[Choral Piece] High Difficulty! A selection of works that are hard to sing

A girl searching for flowersSakushi: Tsurumi Masao, Sakkyoku: Ogikubo Kazuaki

Girl Searching for Flowers (from the mixed chorus suite “IN TERRA PAX: Peace on Earth”)

The hauntingly heavy and dark tone of “The Girl Searching for Flowers” is striking.

This piece is the third movement of the mixed-chorus suite IN TERRA PAX – Peace on Earth and is relatively well known.

The suite itself was inspired by the Vietnam War, and “The Girl Searching for Flowers” presents a shocking scene in which a tank bears down on a girl walking in search of beautiful flowers.

Beyond melody and harmony, the true challenge of this piece lies in how well one can convey the tragedy that intrudes upon peaceful everyday life.

It’s a perfect piece when you want to hone your expressive abilities.

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Yuuki

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BeginningSakushi: Kudō Naoko / Sakkyoku: Kinoshita Makiko

"The Beginning" (from the mixed chorus collection "With Light and Wind"), poem by Naoko Kudo, music by Makiko Kinoshita, performed by Shinshu University Mixed Chorus

A “Beginning” that lets you feel the grandeur of the Earth.

On Earth, humans and animals go about their lives each day, thinking and feeling in countless ways, yet the Earth simply keeps turning—this piece portrays that universal scene.

It may take a little time to get used to the feel of 6/8 time, but first and foremost it’s important to firmly sense the rhythm.

Focus not only on the meter but also on phrasing and dynamics.

While drawing from the lyrics to sense the Earth’s vastness, the many human dramas, and the lives of creatures, try singing with rich expressiveness.

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SAKI

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If I put it into wordsGosuperāzu

If I put it into words

Gospellers’ “Kotoba ni Sureba” evokes a future that continues brightly without end.

Released in 2007 as a double A-side single alongside “It Still Matters—Ai wa Nemuranai,” this song was produced as the set piece for the high school division of the 2007 NHK National School Music Competition.

Its beautiful melody has a wide key range, with the soprano parts in particular demanding quite high notes—one of the challenging aspects.

Moreover, despite its driving melodic momentum, it isn’t enough to simply sing with power; a high level of expressive skill is also required.

While there are many difficult points, it’s a song that delivers a strong sense of accomplishment when you see it through to the end.

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SAKI

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Song of Fresh Green LeavesSakushi: Komori Kōko / Sakkyoku: Kumagai Ken’ichi

[Choral Song] Song of Green Leaves / Three-Part Mixed Chorus [With Lyrics]

The choral piece “Aoba no Uta,” notable for its soprano part, was released in 1974.

Though known as a challenging work for three-part mixed chorus, it is also unusual in that its lyrics, accompaniment, and alto line have sometimes been altered to reduce difficulty.

Singers often struggle with the high range and the leaping shifts in tone color.

A good approach is to focus on shaping phrases and making the soprano line sound clear.

The male parts should also be sung so they resonate deeply and solidly.

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utatane

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determinationSakushi: Kataoka Akira / Sakkyoku: Suzuki Norio

[Choral Piece] Determination / With Lyrics [58/200]

This song, a message piece based on Ryotaro Shiba’s essay “To You Who Will Live in the Twenty-First Century,” is a four-part mixed chorus published as the fourth movement of the choral suite “Resolve for the Future.” From the very beginning—starting a cappella—you can already sense its high level of difficulty.

For a junior high school chorus, four-part mixed chorus is a demanding format.

Because the piece has a medium tempo, practice with the goal of aligning all four parts steadily, and sing with an awareness of creating beautiful harmony.

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utatane

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Once moreSakushi: Hoshino Tomihiro, Sakkyoku: Chihara Hideki

Hideki Chihara / Once Again

In the 2012 NHK School Music Competition, the required piece for the high school division was “The Road Leading to Tomorrow.” The second piece in this mixed-chorus suite is “Once Again,” which is among the most well-known in the set.

The tempo isn’t fast, but the melody is complex, making it seem challenging to sing well.

The lyrics by poet Tomihiro Hoshino, which trace a delicate hope for tomorrow, and the composition by Hideki Chihara, whose music is powerful yet somehow supple, appear to demand a high level of expressive ability!

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Yuuki

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One Morningsakushi:kataoka akira/sakkyoku:hirayoshi kishū

One Morning

One Morning was released in 1978 as the set piece for the High School Division of the NHK National School Music Competition.

It was created by Akira Kataoka and Takeshi Hiraishi in response to a request for a work themed around friendship.

Since its debut, the piece has been known for its high level of difficulty, including its rises and falls and the nuances of dynamic control.

The section that begins with the male parts feels calm, but when the female parts enter, the music surges all at once.

By clearly shaping the tempo contrasts and the dynamics of each part, you can achieve a performance worthy of advanced singers.

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utatane

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