London, UK, 20 July 2022 – Hal Leonard Europe announces a major new choral series, presenting essential repertoire in unique three-part arrangements.
Leading music publisher Hal Leonard Europe has announced the first titles in an extensive new series for choirs called SAM-Klang. Conceived by Danish arranger and conductor Morten Schuldt-Jensen, SAM-Klang editions present classic choral works in unique SAM (soprano, alto and one low voice) arrangements. SAM-Klang (a Danish word for ‘harmony’) provides a solution to the issue that many choruses face: a lack of low voices, and in particular, tenors. This challenge confronts youth choirs, before voices have fully developed; older singers, as their high range naturally declines, and choruses of all types and sizes, given that the distribution of voice types among singers in Europe favours high voices two to one.
The SAM-Klang series presents carefully crafted arrangements that retain the characteristic features of the original pieces and have almost the same richness of timbre. Schuldt-Jensen’s approach to adapting the original SATB scoring aims to not only consolidate the low voice parts, but enhances the other lines also, re-balancing harmonic responsibility across the choir. The result is remarkably successful versions of such pillars of the canon as Mozart’s Requiem, Haydn’s The Creation, Schubert’s Deutsche Messe, Duruflé’s Motets, the partsong collections of Brahms and Mendelssohn and many more classics which will sound nearly unchanged to an audience.
All SAM-Klang editions include piano reductions to facilitate rehearsal preparation and will enable youth choirs to gain access to classical choral literature, while ensuring that mixed choirs who face challenges finding singers continue to have access to well-loved repertoire. The series also has a range of educational applications for developing vocal, ensemble and conducting technique; SAM-Klang editions are a valuable new teaching resource as well as being performance scores compatible with standard orchestral accompaniments.
This significant new choral series will rapidly expand and already features 17 volumes. For more information, please see SAM-Klang.com.
“Looking at the challenges facing classical choral singing, I am very grateful that Hal Leonard is publishing the SAM-Klang series. For many choirs, the classical SATB repertoire is – or has become – unreachable in the original version, and so they are sure to benefit both artistically and pedagogically from this initiative. The hope is that SAM-Klang can help to reverse the trend and ensure that the joy of classical choral singing will be within reach of even more people in the future.”
Morten Schuldt-Jensen
“We are delighted to publish the SAM-Klang series. As the choral world continues to recover post-pandemic, there has never been a better time for arrangements like these; SAM-Klang is inclusive and accessible and presents choirs with exciting new way to explore essential repertoire, opening up opportunities which had previously been denied. Our vision is for lifelong music making for everyone, and Morten Schuldt-Jensen’s stellar versions of the canon will be hugely appealing for choruses of all ages and size – this is a major event in choral publishing and a tremendous new series for choirs.”
Tom Farncombe, Business Development Director, Hal Leonard Europe
About Morten Schuldt-Jensen:
Morten Schuldt-Jensen was choral director of the Gewandhaus in Leipzig from 1999–2007 and has been professor of choral and orchestral conducting at the Freiburg University of Music since 2006. In addition to his teaching activities, he has worked in Scandinavia and Germany with choirs and orchestras of all kinds and at every level including well-known European ensembles such as SWR Vocal Ensemble, RIAS Chamber Choir, the Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Akademie für Alte Musik. He performs regularly with his Danish choir Sokkelund Sangkor, with the Immortal Bach Ensemble and the Leipzig Chamber Orchestra, of which he is chief conductor and artistic director.
About Hal Leonard Europe:
Hal Leonard Europe companies are part of the Hal Leonard group of companies – the world’s largest source of music publications, representing many of the world’s best-known and most respected publishers, artists, songwriters, arrangers and instrument manufacturers.
Hal Leonard Europe companies publish and distribute an extensive catalogue of printed and digital publications, sheet music, music education resources, instruments, gifts, accessories and pro audio in Europe and around the world.
There are Hal Leonard Europe offices and distribution centres located in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and the United Kingdom.
Press Contact:
Lea Herrscher, Hal Leonard Europe
lherrscher@halleonardeurope.com
