"Love Is the Key" [Zebulon M. Highben]

"Love Is the Key" [Zebulon M. Highben]

First line of lyrics: Love is

Highben, Zebulon M.; music (American, born 1979)

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

2011 [composition] [copyright]

St. Louis: Birnamwood Publications (ASCAP), a division of MorningStar Music Publishers Inc.

genre: choral music|sacred music|song

chorus: SATB voices with divisi

instrumentation: a cappella|keyboard (for rehearsal only)

initial sharps/flats: four sharps

initial time signature: 3/4

origin: United States

male composer

English

Rossetti poem(s): "A Song for the Least of all Saints"

Tempo markings: quarter note = 60-66

Performance instructions: "With quiet intensity" "1. In measures 28-36, men's voices should be divided equally into three parts. Likewise, all voices should be divide equally into six parts in measures 50-59. | 2. Measure 60 is aleatoric. Each section enters one at a time in the order indicated by the numbers. Several seconds should elapse before the entrance of the next section. Within the Soprano, Alto, and Tenor sections, each singer enters separately and repeats the ostinato as his or her own tempo. The Bass section enters last and together (not aleatorically), singing the melodic phrase rather slowly and majestically. When the Basses reach their final note, the upper voice parts gradually close and decrescendo to the fermata."

Performance history: February and April 2021, by Luther College Nordic Choir (Lerew). 28 July 2016, ICEP Concert, Vespers Choir, Zebulon M. Highben, conductor. (Baek and Vespers Choir)

Recordings: "Love Is The Key." Performance by Luther College Nordic Choir, Allen Hightower, conductor. Radiant Light, CD. SoundCloud, uploaded by ZMH, 14 July 2015, https://soundcloud.com/zmh367/love-is-the-key.

Notes: "Recipient of the 2011 Raabe Prize for Excellence in Sacred Composition" from the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians. "A Finalist for the 2014-15 American Prize in Choral Composition." ("Love is the Key")

Format 1: musical score

10 pages, performance time 4 minutes to 5 minutes and 30 sections

Other data reference(s): Lerew, Thomas Edward. Programming for Success: A Study of Repertoire Selection Practices by Undergraduate-Focused, Religiously-Affiliated, Collegiate Choral Programs Nationally Recognized by Performance Excellence. 2016. University of Arizona, PhD dissertation. Thomas Lerew, http://thomaslerew.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/LEREW-Thomas-E_ProQuest-Submission_no-2.pdf.
Baek, Jung Jin. "Love is the Key." YouTube, uploaded by Jung Jin Baek, 7 March 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=754WDK35cZ4.
"Love is the Key." Zebulon M. Highben, http://www.zebulonhighben.com/satb#/loveis. Accessed 6 March 2021.
Vespers Choir. "Dr. Zebulon Highben from Muskingum University, OH, USA, had a rehearsal with Vespers Choir for ICEP concert on this Thursday." Facebook, 27 July 2016, https://www.facebook.com/vesperschoirseoul/posts/dr-zebulon-highben-from-muskingum-university-oh-usa-had-a-rehearsal-with-vespers/1816306105266507/.

Cataloguer: Jamie Harrison and Roxanne Lafleur, University of Ottawa

This score is copyright protected. A score can be consulted here: "Love is the Key." ECS Publishing Group, https://www.canticledistributing.com/catalog/product/view/id/61445/s/love-is-the-key/. Accessed 1 Apr 2022.

Record: CRM-songfortheleast-highben

"Copyright © 2011 Birnamwood Publications (ASCAP) | A division of MorningStar Music Publishers, Inc. St. Louis, MO. | All right reserved. Printed in U.S.A. 1.800.647.2117 www.MorningStarMusic.com | Reproducing this publication in any form is prohibited by law without the permission of the publisher. | The CCLI License does not give permission to copy this music."

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.