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Never Seek to Tell Thy Love: 3-Part Mixed Choral Octavo

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Never Seek to Tell Thy Love Cover Image
Never Seek to Tell Thy Love: 3-Part Mixed Choral Octavo

Never Seek to Tell Thy Love: 3-Part Mixed Choral Octavo

Music by Sherri Porterfield

Item: 00-23462
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Description
The heartfelt poetry of William Blake is artfully transformed into a stunning choral work with expressive rubato, breathtaking suspensions, and colorful text painting. Effective for adjudication and memorable in concert. Features a sublime oboe/C-instrument part that brilliantly compliments the mature choral phrases and fluid piano accompaniment.

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Never Seek to Tell Thy Love: 3-Part Mixed Choral Octavo comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.

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Additional Details
Series: Alfred Archive Edition: Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 12
UPC: 038081237862
SKU: 00-23462
Instrumentation: Opt. Oboe/C-Instrument

More about this title

About the Composer: Sherri Porterfield

Sherri Porterfield

Sherri Porterfield directs choirs at Cedar Park Middle School in Cedar Park, Texas, and has previously taught in Missouri and Kansas. Her ensembles have consistently earned first place and sweepstakes honors at regional competitions and have performed at state music educators conventions. She served as an adjunct assistant professor of music education at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and has worked as a clinician and guest conductor with honor choirs across the country.

As a prolific composer, Porterfield has published over 175 choral works through Alfred Music and other major publishers. Since 1997, she has received annual ASCAP awards for her compositions. She holds a B.S.E. in music education from the University of Memphis and a Master of Music in choral conducting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Porterfield has been recognized four times in Who's Who Among America's Teachers and was named Teacher of the Year at Frontier Trail Junior High in Olathe, Kansas, in 1999.

Why we love this

Porterfield's setting captures the emotional depth of Blake's verse without overwhelming younger or developing singers. The optional oboe or C-instrument adds a sophisticated dimension that elevates the choral work without creating performance barriers, making it equally effective in competition or concert settings.

What to expect

Introspective and lyrical, with moments of gentle yearning shaped by Blake's romantic language. The harmonic suspensions create delicate tension and release, while the optional oboe part lends an almost orchestral intimacy to the acoustic piano accompaniment.

Who it's for

This work suits middle school, high school, and collegiate choirs with some ensemble maturity and comfort with rubato. It also engages directors seeking sacred-adjacent but secular repertoire that showcases developing singers' musicality and interpretive abilities.

How to get the most out of it

  • Shape the rubato passages as flexible, sung conversations rather than strictly metered moments; let the text painting guide your tempo fluctuations and allow singers to feel the melodic arc rather than count.
  • Highlight the suspensions by bringing them slightly forward in the mix and allowing them to ring for their full harmonic value before resolution.
  • Balance the optional oboe or C-instrument part so it comments on and enriches the choral lines without pulling focus; it should feel like a natural extension of the singers' voices.
  • Work the text painting with intention in rehearsal; singers need to understand how the music reflects Blake's imagery so the expressive gestures feel organic rather than applied.

How to use it

Pair this with other Blake settings or Romantic-era choral works for a focused recital segment, or use it as a standalone showcase piece in competition or concert programming where its emotional sincerity and technical polish stand out.

Skills your students will build

  • Singing with expressive rubato and flexible phrasing
  • Balancing text painting with harmonic awareness
  • Reading and performing suspensions with proper voice leading
  • Responding to and interpreting poetic meaning through musical gesture
  • Collaborating with an optional instrumental part in a small ensemble context

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