Kickapoo High School Winter Concert
December 6, 2021 6:00 pm
Kickapoo Performing Arts Center
Director: Nathan Cornelius
Associate Director: Jeff Payne
Student Teacher: Jordon Schultze
Accompanist: Hayden Vaughn
Caroling, Caroling - Arr. Michele Weir
Composed by Alfred Burt, a popular American jazz musician who is best known for composing the music for fifteen Christmas carols between 1942 and 1954. Twelve of Burt’s carols were released in time for the holiday season of 1954 on a 10-inch vinyl album called The Christmas Mood. The album remained in print for several Christmas seasons. Burt’s Caroling, Caroling was recorded for many different albums from 1957-1963. The first recording of all 15 carols was released in 1964 by the Voices of Jimmy Joyce called This is Christmas: A Complete Collection of the Alfred S. Burt Carols.
Ding-a, Ding-a, Ding - Greg Gilpin
Greg Gilpin is a well-known ASCAP award winning composer and arranger and a highly respected choral conductor throughout the United States and internationally including the respected and historic venues of Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, Iceland. He also conducts educational choral tours for singers of all ages to various locations throughout the U.S. and abroad. In the piece Ding-a Ding-a Ding, Greg Gilpin uses vocal layering, to create a "sound experience" for a cappella voices as bells. All voices sing together in the middle section before returning to vocalized bell effects. "Merrily on high, hear the bells ring. Merrily, the heavens sing. Merrily on high, hear the bells ring. O'er the earth, they ding dong ding.
Ale Pun - Arr. Ruth Elaine Schram
Ale Pun is a traditional Spanish tune with a vibrant rhythmic and percussive setting. Flurries of snowflakes are falling as the donkey’s footsteps are clicking through the snow. Ale Pun is meant to move like the wind through the sky on its way to Bethlehem. Ale pun (ah-leh-poon) and cata pun (cah-tah poon) are nonsense words that may refer to the percussive sound of the donkey’s hooves as it carried Mary or the plodding feet of Joseph as they made their way to Bethlehem. No one really knows their true origin or their exact meaning.
La virgen va caminando, y-ale pun.
Por una montaña oscura, y-ale pun.
Ale pun, y-ale ale pun.
Y-ale pun, cata pun.
The Virgin is walking, and ale pun.
By a dark mountain, and ale pun.
Ale pun, and ale ale pun.
And ale pun, cata pun.
Ose Shalom - John Leavitt
Ose Shalom delivers a message of peace that is timely for the holiday season. John Leavitt’s arrangement of this prayer is a blend of old and new. Traditionally sung or chanted, Leavitt’s setting begins with a modern homophonic or “chordal” introduction before using a more chant- like melody for the text. This, coupled with the characteristic use of a minor mode, allows this more modern setting to retain a familiar sound that is fitting for this ancient text.
Ose shalom bimromav,
Hu ya’ase shalom aleynu,
Veh’al kol Yisrael,
Veh’imru, imru amen.
The One who makes peace in the heavens,
He make peace for us,
And for all Israel,
And let us say, let us say Amen
Carol of the Bells - Arr. Peter J. Wilhousky
Originalky a Ukrainian New Year’s carol, Shchedryk (Wealth) was written by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovich, who saw to it that the piece found a place in the repertoire list of the Ukrainian Republican A Cappella CHoir in 1919. Under the directorship of Alexander Koshetz, this chorus began its goodwill tour in all major European cities and later brought their performance to North America. It was in one of these United States performances that Peter J. Wilhousky first heard the carol. Inspired by the beauty of the melody, Wilhousky wrote original lyrics and arranged the music into what has become an American Christmas masterpiece, entitled Carol of the Bells.
Since its original publication by Carl Fischer Music Publishers in 1936, this classic Christmas standard has sold over three million copies in octave form. To honor this venerable Wilhousky publication, Carl Fischer is proud to release this newly engraved, edited and corrected edition. Carol of the Bells has been performed on television programs, as well as commercials, on the stage of virtually every major performance hall in the world, on radio programs, church and concert choir performances and in movie scores. It has been conducted by the most renowned choral conductors in the world and has earned recognition and popularity as one of the most performed Christmas songs of all time.
