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Joshua Shank

The music of Boston-based composer, Joshua Shank (b. 1980), has been called “jubilant…ethereal” (Santa Barbara News-Press), “evocative and atmospheric” (Gramophone), and “emotionally charged” (Boston Classical Review). He has been commissioned by organizations such as the Lorelei Ensemble, the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, the Choral Project, the American Choral Directors Association, and the Association for Music...

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Graphite Publishing

Daughter Ecstatic

Name: Daughter Ecstatic
SKU: GP-S004
Availability: InStock

Joshua Shank

A reimagining of Handel’s “Rejoice Greatly…” – familiar bits of the famous melody are transformed into a modern choral work.

Difficulty: 4

Duration: 5-10 min.

GP-S004

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SATB, soli quartet, a cappella

This work is a “reimagining” of Handel’s famous soprano aria “Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion” from Messiah. In true Baroque fashion, Shank employs the concept of “concerto” by reducing the choir to a quartet in the middle section. Audiences will delight in hearing familiar bits of the famous melody transformed into a modern choral work.

Composer’s Notes

One of the warhorses of choral repertoire for the “holiday” season has always been Handel’s oratorio, Messiah. I love this piece dearly but I’ve always felt it suffered from a bit of overexposure so, when I was asked to write something for a December concert series, I jumped at the chance to update something from the old warhorse. What I ended up deciding on was a soprano aria from Handel’s piece and then tried “deconstructing” the basic elements before folding them into my own harmonic language. It begins with an ecstatic explosion of sound from the choir which eventually settles down into the recognizable melodies from the aria. The middle section collapses into a soli quartet before the choir signals the return of the original material.

“Daughter Ecstatic” was commissioned by The Singers – Minnesota Choral Artists (Matthew Culloton,
conductor) and received its premiere on December 4, 2010.

– Joshua Shank, 2017

Text

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee. He is the righteous Savior…And he shall speak peace unto the heathen.

– Zechariah 9:9, 10

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