I Softly Sing: SSA Choral Octavo
I Softly Sing Sheet Music Preview

I Softly Sing: SSA Choral Octavo

By Bruce W. Tippette

Item: 35-DS01166974
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Additional Details
Publisher: Hal Leonard
Page Count: 11
SKU: 35-DS01166974

More about this title

About the Composer: Bruce W. Tippette

Bruce W. Tippette

Bruce W. Tippette combines formal training in composition with extensive experience as an educator and performing musician. A graduate of Appalachian State University and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he earned his Master of Music in composition, Tippette has built a career anchored in both concert works and collaborative projects. His orchestral composition Unconquered won the 2012 Mary Starling Composition Competition and has been performed repeatedly by the Winston-Salem Symphony, while his piano solo Dance of Fire received the Lynn Freeman Olson Composition Award.

Beyond the concert hall, Tippette's compositional reach extends to film, choreography, and musical theater. He has been commissioned repeatedly by choral and instrumental ensembles and was selected in 2012, 2013, and 2014 to create new works through an experimental partnership between Cirque du Soleil and UNC School of the Arts. Currently, he teaches music composition, theory, piano, and voice at the Community Music School of UNCSA, serves as Youth Music and Handbell Director at Augsburg Lutheran Church, and works as a collaborative pianist and rehearsal accompanist throughout the region.

Why we love this

Tippette's setting respects the poetry without overwhelming it, allowing the text to breathe while the harmony supports the emotional arc. The SSA voicing opens this piece to a wider range of choirs, and the composer's training as both a theorist and educator shows in writing that is singable without sacrificing musical substance.

What to expect

The piece has an intimate quality, as if sharing a quiet confidence rather than making a grand statement. Harmonic language supports introspection and allows the words to sit comfortably within a musical context that feels both contemporary and timeless.

Who it's for

Choirs seeking a concert piece that values poetic content and lyrical writing will find this octavo accessible yet sophisticated. It suits ensembles with solid fundamentals who are ready to engage with music that demands attention to text and intonation.

How to get the most out of it

  • Pay close attention to text underlay and phrasing; allow the poetry to shape your musical line rather than imposing a predetermined rhythm.
  • Balance the soprano and alto lines to ensure the harmonic journey remains transparent. Thick, blended tone will obscure the composer's voiceleading.
  • Consider the emotional trajectory from beginning to end, and shape dynamics accordingly to support the text's narrative arc.

How to use it

Slot this into the quieter portion of a concert to create contrast with heavier repertoire, or use it as a palette cleanser between ensemble pieces that demand greater technical display. The 11-page length makes it practical for a program that includes multiple works.

Skills your students will build

  • Singing with text awareness and poetic interpretation
  • Balancing multiple harmonic lines in close voicing
  • Maintaining accurate intonation in contemporary harmonic language
  • Phrasing control and breath management in legit lyrical writing

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