It's Been A Long Time Since I Saw You

This hauntingly beautiful song is self-evident in its content. And if you can use it without getting too emotional (good luck), it is a wonderful piece that has many applications. Memorial Day is certainly one of those applications, as is Patriot Day. A tribute to our troops is another. A song for POWs and MIAs might have particular meaning in your school or community. Indeed, any patriotic venue would be appropriate, as would any personal or private memorial. You could just use it because you miss someone.

We have given you options for performance, which you can mix and match. You can use a soloist, a unison group, and/or a mixed choir. The tune begins as a unison or solo line, then breaks into harmony after the first phrase. The second and third parts are optional, but you could use one or both of them with just the melody. On our recording, we used unison voices for part 1, but we did record a solo version as well. You can find it on our web site. It features our very talented Katy Gentry. In the same place on our site, you will also find rehearsal tracks for each of the parts, as well as an a cappella version. The latter can be found on the CD as well, but we included it at the web site so that your singers could access it themselves if they wanted to. See following for details.

The recording is very rich and lovely, featuring a brass choir with flugelhorns and strings. The piano part is not too difficult though, so if you have a capable player, you could certainly do this piece live. If you do, you might consider altering the tempo, adding ritards, a tempos, or just generally playing it more rubato. This would be especially nice if you were using a soloist.

Online extras - The free, downloadable extras mentioned can be found under the Graphics and Extras for Volume 18, No. 5 at MusicK8.com