Noel - Arr. Brad Holmes
James Todd Smith is a singer and founding member of the contemporary Christian music band Selah. Smith grew up the son of missionaries in Zaire, Africa (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) in a home built by his grandparents, who had been missionaries to the continent since the 1930s. Smith gives credit for his music career to his missionary upbringing. Noel, Todd Smith, Arranged by Brad Holmes. With text in the African Kituba dialect, this bright, rhythmic piece captures the feeling of a tribal celebration as it expresses the joy of the Christ Child’s birth. Djembe and hand-claps add to the excitement.
Noel! Noel!
Jesu me kwisa ku zinga ti beto.
Kana nge zola ku zaba mwana,
Nge fwiti kwisa ku fukama.
Noel! Noel!
Jesus has come to live with us.
If you want to know the Child,
You have to come kneel.
Hanerot Halalu - Arr. Becki Slagle Mayo
Naerot Halalu is sung traditionally during the Festival of Lights known as Hanukkah, a celebration commemorating the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian Greeks in 165 B.C.E. The Maccabees were a small band of Jewish fighters that battled oppression, paganism, and loss of religious freedom. When the Maccabees victoriously reclaimed their Holy Temple in Jerusalem, they were saddened to find it in disarray. As they cleaned and purified the temple, rededicating it to their God, they searched for oil to light a menorah, a special candelabrum used in Jewish worship. A small flash, containing enough oil for only one day, was all that could be found. However, the customary process of purifying more oil for the temple would have taken a week. Miraculously, the Maccabees lit the menorah and it continued to burn for eight days and nights, the time needed before the oil was ready. This is the miracle that is celebrated at Hanukkah and the reason that this practice is observed for eight nights.
During the eight-day holiday of Hanukkah, candles are placed in a menorah and displayed in a window where others can view them. These candles are unique in that they are not to be used as a source of light, but only as a symbol of this miraculous event. On the first night, only one candle is lit; the second night, two candles; and continuing through the eighth night when all candles burn brightly through the window. Traditionally, a blessing is spoked, and during the candle-lighting ceremony, Hanerot Halalu is sung.
Gaudete! - Arr. Michael Engelhardt
Gaudete! was originally arranged for the Millikin University Women’s Choir in celebration of the 50th annual Vespers at Millikin: From Generation to Generation before being adapted for SATB voices for the 2014 South Dakota All-State Choir under the direction of Henry Leck. This ancient Christmas carol from Piae Cantones (1582) is set in a very progressive style. The tune of the carol remains completely intact, with only slight rhythmic variations from the original. It is the harmonic, percussive, and electronic elements (optional) that regenerate this simple medieval tune into a post-modern, uasi-industrial groove anthem.
Engelhardt imagined the vocal tone to be akin to that of Gaelic chant - strong, biting, and confident, with freedom for inflection, particularly in the opening solo and duet. Singing with a forward placement with minimal vibrato will create higher overtones and allow the clustered harmonies to ring with maximum brilliance.
The fusion of mechanical precision together with rural simplicity can be directly attributed to my own upbringing. Born and raised in an eclectic small town that fervently resisted the suburban sprawl of Chicago - Engelhardt’s father was a plastic molding engineer and his mother was a dressmaker - he lived in the beautiful tension of industry versus artistry, machinery versus humanity, progress versus heritage. In that light, special care should be taken to make sure that a well-balanced sense of joy is present in the performance of this arrangement. The somewhat cold, metallic sound of the percussion should be offset by a warm, celebratory spirit in the choir.
Gaudete, gaudete! Christus est natus
Ex Maria Virgine: gaudete!
Tempus adest gratiae,
Hoc quod optabamus;
Carmina laeticiae
Devote reddamus.
Deus homo factus est,
Natura mirante;
Mundus renovatus est
A Christo regnante.
Ergo nostra concio
Psallat jam in lustro;
Benedicat Domino:
Salus Regi nostro.
Rejoice, rejoice! Christ is born
Of the Virgin Mary: rejoice!
It is now the time of grace,
That we have desired;
Let us devoutly return
Songs of rejoicing.
God has become man,
And nature marvels;
The world has been renewed
By Christ who is King.
Therefore let our song,
Now resound in purification;
Let it give praises to the Lord:
Salvation to our King
.
