Winter Cantata / Vinterkantate (1976) by Per Nørgård for a variable ensemble of soloist mixed choir and instruments (minimum: vocalist and organ). Programme Note: When in 1975 I had finished composing my 3rd Symphony (begun in 1973) I wrote three simple melodies for two psalm texts by Ole Sarvig: ?The Year? and ?Choral Hymn?. These three tunes were derived from the same material as the second movement of the 3rd Symphony and could be harmonized together in several different tempo relationships at the same time - like fractals which inspired me to write several choral and instrumental works in the following decade based on thesemelodies: ?Frost Psalm? ?Winter Cantata? ? Winter Hymn? ?Cantica? and others. One of these ´Sarvig melodies´ is now included in the new Danish Hymnbook under the title ?Året?(The Year). Ole Sarvig´s poem ?Året? (The Year) is Danish perhaps Scandinavian in character but its symbolic atmosphere is global (now snow is covering the whole earth). The basic composition of this cantata based on Sarvig´s many verses was done by letting soloist choir and instruments change in feelings and moods: from the almost silent inward-looking beginning (I: Chorale dolorosa) to a dancelike and happy optimism (II: A heaven germ on winged foot thrust deep into the earth its root) followed by nightmarish tone rows as the ?year-wheel of fortune? is turning (III: Sacrifice The Year) and the temptations of the snake (IV: In Paradiso) to the allegorical fights between egoism and altruism (V:The Cycle Autumn. Purgatory) before the ?waiting for a disaster?- atmosphere at the end of this choral Odyssé. Winter Cantata was from the beginning (1976) designed as an open work to be arranged by different combinations of soloists choir and (different) instruments. The printed version by Per Nørgård and Ivan hansen for soloist mixed choir and instruments (obo violin trombone vibraphone/percussion and organ) is from 1990. The work

A wonderful Advent anthem with a jazzy feel written for SATB mezzo solo vibraphone harpsichord cymbal and string bass_x000D_*The instrumental accompaniment may be adapted to any other suitable_x000D_instrumentation i.e. handbells piano or organ

Valseværk II - En idyl for Vibrafon og sangstemmer for Mixed Choir SATB and Vibraphone was composed by Bo Holten in 1985.

Commissioned by Earl Rivers and the CCM Chamber Choir with a text chosen to celebrate the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death. Composer DiOrio has chosen Bass Clarinet Violin and Vibraphone toaccompany while using a liberal dose of tenor solo alternating with the chorus to mirror the alternating representation of the original text. The chorus takes on many emotional frames depicting the colours and shapesinherent in each line of the poetry. This music is “high” but never “serious” just like Shakespeare himself.