Word: choraled
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...Requiem, besides being firmly enmeshed in familiar traditions, is a large, imposing work; it is a tribute to it to compare it with the outstanding works of choral literature because in many ways it belongs among them. The opening section, "Lamentations, and Mourning," has the sustained beauty, completely worked-out structure, and unerring poise that are identified only with the very greatest works of art, and on the strength of the section alone, the Requiem must be considered as an important and very fine contribution...
Although the rest of the Requiem never regains the magnificence of this opening movement, there are other high points, including the tender "Sing with the Spirit," the moving "Walk as Children of Light," and the virtuosic "Sing unto Him." Throughout the piece, Thompson demonstrates his absolute command of the choral idiom, and ability to produce a variety of effects without lapsing into mere showiness. His cadences perhaps lean too heavily on the received value of a rich pianissimo close, but, for the most part he does not substitute sound effects for more serious and difficult musical tasks, but uses...
...American choral composers today, Professor Randall Thompson '20 certainly ranks among the most popular. His Alleluia, written in 1940, and The Last Words of David (1949) have together sold about two million copies. Thompson's fame is not limited to America; his works are performed all over the world. He has just been asked by a group in Seoul if they may substitute the names of Korean holidays for the corresponding American dates in his Testament of Freedom when they perform it later this year. And Thompson is being asked for new works all the time. His future plans include...
Thompson's instrumental music, while less abundant than his choral work, has also been well received. His second symphony, written in 1932, has been performed over five hundred times, most recently by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. "The best thing about it all," says the composer, "is that my pieces are played over and over again. I'm fortunate enough not to have to worry about getting the usually elusive second hearing...
...most recent large-scale work, a Requiem for double chorus, which will be performed tonight in Sanders by the Glee Club and Choral Society, was composed in isolation. "I had a sabbatical in 1957-8 and my friends assumed that I had left town for the winter. Really, I had just stayed at home on Brattle Street working long hours in my studio there. When I appeared at school next fall, some colleagues asked me how I had enjoyed my trip. The solitude that I attained in that year was invaluable. After two months of undisturbed labor, I found that...