This very simple Christmas song is aimed at younger children. It is in unison throughout, apart from a brief optional descant part near the end. Accompaniment is for piano, and a few simple percussion instruments may be added if desired. This is the original version (GTT-025a), which refers directly to Christ’s Nativity, and is suitable […]
Three short poems by Sara Teasdale – 1) Grey Eyes, 2) Did You Never, 3) Nightfall – from her collection Flame and Shadow, are the basis of this set of choral songs, all bearing on a relationship, including tender, poignant, and playful emotions.
Psalm 117 (Hallelu et Adonai) is a compact, ecstatic setting of the shortest psalm—a direct call for all peoples to praise—building to an exuberant “Halleluya!” Beyond its liturgical roots, it also works as a vivid, high-energy concert opener or closer, celebrating joy, invitation, and collective voice. At a glance SSA • piano • c. 2′ […]
This piece was written for the Boston Children’s Chorus for the Martin Luther King Celebration on National ABC Television. Recorded on there second CD sounds Harmony in 2009 and available from CD baby. “Dreams” It’s about building community and breaking down barriers. The song that you will hear aim to tell a story and teach […]
This Spiritual has one of the most beautiful melodies in the entire canon, and is appropriate for inclusion in a worship service, or concert setting. The yearning and exalted words and simple melody, are as timely today as when this song was first composed.
Redbirds is a lyrical setting of Sara Teasdale’s poem, evoking nostalgia and wonder through a gently folk-like melody in the Mixolydian mode. The piano suggests the chirping of cardinals as the text recalls a vivid memory—sunlight, hills, and redbirds singing above the Mississippi River—ending with a touch of wistful reflection. At a glance 2 equal […]
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 […]
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 […]
Nearly every December, Christmas sneaks up on me far too quickly, busy as I am with end-of-semester grading and final exams. I’m an admittedly nostalgic guy who unabashedly loves Christmas music, and every year I think to myself ‘I really should have written a Christmas piece this year’. Christmas 2015 followed a similar pattern, except […]
“O Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem” was written for John Patrick Cardinal Foley, the Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. It received its first performance on February 11th, 2011 in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican by the Saint Mary’s University Chamber Singers, with the composer conducting.
This carol originated in the city of Wexford in the southeastern Republic of Ireland. It was transcribed from a local singer by the noted Irish author, composer, musicologist, and historian W. H. Grattan Flood (1859–1928). It eventually made its way into the Oxford Book of Carols. It has a modal (Mixolydian) feel, constantly shifting between […]
This is a simple a cappella setting of William Blake’s poem, ‘Little Lamb, who made thee?’ The two verses are set for SATB, with an optional soprano solo at the beginning. It was written for Sutton Coldfield Chamber Choir, but is suitable for a group of any size, from quartet upwards!
A lyrical carol for SATB choir, this Christmas piece imagines sunrise on the first Christmas morning. “O Gift of Glorious Sunrise” was premiered in Buffalo, NY in December 2015 by the Vocalis Chamber Choir (James Burritt conducting).
A stunning piece for a cappella voices. ‘Norther Star’ was a finalist in the Australian Boys Choir Choral Composing Competition (2014), and subsequently recorded and released on their Album ‘Dreams and Desires’ (2015). It has since been performed across the world in the UK, USA and Australia.
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 […]
The text of “In Those Years, No One Slept” is a scene from a time of conflict/war, by Romanian-American immigrant Claudia Serea. The score is at once rhythmic and exciting, haunting and unsettling. It was a winner of the 2018 Uncommon Music Festival Composition Competition. It is accessible for all fine high school, collegiate and […]
This sweet and gentle setting of a classic Southern Harmony hymn features the Alto section in its first verse, then opens out into a joyful depiction of the sensation of flight. The second verse features birdcalls in the piano accompaniment. Recording by First Readings Project. This recording is of the SATB version of the piece, […]
A sweet and evocative, lyrical piece for treble voices and piano, this delicate song is a setting of a list of paint colors by Martha Stewart. The piece is also available in versions for solo voice and piano (baritone or soprano). It can be performed with or without a video/slide presentation of the paint colors.
