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She Rises

$2.45

Whispered syllables and expressive sounds represent the energy of the sun in this creative original – a jubilant celebration of energy and a reminder of the light that resides without and within us all. For treble double choir, this exciting piece utilizes a thick choral texture of overlapping lines and simple body percussion for added drama.

Text: Catherine Dalton

Mod-Advanced

SSAA Premiere: Aurora Chorus, Joan Szymko, director

TTBB Premiere: Cantus

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Description

A popular piece for high school through professional treble choirs, I begin writing She Rises because I was interested in exploring the physics of light and the mystery of illumination through the power of the human voice. I began by imagining what electrons falling from higher to lower energy levels, emitting light in the process, would sound like if made by the human voice. For a few weeks, I walked around making different “sun sounds” and asking other people what they thought the sun “sounded” like.

I was surprised while I was working on the piece to have  a Celtic-style melody come to me and I wondered if it was part of the same composition or a new one. I “googled” Celtic Sun Goddess and, of course, found the Celtic sun goddess, Brigid.  This melody inspired the lyrics for She Rises which speak of Brigid as she crosses the sky and of Saint Brigid of Kildare, the Irish saint of, among other things, poetry, the hearth fire, the forge and illumination. A jubilant celebration of energy, She Rises is a reminder of the light that resides within us and around us.

Text

She rises up from the heather.
Her flame in hand, she crosses the sky.
When she’s tired she lays down her head.
In the sweet heather, she makes her bed.

All night we tend to her flame,
her sacred light, eternal and bright.
When she wakes, she’ll open her eyes.
Then up from the heather, she’ll again rise.

She flames the poet’s pen,
fires the forge and hearth,
lights the fire within.

Copyright © Catherine Dalton 2012

Program Notes

A very popular piece for high school through professional treble choirs, She Rises is jubilant celebration of energy and a reminder of the light that resides within us and around us. “Sun sounds” and foot percussion set the stage for a Celtic melody which speaks of the sun goddess Brigid and Saint Brigid of Kildare, the Irish saint of, among other things, poetry, the hearth fire, the forge and illumination.

Performances

*Mirinesse Women’s Choir, Rebecca Rottsolk, conductor (NW Coast Spring Tour) – available on iTunes

TTBB double choir

  • Cantus (Minneapolis) – World Premiere

SSAA double choir

  • Aurora Chorus, Joan Szmyko, conductor (Portland, OR) – World Premiere
  • Atlanta Women’s Chorus, Melissa Arasi (ACDA Southern Regional Conference, Mobile, Alabama)
  • Brock University Women’s Choir, McMaster University Women’s Choir,
  • Queenston Ladies Choir  (Ontario, Canada) – International Women’s Day Concert
  • *Vox Femina, Iris Levine, conductor (Los Angeles) -LISTEN ABOVE
  • Cantique, Jesse Reed, director (Kent State University, Ohio)
  • Washington American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Summer Institute Reading Session (Tacoma, WA)
  • Cantilena, Susan Nace, conductor (San Jose, CA; San Jose CA)
  • Crystal Children’s Choir, Susan Nace, conductor (Saratoga, CA)
  • Unitarian Universalist Musician’s Network Reading Session (Arlington, VA)
  • University of Northern Iowa Women’s Choir, Amy Kotsonis, conductor (European Tour; Cedar Falls, IA)
  • Germantown Friends Middle School Choir and Madrigal, Anne Hess, director (Philadelphia, PA)
  • Iowa Choral Directors Association State Conference, Reading Session (Pella, IA)
  • See Change Treble Choir, Amy Johnson, director (St. Paul, MN)

Critical Acclaim

“‘She Rises’ by Catherine Dalton combines an evocative Celtic melody with vocal and foot percussion reminiscent of the ancient primal pulse of the bodhrán and bones.” Lauri D. Goldenhersh, Singerpreneur, March 28, 2014

“Seeing the Divine in All”…could be said to be a thread that ran through the entire concert, never more bracingly than when former Cantus member Aaron Humble’s arrangement of “Still, Still, Still” gave way to an inspired Connie Wanek poem about motherhood (“Long Nights”) and a fierce Catherine Dalton song of maternal strength, “She Rises.” – Ron Hubbard, St. Paul Pioneer Press, Dec 13, 2018

A powerful and energetic piece with Celtic flavors, this score is meant to remind us of the light within each person. Although the double choir voicing looks daunting, conductors of advanced high school treble ensembles (as well as collegiate and community treble choirs) should take a serious look at this score. There is unison singing, stomping, vocal effects, and dramatic melodic figures. The teaching possibilities of this work are vast and students will be engaged in this work at every step. Hear a recording and see a score at www.jwpepper.com as well as the composer’s website. Matthew Culloton, Artistic Director, The Singers, ACDA-MN Pick 6

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