More on the GIA choral reading session

Because, to quote David Brinkely, everyone is entitled to my opinion....

Some scribbled notes -- (I am getting worse and worse at deciphering my own handwriting.

Two Simple Songs are the best Cheeze I've ever tasted from the Haugen Dairy Farm. (But still, cheeze.)
A very decent Janco piece, but the women's parts sat too low-- I realized while trying to project in even an ensemble way, that religious choral music is going the way of B'way vocal writing, it is predicated on mic'ing, which is doing odd, I might say, "dangerous" things to the ranges; often require sustained singing in a tessitura that is injurious to female voices. Modern B'way, of course, compounds this by requiring constant switching between two extremes, particularly of ensemble singers. And a vicious circle will develop, damaged voices will no longer be heard unless they are mic'ed.
A strong arrangement of Oh Freedom, I can't imagine it in liturgical use. (I know people who would call that opinion racist, rather like my aversion to that wa-wa thing a Hammond does.)
An excellent simple without being too simplistic pieces from the Not for Children series.
Hold Us Jesus, can't remember composer, very well written, I would LOVE to use that in place of that... thing I am required to use for healing services. The congregation part has some needless and stupid (IMO,) syncopations in the congregation part. (That wouldn't matter, since the congregation never sings on their part in the so-simple-there's-no-there-there one we use.)
A marvelous Sosa piece, would be nice for a prayer service, but never in a Mass, so no use to me.
A new, and gorgeous arrangement of Precious Lord, but unneeded. (I embarrassed myself offering to essay the solo, octave jump to a pp high A, sitting down, reading. Duh....)
Good arrangement of the tune LONDONDERRY AIRE, (DERRY AIRE, as we micks would have it,) by John Bell, musically one of his better efforts, but the silly words don't make "Danny Boy" an any more suitable substitute for the In Paradisum or whatever.... "Silent friend?" Please...
Child of God by the late great Stuempfle and Meyerling (? can't remember) gorgeous but we DON'T PUT WORDS IN GOD'S MOUTH.. A shame because it would be very useful to me, SAB.
Better than original Haas thing, and True setting of 25th Psalm, well arranged, but is decoupage a suitable craft project for the barnyard? (You know what I mean....)
A really cheezy Advent thing, a possibly useful concertante on Adeste Fidelis that I wish we had sung through but didn't, a sprightly arrangement of I Saw Three Ships that I'll consider using with the Scelati, a nice new edition of For Unto Us... (beyond my choirs capabilities, I think, and certainly mine at the Casavant.)

Oh, a splendid, really SPLENDID Christmas piece by Gerald Custer, Winter's Cold, G-7024, that I may very well buy. Yes, yes, yes. I shall certainly see what else is out there by Gerald Custer, can you see that sometimes I took the time and care to print my notes a little more precisely?
It was reminiscent of Sondheim.
And someone else, something older, I think that I can't put my finger on -- Jones and Schmidt, circa Fantastiks, maybe?
Might prove a challenge for the choir, but we could get it, I think.

That and O Vos Omnes by Blake Henson (G-6483) are the two that definitely made my wish list. The latter would be superb on Good Friday, and Passion Sunday, and possibly at other points during Lent (singing at Stations?) and I would have bought it on the spot if we hadn't' just learned that De Profundis.
I need to be judicious in adding music, however fine, to their folders, because we still have some that bridle at "sad," "slow," "Latin".... you know the drill.
Behold the Savior was good but too showy to be useful for Holy Week Liturgies (though again, Stations of the Cross?) And the harmonies miss the cut of sounding timeless, I fear it might sound dated too soon.

DANG! I hadn't realized we sang through so much!

A Malcolm Archer piece, nice, useful text, well written, and very solid, but didn't really engage me... I'll have to give it another look.
A Pentecost thing that was only one click off being Cheeze, and way too low for the sopranos to be healthy.
And finally, a terrific, exceedingly useful anthem called "Risen Lord," Stumpfle and Bob Moore, best thing of Moore's I've ever heard. Really sturdy and Stumpfle's usual excellence, EXCEPT -- one really unfortunate verse about "places where children waste and blight," or something like that. Ah, well....

The CD surprised me, we listened a bit, and I heard several excellent possibilities, especially one Taize piece, I'll have to take more time going through that.

Hmmmm... I'm not seeing my notes on the Fedak Christmas piece.
Well, lovely, if it seemed too much like "Rutter Light."
And with What Sweeter Music having finally taken firm hold, I don't know that I'd use it with this choir at the present.
Like the other Christmas piece, useless liturgically, but with the pre-midnight Mass hour long concert, there is room for this kind of thing.
That would definitely make my wish list too, if I weren't being careful about money.

Rutter Light, reminds me, LitPress sent me a CD that Himself handed off as he sorted the mail calling it, "Psalm Light."
Inadvertent mot juste!