Los Bilbilicos: SATB a cappella Choral Octavo

Name: Los Bilbilicos: SATB a cappella Choral Octavo
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 00-41869
Price: 1.85 USD
Availability: InStock

(The Nightingales)

Ladino Folk Song / arr. Robert DeCormier

Item: 00-41869

$1.85

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A plaintive melody is skillfully passed between soloists and sections as we are reminded that only the nightingale understands the anguish of those in love.

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Series: Lawson-Gould

Publisher: Alfred Music

Page Count: 8

UPC: 038081469492

SKU: 00-41869

More about this title

About the Arranger: Robert DeCormier

Robert DeCormier studied at Juilliard and built a career spanning classical conducting, Broadway, and folk music. He served as music director of the New York Choral Society for seventeen years, worked as conductor and arranger for Harry Belafonte, and from 1978 to 2010 held the position of music director for Peter, Paul and Mary. His conducting engagements took him across the United States and Canada with the Robert De Cormier Singers and later with the professional ensemble Counterpoint, which he founded in 2000.

DeCormier's arranging legacy encompasses African-American spirituals, American folk songs, and international repertoire. He taught conducting and ensembles at the Eastman School of Music from 1972 to 1977 and helped establish the Vermont Symphony Orchestra Chorus in 1993. His work has appeared on numerous record labels and television, including a PBS special with Jessye Norman and a CBS Emmy-winning special with Harry Belafonte. In 2002 and 2006, he received the Vermont Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the New England Choral Arts Foundation, respectively.

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Why we love this

DeCormier's arrangement honors the lyrical, melancholic spirit of this folk text by allowing the melody to migrate between soloists and full sections, creating conversational depth without relying on harmony to carry the emotional weight. The a cappella texture demands presence and vocal control from singers while remaining accessible to choirs at intermediate levels. Programming this piece signals that your choir engages with world repertoire and folk traditions as serious musical material.

What to expect

The piece unfolds with restrained emotion, its melody aching with the particular sorrow described in the text. There is intimacy in the a cappella texture and a sense of shared burden as voices enter and support one another, the nightingale's understanding of love's pain becoming a meditation on human vulnerability and connection.

Who it's for

This octavo suits intermediate to advanced SATB choirs seeking repertoire that combines accessibility with artistic substance. Singers who have developed basic blend and intonation will find the a cappella writing rewarding; soloists benefit from the opportunity to carry vulnerable, exposed phrases.

How to get the most out of it

Shape the melody as it passes from soloist to section. Each entrance should feel like a new voice joining the conversation rather than simply continuing a line.
Balance blend and clarity in the supporting voices; they must provide harmonic foundation without obscuring the plaintive top line.
Allow slight rubato and breathing room between phrases to reflect the contemplative nature of the text and its imagery of heartache.
Rehearse the a cappella sections with attention to intonation, using the opening unaccompanied passage to establish pitch and tone before introducing harmonic complexity.

How to use it

Pair this with other folk arrangements or world repertoire to create a thematic set exploring love and loss across cultures. Its modest scale (eight pages, a cappella) makes it an excellent bridge between larger works on a concert, offering contrast through intimacy and allowing the audience a moment of reflection.