Take My Life, That I May Be

SKU: CF.CM9549

ISBN 9781491150818. UPC: 680160908318. 6.875 x 10.5 inches.

Make Space for Life to Live by Michael John Trotta offers captivating, expansive melodies interwoven with a piano accompaniment that makes subtle allusions to the main theme. Its mesmerizing text resonates with the singer and the audience. Appropriate for concert or festival use throughout the year, this piece is also available for SA voices (CM9274), TB Voices (CM9283) and SAB voices (CM9289).
Editor's NoteAbout the WorkMake Space for Life to Live features expansive, yet accessible vocal lines perfect for choirs of all abilities and sizes. It offers compelling melodies and singable vocal lines interwoven with a piano accompaniment that makes subtle allusions to the main theme.About the TextThe text for this work was written while on an extended seashore retreat several years ago. It was the product of many long walks looking out into the vastness of the sea. It was a time in my life that was immediately preceded by great personal loss and turmoil. It was in that silence and space I was able to reconnect to that still, small voice within that reminded me that I was merely a part of something much bigger than myself. The text that was hewn from that experience is a reflection on the importance of allowing space in my daily life to experience the simple joys that every moment has to offer.Optional NarrationRegardless of race or creed the abundance that is found in the reality of the present moment is augmented by regular exposure to the arts. The capricious nature of time in the age of immediacy is that it is entirely flexible. Experience suggests that exposure to natural beauty, such as watching a sunrise unravel over the sea or a cloud formation sweep through a mountain range, allows an individual to feel part of something greater than themselves. Music has the ability to take time and slow it down, revealing to the participant their part in the whole. Taking part in choral music, whether as an audience member, singer, conductor or composer is an opportunity to slow down time long enough to allow the beauty of life to catch up with you.

SKU: HL.147432

UPC: 888680073817. 6.75x10.5x0.024 inches.

Your pianist takes an equal role in this exquisite ballad that is tinged with melancholy. A superb selection for a more mature or community ensemble. Here's to life, here's to love and here's to you..

SKU: HL.147431

UPC: 888680073800. 6.75x10.5x0.029 inches.

Your pianist takes an equal role in this exquisite ballad that is tinged with melancholy. A superb selection for a more mature or community ensemble. Here's to life, here's to love and here's to you..

SKU: CF.FAS108F

ISBN 9781491151761. UPC: 680160909261. 9 x 12 inches.

Annie's Gone Home, composed in the style of a spiritual, was written as a tribute to composer Bud Woodruff's mother. The tune is built on phrases of easily understandable material, but the poignant nature of the piece is marked with profundity. From the subtle bass solo to the emotional high points, the piece is inspired by this strong woman in the life of the composer.

Annies Gone Home is a tribute to my Mother, Annette Fenner Hains (19232017). Her siblings and cousins always called her Annie. She loved music, and her influence was the primary inspiration for me to go into music. Her tastes were wildly diverse, loving everything from symphonic music to Country/Western, to various styles of folk music, to pop, to marches, but she had a very tender spot for hymns and spirituals.

While it is easy to interpret grief in this music, and its presence is undeniable, it is really intended more as a song of the ultimate triumph of goodness. In her wisdom, she was able to capture deep thoughts within simple phrases, which I have also tried to capture. Her life was one of frequent struggles, yet she was inspiring to many. She emerged from every difficulty, never unscathed, but always victorious, with clear eyes and head held high, until her last battle, which brought about her greatest victory. This sentiment is what I tried to capture. If too slow a tempo is taken, that feeling is lost and a sense of grief takes over. That may be what a conductor wants to convey, but is not what I intended.

Annieas Gone HomeA is a tribute to my Mother, Annette Fenner Hains (1923a2017). Her siblings and cousins always called her aAnnie.a She loved music, and her influence was the primary inspiration for me to go into music. Her tastes were wildly diverse, loving everything from symphonic music to Country/Western, to various styles of folk music, to pop, to marches, but she had a very tender spot for hymns and spirituals.

