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Submitted by Dr. Jeffrey S. Gemmell
ACDA-PA Lower Voices R&R Chair While it's probably too late to program seasonal repertoire for your school or community choir this year, you might consider a new piece by Linda Kachelmeier to add a secular twist to next year’s holiday concert. We Toast the Days was originally written “to be sung at midnight on New Year’s Eve with friends and family as a new kind of ‘Auld Lang Syne.’” So, why wait? Purchase copies to bring to your next holiday gathering(s) as a musical reflection on the past and to sing/toast to a hopeful new year. The composer recommends it for “graduations and other celebrating times” as well. Published by Timothy C. Takach Publications (2021) for the Cantus Vocal Ensemble series, We Toast the Days is exclusively distributed by Graphite. A PDF perusal score (TTBB), video link of 2018 Cantus performance, and ordering information can be found here: https://graphitepublishing.com/product/we-toast-the-days/ It is also available for SSAA and SATB voicings at lindakachelmeier.com. Special thanks to Dr. Christopher Kiver for making this recommendation. The F-major score, marked “like a folk song,” is immediately accessible and indeed reminiscent of traditional English folk tunes. Vocal ranges are typical: low F(2) for Bass II to high F(4) for Tenor I. The a cappella diatonic melodic material reminds one of “Down by the Salley Gardens;” the sonorous vocal harmonies are reminiscent of Vaughan Williams, Holst and others; the melodic ornamentation is evocative of English/Scottish/Irish folk idioms. Changing meter (4/4 to 3/4) from verse to refrain adds variety and lilt to the musical toast. Choral textures are direct, clear, and additive. Voice leading is delightfully consonant, with occasional dissonances that sing well and feel good. The rich harmonic sonorities (lots of thirds and sixths) add warmth and fullness to the choral sound. The piece opens with an optional Tenor I solo before an optional Bass I solo joins for the refrain. The tutti choir (TTB) joins for the second verse and refrain. Voicing continues to expand with a Bass II part during the third verse. The final refrain adds still more variety with the lower voice parts accompanying with a zesty, more contemporary-sounding “doo” in waltz-like rhythms, before all join to sing the final line, “As we stand on the edge of another year, I give a kiss to you.” The text by the composer is as follows: When the clock strikes twelve And another year has gone, I give a kiss to you As remembrance of the past we have shared And the future yet to come. We toast the days, both good and bad, The old friends and the new. When the clock strikes twelve And another year has gone, I give a kiss to you. While the night is long And the bitter cold has come, We lengthen our embrace To sustain us as we mourn our regrets And the fear of days unknown. We toast the days... As we stand on the edge Of another bright new year, I take your hand in mine With assurance of The courage we will find And the hope that leads us on. We toast the days... Comments are closed.
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