While this song is a great learning piece for most ages, I am specifically thinking Middle Level. This piece is a great introduction to Hebrew singing, as it only has two lines of text. Each part gets a shot at the melody, as well as singing descant or accompaniment figures. The parts, although rhythmically difficult, are quite repetitive.
The solo on the first page allows opportunities for singers, or a great time to work on unison singing.
The parts:
- Soprano
- range: E4-F5
- tessitura: hangs out around C5
- This is pretty darn ideal for middle school women. It allows the singers a chance to explore their upper range and lower, but sits in a very comfortable range.
- Alto
- range: E4-E5
- tessitura: sits around A4
- I love this alto line. It never simply sustains a harmonic pitch. The altos have just as much chance to explore their range, and sing melody as their soprano friends.
- Tenor
- range: E3-E4
- tessitura: around B3
- The tenor line is in a good spot for changing voices. It only briefly visits the extremes of the range. They get a chance at a triplet, as well as some moments of vocal flexibility.
- Bass
- range: A3-B4
- tessitura: around E3
- The bass line is rangy, but octaves could be easily adjusted to accommodate a choir's needs. The basses also get a chance at rhythmic complexity, and some cool musical lines.
This piece has great phrases and lines to explore. The rests in the middle of phrases can act as a teaching tool; how can you phrase, even through a rest? There are moments of flexibility in each voice part, which gives a great opportunity for technical learning. The singers also have an opportunity sing both melody and accompanimental lines. There are multiple opportunities to sing in unison. This is also a great piece for working on vowels; Hebrew lends itself to pure vowels.
The text is simple, but beautiful. It is a secular Hebrew text, which in my experience is a rarity.
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