Edwin Fissinger's music has a distinctly American sound, and his choral set "Dakota Prairies" uses poems that describe some of our north central states' most beautiful scenery. "The Wild Prairie Rose" uses a poem by Alice Sinclair Page. The madrigal-style writing is excellent for choirs of all sizes, from festival to chamber groups. "The Wind in the Wheat" is based on a poem by Jessamine Slaughter Burgum. One can almost smell the air of the northern plains through the poetry and music of this classic Fissinger selection, published here for the first time. "The Prairie" captures the essence of America's great open spaces in a text by Anne Murry Marius. "Night on the Prairies", a Walt Whitman setting, returns us to our American heritage roots and the thoughts and feelings the prairie invites. "Sing As The Prairie" was written by John Neihardt, who was revered by Nebraskans as their poet laureate. Because his love of nature is evident in each phrase, the music incorporates the enchanting sounds of nature and the prairie. Arrangement by Mary Goetz. |
