Wedding Cantata Cover Image

Wedding Cantata: Choral Works (inc. Oratorios)

$5.95 USD
$5.95 USD
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Wedding Cantata Cover Image
Wedding Cantata: Choral Works (inc. Oratorios)

Wedding Cantata: Choral Works (inc. Oratorios)

By Daniel Pinkham

Item: 98-EP66039
$5.95
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Description
Daniel Pinkham was a student of Walter Piston and Aaron Copland at Harvard University, and of Samuel Barber, Arthur Honegger and Nadia Boulanger at Tanglewood. He taught at the New England Conservatory from 1959 until his death in 2006. The Wedding Cantata is a four movement setting for choir (SATB) with optional soprano and tenor soli and piano (or organ, or 2 horns, celesta and strings) of texts from the Song of Songs. This product is the vocal score with keyboard accompaniment. The instrumental version of the accompaniment is available from the publisher on rental.

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Additional Details
Series: Edition Peters
Publisher: Edition Peters
Page Count: 28
ISBN10: 0-30-071630-3
ISBN13: 979-0-30-071630-5
SKU: 98-EP66039

More about this title

About the Composer: Daniel Pinkham

Daniel Pinkham bridged the worlds of classical composition and American church music with distinctive ease. A Harvard student under Walter Piston and Aaron Copland, and later a Tanglewood fellow studying with Samuel Barber, Arthur Honegger, and Nadia Boulanger, Pinkham absorbed diverse compositional approaches and synthesized them into a personal voice rooted in clarity and spiritual depth. For nearly five decades at the New England Conservatory, he shaped generations of composers and musicians while maintaining a prolific output that ranged from orchestral works to choral settings and sacred music.

Pinkham's gift for text setting and his fluency with both traditional and modernist idioms made him an ideal composer for the American choral repertoire. His work as both an academic and a working composer meant his pieces addressed the practical needs of singers and directors without sacrificing artistic integrity.

Why we love this

Pinkham's setting of the Song of Songs speaks to choirs seeking sophisticated repertoire that isn't overwrought. The four-movement design offers clear dramatic arc and pacing, while the optional solo writing gives you flexibility depending on your roster. The keyboard score is usable in a rehearsal or intimate performance setting, yet the piece is substantial enough to anchor a concert program.

What to expect

Intimate and luminous, with a contemplative undercurrent. The Song of Songs text lends itself to lyrical writing, and Pinkham honors that lyricism while introducing moments of harmonic complexity that keep the listener engaged. The four movements build emotional resonance through restrained gesture rather than bombast.

Who it's for

Collegiate and advanced high school choirs with solid sight-reading and sustained vocal control. The optional soprano and tenor soli parts expand possibilities for choirs with strong soloists, though the piece works as a full ensemble work without them.

How to get the most out of it

  • Treat the solo passages as extensions of the choir's voice rather than departures from it; continuity between ensemble and soli sections will keep the work cohesive.
  • Balance the text setting against the harmonic language. Pinkham's phrases often need to breathe despite chromatic movement, so resist rushing through tonal shifts.
  • If performing with keyboard only, anchor the piece's harmonic weight in the bass line. Your left hand carries more responsibility for tonal clarity than it might in a full orchestral texture.

How to use it

The Wedding Cantata sits comfortably in a choral concert devoted to love, marriage, or spiritual texts. Its moderate length makes it an ideal anchor for a thematic program, and the optional orchestration allows you to pair it with both a cappella works and fully accompanied pieces.

Skills your students will build

  • Singing sustained lyrical lines over chromatic harmonic accompaniment
  • Navigating optional solo passages within a choral texture
  • Text projection and interpretation of poetry set to modern idiom
  • Ensemble balance in four-part writing with frequently moving inner voices

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