Summer's Day - Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare 4-Part - Digital Sheet Music

Shakespeare Sonnet Series

The Shakespeare Sonnet Series pushes many buttons. As an ex-teacher and conductor, the format is designed to address musical development, rhythmic challenges, melodic purpose, harmonic structure, historic positioning, and thoughtful meditation. Each composition provides an uplifting message and finishes with an exciting foot-stomping finale. The a cappella, four-part voicing accommodates choir sizes of 4 to 100 and delivers a Shakespearean music-and-meditation experience. Also, the audio accompaniment (MP3) can facilitate a sing-a-long/read-a-long solo experience as well as being a practical tool for choir sectional learning.William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was born into the peak of the Renaissance era. Music at that time (one hundred years pre-Bach) used modes and one of the most popular was the Dorian Mode (used here) based on the second degree of the major scale. Renaissance music also featured a compositional technique called Fauxbourdon, which uses a parallel harmony that follows the melody one sixth below.These a cappella arrangements of Shakespeare sonnets attempt to stay true to the style of music in use and popular at the time. Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, all of which were written in iambic pentameter and contain fourteen lines of text comprised of three quatrains (verses/descriptives) and one couplet (conclusion/resolution). The quatrains here play on the iambic pentameter rhythm in a 3-beat pattern over a 4/4 time signature.www.keithloach.comDEMO copy hereKeith Loach holds a MusBac (University of Toronto), an MA Music (York University) and an MBA (University of Toronto). His graduate work in music examined the effect of music on the brain, with a broader focus on how music and meditation can be supported in healthcare policy. Keith has delivered papers at the International Conference of Dalcroze Studies at Laval University in Quebec City and at the International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation Colloquium at Guelph University in Guelph, Ontario.MUSIC AND MENTAL HEALTH-Non-invasive, non-chemical, community-based, artistically-driven solutions-Shakespeare, music and meditation - LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE-Sing-a-long / read-a-long-Get involved, support community, be healthy, join a choir