The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls Cover Image

The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls: SAB Choral Octavo

$2.25 USD
$2.25 USD
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The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls Cover Image
The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls: SAB Choral Octavo

The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls: SAB Choral Octavo

Words by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, music by Janet Gardner

Item: 00-31324
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Description
Canonic vocal lines cascade over each other like ocean waves in this expressive literature-based piece. Compound meter, a modal melody, and substantial vocabulary words provide appropriate challenges for intermediate students. Accompaniment included on PianoTrax 2 CD (00-31290).

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Additional Details
Series: Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 12
UPC: 038081340920
SKU: 00-31324

More about this title

About the Composer: Janet Gardner

Janet Gardner

Janet Gardner studied music education at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, and spent 33 years teaching elementary general music in Montevideo. Throughout her career, she presented workshops at state universities, served as a clinician at state music conventions, and was recognized as Minnesota Music Classroom Teacher of the Year in 1995. She also chaired the Minnesota Elementary Composition Contest for six years and earned annual ASCAP awards for her compositions.

Gardner has composed numerous musicals for Alfred, including Bones!, Broadway Santa, The Granny Awards, and The Phantom of the Music Room, alongside choral pieces such as Godfrey Gordon Gustavus Gore and Nathan Nobb. Since retiring from classroom teaching in 2006, she has continued composing in Montevideo, where she remains active as a church musician and director of an ecumenical contemporary music group.

Why we love this

Gardner's setting captures the lyricism of Longfellow's poem through canonic interplay that mirrors the poem's cyclical imagery without oversimplifying it for young singers. The piece succeeds because it respects both text and voice: intermediate singers gain real compositional sophistication (modal melody, compound meter, thoughtful word choice) while staying within their range and capability.

What to expect

The piece ebbs and flows like waves themselves. Overlapping vocal lines create motion and texture, while the modal melody gives it a timeless, reflective quality that honors Longfellow's contemplative tone. There's both movement and stillness here, much like watching the tide itself.

Who it's for

This octavo works well for intermediate mixed choirs ready to handle canonic writing and modal melody. Groups with developing ensemble balance and a willingness to dig into literary text will find this piece rewarding without being overwhelmed.

How to get the most out of it

  • Shape the canonic entries so each voice part remains audible as it enters. Avoid letting the overlapping lines blur together; clarity reveals Gardner's compositional intent.
  • Approach the modal melody with attention to its raised or lowered scale degrees. These alterations color the ocean imagery and require intentional intonation.
  • Use the PianoTrax 2 accompaniment to lock in the compound meter's pulse; the piano part establishes the rhythmic foundation that allows voices to float freely above it.
  • Invite singers to notice how the text echoes and repeats through the canonic structure. Understanding the connection between form and meaning deepens their interpretation.

How to use it

Program this in a thematic concert exploring nature, water, or poetry in music. Its literary foundation pairs well with art songs or other text-driven pieces, and its moderate length makes it a strong anchor for a program aimed at intermediate ensembles.

Skills your students will build

  • Reading and performing canonic vocal lines with rhythmic independence
  • Singing in compound meter with secure pulse and phrasing
  • Interpreting modal melody with attention to non-diatonic scale degrees
  • Balancing SAB voicing while maintaining textual clarity and expression
  • Connecting poetic imagery to musical structure and interpretation

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