Music Gives: 3-Part Mixed Choral Octavo
Words from Traditional Latin and Plato, music by Mark Burrows
Item: 00-PO-0007258
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Minimum order quantity: 20 copies
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Description
"Music gives . . . life to everything." Powerful words by Plato are given a contemporary sound in this buoyant piece by Mark Burrows. Soaring with radiant energy, it uses colorful harmonies and a driving 3/4 meter to extol the virtues of music. A central chant-like section sets the familiar phrase "Where words fail, music speaks" in Latin. Highly recommended for concert, contest, or festival.
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Additional Details
Series:
Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
12
SKU:
00-PO-0007258
More about this title
About the Composer: Mark Burrows
Mark Burrows brings together composition, conducting, and teaching in a career centered on creating music for choirs at every level. His works appear regularly on state and festival contest lists, and he fields multiple commissions annually from children's choirs, community ensembles, and intergenerational festival groups alike.
Burrows earned his undergraduate degree in music education from Southern Methodist University and completed graduate studies in conducting at Texas Christian University. Based in Fort Worth, Texas, he currently directs children's ministries music at FUMC Fort Worth.
Why we love this
This piece captures contemporary energy within classical choral form, which means your singers get to perform something that feels fresh and relevant without sacrificing musical substance. The Latin text section adds ceremonial weight to a piece that could otherwise skew too light, creating real contrast and depth that audiences find genuinely moving.
What to expect
The piece radiates warmth and affirmation; Plato's words about music's power to give life feel earned rather than sentimental because Burrows builds them with genuine harmonic color and rhythmic drive. Moving from the uplifting main sections into the reflective, almost liturgical Latin chant creates an emotional arc that feels complete and purposeful.
Who it's for
Directors programming mixed choirs at the intermediate to advanced level will find this piece rewarding both for rehearsal and performance. It works equally well for high school ensembles seeking contest material and adult community choirs wanting something with contemporary sensibility and substance.
How to get the most out of it
- Keep the energy propulsive in the opening sections; the 3/4 meter should feel buoyant rather than stately, so avoid letting the tempo settle.
- Shape the Latin chant-like section with clear diction and sustained tone quality to create the textural shift that Burrows intended.
- Use the recorded accompaniment to lock ensemble balance, especially in passages where the harmony becomes colorful and voices need to blend precisely.
- Emphasize the return to the main phrase after the Latin section; the recognition of 'Where words fail, music speaks' in English will land harder with careful dynamic control.
How to use it
Program this as a centerpiece in a concert exploring music's role in human experience, pairing it with works that reflect different cultural or historical approaches to that theme. Its relatively compact length (12 pages) and strong emotional resolution make it an excellent closer for a set or a standalone festival piece that doesn't require extended programming context.
Skills your students will build
- Singing in 3/4 meter with precision while maintaining lyrical phrasing
- Blending colorful harmonies across three parts without losing individual line clarity
- Shifting between contemporary rhythmic energy and sustained chant-like vocal quality
- Enunciating Latin text accurately while maintaining musical flow