"Go to the Ant You Sluggard"
"לך אל נמלה עצל"
Composing Year:
1991/1992
Instruments:
Children's (or Women's) Choir a-Cappella
OR Women's (and/or Children's) Choir and Chamber Orchestra [2,2,2,2 - 2,0,0,0, perc(4), hp & str]
Duration:
4'
Text from Proverbs 6:9-10
Original a-Cappella version:
"Li-ron" Children Choir | Conductor: Ronit Shapira (1991)
This song, commissioned by the Israeli Council of Culture and Art, for the Vocal Music Festival in Acco 1991, is based on one of the famous lessons from the Book of Proverbs (chapter 6, verses 9-10). Written for 3 equal parts, it is modeled on the Medieval Motet: some parts of the texts are sung simultaneously, and there is an abundance use of repeated rhythmic patterns (ostinato). I tried to emphasize the rhythmic elements of the biblical text, which is mostly cheerful. Melodically, the song is written in an ad-hoc modus I invented, and is completely tonal.
In 1992, at the commission of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, I added an orchestral accompaniment. The choral parts remained the same as in the original, a-cappella version, while the orchestral parts vary from doubling the vocal parts in places, to supplying newly composed accompaniment.