Emerald. Stream. Seth Houston. SANTA BARBARA MUSIC PUBLISHING, INC. Post Office Box 41003, Santa Barbara, CA WEBSITE:

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1 Houston, EMERALD STREAM SBM 1046, $1.95 Houston, EMERALD STREAM Emerald SATB a cappella duration: 2:00 Stream by Seth Houston SANTA BARBARA MUSIC UBLISHING, INC. ost Oice Box 41003, Santa Barbara, CA WEBSITE:.sbmp.com

2 About the composer/poet Choral conductor, composer, and scholar Seth Houston (b. 1974) is currently pursuing a D.M.A. in choral music at the University o Southern Caliornia Thornton School o Music, here he studies ith Morten Lauridsen, o-michael Scheibe, Nick Strimple, Donald Brinegar, and Cristian Grases. Houston is director o music at Unitarian Universalist Community Church o Santa Monica, co-conductor o USC Thornton University Chorus, and co-conductor o Canticum Novum L.A. Houston holds a M.M. in choral conducting rom the University o Colorado and a B.Mus. in composition rom Oberlin Conservatory o Music. He also taught middle school and high school choir or eight years. Houston s compositions are idely perormed throughout North America and Europe and have been included on numerous recordings. or more inormation on Houston s choral activities, please visit.sethhouston.com About the piece Houston composed Emerald Stream on his seventeenth birthday hile paddling a canoe. The young composer as on a month-long canoe trip ith his ather in northern Canada. Although the eather on much o the trip had been indy and oul, his birthday daned sunny and clear. The music that ould become Emerald Stream loed to the rhythm o his paddle. While Houston notated much o Emerald Stream in his ournal that night, some details o the music ere orked out ater he returned home and had access to a piano. The piece dras inspiration rom the shape-note singing tradition that lourished in Ne England rom 1780 to Like a shape-note uging tune, Emerald Stream eatures a hearty, strong sound, an imitative uging section, melodic ornaments, open intervals, and doubling at the octave. It is unusual, hoever, in that the melody is in the bass part. The text dras on the hymn-riting style o Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, and other great theologians hose dynamic poetry animated the shape-note tradition. While draing on these traditions, Emerald Stream proclaims a more contemporary message o environmental steardship. Emerald Stream as initially popularized by Village Harmony and Northern Harmony. It has been sung throughout North America and Europe at venues including Garrison Keillor s A rairie Home Companion and the Christmas Revels Emerald Stream by Seth Houston Come, no, and gather in the glade Where the Em rald Stream and the Evening Shade, And meditate on the orks He s made, Great God, our sov reign Lord. oin us, no, the meado is green And the aters pure and the oods serene And the loing air is resh and clean Where God his blessings pour d. See the ind come don, Hear it histle as it blos, It brings us sun and it brings us snos, A blessing rom above. And the sun comes up, And the sun goes don, And the stars and the moon go and, In itness to His Hear, no, ye sons o men, or danger lurks in this great garden; The Lord ill visit once again To see hat e have done. As God is the shepherd and e are the sheep, We our mother Earth must keep, Maintain the air, protect the deep; At udgment Day He ll come. See the Lord come don, Hear Him histle as he goes, He bears a thunderbolt and a rose, Remember all his po r. See the Lord come don, ace shining bright, His holy eet are soiled But his robe is hite; You ill regret that hour. So, no, my people beare, You re in charge o the seas and the earth and the air, You d better take extr ordinary care O the Earth, our only home. All glory be to God on high, Shout praises loudly to the sky, Listen to the Earth and hear her cry, And in Heaven orever roam. Range Listen to a recording at.sbmp.com erormed by Village Harmony - conducted by Larry Gordon S b A b T b B

3 SBM 1046 Emerald Stream Rollicking h = 88 b b B b b C b Come, no, and gath-er in the glade here the Em - rald Stream and the Seth Houston Eve - ning Shade and med - i - tate on the. orks He s made, great T B God, our 9.. oin us, no, the mead-o is. sov - reign Lord. oin us, no, the mead-o is green and the green and the a - ters pure and the oods se - rene and the ßo - ing air is a - ters pure and the oods se - rene and the ßo - ing air is.. resh and clean here resh and clean here God His bless - ings God His bless - ings pour d. pour d. eel the It is illegal to duplicate this piece by photocopying or any other means. Those violating the copyright ill be punished to the ull extent o the la. Copyright 2011 or ALL COUNTRIES by Santa Barbara Music ublishing, Inc. rinted in the U.S.A

4 4 S A T B 17 eel the ind come don, hear it eel the ind come don, hear it his-tle as it goes, it eel the ind his-tle come don, hear it brings us sun and it or rehearsal only, senza pedale. ind. come n. his-tle as it.. don, hear it goes, * his-tle as it blos, a a as it n brings us snos, it goes, blos, a a n.. n *Ornaments are optional and may be sung be ust a e tenors

5 b b b b b And the 25 And the sun comes up, and the 5 And the sun comes up, and the sun goes don, and the And the sun comes up, and the sun stars goes and the moon go. sun n sun.. comes goes. and n and, go n... n

6 6 up, and the sun goes don, in in it - ness to His it - ness to His in it - ness to His in it - ness to His. 33 Hear no, ye b b b b b Hear no, ye sons o men, or sons o men, or dan - ger lurks in this great gar - den; the dan - ger lurks in this great gar - den; the

7 7. Lord ill vis - it once a - gain to. Lord ill vis - it once a - gain to see hat e have see hat e have As * done. done. As As.. 41 God is the shep-herd and e are the sheep, e our moth -er Earth must keep, main - God is the shep-herd and e are the sheep, e - Earth must keep, main - God is the shep-herd and e are the sheep,e our moth -er Earth must keep, main - > > > our moth er > > *Tenor line may be doubled by sopranos (at the octave) rom here to the end o the piece