Dorothy Leah Gould Gerber

Descant, Christ the Lord Is Risen Today

Ms. Dorothy Leah Gould Gerber (deceased) 
July 1940 Boston, MA to May 16, 2019 Reston, VA. 

Ms. Dorothy Gerber's Influence on This Album

This album is indebted to Ms. Gerber-Salins for convincing her mother, Ms. Dorothy Leah Gould Gerber, to come to the Bias Recording Studio and record the magnificent high descant contained in the last verse of the hymn, "Christ The Lord Is Risen Today" on the recurring Alleluia refrains. The descant arrangement used is from The Hymnal of 1982 of the Episcopal Church, which included 32 descants. She recorded that together with her daughter, Ms. Heidi Gerber-Salins, who was also Producer/Audio Engineer of Phase I, and a significant duet vocalist on the album.

FYI - Her daughter, Ms. Gerber-Salins, was especially pleased she got this only recording her mother ever made with them together in the recording studio. (There are of course the many choral recordings Ms. Dorothy Gould Gerber was part of with the Washington Choral Arts Society, but not as a duet recording with her daughter.)

NOTE. The success of adding this Descant to the recurring Alleluia refrains within the last verse of the hymn "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today" demonstrated to David the incredible musical value descants can add. That led TortoiseClimbing™ Audio in Phase II to add, both:

• Descants to several other hymns; and
• Other non-descant harmony voices, (which included on the recurring Alleluia refrains in other verses of "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today") as well as to other hymns on this recording.

Although Ms. Dorothy Gerber only sings on the recurring Alleluia refrains of the last verse of one hymn, her influence of adding that descant introduced TortoiseClimbing Audio™ to the incredible value of descants, changing treatment of various other hymns on the Hymns and Songs of My Mother. That is a large tribute to the influence Dorothy and and her daughter Heidi Gerber-Salins had on the future of the album.

Several webpages under Phase II, Arrangers, expands on the topic of descants added to several additional hymns as part of Phase II:

• One webpage provides a discussion of historical details about descant usage in hymns, as well as the larger subject of descants with other music; plus
• Another webpage gives a bio of the composer, Jeff Whitmill, of the additional descants used on this recording, Jeff Whitmill.

Bio - Ms. Dorothy Leah Gould Gerber

Bachelor of Music from University of Colorado at Boulder.

Ms. Dorothy Gould Gerber was a longtime member of the Washington Choral Arts Society, which requires an annual audition to be allowed to be a member for the coming year. (Most such auditions require the singer to also be able to read music.) That chorus began in 1963 for a Messiah concert with the National Symphony Orchestra, and formally incorporated in 1966. The chorus was led by Norman Scribner until his retirement as conductor in 2012. That chorus was considered one of the region’s preeminent symphonic choirs. 

During Mr. Scribner’s tenure as conductor, the Choral Arts Society:

• Participated in seven international tours;
• Produced more than 15 commercial recordings, one of which was the Grammy Award-winning classical album, Of Rage and Remembrance in 1996; and
• Presented 25 world premiere commissions.

The chorus collaborated with conductors such as:

• Leonard Slatkin;
• Valery Gergiev;
• Mstislav Rostropovich; and
• Christoph Eschenbach. 

As such, Ms. Dorothy Gerber had the opportunity to sing and record with numerous world-renowned conductors in many countries.

She was the leader of the Washington, DC madrigal singers’ group, The Morley Muse for over a decade. 

Presumably that group was named after Thomas Morley (1557 – 1602) who lived during the time of Shakespeare.  He was an English composer, theorist, singer and organist of the Renaissance.  He was one of the foremost members of the English Madrigal School.

She was an advocate of musical literacy and taught at the Herndon, Virginia Montessori Country School for a quarter century.

She is survived by her husband, Hermann, and daughters:

• Heidi Gerber-Salins; and
• Amy Gerber-Stroh.

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