"Since singing is so good a thing, I wish all men would learn to sing." This quotation, taken from the preface of the Library's copy of William Byrd's Psalms, Sonnets, and Songs of Sadness and Piety (1611), could be considered the inspiration for one of the Library's most recent publishing ventures.
Walton Music Corp. of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has recently signed an agreement with the Library to co-publish rare and out- of-print editions of choral music from the Music Division's unparalleled collections.
This joint effort, called the Library of Congress Choral Series, will result in new, reasonably priced, performing editions of sacred and secular music. The music, by American and foreign composers, is suited to the full range of choral ensembles, including professional and amateur choruses, children's singing groups, as well as church and school choirs.
The project was developed by music specialist Robert Saladini and Gunilla Marcus-Luboff, a well-known Swedish journalist and president of Walton Music Corp. Ms. Marcus- Luboff's husband, the composer and conductor Norman Luboff, founded the company in the 1950s. Since his death in 1987, she has run the publishing company.
Ms. Marcus-Luboff donated all of her husband's compositions and choral arrangements to the Library in 1993. As a result of recent efforts to reduce a backlog of materials, the entire collection of 10,000 items has been processed and a finding aid created. During work on the collection, Mr. Saladini and Ms. Marcus-Luboff realized that there was great interest in unavailable choral music, especially works by American composers who were unknown to many U.S. audiences.
The agreement will result in the publication of 50 choral works by the year 2000. Each work will contain a brief foreword by the Librarian of Congress and notes on the music by an LC music specialist. The entire series will be produced, marketed and distributed by Walton Music, and a percentage of the sales will be donated to the Music Division's Da Capo fund which supports the continuing work of the division.
Among the first works produced in the series are:
"Mass in E-flat," Op. 5, for soprano, alto, tenor and bass (SATB) chorus, soloists and orchestra, written by Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (Mrs. H. H. A. Beach) (1867-1944) in 1891. Publication of this work moved Beach into the rank of America's preeminent composers. This is a reprint of the 1891 piano-vocal score published by A.P. Schmidt.
Adstant angelorum chori, Horatio W. Parker's (1863-1919) prize-winning eight-part a cappella work to a text in praise of angels by the 15th century Dutch theologian Thomas à Kempis.
"Twilight," a choral work for SATB and piano by William W. Gilchrist (1846-1916), prominent late 19th and early 20th century Philadelphia musician, and set to a text by English poet Barry Cornwall.
For more information on the Library of Congress Choral Series, contact: Walton Music Corp., 170 N.E. 33rd St., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334; telephone (305) 563-1844; fax (305) 563- 9006.