ECS Choral Commemorates a Presidency
ECS Publishing has released David Conte’s “An Exhortation” and Henry Mollicone’s “The Dream Goes On.” Conte’s “An Exhortation” was composed for the San Francisco Girl’s Chorus, with text taken from Obama’s November 4, 2008 victory speech. It received its premiere at the Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama on January 20, 2009. Available in SSA and piano and unaccompanied SATB, SSAA, and TTBB versions, “An Exhortation” is appropriate for middle school high school, college, community and professional choruses.
Also commemorating the 2008 presidential election, Henry Mollicone’s “The Dream Goes On” intersperses key phrases of The Declaration of Independence with the composer’s own text. “The Dream Goes On” is available for SSA and SATB choruses, both with piano, and is suitable for high school, college, community and professional choruses.
Carl Fischer Music Publishes From Concepts to Concerts
Carl Fischer Music has released From Concepts to Concerts from Dr. Earlene Rentz, a supplementary text for the choral rehearsal, which provides exercises that teach fundamental concepts to choral singers. Dr. Rentz has drawn from her years of experience as a choral director and clinician to create these exercises, which are arranged progressively in difficulty, allowing all grade levels to benefit from the collection. With this new text, choral teachers can identify musical problems within their groups and fix them before learning new repertoire, allowing for more efficient rehearsals. Plus, each exercise covers concepts within the context of an actual octavo. Some basic concepts covered include: rhythm; pitch; tempo; phrasing; diction; style; and meter. Carl Fischer has provided classroom reproduction permission for all exercises.
AKG’s Perception 820 Tube Microphone
AKG has released the Perception 820 Tube. The Perception 820 Tube, which joins the Perception Series family of microphones in the series features a 20 dB attenuation pad and a low cut filter for an extensive range of microphone capabilities, including vocals, brass instruments, electric guitar amps, and overhead micing. The dual one-inch True Condenser Large Diaphragm capsule delivers a clear and accurate signal that is perfect for lead vocals, brass instruments, overhead micing, and many other applications. The ECC 83 dual-triode tube circuitry and the output transformer emphasize even-order harmonics for rich, smooth, and three-dimensional sound. The remote control unit allows selection of nine different pickup patterns from omni-directional, to cardioid, to figure eight. In addition, it also controls the switchable second-order bass-cut filter and the switchable attenuation pad. Moreover, a ground lift switch prevents unwanted hum if necessary. The brush-finished, anodized aluminum front plate and the all-metal housing unit ensure shielding against radio frequency interference. The Perception 820 Tube comes complete with a metal carrying case, a spider-type shock mount, a microphone cable, and remote control unit.
