The German music publisher Carus Verlag has, in a unique and ambitious venture, collected choral works by female composers from five centuries, from the 16th century to the present day.
The 120-page edition contains 47 choral pieces for mixed choir composed by 45 composers. Many were pioneers of their time, fighting strong opposition for acceptance as professional composers.
Karin Rehnqvist‘s choral piece Universe from 2023 is included among these selected ones. The text is about how many stars and galaxies exist in our universe – to our brains unimaginable billions and trillions … On a clear night, you can only see about 6,000 of them.
A short and easily accessible work that nevertheless captures a whole cosmos of ideas and elements of contemporary vocal music, writes the publisher. It also certifies that this is a good choral piece for all ambitious amateur choirs who want an accessible and feasible introduction to contemporary vocal music and advanced performance techniques.
From 1540 to 2023
The choral anthology Choral Music Composed by Women presents works by everything from Maddalena Casulana and Vittoria Aleotti in the 16th century and Barbara Strozzi and Isabella Leonard (in the 17th century), to Romantic composers such as Clara Schumann, Louise Farrenc and Fanny Hensel, as well as the early 1900s -century composers such as Amy Beach, Ethel Smyth, Mel Bonis, Agathe Backer Grøndahl et al. Plus a long line of contemporary composers.
Exercise manual available
The compendium Dirigieren – Proben – Singen is a manual in choral conducting. Authors Anne Kohler and Jan Schumacher describe many practical exercises that can be used in both taught courses and for independent study.
The volume also contains an elaborate collection of choral works suitable for practising various elements of conducting and rehearsal techniques. The works include well-known classics in choral literature as well as both unknown and contemporary pieces.
