Sing Out, My Soul
SATB choir, piano
SSA choir, piano
TBB choir, piano
Choral Art Song
Click here for perusal score and to purchase SATB version.
Click here for perusal score and to purchase SSA version.
Click here for perusal score and to purchase TTB version.
Commissioned by the American Choral Directors Association, Eastern Region for the 2020 Eastern Region Conference in Rochester, New York for the Junior High Honor Choir conducted by Lynnel Joy Jenkins
The opening line of the poem by William Henry Davies calls out to our souls to sing. While there are many things about which we can be happy, these days of heavy social media involvement and constant comparisons to other people require that we remind ourselves that it is not about the outside that matters. The inside—our hearts, minds, and soul—is who we are. Let joy come from deep within, from the assurance that who you are is enough. Because of that, you can sing your song of joy.
Songs of Joy (excerpt)
Sing out, my soul, your songs of joy;
Sing as a happy bird will sing
Beneath a rainbow’s lovely arch
In early spring.
Think not of death…
Strive not for gold…
Train up your mind to feel content,
What matters then how low your store?
What we enjoy, and not possess,
Makes rich or poor.
- William Henry Davies (1871-1940)
“I have programmed Sing Out, My Soul with my own college choir and in All-State choirs across multiple levels, because it is a piece that just works beautifully. The text (William Henry Davies’ Songs of Joy) is uplifting, affirming, and lends itself well to thematic concerts of hope, mental health, and empowerment. It is an excellent model of non-idiomatic music written by a Black composer, one who has extensively researched the topic. I love it as a concert opener and recommend it highly!””