December 6, 2021 6:00 pm
Kickapoo Performing Arts Center
Director: Nathan Cornelius
Associate Director: Jeff Payne
Student Teacher: Jordon Schultze
Accompanist: Hayden Vaughn
Caroling, Caroling - Arr. Michele Weir
Composed by Alfred Burt, a popular American jazz musician who is best known for composing the music for fifteen Christmas carols between 1942 and 1954. Twelve of Burt’s carols were released in time for the holiday season of 1954 on a 10-inch vinyl album called The Christmas Mood. The album remained in print for several Christmas seasons. Burt’s Caroling, Caroling was recorded for many different albums from 1957-1963. The first recording of all 15 carols was released in 1964 by the Voices of Jimmy Joyce called This is Christmas: A Complete Collection of the Alfred S. Burt Carols.
Ding-a, Ding-a, Ding - Greg Gilpin
Greg Gilpin is a well-known ASCAP award winning composer and arranger and a highly respected choral conductor throughout the United States and internationally including the respected and historic venues of Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, Iceland. He also conducts educational choral tours for singers of all ages to various locations throughout the U.S. and abroad. In the piece Ding-a Ding-a Ding, Greg Gilpin uses vocal layering, to create a "sound experience" for a cappella voices as bells. All voices sing together in the middle section before returning to vocalized bell effects. "Merrily on high, hear the bells ring. Merrily, the heavens sing. Merrily on high, hear the bells ring. O'er the earth, they ding dong ding.
Ale Pun - Arr. Ruth Elaine Schram
Ale Pun is a traditional Spanish tune with a vibrant rhythmic and percussive setting. Flurries of snowflakes are falling as the donkey’s footsteps are clicking through the snow. Ale Pun is meant to move like the wind through the sky on its way to Bethlehem. Ale pun (ah-leh-poon) and cata pun (cah-tah poon) are nonsense words that may refer to the percussive sound of the donkey’s hooves as it carried Mary or the plodding feet of Joseph as they made their way to Bethlehem. No one really knows their true origin or their exact meaning.
La virgen va caminando, y-ale pun.
Por una montaña oscura, y-ale pun.
Ale pun, y-ale ale pun.
Y-ale pun, cata pun.
The Virgin is walking, and ale pun.
By a dark mountain, and ale pun.
Ale pun, and ale ale pun.
And ale pun, cata pun.
Ose Shalom - John Leavitt
Ose Shalom delivers a message of peace that is timely for the holiday season. John Leavitt’s arrangement of this prayer is a blend of old and new. Traditionally sung or chanted, Leavitt’s setting begins with a modern homophonic or “chordal” introduction before using a more chant- like melody for the text. This, coupled with the characteristic use of a minor mode, allows this more modern setting to retain a familiar sound that is fitting for this ancient text.
Ose shalom bimromav,
Hu ya’ase shalom aleynu,
Veh’al kol Yisrael,
Veh’imru, imru amen.
The One who makes peace in the heavens,
He make peace for us,
And for all Israel,
And let us say, let us say Amen
Carol of the Bells - Arr. Peter J. Wilhousky
Originalky a Ukrainian New Year’s carol, Shchedryk (Wealth) was written by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovich, who saw to it that the piece found a place in the repertoire list of the Ukrainian Republican A Cappella CHoir in 1919. Under the directorship of Alexander Koshetz, this chorus began its goodwill tour in all major European cities and later brought their performance to North America. It was in one of these United States performances that Peter J. Wilhousky first heard the carol. Inspired by the beauty of the melody, Wilhousky wrote original lyrics and arranged the music into what has become an American Christmas masterpiece, entitled Carol of the Bells.
Since its original publication by Carl Fischer Music Publishers in 1936, this classic Christmas standard has sold over three million copies in octave form. To honor this venerable Wilhousky publication, Carl Fischer is proud to release this newly engraved, edited and corrected edition. Carol of the Bells has been performed on television programs, as well as commercials, on the stage of virtually every major performance hall in the world, on radio programs, church and concert choir performances and in movie scores. It has been conducted by the most renowned choral conductors in the world and has earned recognition and popularity as one of the most performed Christmas songs of all time.