Sometimes, our joys (and sorrows!) are so intense that they seem to transcend words. This idea forms the basis of Luminous Joy, whose text is only phonemes which have no meaning. Or rather, the “meaning” is left up to each individual singer, and, indeed, each individual listener. What is perhaps more concrete is the character […]
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 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.
Tre Madrigali Amorosi are settings of poems by Torquato Tasso (1544-1595), a favorite poet of Italian madrigal composers of the sixteenth century. The set was written for the Saint Mary’s University Chamber Singers, who premiered the works on their tour of France in March, 2013, with the composer conducting and Chun Chim (David) Leung, violin. […]
ROY G BIV: The Colors of The Rainbow, for unison children’s chorus (grades 2-8) and piano is an easy, fun, upbeat, and educational song about the visible part of the spectrum. The title stands for “red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet”; the conventional mnemonic for the colors of the rainbow. Newton found white light splits up […]
An indomitable sense of hope, and unvarnished sorrow, permeate each line and melody of these unforgettable songs- forged in the anvil of abject misery and despair, aching for freedom’s light. Humiliated beyond all human reckoning, and given no respite from the daily drudgery of endless toil- these fiercely resilient souls somehow persevered, despite the harshest […]
KONIKONECO (3-Part Mixed 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
A lyrical meditation on friendship and loss, Cycle of Friends is a concert centerpiece with texts ranging from Sappho and Emily Dickinson to Tang-dynasty China and pre-Columbian Mexico. A soprano soloist serves as an intimate narrator, while the orchestra supplies vivid, transparent color around lyrical choral writing. Completed and premiered in 1996, a newly revised […]
Daniel Paulson and VoxMusica commissioned this beautiful a cappella arrangement of Avrom Goldfaden’s beloved Yiddish lullaby. A beautiful solo verse is followed by a lush contrapuntal setting your singers and audience will find very meaningful.
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. […]
Composed to celebrate the centennial of Women’s Suffrage in America and to raise awareness of the continued struggle for civil rights, “These Walls Must Fall” is a vibrant, uptempo work championing social justice. The text includes quotes spoken by Suffragette leaders, lyrics used in rally songs over a hundred years ago and chants heard in […]
This setting of the Anglican communion/mass service – Gloria, Sanctus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei – is simple and tuneful. The writing is in the tradition of the great English composers of the 20th century. The Gloria is available as a separate anthem through Swirly. It can be performed as a general-purpose anthem or during the […]
“L’amour de moy” (English title: The Garden and the Nightingale) was commissioned for the Intermediate Choir of the L.A. Children’s Chorus, and premiered by them in June 2008 at Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena, with Mandy Brigham conducting. Its character is light and lively.
Premiered in June 2018 by San Francisco Choral Artists, “Fare Ye Well My Darlin'” is a tender, dramatic arrangement of an American folksong, perhaps dating from the Civil War. A soldier bids farewell to his beloved as he leaves for war. Will he ever return? At a glance Difficulty: moderate For strong univiersity, community, or […]
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 […]
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 […]
This popular spiritual has been arranged for SATB and piano duet (4 hands, one piano). Uplifting AND fun to sing, with a very exciting accompaniment. There are multiple optional, short solos. A great time will be had by all!
A Teasdale Triptych is a set of three miniatures. Each aims to crystallize the meaning of Sara Teasdale’s exquisite words and trace the journey on which the poems take the reader. The piece was commissioned by the San Francisco Choral Artists. It is dedicated to the singers of the group, and to their director, Magen Solomon. […]
This TE DEUM setting, originally written in 1997, has been slightly revised in 2016. A chamber orchestration (strings, flute, oboe, trumpet, timpani, organ and optional harp) is in preparation and is expected to be available in Fall 2017.
