Evening: SSAA Choral Octavo
Words by Emily Dickinson, music by Ruth Morris Gray
Item: 00-PO-0001309
$2.25
Minimum order quantity: 20 copies
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Description
Using a text taken from Emily Dickinson's Complete Poems: Part Two---Nature, this intricate choral for treble voices weaves multiple melodies together in a stunning texture. Excellent for contest and concert events.
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Additional Details
Series:
Lawson-Gould
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
12
SKU:
00-PO-0001309
More about this title
About the Composer: Ruth Morris Gray
Ruth Morris Gray brings deep roots in both composition and choral education. After earning degrees in piano performance and composition from Biola University and UC Santa Barbara, she has spent two decades at Rosemead High School, where she directs the choir program and teaches piano. Her catalog of over 100 published choral works reflects her commitment to creating singable, artistically rich music for student ensembles.
Beyond the music building, Gray is an accomplished traveler, swimmer, and cyclist who shares her love of exploration and movement with her husband, Douglas. Her dual life as a working director and prolific composer keeps her grounded in the real challenges and rewards of school music programs.
Why we love this
Gray's setting of Dickinson's poetry creates a sophisticated harmonic landscape without sacrificing singability. The piece works equally well as a festival showpiece and a concert program anchor, giving you genuine flexibility in your season planning. The way multiple melodic lines interweave rewards careful rehearsal but remains accessible to strong high school choirs.
What to expect
The piece unfolds with the quiet intelligence of an evening conversation, voices overlapping and parting like thoughts gathering at dusk. Its harmonic language feels contemporary without alienating singers, and the Dickinson text brings introspection and subtle shifts in mood across its arc.
Who it's for
This octavo suits treble choirs that are comfortable reading multiple independent lines and want to program something beyond standard arrangements. It works for upper-level high school choirs or collegiate treble ensembles preparing for festival adjudication or concert performance.
How to get the most out of it
- Map the text painting carefully during early rehearsals. Dickinson's language often shifts emotional weight within a single phrase, and clarity about what each melodic gesture represents will help your singers commit to expressive choices.
- Balance the four parts as independent lines rather than stacking them vertically. This intricate texture only comes alive when each voice is heard as a conversation partner rather than harmonic filler.
- Mark the breath points strategically during the week before performance. With 12 pages of continuous polyphony, singers need permission to breathe musically without losing the piece's forward momentum.
How to use it
Position this as a concert closer or festival encore, where its poetic depth and polyphonic detail can command full attention. It pairs naturally with other contemporary sacred or secular works that prize literary substance and will give your group a chance to demonstrate musical maturity.
Skills your students will build
- Balancing independent melodic lines in dense polyphony
- Interpreting poetic text with harmonic and rhythmic accuracy
- Sustaining ensemble blend while singing exposed passages
- Reading SSAA voicing with consistent accuracy across 12 pages