You Better Mind

Description

Tenor 1, Tenor 2, Bass, Piano — You Better Mind was created for the Schola Cantorum Project sponsored by the Fort Worth Chorale in Fort Worth Texas. This spiritual displays the creative ability of the African American to create incidental songs and this selection is a warning to be wary of whom to trust and how much one should talk.You Better Mind contains an energy filled dialect and is to be performed in that manner. Take full advantage of the built-in “swing” feel as you move through the lines. Maintain tall but relaxed vowels, but be careful to depict the language accurately. For example, words that end in “er” (such as, brother) should end in a "shwa" sound. Also unstressed “t” should be stopped: for example, better would be “bedah.” If crescendo / decrescendo markings aren’t expressly written, perform dynamic changes as subito. Lastly, give care to the stress on multi-syllabic words. Most will contain tenuto markings. About the ComposerReginal Wright is a composer, conductor, and educator who creates works in collaboration with choirs and music educators. As an educator, Reginal has earned many awards over the span of his 20 plus year career. Reginal has performed throughout Europe and the United States. As a conductor, he is a sought-after clinician in both middle and high school. As a composer, Reginal’s works have been commissioned by middle school, high school, college, and professional choirs. With works performed by All-State Choirs and invited convention choirs, his “Invictus” was performed in the 2021 ACDA National Convention and by the 2022 Texas All-State Tenor-Bass Choir.Reginal’s works are published and distributed through BriLee, Carl Fisher, Graphite, Hal Leonard, Oxford University Press, Santa Barbara Music Publishing, Walton, and his own publishing company, Reginal Wright Music.xa0 Reginal resides in Arlington, Texas. Created for the Schola Cantorum Project and sponsored by the Fort Worth Chorale, You Better Mind contains a message of indirect warning to be wary of whom to trust and how much one should talk. Choirs can take full advantage of the built-in “swing” feel as singers move through the lines.

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