Harvard Dictionary of Music defines MUSICA!
as “that which relates to the art of the muses,” and
more specifically identified with Polyhymnia, the muse of “many
songs.” So it is that MUSICA!, the ensemble, and this debut
CD,Great Day, embrace music from many musical eras and genres.
Given the strong choral background of its singers, the disc includes
several gems of the choral repertoire – All Creatures Now
are Merry Minded, Il bianco e dolce signo (The pale and sweet
swan), May Night, and Sing Ye Praises. Reflected as well is an
appreciation of other cultures, in this case South American –
Mata del anima sola, Te quiero, and Muie Rendera. With a nod to
America’s indigenous music, jazz, MUSICA! swings with Route
66 and Java Jive, and croons the seductive Loving You. A special
inclusion is the Four Shakespeare Songs by Jeffrey Van, whose
works have been performed by the Dale Warland Singers and other
professional ensembles and performers. Commissioned by MUSICA!
in 1996, Van sets Shakespearean texts fromThe Tempest (“Full
Fathom Five”), A Winter’s Tale ( “Lawn As White
As Driven Snow”), Much Ado About Nothing (“Sigh No
More, Ladies”) and Twelfth Night (“O Mistress Mine”).
The inclusion of the lollipop I’m A Train by the King Singers’
reveals the omni-present lighter side of MUSICA! Finally, the
program would not be complete without the inclusion of folksongs
and spirituals - Song for the Mira,Great Day, I’m Gonna
Sing ‘Til the Spirit Moves In My Heart, Shenandoah, and
I Can Tell the World. Throughout this disc, the vocal talents
of individual singers are spotlighted as soloists.
Robert Jones, Artistic Director
