The Longfellow Chorus International Composers Competition

Announcing the Third Annual 2009-10 Longfellow Chorus International Composers Competition for new settings of poetry, prose or translation by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow for 1) Chorus and Piano, or 2) Tenor Voice and Piano or 3) Chorus and Orchestra (Cantata settings). [SEE BELOW]

View the Winners of the 2008-09 Longfellow Chorus International Composers Competition.

—Paul Adrian Rooke, commenting on the performance of Elgar's The Black Knight by the Longfellow Chorus.

The concerts were superb — especially the Sunday concert, every second of which was pure joy. The Longfellow settings were expertly and sensitively honed, with heart-warming dedication and masterful musical insight — even now fragments of melody continue to play in my head. As for the Elgar, the music was a revelation, and the performance a sensation. I could tell that the audience realised what a privileged bunch they were. Hearty congratulations to your outstanding chorus, company of musicians — and their inspirational conductor.

—Kevin Jones, one of the 2008-09 Longfellow Chorus International Composers Competition winning composers

2008-09 Longfellow Chorus Award of Distinction Winner Maxim Vladirmoff discusses his Longfellow composition, The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls, in this MP3 from the March 1, 2009, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 202nd Birthday Choral Concert.

Charles Kaufmann has single-handedly resurrected an interest in Longfellow and how Longfellow's poetry has been set to music in the past; and, in addition, he has inspired composers world-wide to create new music set to Longfellow's poetry.

—Lily Gordon, trustee, Longfellow's Wayside Inn National Historic Site

This year there are three divisions of The 2009-10 Longfellow Chorus International Composers Competition. Composers are limited to one entry in each category. Follow the links below to learn about rules, prizes, deadlines and submission format for each category: LONGFELLOW CANTATA SETTING LONGFELLOW CHORAL SETTING LONGFELLOW SOLO TENOR SONG PRINT RESOURCES: Longfellow: A Rediscovered Life, Charles A. Calhoun Beacon Press, 2005, 317pp; ISBN 0-8070-7026-2 The first Longfellow biography in over fifty years. Longfellow, Poems and other Writings, J. D. McClatchy, editor Library of America, 2000 802pp; ISBN 1-883011-85-x The most complete collection of Longfellow writings, biography and time-line available. WEB RESOURCES: hwlongfellow.org of The Maine Historical Society The Longfellow National Historic Site, Cambridge, Mass. "A Boy's Will," the second in our CD series of Longfellow music, is now available. This 2 CD set, with an informative 8-page booklet, features The Longfellow Chorus and soloists. A Boy's Will contains the premiere performances from our 2007-08 Longfellow Chorus International Composers Competition, and historical songs and choral settings of Longfellow poems. $18.00 plus shipping.

