Liner Notes
Cat. No. NWCRL355
Release Date: 2010-01-10
Paul Geiger, bass-baritone; Contemporary Chamber Players of the University of Chicago and Chorus Ralph Shapey, conductor
In an article entitled “Enigma of Ralph Shapey” Bernard Jacobson, of the Chicago Daily News wrote, “. . . In his music every last detail is worked out with an almost ferocious intellectual power. But at the same time its emotional climate is of the most intense lyricism. It is this combination that has led Leonard B. Meyer to dub Shapey a ‘radical traditionalist.’ A critic can only write about such matters on the basis of his own judgment. And my judgment, drawn from acquaintance with eleven of Shapey’s works, is that his output forms the finest and most substantial body of music by any American composer of our times.”
Shapey began working on Praise while living in New York City. He writes:
“I began writing Convocation, the first section, on January 26, 1961; it was performed in a church on Fifth Avenue shortly thereafter. As the title implies, it was just the beginning of a larger work that I had been planning, now known as Praise. Due to many interruptions, including my arrival at the University of Chicago in 1964, I was forced to lay the work aside. New duties plus other compositions kept Praise in the drawer until the summer of 1971. At that time, while vacationing in East Hampton, I decided that Praise must be finished. It was completed in August 1971.
This title, originally issued on the CRI label, is now available as a burn-on-demand CD (CD-R) or download in MP3/320, FLAC or WAV formats. CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print booklet or jewel case included. Liner notes are accessible via the link above.
In an article entitled “Enigma of Ralph Shapey” Bernard Jacobson, of the Chicago Daily News wrote, “. . . In his music every last detail is worked out with an almost ferocious intellectual power. But at the same time its emotional climate is of the most intense lyricism. It is this combination that has led Leonard B. Meyer to dub Shapey a ‘radical traditionalist.’ A critic can only write about such matters on the basis of his own judgment. And my judgment, drawn from acquaintance with eleven of Shapey’s works, is that his output forms the finest and most substantial body of music by any American composer of our times.”
Shapey began working on Praise while living in New York City. He writes:
“I began writing Convocation, the first section, on January 26, 1961; it was performed in a church on Fifth Avenue shortly thereafter. As the title implies, it was just the beginning of a larger work that I had been planning, now known as Praise. Due to many interruptions, including my arrival at the University of Chicago in 1964, I was forced to lay the work aside. New duties plus other compositions kept Praise in the drawer until the summer of 1971. At that time, while vacationing in East Hampton, I decided that Praise must be finished. It was completed in August 1971.
This title, originally issued on the CRI label, is now available as a burn-on-demand CD (CD-R) or download in MP3/320, FLAC or WAV formats. CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print booklet or jewel case included. Liner notes are accessible via the link above.
Contemporary Chamber Players of the University of Chicago
Ralph Shapey: Praise
| MP3/320 | $13.00 | |
| FLAC | $13.00 | |
| WAV | $13.00 | |
| CD-R | $13.00 |
A *.pdf of the notes may be accessed here free of charge.
Track Listing
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Praise: Convocation
Ralph Shapey
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Buy
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Praise: Invocation
Ralph Shapey
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Buy
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Praise: Processional
Ralph Shapey
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Buy
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Praise: Interlude
Ralph Shapey
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Buy
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Praise: How Manifold
Ralph Shapey
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Buy
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Praise: Praised be
Ralph Shapey
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Buy
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Praise: Convocation [Reprise]
Ralph Shapey
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Buy
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Praise: Invocation [Reprise]
Ralph Shapey
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Buy
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Praise: Processional [Reprise]
Ralph Shapey
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Buy
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Praise: Holy, Holy
Ralph Shapey
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Buy
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Praise: O Sing
Ralph Shapey
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Buy
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Praise: Interlude - Hallelujah
Ralph Shapey
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Buy
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