While it is easy to interpret grief in this music, and its presence is undeniable, it is really intended more as a song of the ultimate triumph of goodness. In her wisdom, she was able to capture deep thoughts within simple phrases, which I have also tried to capture. Her life was one of frequent struggles, yet she was inspiring to many. She emerged from every difficulty, never unscathed, but always victorious, with clear eyes and head held high, until her last battle, which brought about her greatest victory. This sentiment is what I tried to capture. If too slow a tempo is taken, that feeling is lost and a sense of grief takes over. That may be what a conductor wants to convey, but is not what I intended.

Annieas Gone HomeA is a tribute to my Mother, Annette Fenner Hains (1923a2017). Her siblings and cousins always called her aAnnie.a She loved music, and her influence was the primary inspiration for me to go into music. Her tastes were wildly diverse, loving everything from symphonic music to Country/Western, to various styles of folk music, to pop, to marches, but she had a very tender spot for hymns and spirituals.

While it is easy to interpret grief in this music, and its presence is undeniable, it is really intended more as a song of the ultimate triumph of goodness. In her wisdom, she was able to capture deep thoughts within simple phrases, which I have also tried to capture. Her life was one of frequent struggles, yet she was inspiring to many. She emerged from every difficulty, never unscathed, but always victorious, with clear eyes and head held high, until her last battle, which brought about her greatest victory. This sentiment is what I tried to capture. If too slow a tempo is taken, that feeling is lost and a sense of grief takes over. That may be what a conductor wants to convey, but is not what I intended.

Annie's Gone Home is a tribute to my Mother, Annette Fenner Hains (1923-2017). Her siblings and cousins always called her Annie. She loved music, and her influence was the primary inspiration for me to go into music. Her tastes were wildly diverse, loving everything from symphonic music to Country/Western, to various styles of folk music, to pop, to marches, but she had a very tender spot for hymns and spirituals.

While it is easy to interpret grief in this music, and its presence is undeniable, it is really intended more as a song of the ultimate triumph of goodness. In her wisdom, she was able to capture deep thoughts within simple phrases, which I have also tried to capture. Her life was one of frequent struggles, yet she was inspiring to many. She emerged from every difficulty, never unscathed, but always victorious, with clear eyes and head held high, until her last battle, which brought about her greatest victory. This sentiment is what I tried to capture. If too slow a tempo is taken, that feeling is lost and a sense of grief takes over. That may be what a conductor wants to convey, but is not what I intended.

SKU: PR.111402720

UPC: 680160667611. 9 x 12 inches. Text: Fred Fox. Fred Fox. Fred Fox.

Ewazen's gift to honor the great horn player Fred Fox on his 100th birthday is a setting of text by Fox, himself, for voice and (appropriately) a chorus of eight horns. The uplifting, life-affirming poem is set to music that matches the spirit, the joy of a life well lived. Hosanna to Life is also available in a version for voice and piano.
HOSANNA TO LIFE is a work for horn octet and voice, honoring the great Fred Fox on the occasion of his 100th birthday. Fred Fox was one of the most distinguished horn players of the 20th century, one of the most prominent studio musicians in the Los Angeles Area, a great performer, and a great teacher influencing countless horn players throughout the years. HOSANNA TO LIFE is a setting of an uplifting poem Fred wrote, full of the love, excitement, and endless possibilities of life. With an 8-part choir of horns supporting a lyrical vocal line, the piece resonates Fred Fox's positive and exciting take on a life well-lived!.
HOSANNA TO LIFE is a work for horn octet and voice, honoring the great Fred Fox on the occasion of his 100th birthday.A Fred Fox was one of the most distinguished horn players of the 20th century, one of the most prominent studio musicians in the Los Angeles Area, a great performer, and a great teacher influencing countless horn players throughout the years. HOSANNA TO LIFE is a setting of an uplifting poem Fred wrote, full of the love, excitement, and endless possibilities of life. With an 8-part choir of horns supporting a lyrical vocal line, the piece resonates Fred Fox's positive and exciting take on a life well-lived!.
HOSANNA TO LIFE is a work for horn octet and voice, honoring the great Fred Fox on the occasion of his 100th birthday.  Fred Fox was one of the most distinguished horn players of the 20th century, one of the most prominent studio musicians in the Los Angeles Area, a great performer, and a great teacher influencing countless horn players throughout the years.HOSANNA TO LIFE is a setting of an uplifting poem Fred wrote, full of the love, excitement, and endless possibilities of life. With an 8-part choir of horns supporting a lyrical vocal line, the piece resonates Fred Fox's positive and exciting take on a life well-lived!