Noel - Arr. Brad Holmes
James Todd Smith is a singer and founding member of the contemporary Christian music band Selah. Smith grew up the son of missionaries in Zaire, Africa (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) in a home built by his grandparents, who had been missionaries to the continent since the 1930s. Smith gives credit for his music career to his missionary upbringing. Noel, Todd Smith, Arranged by Brad Holmes. With text in the African Kituba dialect, this bright, rhythmic piece captures the feeling of a tribal celebration as it expresses the joy of the Christ Child’s birth. Djembe and hand-claps add to the excitement.
Noel! Noel!
Jesu me kwisa ku zinga ti beto.
Kana nge zola ku zaba mwana,
Nge fwiti kwisa ku fukama.
Noel! Noel!
Jesus has come to live with us.
If you want to know the Child,
You have to come kneel.
Hanerot Halalu - Arr. Becki Slagle Mayo
Naerot Halalu is sung traditionally during the Festival of Lights known as Hanukkah, a celebration commemorating the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian Greeks in 165 B.C.E. The Maccabees were a small band of Jewish fighters that battled oppression, paganism, and loss of religious freedom. When the Maccabees victoriously reclaimed their Holy Temple in Jerusalem, they were saddened to find it in disarray. As they cleaned and purified the temple, rededicating it to their God, they searched for oil to light a menorah, a special candelabrum used in Jewish worship. A small flash, containing enough oil for only one day, was all that could be found. However, the customary process of purifying more oil for the temple would have taken a week. Miraculously, the Maccabees lit the menorah and it continued to burn for eight days and nights, the time needed before the oil was ready. This is the miracle that is celebrated at Hanukkah and the reason that this practice is observed for eight nights.
During the eight-day holiday of Hanukkah, candles are placed in a menorah and displayed in a window where others can view them. These candles are unique in that they are not to be used as a source of light, but only as a symbol of this miraculous event. On the first night, only one candle is lit; the second night, two candles; and continuing through the eighth night when all candles burn brightly through the window. Traditionally, a blessing is spoked, and during the candle-lighting ceremony, Hanerot Halalu is sung.
Gaudete! - Arr. Michael Engelhardt
Gaudete! was originally arranged for the Millikin University Women’s Choir in celebration of the 50th annual Vespers at Millikin: From Generation to Generation before being adapted for SATB voices for the 2014 South Dakota All-State Choir under the direction of Henry Leck. This ancient Christmas carol from Piae Cantones (1582) is set in a very progressive style. The tune of the carol remains completely intact, with only slight rhythmic variations from the original. It is the harmonic, percussive, and electronic elements (optional) that regenerate this simple medieval tune into a post-modern, uasi-industrial groove anthem.
Engelhardt imagined the vocal tone to be akin to that of Gaelic chant - strong, biting, and confident, with freedom for inflection, particularly in the opening solo and duet. Singing with a forward placement with minimal vibrato will create higher overtones and allow the clustered harmonies to ring with maximum brilliance.
The fusion of mechanical precision together with rural simplicity can be directly attributed to my own upbringing. Born and raised in an eclectic small town that fervently resisted the suburban sprawl of Chicago - Engelhardt’s father was a plastic molding engineer and his mother was a dressmaker - he lived in the beautiful tension of industry versus artistry, machinery versus humanity, progress versus heritage. In that light, special care should be taken to make sure that a well-balanced sense of joy is present in the performance of this arrangement. The somewhat cold, metallic sound of the percussion should be offset by a warm, celebratory spirit in the choir.
Gaudete, gaudete! Christus est natus
Ex Maria Virgine: gaudete!
Tempus adest gratiae,
Hoc quod optabamus;
Carmina laeticiae
Devote reddamus.
Deus homo factus est,
Natura mirante;
Mundus renovatus est
A Christo regnante.
Ergo nostra concio
Psallat jam in lustro;
Benedicat Domino:
Salus Regi nostro.
Rejoice, rejoice! Christ is born
Of the Virgin Mary: rejoice!
It is now the time of grace,
That we have desired;
Let us devoutly return
Songs of rejoicing.
God has become man,
And nature marvels;
The world has been renewed
By Christ who is King.
Therefore let our song,
Now resound in purification;
Let it give praises to the Lord:
Salvation to our King
.