"A Birthday" [Edie Hill]

"A Birthday" [Edie Hill]

First line of lyrics: My heart is like a singing bird

Hill, Edie; music (American)

Rossetti, Christina Georgina; text (English, 1830-1894)

2003 [composition] [publication]

Minneapolis: Hummingbird Press

genre: choral music|song

chorus: SATB voices with divisi

instrumentation: a cappella|piano (for rehearsal only)

initial sharps/flats: no sharps or flats

initial time signature: 3/4

origin: United States

female composer

English

Rossetti poem(s): "A Birthday"

Composition history: "A Birthday" was composed for Floyd Farmer and the Camerata Singers of West Michigan in commemoration of their 25th Anniversary. The Christina Rosetti poem is about a birthday, and its many references to silver were perfectly suited to a “silver” anniversary. I played with the birds in the poem by weaving bird songs throughout the piece, which begins with the women’s voices chirping “cherry up cherry dee.” The Muskegon Chronicle called the piece 'delicate and sprightly with a foundation of dignified solemnity'" (Hill).

Tempo markings: "Spirited, brightly"; quarter note = c.100

Performance history: First performed by the Camerata Singers of West Michigan, conducted by Floyd Farmer, for their 25th anniversary (Hill).

Notes: Score also includes biographical information about the composer on page 20.

Format 1: musical score

14 pages (pp. 3-16)

Other data reference(s): Hill, Edie. "Birthday, A." Ediehill.com, https://www.ediehill.com/works/birthday. Accessed 1 Feb. 2019.

Cataloguer: Sarah Pennington, University of Ottawa

This score is copyright protected. A score can be consulted here: Hill, Edie. "Birthday, A." Ediehill.com, https://www.ediehill.com/works/birthday. Accessed 1 Feb. 2019.

Record: CRM-birthday-hill

The Christina Rossetti in Music project website is hosted in Canada at the University of Ottawa Library, and we aim to comply with Canadian copyright laws. If you believe we have violated Canadian copyright law, please contact us at christinarossettimusic@uottawa.ca. The Christina Rossetti in Music project is strictly not for profit and intended for research and educational purposes only.