The Longfellow Chamber Chorus, Aug. 3, 2008 at Longfellow National Historic Site COMPETITION AUDIO RESOURCES: LISTEN to highlights from The Longfellow Chorus's innovative March 1, 2009, performance of Edward Elgar's Longfellow Cantata, The Black Knight, conducted by Charles Kaufmann Listen to winning choruses and songs from the second annual, 2008-2009, Longfellow Chorus International Composers Competition: 2008-09 COMPETITION CHORUSES The Longfellow Chorus sings Christmas Bells, by Kevin Jones Can you solve the musical cipher hidden within Christmas Bells? Email your solution to Dr. Jones The Longfellow Chorus sings Nature, by Stanley M. Hoffman Interested in Nature? Send an email inquiry to Dr. Hoffman The Longfellow Chorus sings Snow-Flakes, by Graeme Hopson Interested in Snow-Flakes? Send an email inquiry to Graeme Hopson The Longfellow Chorus sings The Day Is Done, by Valerie Crescenz Interested in The Day Is Done? Send an email inquiry to Valerie Crescenz The Longfellow Chamber Chorus sings The TIde Rises, The Tide Falls, by Maxim Vladirmoff Interested in The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls? Send an email inquiry to the Maxim Vladimiroff The Longfellow Chorus sings It Is Not Always May, by Elaine Hagenbeg Interested in It Is Not Always May? Send an email inquiry to the Elaine Hagenberg 2008-09 COMPETITION SONGS Bass-baritone John D. Adams sings Autumn Within, for solo bass-baritone and piano, by Traci Mendel Interested in Autumn Within? Send an email inquiry to Dr. Mendel Bass-baritone John D. Adams sings All' Illustrissimo Signor Professore Lowell: Prescrizione Per Il Mal Di Gola, (Aria buffa per voce di Basso Cantante con accompagnamento di pianoforte), for solo bass-baritone and piano, by Riccardo La Spina. Interested in Prescrizione and the only known gargling cadenza in the literature? Send an email inquiry to Riccardo La Spina Tenor Mark Sprinkle (next year's competition soloist) sings Endymion, for solo tenor and piano, by Klaus Miehling. Interested in Endymion? Send an email inquiry to Dr. Miehling Bass-baritone John D. Adams sings The Challenge, for solo bass-baritone and piano, by Marienne Kreitlow Interested in The Challenge? Send an email inquiry to Marienne Kreitlow Listen to winning songs and choral compositions from last year's 2007-2008 Longfellow Chorus International Composers Competition Autumn Within, for soprano and piano, by Melissa Tosh, Redlands, California (Autumn Within, copyright 2007, Melissa Tosh) Sung by Heidi Kim, soprano Twilight, for soprano and piano, by William Pardus, Keene, New Hampshire (Twilight, copyright 2007, William Pardus) Sung by Sarah Johnson, soprano The Old Bridge at Florence, for soprano and piano, by Emanuela Ballio, Milan, Italy (The Old Bridge at Florence, copyright 2007, Emanuela Ballio) Sung by Heidi Kim, soprano The Singers, by Bob Moore, Jacksonville, Florida (The Singers, copyright 2007, Bob Moore) Sung by The Longfellow Chorus Interested in The Singers? Send an email inquiry to Bob Moore The Singers, by David Hamilton, Auckland, New Zealand. Sung by The Longfellow Chorus, Stuart Bailey, tenor solo. Interested in The Singers? Send an email inquiry to the David Hamilton Daybreak, by Christopher Wicks, Silverton, Oregon. (Daybreak, copyright 2007, Christopher Wicks) Sung by The Longfellow Chamber Chorus—the background bird-chirping is from the Longfellow Chamber Chorus's live recording, made on Longfellow's side porch, Longfellow National Historic Site, Cambridge, MA, August 3, 2008 The Slave Singing at Midnight, by Peter J. Durow, Clearwater, Florida (The Slave Singing at Midnight, copyright 2007, Peter J. Durow) Sung by The Longfellow Chorus, Bill Wieting, baritone solo Finale from Tales of a Wayside Inn, Pt. I, by Micky Landau, Valparaiso, Chile (Finale, copyright 2007, Micky Landau) Sung by The Longfellow Chamber Chorus A Psalm of Life, by Jason Heald, Roseburg, Oregon (A Psalm of Life, copyright 2007, Jason Heald) Sung by The Longfellow Chorus Jugurtha by Daniel Morel, Denver, Colorado (Jugurtha, copyright 2007, by Daniel Morel) Sung by the Longfellow Chamber Chorus Christmas Bells, by Lauren Bernofsky, Bloomington, Indiana (Christmas Bells, copyright 2007, Lauren Bernofsky) Sung by The Longfellow Chorus Another version of Bernofsky's Christmas Bells -- The Longfellow Chamber Chorus sings at Longfellow's Wayside Inn (Director Charles Kaufmann reads the poem). Interested in Christmas Bells? Send an email inquiry to the Lauren Bernofsky Snow-Flakes, (Second Prize, Ithaca Competition 2007), by Charles Kaufmann, Director, The Longfellow Chorus Sung by The Longfellow Chorus View a partial score pdf of Snow-Flakes Purchase the sheet music for Snow-Flakes from The Lygonia Press LISTEN to historical settings of Longfellow