Anselm of Canterbury (c. 1033 – 21 April 1109), a benedictine abbot and philosopher and theologian, left significant writings, some of great complexity. Others, like this simple prayer, convey a deep longing for a closeness to God. This setting was composed for joint performance by the Caritas Chamber Choir (Canterbury, UK) and the Saint Mary’s […]
“Thou God” is the title of a text by Dag Hammarskjöld, Secretary-general of the United Nations from 1953 to 1961. A deeply moving and personal faith statement, it is set here as an anthem for mixed choir and organ. Hammarskjöld’s book Markings, from which this text comes, is an enduring spiritual classic still widely read […]
Tumbalalayka is a rhythmic, harmonically rich setting of the beloved Yiddish folksong. The voices imitate the strumming of the balalaika in this classic riddle-courtship song—by turns playful and tender. Performed regularly by choirs around the world. It is included on French vocal quartet Quatour Aesthesis’ 2022 CD O Do Not Move. At a glance • WACDA […]
In Runo XIV of the Kalevala, Lemminkäinen hunts the black swan that lives on the river of Tuoni in the underworld in order to win a daughter of Louhi as his wife. While searching for the swan, he is killed and his body is dumped into the river. In Runo XV, Lemminkäinen’s mother searches all […]
“Love is strong as death” This moving sentiment from the Song of Solomon is appropriate for many occasions, and the subtle counterpoint of this setting will delight singers and audience alike.
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 […]
Ideal for middle school, high school, or adult chorus, High Clouds, Low Clouds is an fun and accurate description of the most common cloud formations while evoking the 1970s in an entertainingly retro-pop style. High Clouds, Low Clouds, drifting, floating – Cumulus clouds of sunny summer days look like puffs of cotton candy in the […]
A very rhythmic drive characterizes this exuberant setting of the traditional Christmas text, “Christ is born today” set in Latin. Choirs love to sing the jazzy rhythms and harmonies that require care in tuning, but once mastered create a contemporary sound world that will energize any Christmas concert or service.
This composition was composed for the New Haven Chorale in Connecticut. It was premiered at the Connecticut Chorus Conferences at Yale University.The poem begins with the question, “Little Lamb, who made thee?” The speaker, a child, asks the lamb about its origins: how it came into being, how it acquired its particular manner of feeding, […]
A theatrical setting of Di Balade Funem Farloyrenem Shefel, a colorful allegory by Yiddish poet Itzik Manger telling the story of a shepherd boy searching high and low for his lost lamb, only to discover that he has found something more important that he didn’t know he was looking for. Follow the score with English subtitles in […]
The Children’s Hour is a setting of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem of the same name (first published in 1860) composed by Alberto Roque Santana for the Bowdoin Chamber Choir during the summer of 2011. The work is written for an actor, soprano solo, mixed choir and piano, and the composer writes that “the weight of the […]
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.
Light Through Windows was written in 2016. Meant to evoke the wonder one feels when a darkened window reveals its glory, the a cappella choral piece draws a parallel between a stained-glass window and an illuminated manuscript. The piece was recently recorded by Vox16, conducted by Markdavin Obenza. TEXT Hushed, grey, a tall cathedral, washed […]
“Shout For Joy” was composed for the undergraduate commencement exercises of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota in May, 2003, and is dedicated to the graduating class of that year. The text, from Psalm 33, is suitable for a range of liturgical occasions, and the work is also effective as a concert piece. The energetic opening […]
This traditional folk song from Haiti originated as a work song, sung by boatmen in order keep their rowing strokes in sync. The language is Haitian Creole, similar in pronunciation to French, but easier (no silent letters!). Piano accompaniment with simple optional drum. Also available in a version for TTB chorus.
This familiar Spiritual is intertwined with another less-known hymn-tune, from one of the earliest collections of Slave songs known- collected by William Francis Allen in 1867. This ardent abolitionist gathered many songs from the post- Slavery communities of Port Royal, South Carolina to create a remarkable published collection of African American music.
This work received second place in the 2015 Ithaca College Choral Composition Competition. It sets a poem by A. E. Housman which was not published until after his death. In 1895 Oscar Wilde was imprisoned for two years for being a practicing homosexual, a crime in England at that time. Housman’s poem, while seemingly tongue-in-cheek, […]
This Easter anthem sets selected words from a famous text by George Herbert. It is scored for large SATB choir with divisi and organ. Although highly suitable for use by church choirs at Eastertide services, it also forms the triumphant climax of the contrasting set of “Three Anthems”, commissioned by the Purbeck Arts Choir. The […]
This piece was written while walking through the Mission District of San Francisco on a rainy evening. California has been experiencing a serious drought these past few years. I was thrilled to feel the raindrops, hence the celebratory feeling of the piece. — Mark Growden Also available in TTBB and SSAA versions.
