Yesterday evening we went to see Bay Choral Guild’s latest offering, this time a program of American works from the days of the Revolution through the 20th Century. A very enjoyable program.

Composition is not only of concern to the placement of notes in a score, but the makeup of a program. To compose a mosaic of music representative of “America” with its staggering cultural variety is a daunting task. BCG has a habit of doing music from outside the standard repetoir. This creates an added difficulty since it challenges the listener’s assumptions of what constitutes American music. There are certain expectations in play.

A case in point: I was aware of the composer William Billings. I’ve sung a little of his music myself. But I was not aware of his very important place in the history of American music (for the whole story, consult the excellent program notes for this concert). His delightful, playful piece “Modern Musick” set the perfect tone for the rest of the evening.

Those who were looking for favorite American composers, there there there: Aaron Copeland, Charles Ives, Stephen Foster, Irving Berlin and other familiar names and the tunes that go with them. But there were also plenty of others that resist the stereotype of American music enshrined in modern music and Broadway show tunes. Eric Whitacre’s Sleep was especially artful and very moving.

I was pleased to see Randall Thompson on the program, whose Alleluia is arguably one of the most sublime choral compositions to come out of North America. I was not familiar with his work The Best of Rooms presented. It is a very beautiful piece, performed in a way consistent with the spirit of Thompson’s other works.

The second half of the concert had far more of the kind of things audiences generally associate with American music.  It was a lot of fun. Lots of smiles among the musicians; these people truly enjoy what they do. Having been practically raised on Broadway tunes thanks to my mother, it was great to hear some old favorites. By way of compliment, most of these songs from shows like Carosel, Oaklahoma, The King and I, West Side Story, and others were not written with choral music in mind. BCG overcame this with some excellent choral arrangements.

One problem with a show like this is that even if you are only trying to be representative, it can take a lot of songs to build a reasonable sample. BCG used a medley format for much of the 2nd half that worked well. It kept the program moving and maintained a strong, energetic performance.

Bay Choral Guild is performing again this evening (June 8) at St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church, and on Monday (June 10) at First Baptist Church. Visit their website, baychoralguild.org, for more information.

Bay Choral Guild is an excellent complement to Bay Area arts and culture. This group is very worthy of your support.