poems. All audio selections copyright, 2007-2008, The Longfellow Chorus. Not including Nocte Surgentes and Ships that Pass in the Night, these tracks have been released in February, 2008, in the double CD set, "Afternoon in February." THE SLAVE'S DREAM, Johan Gustav Emil Sjoegren, 1853-1918 John D. Adams, bass-baritone; Shirley Curry, piano MY ARM CHAIR, T. L. Jephson, 1808-1897 John D. Adams, bass-baritone; Joyce Moulton, pianist A PSALM OF LIFE , Sourindro Mohun Tagore, 1840-1914 John D. Adams, bass-baritone; David Pontbriand, sitar; Amos Libby, tabla EXCELSIOR!, Sourindro Mohun Tagore, 1840-1914 Timothy Neill Johnson, tenor; David Pontbriand, sitar NOCTE SURGENTES from The Golden Legend, Arthur Sullivan, 1842-1900 The Longfellow Chorus, Charles Kaufmann, dir.; Albert Melton plays the 1997 Austin organ; Mo Blanchard, sexton, the 1862 Tower Bell of First Parish, Portland SHIPS THAT PASS IN THE NIGHT, 1914, Thomas Wilkinson Stephenson, 1855- ? (arr. Kaufmann) The Longfellow Chorus, Charles Kaufmann, dir.; Shirley Curry, piano (Can Clara Butt do it better?) AFTERNOON IN FEBRUARY, Emanuel Abraham Aguilar, 1824-1904 Heidi Kim, soprano; Shirley Curry, pianist. SUNDOWN, Frederic H. Cowen, 1852-1935 Heidi Kim, soprano; Shirley Curry, pianist BEWARE, Benjamin Britten (first composition, age 11) Maggie Vishneau, soprano; The Longfellow Chorus; Joyce Molton, pianist THE VILLAGE BLACKSMITH, John L. Hatton, 1808-1886 The Longfellow Chorus, Charles Kaufmann, director FOOTSTEPS OF ANGELS, Clara Angela Macirone, 1821-1895 The Longfellow Chorus FOOTSTEPS OF ANGELS, "Miss Davis," ca. 1865 Sarah Johnson, soprano; Shirley Curry, pianist An excerpt from HIAWATHA'S WEDDING FEAST, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, 1875-1912. The Longfellow Chorus; Shirley Curry, pianist SING TO US, O CHIBIABOS! Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, 1875-1895 The Longfellow Chorus; Shirley Curry, pianist ONAWAY, AWAKE, BELOVED, 1898, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, 1875-1912 Timothy Neill Johnson, tenor; Shirley Curry, pianist An excerpt from HIAWATHA'S DEPARTURE, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, 1875-1912 The Longfellow Chorus; Shirley Curry, pianist; Albert Melton, organist HO! WATCHMAN, HO!, John Liptrot Hatton, 1809-1886 The Women of the Longfellow Chorus; Shirley Curry, pianist THE RAINY DAY, John Liptrot Hatton Maggie Vishneau, soprano; Charles Kaufmann, pianist THE DREARY DAY, 1860, Faustina Hodges Maggie Vishneau, soprano; Joyce Moulton, pianist THE RAINY DAY, 1867, Arthur Sullivan, 1842-1900 The Longfellow Chorus; Shirley Curry, piano Could a unison choral work win the 2008 Longfellow Competition? Had there been one in 1850, Faustina Hodges might have won with this unison entry: A PSALM OF LIFE, 1850, Faustina Hasse Hodges, 1823-1895. The Longfellow Chorus; John Boden, ca. 1820 cor piston horn after Halary; Shirley Curry, piano; Albert Melton, organ. STARS OF A SUMMER NIGHT, Benjamin Franklin Baker, 1811-1889. The Longfellow Chorus Quartet—Timothy Neill Johnson, Stuart Bailey, Jim Bishop and John D. Adams—sings this mid-1840's setting of one of Longfellow's most frequently sung poems. (This is the original manuscript version; in the published version, Baker changed the harmonies). GOOD_NIGHT, BELOVED, 1895, W. G. Sired The Men of the Longfellow Chorus

View the winners of the 2008-09 Longfellow Chorus International Composers Competition. The Longfellow Chorus reserves the right not to appoint award winners lacking entries of the highest quality. This year there are three divisions of The 2009-10 Longfellow Chorus International Composers Competition. Composers are limited to one entry in each category. Follow the links below to learn about rules, prizes, deadlines and submission format for each category: LONGFELLOW CANTATA SETTING LONGFELLOW CHORAL SETTING LONGFELLOW SOLO TENOR SONG

Mission Statement of The Longfellow Chorus, Inc.:

"The Corporation shall organize and maintain a chorus to perform and record vocal and choral settings of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poetry, written from 1840 to the present, shall inspire and commission new vocal and choral settings of Longfellow's poetry, and shall perform choral music of the Romantic and immediate post-Romantic eras, ca. 1825-1920."

All materials on this Web-site are protected by copyright of Charles Kaufmann, The Lygonia Press, The Longfellow Chorus, Inc., The Longfellow National Historic Site, Bowdoin College, Houghton Library, Harvard College, The First Parish in Portland, UUA, and/or the Maine Historical Society.

e-mail: The Longfellow Chorus

The Longfellow Chorus
c/o Charles Kaufmann
P. O. Box 5133
Portland, Maine 04101

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