Portsmouth Baroque Choir offer American Choral Music

“There are obvious names to include in an anniversary celebration of American music for July 4,” says Portsmouth Baroque Choir’s chair Chris Clark.

“In the last century Copland was America’s most important composer, Gershwin its most popular, and Barber one of its best-loved. Yes, we can all hum the tunes from Rhapsody in Blue, Fanfare for the Common Man and the Adagio for Strings, but how many will be familiar with music they wrote for choirs? “Barber’s Sure On This Shining Night is probably the exception and closes the first half of our Festival of Chichester concert. That follows four delightful motets that Copland wrote in Paris, honing his craft with Nadia Boulanger. ‘There’s a definite Gallic tinge to parts of these motets’ was a remark heard at one of our rehearsals. Copland again, in early 1950s Oklahoma hoedown mode, kicks off the second half with Ching-a-ring-chaw and I bought me a cat.

“No Gershwin show numbers, sad to say, but a couple of his bluesy pieces: the second piano prelude and an arrangement for clarinet and piano of Blues from An American in Paris to give the choir a rest after their daring dive into the rugged psalmody of William Billings, the elegant assurance of Amy Beach and the startling sonority of Charles Ives.”

Conductor Malcolm Keeler added: “The second half could be labelled top of the choral pops. Randall Thompson’s Alelluia is in every American choir’s folder continuously and has sold more than three million copies, number one in America last century until Morten Lauridsen’s consoling Lux Aeterna came along in the 1990s.

“That piece takes up most of the second half of the programme. Even Lauridsen’s fame has now been eclipsed by the composer of our penultimate item, which will be Sleep by Eric Whitacre, a favourite of his Virtual Choir of 35,000 singers from 145 countries.

“The best way to end a celebration is for everyone in the audience to join in. With Wake Every Breath a six-part round by William Billings, we’ll recreate a singing school session from around the same time that the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776.”

Portsmouth Baroque Choir’s Festival of Chichester concert with Peter Gould on piano and organ, conducted by Malcolm Keeler is at St George’s, Whyke on Saturday, July 4 at 7:30 pm. Tickets £15, £13 concessions, £3 student/U18, on the door or from www.ticketsource.co.uk/baroquechoir. More details about the programme on the choir’s website www.portsmouthbaroquechoir.co.uk/