The Note Within: 2-Part Choral Octavo
Words by John Kendrick Bangs, music by Ruth Morris Gray
Item: 00-PO-0006892
$2.05
Minimum order quantity: 20 copies
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Description
Choral educators agree, canon singing works! So, we're always on the lookout to expand our repertoire of rounds. Here's a truly unique minor-key canon on a mature (and musical) text with multi-age appeal. Easy to teach and satisfying to sing, it quickly stacks up to sound impressive. Practice or perform with the optional chamber music instrumentation SoundTrax. "I have a song within my heart."Â This title is available in MakeMusic Cloud.
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Additional Details
Series:
Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
12
SKU:
00-PO-0006892
More about this title
About the Composer: Ruth Morris Gray
Ruth Morris Gray serves as Director of Choirs at Rosemead High School in Rosemead, California, where she has led the choral program since 2004. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and Composition from Biola University and a Master of Arts in Music Composition from UC Santa Barbara, complemented by her California Single Subject Music Credential from Cal State Northridge. With over 100 published choral compositions to her name, Gray brings both compositional sophistication and classroom experience to her work.
Beyond her roles as composer, director, and educator, Gray maintains an active musical life that includes performance and piano instruction. Her creative output reflects her commitment to expanding the choral repertoire with accessible yet artistically mature works that serve both educational and concert contexts.
Why we love this
Gray has composed a minor-key canon that feels genuinely musical rather than pedagogically constructed, which means your singers experience the satisfaction of making real art from the first rehearsal. The layered texture builds impressively fast without requiring complex preparation, making it ideal for directors who need a strong concert piece that doesn't demand weeks of work. The text itself carries weight and maturity, elevating the entire performance beyond what you'd expect from a two-part arrangement.
What to expect
The piece carries an intimate, reflective quality that deepens as voices enter and overlap, creating a sense of shared discovery rather than mechanical stacking. The minor key grounds the work in genuine emotion, making the affirmation of having "a song within my heart" feel earned rather than stated.
Who it's for
This canon works for any choir with two-part capability, from middle school through adult ensembles. The mature text and minor tonality appeal to singers who want substance beyond simple rounds, while the straightforward construction keeps preparation manageable for developing programs.
How to get the most out of it
- Bring out the text clarity in the opening voice before the canon stacks; once singers hear how the text interacts with itself across the parts, the layers feel intentional rather than accidental.
- If using the optional SoundTrax chamber instrumentation, rehearse with it from the first read to establish the rhythmic pocket and prevent your singers from rushing through the stacked sections.
- Balance the minor key's introspective quality by maintaining a steady, supported tone throughout; avoid letting the piece drift into a minor-key melancholy that obscures the hopeful message of the text.
How to use it
Pair this with larger concert works to anchor a program section around reflection or resilience; the compact form and literary sophistication make it a natural fit for festival competitions where brief, polished pieces create strong impressions. It also serves well as a teaching piece mid-year when your ensemble is ready for canonical writing but doesn't yet have the skills for more complex systems.
Skills your students will build
- Canon singing with staggered entrances
- Minor key intonation and pitch matching across parts
- Text clarity and projection in layered textures
- Listening and blend across multiple independent vocal lines