's a popular interpretation of the text. One for the little bitty baby born, born, born in Bethlehem: This refers to the infant Jesus. Two for Paul and Silas: This verse honors Paul and Silas who went on many missionary journeys to spread the teachings of Christ.  Three for the Hebrew children: The three Hebrew children could be Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  Four for the four that stood at the door:  Many people interpret the four to be the four writers of the Gospel books – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, though this does not explain the part about standing at the door. Five for the gospel preachers: The five are Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Peter. Paul is already mentioned above, in line two. Six for the six that never got fixed: Could this mean the sinners who never change their ways?  Seven for the seven that went up to heaven: The seven in heaven could be the seven stars in Ursa Major or the sevenfold spirit of God or the seven early Christian churches or the seven stars in the right hand of Christ mentioned in the Revelation. Eight for the eight that stood at the gate: This could refer to the eight people who entered Noah’s ark (Noah, his wife, their three sons and their wives). Nine for the nine that dressed so fine: This could refer to the nine orders of Angels in heaven.  Ten for the ten commandments: This refers to the ten commandments given to Moses.Performance notes: Swing the 8th notes Djembe drums should be played freely with flexible precision The rap can be optional The ending solo can be sung down an octave and can be changed to match the ability of the soloist. Do not clap louder than you sing If doing choral movement on the piece, pay attention to detail synchronizing movements as much as possible. While the rap is words in rhythm, if adding one is not possible for your performance, consider a spoken word of your own choosing Have fun!