Apple Pie is a novel, fun, upbeat and humorous tale of two friends searching for their favorite dessert. It was the winner of the Wasatch Chorale Ars Nova Composition Competition; their call for scores asked for a piece suitable for an afternoon family concert. With a rollicking piano part moving it along, the chorus tells […]
An uplifting, secular piece about our planet’s place in the universe. Its energy and relatively low difficulty level make this 3-minute piece something to consider for a high school or community group. You and I Share a single place A private universe Tiny point in space. Complex world of water, stone, and air… Necessary water, […]
This Spiritual is one of the most well-known and beloved in the entire canon of Slave Songs , and has universal appeal — with it’s simple melody, and heartfelt lyrics — pleading for deliverance from earthly oppression in the same manner that Elijah was taken to his Heavenly Home. Perfectly appropriate for inclusion in a […]
This delightful piece sets a whimsical poem by the American poet, Susan Kinsolving, about steps taken internationally to make the world a better place. Sanford Dole’s Dance Steps has artistic merit…no one can doubt the artistic merit of Dole’s entertaining piece. I was not looking forward to enduring Susan Kinsolving’s absurdist text, printed in the […]
The Metropolitan Transit Authority in New York has a “Poetry in Motion” series that puts posters of poetry in subway cars. I was on the 1 train on Manhattan’s West Side one day when I saw the poem “Heaven,” by Patrick Phillips. I was immediately captured by the simple beauty of Patrick’s poem, and the […]
About the Coventry Litany of Reconciliation On the night of 14th November, 1940, Coventry and its Cathedral endured a one-off, but relentless, bombing campaign. Overnight, the ‘Moonlight Sonata’ offensive destroyed much of central Coventry, hundreds of its people and left its Cathedral in ruins. Only the outer shell of the walls and the tower remained […]
KONIKONECO (SATB chorus) is a traditional call-and-response song of the Teso people, who live in eastern Uganda and in western Kenya. The lyrics, from the Ateso language combined with borrowings from other languages and dialects, roughly translates as “Let us celebrate our schools, our learning, and our empowerment.” The piano accompaniment suggests the arpeggios typical […]
Emily Dickinson’s poem, “Hope is the thing with feathers” is one of the most beloved among her corpus of work, and for good reason. This setting is an expression of the poem’s sweetness as well as its dramatic intensity, with a “tune without the words” established early in the piece that returns after the harrowing […]
The text comprises a solitary verse, St. John 3:8, taken from Nicodemus’ well-known nocturnal conversation with Jesus. The anthem is intended for use in a generous acoustic, such as a Cathedral, where during the many bar rests, the fragmented and overlapping phrases can be given opportunity to resound and reflect until the reverberation dissipates. The […]
Most rounds in popular collections are either sober or light-hearted. Where are the truly chucklesome examples? They do exist, of course: one thinks of classics such as “Thy Jolly Red Nose” or “The Old Man from Calcutta”; even, perhaps, of the bawdy catches of Henry Purcell and John Blow. But they are rarely found between […]
“Misericordias Domini” was written for Grace Lutheran Church in Hockessin, DE and premiered during the Advent season on December 7th, 2014. The text comes from Psalm 89 and has been set by several composers including Orlando di Lasso and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Although settings of this text are usually used during Advent, this setting is […]
These simple folksong arrangements were made for two community choirs based in Selly Oak, Birmingham, but they would be equally suitable for school choirs or other groups. Included are well known songs from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, which are woven into a continuous piece lasting about six and a half minutes. The medley starts […]
“Winds of May” took First Place in the Morningside College Choral Competition. It is one of two settings by Madelyn Byrne of poems from James Joyce’s Chamber Music. The other setting, “Rain Has Fallen“, is also available from Swirly Music. The composer writes: Chamber Music, is an early work by James Joyce. It is a […]
This composition is dedicated to my grandmother Dorothy Jane Farrar. Memory, my fickle friend I’ve never known you well The faded scenes you recommend They ring a distant bell The blemishes the blooms The laughter and perfume My children’s children have children of their own Memory, my weathered friend Don’t leave me here alone Apples […]
Short choral blessing (text from the Old Testament) written as part of 2001-2003 Composer Residency at San Francisco’s National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi. Premiered by resident ensemble, Schola Cantorum SF
Among The Trees The Clearing Rests In Song and Shade I Go Among the Trees and Sit Still All the Earth Shall Sing (The dark around us, come) Three Songs for SATB Choir & Piano Words by Wendell Berry These three songs are about finding peace and unity within nature. Balance comes to many of […]
Majestic Ride is a choral sequence for the beginning of Holy Week. It consists of three new hymn settings, linked by optional solo/choral passages and narration drawn from the Bible, centred mainly on the events of Palm Sunday. The three hymns are ‘All glory, laud and honour’, ‘My song is love unknown’ and ‘Ride […]
Merriam-Webster.com defines copypasta as “data (such as a block of text) that has been copied and spread widely online.” This piece, Copypasta, is a setting of three of my favorite text memes that originated on Tumblr. The first movement, Spiders Georg, illustrates the statistical concept of outliers using the example of an arachnid-eating recluse. The […]
Gloria in D was premièred in December 2014 by the Bel Canto Chorus, Milwaukee in their ‘Christmas in the Basilica’ concerts. It is written for a large chorus, soprano soloist, brass ensemble, consisting of three trumpets and three trombones, timpani and organ. Richard Hynson, who conducted the première in Milwaukee, writes: “As music Director of […]
This a cappella arrangement of the well-known Christmas carol, “Away in a Manger” is set for SATB, and also features a soprano soloist in the introduction to each verse, at the end and (optionally) in the first verse. The tune is the one most closely associated with these words in the UK, Cradle Song, by […]
This setting of “A Flanders Carol” by Frederick Niven was written to commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It was written for and first performed by the Solihull Chandos Choir on December 17, 2014.
