Category: MIDDLE LEVEL & JR HIGH
Composer: Kenney Potter; text by Emily Dickinson
Arranger: NA
Publisher: Santa Barbara Music Publishing, Inc.
Edition: SBMP1017
Voicing: SATB
Setting: a cappella
Reviewer:
Sheila Shusterich
Ordean-East Middle School
R&R Chair Middle Level & Jr High
It includes a rehearsal only piano score
The poetry of Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) lends itself to many choral settings and in fact, there are many settings of this poem with Kenney Potter’s being my personal favorite. The mixed meter 7/8, 8/8, 6/8, 4/8 is exciting to learn for the students and a fun conducting challenge for the director! We had some mini conducting lessons to internalize the 7/8 (conducted in 3).
The big take-away for my choirs while learning this selection was the need to put their listening skills into overdrive and to keep a pulse while learning their notes. Once we got to the performance stage, it came together like putting on a comfortable pair of slippers. It fit together beautifully. The piece has a great rhythmic energy and my grade 8 singers really enjoy performing it, especially the free-fall extremity section (m. 46-49) and the reflective out-of-tempo section that follows (m. 50-54).