A Quiet Alleluia, Famous for 75 Years
by Kile Smith | Jul 11, 2015 | American music, Choral music, WRTI
[First published in WRTI’s Arts Desk…] In this week in July of 1940, one of the most-loved and most-sung choral works, written by a composer living in Philadelphia, was premiered in western Massachusetts. I look at how Randall Thompson’s Alleluia is almost...News
7 Jan. “How Fair the Bright and Morning Star” (Wie schön leuchtet) from Vespers. St. Mary’s Episcopal, Richmond, VA, Ryan Tibbetts
27 Jan. Jubilate Deo, for string orchestra. Carroll County (MD) All-County Orchestra, Sheldon Bair
20 Jan. Red-tail and Hummingbird (Quintet version). Philadelphia Brass. Lansdale Community Concerts, North Penn High School, Lansdale, PA. Weather cancellation
3 Mar. Come, Ye Sinners (2-pt, org). Martin Luther Chapel, Pennsauken, NJ, Jacqueline Smith
3 Mar. Franklinville-Schwarzwald Männerchor Sängergruß. Evening of Song, Cannstatter Volksfest-Verein, Philadelphia
10 Mar. God So Loved the World (2-pt, org). Martin Luther Chapel, Pennsauken, NJ, Jacqueline Smith
17 Mar. O Thou Who Camest From Above. Westminster Presbyterian, Lancaster, PA, Floyd Rawleigh
31 Mar. Alleluia. First and Central Presbyterian, Wilmington, DE, David Schelat
31 Mar. Behold, the Best, the Greatest Gift. Martin Luther Chapel, Pennsauken, NJ, Jacqueline Smith
31 Mar. Sing, Choirs of New Jerusalem. Grace First Presbyterian, Long Beach, CA, Stan DeWitt
31 Mar. Sing, Choirs of New Jerusalem. Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Daniel Spratlan
31 Mar. Sing, Choirs of New Jerusalem. St. Mary’s Episcopal, Richmond, VA, Ryan Tibbetts
31 Mar. Sing, Choirs of New Jerusalem. Wayne Presbyterian, Wayne, PA, John Grecia
11 Apr. PREMIERE. I Love You Truly from Wireless. Chor Leoni, Erick Lichte
21 Apr. My Shepherd Will Supply My Need, premiere of 2-pt, org version. Martin Luther Chapel, Pennsauken, NJ, Jacqueline Smith
10 May. PREMIERE. Wireless. Chor Leoni, Erick Lichte
11 May. Wireless. Chor Leoni, Erick Lichte
12–14 May. Wireless. Recording. Chor Leoni, Erick Lichte
8 Jun. Monstra te essem matrem (SSA, harp) and Psalm 113 (SSAA, harp). iSing Girlchoir, Jennah Delp. Berkeley Festival, Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph, San Jose, CA
10 Jun. Monstra te essem matrem (SSA, harp) and Psalm 113 (SSAA, harp). iSing Girlchoir, Jennah Delp. Berkeley Festival, First Church Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
27 Jun. Jerusalem, from The Arc in the Sky. The Crossing, Donald Nally, Month of Moderns 2, Awbury Arboretum, Germantown, Philadelphia
6 Jul. “Why Did They All Shout?” from The Arc in the Sky, Reading Bach Choir, Daniel Mahoney, Caversham, Reading, Great Britain
11 Jul. PREMIERE Arise, O Lord, Psalm 132 for SATB, org, 10′. Psalm Festival of the 2024 Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Institute for Liturgy, Preaching and Church Music, Seward, Nebraska, the Bellevue Singers and organist Jacob Weber, conducted by A.J. Reimer.
28 Feb. PREMIERE. New 15′ Work. Choir and organ, on the life of St. Peter. Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Michael Plagerman
22 Mar. PREMIERE. New 12′ Work. Sylvan Viol Consort, Variant Six. Market Street Music, Wilmington, DE
12 Apr. PREMIERE. New 20′ Work. The Choristers with orchestra, Lansdale, PA, David Spitko
Recent CDs
The Bremen Town Musicians. English Symphony Orchestra, Gemma Whelan, narrator, Kenneth Woods, conductor. Fiddles, Forests, and Fowl Fables.
The Arc in the Sky. The Crossing. 2020 Grammy nomination, Best Choral Performance
Canticle and Alleluia. Vocal Arts Ensemble. 2020 Grammy, Classical Producer of the Year, Blanton Alspaugh
In This Blue Room, other songs. Lyric Fest
A Child’s Afternoon. Fantasmagoria. Anna K. Meyer, flute, & Erik Meyer, organ
The Nobility of Women. Mélomanie
The Stars Shine, from The Consolation of Apollo. The Same Stream
Vespers. Piffaro, the Renaissance Band, and The Crossing
Where Flames a Word. The Crossing
Where Flames a Word. Voces Tallinn. 2020 Estonian Recording of the Year
Where Flames a Word. Khorikos
Where Flames a Word. Chicago Chamber Choir
Selected publications
The Star-Spangled Banner. SATB, piano, opt. cello, 5’30”. Hal Leonard
Alleluia. SATB, 6′. Hal Leonard
The Consolation of Apollo. SATB, perc, 35′. MusicSpoke
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. SATB, bells, 3′. Hal Leonard
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. SATB, org, 3′. Concordia.