Music of the spheres
Music: Kevin Siegfried
Texts: Johannes Kepler, John Donne, Psalm 19
SSAATTBB A cappella, opt. keyboard
E. C. Schirmer Music Company #8837

Songs for the Journey
Music: Kevin Siegfried
Texts: Various
Sop. Solo, SATB Chorus (divisi), and Keyboard, or Harp (Piano) and Strings, or Chamber Orchestra
E. c. Schirmer Music Company #8784  

The composer describes himself as a ‘stargazer’ and Music of the Spheres, a five-movement work scored for SSAATTBB a cappella choir with optional keyboard, celebrates the eternal fascination of humans for constellations. Siegfried dedicated this work to Arnold Benz, the Swiss astrophysicist, and the heavenly-themed texts are from Psalm 19, Johannes Kepler and John Donne. The title page has this quotation ‘The movements of the heavens are nothing except a certain polyphony which marks out and distinguishes the immensity of time with its notes’ (Kepler Harmonies of the World) and the three central movements are each headed with a musical constellation in which the composer arranges the stars as pitched notes which form musical motifs — a delightful conceit which will capture the imaginations of singers and audience alike.

The première featured a glass armonica (invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1761 and rarely encountered today) in the 2nd and 4th movements, but this score replaces that with optional organ ‘to lightly reinforce the constellation motifs’. It would be lovely to think that potential performers would attempt to source something (a couple of theremins?) that would provide an ethereal, other-worldly sound.

With a duration of c. 11 minutes, this is a lyrical and pretty easy work. The small amount of divisi within the 8-part texture consists of doublings in order to expand choral sonority. A tenor semi-chorus is required briefly in the outer movements. The ranges are sensible and this charming and intriguing cycle is well within the grasp of decent amateur choirs.

Songs for the Journey is scored for soprano solo, SATB (divisi) and keyboard or harp (piano) and strings or chamber orchestra, one accompaniment version being the same as the chamber scoring of Fauré’s Requiem for which it was conceived as a companion piece. The composer speaks in his notes of the personal nature of Fauré’s work and his own wish to create something similarly meaningful to himself. The danger here, however, (or the delight, depending on your view), is that one must make a choice of texts that have something of the spiritual depth and resonance of the parts of the Missa Defunctorum drawn on by Fauré. The material Siegfried selects for his five movements ranges from St Augustine and the traditional Gaelic Blessing to Shaker songs, a poem by Merrit Malloy, and the ubiquitous ‘Do not stand at my grave and weep’ by Mary Elizabeth Frye (allocated to the soloist). Like Music of the Spheres, this is a work of approachable, unchallenging sweetness: pleasing to choir and audience, it is moderately easy, with divisi moments brief and simple. The whole is around 16 minutes in duration, but each choral movement is also available separately.

Rebecca Tavener, Organists’ Review, July 2020