Choral works by Marten Jansson
There seems to be a great need for new, singable and melodious diatonic choral music. Especially in Northern Europe, composers who meet this need are appearing time and again
As in every stylistic area, there are better and worse things here too. The pieces by Mårten Jansson clearly belong to the first category. Bärenreiter-Verlag has published three of them in an attractive presentation.
Fear thou not for five-part female choir impresses with its delicate, always transparent movement with the simplest of motifs, which continues to unfold after an ostinato-like beginning. The entire sound space accessible to female voices is cleverly exploited. The piece is not really easy, especially in the melodically leading soprano part there are occasionally large leaps (which are always harmonically cushioned, however), and a high C"' is imperative. Jansson also reckons with extremely low alto voices on the other side of the spectrum, but is clever enough to offer ossia solutions here. The piece, which is based on the Isaiah text "Fear not, I am with you", remains harmonically within a slightly extended C minor framework, including a transfiguration to C major at the end of the piece.
In a very similar way Mary (IV) for four-part mixed choir, although the soprano is divided over long stretches. The key of E flat minor is soon abandoned and brightened up to E minor via various stages, often by means of chromatic paths (and easily realized thanks to the elaborate voice leading). In this piece too, the soprano is the most melodically demanding voice, with the others sharing the task of providing the harmonic foundation. This music requires a well intoned and tonally balanced choir that is also trained in the use of extended harmonies. The piece is offered in two language versions, the original Swedish and in English. The text is a kind of modern Marian poem, so it is also accessible for Protestant choirs who have difficulty with the traditional Catholic Marian devotions.
The Choirmasters Burial sets a slightly different accent: after a monophonic, folk-music-like beginning by the tenor, a full-sounding male choir takes over, which is then complemented by the female choir. This piece calls for a choir that is evenly scored and not too small. Here, too, the outer ranges are exhausted (high soprano to b"; low bass to B, with ossia) and can even be extended further by two optional female choirs (soprano to d"'). What I also like about this piece is that the key of F major is not overused, but is livened up by other tonal regions. The English text by the Victorian writer Thomas Hardy tells the story of a choirmaster who is buried without any music, against his wishes and at the instigation of the vicar - whereupon a "Band of Angels" appears to this vicar the following night and plays music under the direction of the deceased choirmaster. Several verses from the liturgical requiem text are integrated into this piece.
Mårten Jansson, Fear thou not for choir SSMAA, choral score, BA 7411, € 3.95, Bärenreiter, Kassel 2014
id., Maria (IV), for choir SATB, BA 7412, € 3.95
id., The Choirmaster's Burial, for choir SSATBB, BA 7413, € 5.95