Mr. Ramsey’s Requiem sets the traditional Latin mass for the dead. It is intended to be a liturgical work, but is also at home in a sacred concert setting. The music stands in the traditions of Duruflé and Fauré, but is different from both. Two performances prove it to be within reach of non-professional, church […]
All vocal groups need short, portable items in their repertoire. A round is a melody which can unfold into harmony, the prime tool of choral directors who wish to develop in singers an ability to listen to others while holding an independent line. Rounds build cohesion among singers and provide opportunities for improving ensemble, sight-reading, […]
Using jazz-influenced harmonies Dole seeks to capture the mystery implied in the text. Adding the text Noe, and omitting the concluding O beata Virgo verse, the piece builds to a peppier Noel! section before returning to the opening O magnum music and leaving the audience with the quiet chords of the mystery of the scene […]
This setting of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ stately, mixed-meter hymn tune uses shimmering tone clusters to depict the textual themes of light and fire in the first two verses. The third verse emphasizes themes of humility and service in an earthy a cappella setting, after which a building organ interlude leads into a towering and majestic […]
Deep peace of the running wave to you.Deep peace of the flowing air to you.Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.Deep peace of the shining stars to you.Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you. (Words adapted from an ancient Gaelic blessing)
A setting of Robert Frost’s metaphorical rendering of feelings of depression, isolation and alienation. Rhythmic and thought-provoking. Medium difficulty, appropriate for high school, collegiate and community choirs. Commissioned by Penn High School Choirs, IN.
Click here to follow the score: https://youtu.be/kSR8gohqJVY This setting of ‘Jesus, friend of little children’ was written about 30 years ago, for the baptism of our younger daughter. It was written as a soprano solo with piano accompaniment. In this current version, it may still be performed as a solo, if desired, but I have added […]
ROC-010 Confitemini Domino The Latin text “Confitemini Domino” – “Give thanks to the Lord” — appears in several Psalms and has been set to music across centuries – from early composers like Giovanni Gabrieli, Heinrich Schütz, and Jean-Baptiste Lully to modern masters like Knut Nystedt. This setting for SATB chorus (with brief soprano/bass divisi) is […]
“Song of Becoming” (2025) traces an arc through the four classical elements—Air, Earth, Fire, and Water—as symbols of transformation. Mostly sung in English, the score weaves in short phrases of original Persian as mantra-like refrains. Air opens in longing and awakening; Earth turns toward humility and groundedness; Fire burns with passion and surrender; Water dissolves, […]
This simple Christmas setting resulted from an international collaboration between Brian Holmes of California and Gordon Thornett from the UK. Brian’s poem has been set for mixed voices (SATB) and piano (or organ). The piece describes how the cold of winter is turned into spring by the coming of the Christ Child. Bright was the […]
In the poem “Psalm of the Sky,” Rabbi Rachel Barenblat reimagines “The Lord is My Shepherd” (Psalm 23) in a contemporary context. Performers may highlight the many instances of text painting and create contrast between moments of gentleness, boldness, and carefree movement. The last verse of Psalm 23 is included in Hebrew as a coda […]
A 17th-century riddle poem, “I Saw a Peacock With a Fiery Tail” at first seems fantastical: A peacock with a fiery tail! I saw a comet drop down hail! Full of evocative text painting, this choral setting reveals the sense of the poem by dividing each line between the two choirs and then reordering the […]
I Sing of a Maiden (I syng of a mayden) is a Middle English poem or carol of the 15th century celebrating the Annunciation and the Virgin Birth of Jesus. The poem is written from a first person point of view, and contains five quatrains. No evidence of original music is known to exist, though […]
This setting of the traditional Harvest hymn, “We plough the fields and scatter”, is written in popular style, a little syncopated. The choir parts are mainly in Unison, with short passages in harmony (SATB). There is also a simple Unison part for the audience/congregation to join in (“All good gifts around us”), and simple percussion […]
Word painting of a raw, intense poem by Paul Cummings is the essence of this homage to the miracle of music, which begins: Your harmony invades my being; / my body is captured by the embrace / of a melody that leads me out of dark places.
This setting of Evensong Canticles (BCP 1662) is intended for use in those churches which are looking for a relatively simple choral setting, or that don’t always have a mixed choir and need the flexibility of being able to sing the canticles in unison where necessary, or where a choir of children’s/women’s voices or men’s […]
Ducks in the Garden is a short a cappella piece based on a very silly poem by Will T. Laughlin. It was premiered in June, 2012 by the San Francisco Choral Artists, Magen Solomon, Artistic Director. Hear the work performed in the amusing video embedded above. Morning comes — The day is fine; Ducks in […]
SATB a cappella settings of three ancient Latin texts in a style reminiscent of Renaissance polyphony, but mixing dissonant and tonal harmonies in a challenging but singable texture. Melodies are often disjunct, even passing from section to section, but always lyrical and poignantly expressive. De castitatis thalamo, virgo virginum, and Ave Maria. Ave Maria also […]
This is an a cappella setting of William Blake’s poem ‘The Tyger’ for mixed choir (SATB) with some divisions. It may be performed on its own, or preferably as a companion piece to ‘Little Lamb, who made thee?’, also obtainable through Swirly Music. It is suggested that ‘Little Lamb’ be performed first, as there is […]