SKU: PR.11441998S

UPC: 680160681730. 9 x 12 inches.

The ancient Egyptian empire began around 3100 B.C. and continued for over 3000 years until Alexander the Great conquered the country in 332 B.C. Over the centuries, the Egyptian empire grew and flourished into a highly developed society. They invented hieroglyphics, built towering pyramids (including the Great Pyramid of Giza, the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the World), and the created many household items we still use today, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, eyeliner, black ink, and the forerunner of modern-day paper. Included among their achievements were a series of highly developed funerary practices and beliefs in the Afterlife. As the average lifespan of an Egyptian hovered around 30 years, living past the death of oneAs physical body was a legitimate concern. Egyptians believed that upon death, their souls would undertake a harrowing journey through the Netherworld. If they survived the horrific creatures and arduous trials that awaited them, then their souls would be reunified with their bodies (hence the need to preserve the body through mummification) and live forever in a perfect version of the life they had lived in Egypt. To achieve this, Egyptians devised around 200 magical spells and incantations to aid souls on the path to the Afterlife. These spells are collectively called The Book of the Dead. Particular spells would be chosen by the family of the deceased and inscribed on the tombAs walls and scrolls of papyrus, as well as on a stone scarab placed over the deceasedAs heart. Subsequent collections of spells and mortuary texts, such as The Book of Gates, assisted a soul in navigating the twelve stages of the Netherworld. Not only did these spells protect and guide the soul on this dangerous path, but they also served as a safeguard against any unbecoming behavior an Egyptian did while alive. For instance, if a person had robbed another while alive, there was a spell that would prevent the soulAs heart from revealing the truth when in the Hall of Judgment. Rites for the Afterlife follows the path of a soul to the Afterlife. In Inscriptions from the Book of the Dead (movement 1), the soul leaves the body and begins the journey, protected by spells and incantations written on the tombAs walls. In Passage though the Netherworld (movement 2), the soul is now on a funerary barque, being towed through the Netherworld by four of the regionAs inhabitants. We hear the soul slowly chanting incantations as the barque encounters demons, serpents, crocodiles, lakes of fire, and other terrors. The soul arrives at The Hall of Judgment in movement 3. Standing before forty-two divine judges, the soul addresses each by name and gives a A!negative confessionA(r) connected to each judge (i.e. A!I did not rob,A(r) A!I did not do violence,A(r) and so on). Afterwards, the soulAs heart is put on a scale to be weighed against a feather of MaAat, the goddess of truth. If the heart weighs more than the feather, it will be eaten by Ammut, a hideous creature that lies in wait below the scale, and the soul will die a second and permanent death (this was the worst fear of the Egyptians). But if the heart is in balance with the feather, the soul proceeds onward. The final stage of the journey is the arrival at The Field of Reeds (movement 4), which is a perfect mirror image of the soulAs life in ancient Egypt. The soul reunites with deceased family members, makes sacrifices to the Egyptian gods and goddess, harvests crops from plentiful fields of wheat under a brilliant blue sky, and lives forever next to the abundant and nourishing waters of the Nile. Rites for the Afterlife was commissioned by the Barlow Endowment on behalf of the Akropolis Reed Quintet, Calefax Reed Quintet, and the Brigham Young University Reed Quintet. -S.G.

SKU: GI.G-9978

UPC: 785147997832.

With a passion for liturgical prayer, the vision of Catholic Social Teaching, and witness of Pope Francis, Lori True has created a collection of sung prayer for communities who want to embrace the unrelenting love of God and the deep challenge of Christ. Here you will find songs for gathering, communion, times of grief, doubt, action, and celebration, all fashioned with texts that foster deep reflection and her signature, accessible melodies, all ready to serve a wide variety of communal gatherings. Take some time to explore “Show By Your Life,” and discover a very unique and prophetic collection of liturgical music that the church desperately needs. CONTENTS: Show by Your Life • O Love, Ever Faithful • Take Our Hands • My Favor Rests on You • Wage Peace • My Daily Portion • In the Morning, in the Evening • Grieve Not • The Hand of Our God • Pardon Is the Instrument • I Will Give You Life • When One among Us • I Send You with the Grace of My Spirit.