Book Reviews Andrew Crow, Editor Lighting a Candle: not afraid to stretch the comfort zone of both Te Writings and Wisdom of Elaine Brown choir and audience. In 1955, Singing City toured James Jordan, Sonya Garfnkle, a recently desegregated South with an integrated and Janet Yamron choir to show the power of integration. Similarly, GIA Publications, 2015 the choir toured the Middle East twice in an 218 pages, $24.95, soft cover; includes a DVD efort to understand and to help heal the religious rifts of the region. ISBN: 978-1579999926 ighting a Candle: The Writings and In addition to founding Singing City, Dr. Brown Wisdom of Elaine Brown offers served on the faculties of Temple University, inspiring and thoughtful insight into a Westminster Choir College, the Julliard School, remarkable musician and teacher. In part the and Union Teological Seminary. Among many L other honors, she was awarded four honorary book functions as a biography of Elaine Brown emphasizing her dedicated work with Singing doctorates, the Prix d’excellence by the French City, the vital and celebrated Philadelphia choir government for remarkable achievements in she founded in 1948. Te emphasis on Singing conducting, was the frst American woman to ever City is deliberate and necessary to understand conduct the Philadelphia Orchestra, and received Brown’s work. Singing City emerged from the American Choral Directors Association’s the Fellowship House movement, which was award for distinguished service. She earned the dedicated to the belief that diferences between love and admiration of musical luminaries such races, religions, and cultures could be bridged as Helmuth Rilling, Eugene Ormandy, Nadia by ordinary people coming together in shared Boulanger, Joseph Flummerfelt, and Weston activities. Tis directly refects the philosophies Noble. and beliefs of its founder, who spent her life masterfully changing the world by building community within and through her choirs. These biographical elements are worthwhile but the greater purpose of the book is to share While the authors detail Brown’s emphasis on community and the non-musical elements of her The choirs, they make it clear that this should not be mistaken for a lack of attention to building musical excellence. In fact, just the opposite was CHORAL true. Dr. Brown was driven by the conviction that “superbly prepared and performed choral music at the highest artistic level” (page xv) was vital to SThe OnCHOline Journal of the National CollegLAiate Choral OrgaRnization the greater humanitarian visions she championed. Te authors portray Brown as a visionary who was Volume 6, Number 1 Spring 2017 32 Elaine Brown’s philosophy of choral music and anyone working as a conductor at any level, sure its efect beyond the scope of music. Te authors to challenge and inspire. Te book reads quickly, invite readers to ponder methods and motives for yet the advanced ideas it holds are worth revisiting creating greater community in their own choirs. and exploring over time. Te book was clearly a Jordan, Garfnkle, and Yamron ofer as evidence labor of love by the authors, and it is easy to see the example of this remarkable pioneer with their why: Elaine Brown’s legacy ofers guidance and own testimony as her accomplished students. In wisdom valuable to any conductor, and a most so doing, the authors have captured the hallmark welcome additional encouragement to female of Brown’s teaching—to inspire—and they have conductors from a pioneer of the 20th century. successfully shared that with the reader. —Andrew Robinette The book is divided into six parts. Part I is a collection of writings about Dr. Brown by the three authors as well as former colleagues A History of Western Choral Music, Volume 2 Jefrey Cornelius and Helmuth Rilling. Part II Chester L. Alwes is biographical with an adapted chapter by Joan Whittemore derived from a prior publication Oxford University Press, 2016 and the frst of two photographic essays. Part 452 pages, $150.00 hardcover, $74.00 paperback III includes a compilation of writings by Elaine ISBN: 978-0199376995 (hardcover) Brown. Tey show her depth, thoughtfulness, ISBN: 978-0199377008 (paperback) humility, and wit. After reading so much about her, Brown’s own words allow the reader a more n a recent issue of the Choral Scholar personal insight. Part IV tells how Brown used (Volume 5, Number 2, Spring 2016) Andrew seating charts to accomplish her extra-musical Minear ofered a review of Chester Alwes’s goals in her rehearsals. Part V includes a summary A History of Western Choral Music, Volume 1; I of the chronological highlights in Brown’s life and I career. It also details Singing City and Temple review the companion volume, the last in the University performances with the Philadelphia set, subtitled “Romanticism through the Avant- Orchestra and her connection to Westminster Garde.” Volume 2 picks up where Volume 1 Choir College. Part VI is a