Thanks to all of you who came to the Flurry Gospel Harmony sing today (Sunday, Feb 18, 2018). You are wonderful spirit-filled singers; Mary Alice and I had a wonderful time.
Here are more details about all the songs we led.
Here is some shorthand I’ll use below:
55A – We have an arrangement of this song in “Fifty-five Anthems for the Small Church Choir” book
25A – We have an arrangement of this song in “Twenty-five Anthems for Interfaith & Community Choirs” book
OCS – We have an arrangement of this song in our “Online Choral Store”
Mary Alice and I sing in Hallowell, an a cappella SATB hospice singing group.
* * AND HERE ARE THE SONGS * *
So Glad I’m Here – traditional spiritual
From the singing of Bessie Jones:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn9VdwgA90s
Here is a CD of Bessie Jones’ singing that you can order online or on iTunes:
https://www.amazon.com/Put-Your-Hand-Backbone-Slip/dp/B000058DYA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1519074785&sr=8-2&keywords=bessie+jones&dpID=61r9jP3vVgL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
Daniel in the Lion’s Den – traditional spiritual
From the singing of Bessie Jones
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ch_z_yla2AE
Little Sally Walker traditional singing game
Inspired by the singing of Bessie Jones
We include this in our singing games collection: “Rise Sally Rise“.
Go to Sleepy – traditional lullaby
From the singing of Bessie Jones
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcnrU45dhOo&t=22s
My Heart is Ready – by Cindy Kallet, arr. P & MA Amidon
(25A – OCS) – A great instant 4-part harmony song for any group.
Climbing High Mountains – collected by Lucy Picco Simpson
(25A – OCS) – Thank you, Lucy, for this gem!
O the Winter – traditional Bahamas spiritual
(55A – OCS) – We learned this when it was part of the Washington DC Revels in 2006.
Let the Life I’ve Lived – American spiritual from Joe Carter
(OCS) – thanks to Andy Davis for introducing this to us.
All Night All Day – traditional spiritual
Ysaye Barnwell’s perfect harmonization of this is on your handout. This is from Dr. Barnwell’s
Singing in the African American Tradition book & companion CDs – a great resource for any singer or chorus.
I Still Have Joy – by Danny McCrimmon, Joseph Calvin Jackson
(55A – OCS) Listen to this version by Dorothy Norwood:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxawyAbv-Eg
Crossing the Bar – Rani Arbo’s setting of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem
(25A – OCS) Here is Rani’s beautiful original recorded version of the song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtBahKnC1gw
Here is Jeff Warner’s version of the song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_pViIUoTpg
and here Tony Barrand and I sing it at a Guilford (VT) Community Church (UCC) service:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-iimgr49iI&t=77s
and last of all, here is a UK college choir singing my SATB arrangement of the song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNZ754iEPuM
Joy Shall Come in the Morning – by Mary Alice Amidon
(25A – OCS) Mary Alice wrote this after hearing an interview with a minister just after the Virginia Tech shootings, when he quoted from Psalm 30: ” Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Here it is sung by the Starry Mountain Singers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX34RAnY1Gw
(25A – OCS) Faya Rose Touré was the first African American female judge in Selma Alabama. She leads educational projects with teenagers in Selma Alabama about their Civil Rights history and writes songs with them.
What’s In a Song – by Lucy Picco Simpson
Here is a pdf of the melody: https://amidonmusic.com/images/WhatsInASong.pdf
and here is a pdf of an SATB harmonization I did with Mary Alice, Jesse Milnes and Emmy Miller:
https://amidonmusic.com/images/WhatsInASongSATB.pdf
that arrangement is from this Dec 31, 2016 performance of the song Mary Alice and I did with Emmy & Jesse:
Angels Hovering Round – collected by Lucy Picco Simpson
(55A – OCSHere is Lucy singing “Angels”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6Sjsw51SMI
Bid You Goodnight – traditional Bahamas spiritual
(55A – OCS) I found out only recently that the Grateful Dead often finished their sets with this song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8gNgiCWlYg
Listen to Emmy Miller lead this song . . .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEild9QBaBs
What a great festival is the Flurry!
Joy, Health, Love & Peace,
Peter (& Mary Alice)
amidonpeter@gmail.com
https://www.amidonmusic.com