(Choral SATB, divisi) When Shiloh Came is a Christmas poem by Marie Radcliffe Butler, published in 1877, associating the coming of the baby Jesus with initiating the hope of the Gospels. The birth of this work started with notes of E, F and A. Starting as a minimalist, dissonant piece, it turned out to be […]
Rosa mystica is a sacred devotional cantata combining various texts in which a rose or flower is used as an analogy for the Blessed Virgin Mary, including the Rosa Mystica tradition, and Mary as the stem of the rose from which, arising out of the root of Jesse, grew Jesus, the Spotless Rose. In three […]
Most This Amazing is a colorful, pulse-driven setting of E. E. Cummings’ well-known poem of gratitude and wonder. Two pianos and percussion add rhythmic energy, sparkle, and a magical sheen, with the choir carrying the text in broad, singable phrases. 📖 Download the Perusal Score Choose the “free perusal score” option in the shopping cart. […]
“Entrance” is a new choral composition for SATB choir w/piano accompaniment. The inspiring, secular text is by Dana Gioia, former US poet laureate. It invites the listener to find new discoveries, new creations: “step out…. of the room that lets you feel secure. / Infinity is open to your sight.” With a jazz-influenced, uptempo piano […]
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 […]
As is often the case with my work, this music seemed to naturally grow out of the text—a haunting medieval poem about the death of Jesus Christ. The poem’s enigmatic symbolism and otherworldly affect resulted in what was for me an unusually mysterious and ethereal composition. Some of the inspiration for the work came from […]
An attractive and accessible setting of the Rite Two Holy Communion Liturgy from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church. Intended primarily for use in churches where congregation and choir sing the service together, it could be used by congregation alone, as the melody line does not rise high. Ideally, though, an […]
This arrangement of the well known spiritual would suit a good school, college or community choir. It is light and a little jazzy in style. While it can be accompanied by piano alone, the addition of string bass and solo violin is to be recommended. Drum kit could also be an optional addition from letter […]
“It’s a beautiful, wonderful world, A world of wonder for all to share; Let us walk together, hand in hand, Spreading peace and friendship throughout the land…” Inspired by a visit to botanical gardens in California, this song is intended to reflect the beauty of nature around us, and to suggest that we should live […]
This setting of the classic Christmas carol begins with a quiet and intimate first verse that broadens out into an angelic, celebratory interlude section culminating in an exciting fanfare. The second verse features a soaring duet between tenor melody and soprano descant, but devolves into chaos as the text reflects on the world’s “babel sounds,” but […]
Charles Wesley’s hymn text based on the story of Jacob wrestling with the angel depicts a deeply human struggle for truth and understanding. This a cappella setting of the text grows with the building intensity of Jacob’s determination, finally breaking into the joy of revelation and reassurance in the final verse.
This carol was first published in 1833 in a collection entitled “Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern”. William Sandys, a solicitor by day and music & manuscript collector by night, purportedly came across the tune in Devonshire, England. In this gentle setting from 1991 many colors of choral writing appear with sections for SATB, 3-part men, […]
“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 […]
A setting of the brief yet powerful poem by Walt Whitman (from “Leaves of Grass”). The score takes its cue from the meditative nature of the text. There is a contemplative tone throughout, laced with subtle harmonies and perhaps inspired by the works of Randall Thompson. The score quietly expresses the expansive feeling one gets […]
The bass section plays a featured role in this setting of the wistful and evocative poetry of Sadakichi Hartmann. A barcarolle-style accompaniment and layered, drifting harmonies express the themes of ocean waves, drifting ships, and nostalgia for things past.
This heartfelt folksong was written by Newfoundlander Jim Payne (b. 1955) in 1994, and appeared as the title song for the Album “Wave Over Wave: Old and New Songs of Atlantic Canada,” with Fergus O’Byrne (1996). The song was also very successfully recorded by the Newfoundland folk rock band Great Big Sea, which released it […]
A setting for unaccompanied SATB choir (with divisi) of words by Eric Gosney, a poet from England’s Isle of Purbeck. A wistful and nostalgic love song, in which the poet wishes to “thwart old Time’s irrevocable plan and live again those two short hours with you”. These evocative words are set with suitably tender harmonies […]
THE SMALLEST SONG, a setting of a text by American poet Martha Collins, is a gentle piece, full of warmth and intimate emotion. The wordplay in the text is matched in the composition; phrases are slightly altered, inverted and developed as the work builds. Jazz-like harmonies infuse the piece with a soothing vitality throughout. “A […]
This setting of Charles Baudelaire’s iconic poem captures the “luxury” and “voluptuousness” of Edna St. Vincent Millay’s radiant translation. The six-part texture allows for thick, evocative chords in Dole’s jazz-influenced harmonic world. Slowly evolving chord progressions paint a picture of a person truly in love with another, asking that they go on a long journey […]