companion chapter left of, completing the genres common to the for the DVD that accompanies the book, a Classic and Romantic periods (e.g. oratorio), recorded lecture by Dr. Brown that she delivered but Alwes concedes that recent developments in at Westminster Choir College in May of 1988 to music history make categorization by genre more the college alumni. difcult. He thus organizes the middle chapters of this volume by “isms:” Impressionism (chapter 5), Serialism (chapter 6), Nationalism (chapter Although the book will not likely serve as a 7), and Neo-classicism (chapter 8). Finally, Alwes conventional textbook for college courses, it would resorts to grouping composers by nationality: e.g. be a valuable text for anyone studying conducting, particularly at the graduate level. While “Te American Experience” (chapter 11), and Te philosophical, the book also addresses practical British Isles (chapter 12). His preface includes an elements such as breath and seating charts with apology to contemporary composers whose work a fresh perspective and an eye toward greater cannot yet be put “into any lasting or meaningful purpose. Te ideas in the book are worthwhile to historical context” (p. ix); Alwes also acknowledges 33 “a lack of thorough discussion of the important monumental scholarship, Alwes’s publication is contributions” (p. x) to choral music by Canada valuable as a textbook, as a quick reference, or as and Latin America. He does, however, devote a continuous narrative detailing choral music’s more space to the Canadian icon R. Murray dramatic history. Schafer (b. 1933) than he does to Eric Whitacre (b. 1970), perhaps due to the perspective of time Alwes successfully traverses the opposing cited above. pitfalls of remaining only with the undisputed masters and giving too much attention to lesser- While I personally cannot suggest a better known composers; his suggestions for potential organization scheme, the inherent difculties of new discoveries, such as the male-choir music this one become obvious soon enough. Composers of Peter Cornelius, the “Latin Psalms” (Op. 9) that straddle these classifications appear in of contemporary Danish composer Bernhard multiple chapters: Igor Stravinsky appears in no Lewkovitch, or little-known gems such as less than four, as a choral symphonist (Symphony Gabriel Faure’s “Madrigal” (Op. 35) and Antonin of Psalms), a serialist (Canticum Sacrum), a Russian Dvorjak’s “Songs of Nature” (Op. 63) make nationalist (Four Russian Peasant songs), and a appreciable revelations. He promotes other neoclassicist (Mass). Such difculties in taxonomy composers who are arguably not so well known, do not interrupt the narrative unless the reader devoting space to Hans Werner Henze’s oratorio is looking for a cohesive narrative on a given Das Floss der Medusa and Maurico Kagel’s composer: for example Hector Berlioz’s Faust (Op. Chorbuch; he also discusses the contributions of 24) is “dramatic music” (p. 77-79), but his Romeo Salvatore Martirano, Brian Fernyhough, Gofredo et Juliet is labeled a “choral symphony” (p. 97-98). Petrassi, and Eskil Hemberg. Some might wish for a more obvious continuity between the contemporary Estonian giants of One could always take issue with the attention Veljo Tormis (1930-2017), the nationalist in given to certain pieces instead of others (e.g. chapter 7, and Arvo Pärt (b. 1935), the minimalist Robert Schumann’s Das Paradies und die Peri is in chapter 13. However, readers seeking further awarded six pages, while Téodore Dubois’ Seven information have ample resources suggested in a Last Words is not mentioned). But who wants 12-page bibliography at the end of the book. to second-guess, for example, which of Schubert’s part songs best illustrate his contributions Alwes continues the pattern he established to the genre? Alwes’s ninth chapter, “Te Avant- in Volume 1 of supplying only the necessary Garde Aesthetic” is no shorter than the others, biographic background for the composers to illustrating his refusal to neglect important give their works context; the emphasis remains works in genres that are harder to both perform on the compositions. With any given composer and approach. If this chapter is of less practical Alwes gives priority to their longer compositions, use to conductors, it is all the more valuable but this is understandable in a monograph with to musicologists. encyclopedic scope. The book is replete with excerpts, facsimiles of the original manuscripts, When presented with the sheer enormity of and charts summarizing the form of many works presenting the history of choral music in two discussed; nearly every page includes a graphic or volumes, most authors would balk at the audacity illustration. Tis gives the text more readability of the task, but Alwes has risen to the challenge than other similar publications. A work of and teachers in our feld should be grateful. Te 34 occasional misprint or error (e.g.