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        • The Boar's Head Festival >
          • 2 - Deck The Halls
          • 3 - The Holly and The Ivy
          • 4 - Here We Come A-Wassailing
          • 5 - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
          • 6 - The Boar's Head Carol
          • 8 - Shepherds' Sequence
          • 9 - O Come, O Come Emmanuel
          • 10 - What Child is This
          • 11 - Kings to Thy Rising
          • 12 - We Three Kings
          • 13 - Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
          • 14 - O Come, All Ye Faithful
        • 100 Carols for Choirs >
          • 8 - Alleluya, a new work is come on hand
          • 37 - A merry Christmas
          • 47 - Joy to the world
          • 50 - Lo, how a Rose e'er blooming
          • 54 - O come, all ye faithful
          • 56 - O little one sweet
          • 61 - Once in royal David's city
          • 70 - See amid the winter's snow
          • 75 - Silent Night
          • 78 - Christmas Night
          • 81 - The First Nowell
          • 86 - Rise up, shepherd, and follow
          • 91 - Tomorrow shall be my dancing day
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Sam Ritter

Sam Ritter
Sam Ritter (b. 1990) received his Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance (2012) from Union University, located in Jackson, Tennessee. He is a doctoral candidate at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where he has been the associate conductor for the premier contemporary vocal ensemble, NOTUS, the University Singers, and the University Chorale.


Website: www.samrittermusic.com
Lament Not, My Dearest - Vanguard Premieres Contest 2012 (Honorable Mention)
Lament Not, My Dearest is a setting of Requiem, a poem written by Christina Rossetti. I was introduced to other settings of Rossetti’s works and have kept a mental note of her passionate texts ever since my first encounter with her prose. This text lends itself to a wide variety of compositional styles. In this case, I’ve chosen a pensive, reminiscent interpretation.
Composed in ternary form, this piece opens with an introduction beseeching the audience to continue living as if the death of a loved one had never happened. A common tone modulation moves the piece into the B section where the torment realized is a tearing back and forth of one’s thoughts—personifying the pain lost in death. A lilting soprano and tenor solo marks the end of this section, funneling the listener into a loose recapitulation. The coda section of the piece is marked by a single pitch sustained on the word “forget” by the alto voices. Fragmented entrances of the choir paint the release and acceptance of the need for the continuation of life in spite of the passing of a loved one. It is followed by a satisfying sigh and liberation of pain which is depicted by the final tonic chord. (Notes by the composer, 2012)
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Copyright © 2020-2021
  • Home
  • About
    • Vanguard Voices
    • Artistic Director
    • Rehearsals & Auditions
    • History
    • Kevin's Take
    • Members >
      • Practice Recordings >
        • The Boar's Head Festival >
          • 2 - Deck The Halls
          • 3 - The Holly and The Ivy
          • 4 - Here We Come A-Wassailing
          • 5 - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
          • 6 - The Boar's Head Carol
          • 8 - Shepherds' Sequence
          • 9 - O Come, O Come Emmanuel
          • 10 - What Child is This
          • 11 - Kings to Thy Rising
          • 12 - We Three Kings
          • 13 - Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
          • 14 - O Come, All Ye Faithful
        • 100 Carols for Choirs >
          • 8 - Alleluya, a new work is come on hand
          • 37 - A merry Christmas
          • 47 - Joy to the world
          • 50 - Lo, how a Rose e'er blooming
          • 54 - O come, all ye faithful
          • 56 - O little one sweet
          • 61 - Once in royal David's city
          • 70 - See amid the winter's snow
          • 75 - Silent Night
          • 78 - Christmas Night
          • 81 - The First Nowell
          • 86 - Rise up, shepherd, and follow
          • 91 - Tomorrow shall be my dancing day
      • Meeting Minutes >
        • 2023 Meeting Minutes
      • Vanguard Voices Bylaws
  • Music
    • 2022-2023 Season
    • Previous Seasons
    • Repertoire
    • Recordings
    • Listen
  • Premieres
    • History & Mission
    • Composers
    • Compositions
  • Contact