Hisakata No: SATB a cappella Choral Octavo

Name: Hisakata No: SATB a cappella Choral Octavo
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 00-31064
Price: 2.20 USD
Availability: InStock

In the Peaceful Light

Traditional Japanese Poem, music by Ruth Morris Gray

Item: 00-31064

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A traditional Japanese poem is set in a twisting and turning repetitive pentatonic fashion in this serene multicultural choral. Contemporary harmonies, sung with straight tone, will challenge and delight all who perform and hear this fresh and haunting masterpiece. Add an optional tonechime or handbell.

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Series: Lawson-Gould

Publisher: Alfred Music

Page Count: 16

UPC: 038081338361

SKU: 00-31064

More about this title

About the Composer: Ruth Morris Gray

Ruth Morris Gray has directed choirs and taught piano at Rosemead High School since 2004, where she leads a robust choral program. Her compositional output exceeds 100 published works, drawing on her formal training in piano performance and composition from Biola University, as well as advanced study in music composition at UC Santa Barbara. Gray holds a California Single Subject Music Credential and balances her roles as composer, educator, and performer with a passion for travel and outdoor pursuits.

Gray's approach to choral composition reflects deep engagement with both traditional repertoire and contemporary harmonic language. Her works span secular and sacred genres, often incorporating multicultural elements and pedagogical thoughtfulness that serves ensembles at multiple levels.

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Why we love this

Gray's setting of this classical Japanese text demonstrates how contemporary harmonic language and pentatonic melody can coexist in a piece that feels both accessible and intellectually engaging. The requirement for straight tone singing, paired with the unaccompanied texture, trains singers in precision and ensemble blend while maintaining an ethereal, meditative quality that audiences find genuinely moving. The optional handbell or tonechime enhancement offers flexible programming without compromising the purity of the a cappella concept.

What to expect

Hisakata No unfolds like a meditation, its twisting pentatonic lines creating a sense of gentle motion within stillness. The contemporary harmonies resist easy resolution, lending the piece a haunting quality that lingers after the final sound dissolves into silence.

Who it's for

Choirs seeking accessible yet sophisticated multicultural repertoire will find immediate use in this octavo. It works equally well for competitive festival contexts and concert performances, and the 16-page score makes it manageable for groups with varied reading fluency.

How to get the most out of it

Establish the pentatonic pitch set through warm-ups that emphasize the five-note scale in isolation before introducing the full harmonic texture; this clarifies tuning expectations.
Cultivate straight tone by focusing on breath support and a neutral vowel placement rather than vibrato; sectional rehearsals on sustained passages will pay dividends.
Shape the repetitive phrases with subtle dynamic and tempo nuances to prevent monotony and reveal the piece's architectural logic.
If including handbells or tonechimes, schedule a separate rehearsal to marry instrumental and vocal lines, ensuring the optional parts enhance rather than compete.

How to use it

Program this piece as an opening for a concert focused on world music or as a reflective interlude between larger works; its serene character provides welcome contrast. It also serves contest or festival programs where judges respond to distinctive voice and cultural authenticity.