Category: COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY
Composer: Andrea Clearfield
Arranger: NA
Publisher: See-A-Dot
Edition: –
Voicing: SATB divisi
Setting: w/ piano

Reviewer:

Michael McGaghie
Macalester College
R&R Chair College & University

This rhapsodic setting of Walt Whitman presents a deeply rewarding challenge for singers and pianists. Clearfield’s rich, accessible harmonic language is well-suited for Whitman’s ecstatic poetry, moving fluidly between tonal centers in this powerful eight-minute work.

Though Clearfield’s vocal lines are always sensible to the ear, her extensive use of accidentals (and lack of any key signature) makes for some challenging sight-reading at first. Conductors might begin teaching the piece by helping singers hear and understand the harmonic structure; the lines will make abundant sense with this context in place.

Link (Listen/View):

https://www.seeadot.com/store#!/Poet-Of-The-Body-And-Soul/c/33452694/offset=0&sort=normal