To Blossoms To Daffodils Gather ye Rosebuds All three of these poems are by the Seventeenth Century English lyric poet, Robert Herrick (1591-1674). While flowers are referred to in each of them, their main common theme is time – in particular the briefness of our lives here on this earth, and the need to use […]
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 […]
Forget the traditional setting of “We thee kings of Orient are”! This is a much more reflective version, for choir and orchestra, given its first performance by the Nidarosdomens Guttekor in the splendid setting of Trondheim Cathedral in December 2017. They also performed the piece on their pre-Christmas tour, using just organ for accompaniment. The […]
“We Will Shine Like The Sun” is an uptempo, 2 part piece for treble voices. The empowering text inspires imagination with optimistic lyrics that are ideal for young singers. The score includes a driving piano accompaniment, a clapping section, and an optional tambourine part. The rousing ending makes it especially suitable as a program opener […]
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.
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 […]
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 […]
Written for my wife Jess Hobbs while at the Chalk Hill Artist Residency in Healdsburg, California. Its a sweet little love song written in a Gospel/Jazz style.
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 […]
Are you a square? Can you easily retrieve a gas bill from 1979? Do you pine for the return of spats? Do you chew each mouthful forty times while letting the bottle “breathe”? And when you watch TV, do you recoil from all murders except those committed on the village green? If so, these rounds […]
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 […]
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)
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!
Gorgeous Blue Eyes comes from a larger set entitled the Four Wedding Songs which was dedicated as a wedding gift to Stephen and Stacey Squier on the eve of their wedding on July 29th, 2010. The four movements of the work were inspired by the tradition to give a bride “something old, something new, something […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
“Community of Unity” is an exciting and uplifting piece written specifically for civic and municipal events. Beginning with a lyrical, unison verse, the soundscape opens up to a chorus in 3 part harmony. A driving, rhythmic piano accompaniment propels the piece throughout. There is a 4 measure a cappella section near the end, and two […]
“Shenandoah” is a new, rich arrangement for women’s voices. The piano accompaniment is optional but does provide support and some additional harmonies. Your women’s choir or trio will find “Shenandoah” to be well worth the effort. This piece is an excellent concert choice and would also be very appropriate for contests, festivals, and literary events.
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.
When I Am Dead, My Dearest was conceived as a partner piece to Dido’s Lament from Henry Purcell’s opera, Dido and Aeneas. Purcell’s aria begins, “When I am laid in earth”; Rossetti’s poem begins, “When I am dead.” Purcell ends with “Remember me, but ah, forget my fate”; Rossetti’s poem ends, “Haply I may remember […]
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 SAB chorus.
“Are Friends Delight or Pain?” is a brief a cappella double-choir movement (SATB + SATB, ~1’45”) excerpted from Cycle of Friends, setting Emily Dickinson’s epigram with concentrated intensity. The entire piece rests on a single sustained E—a pedal point whose meaning keeps shifting as the harmony moves through changing modes and colors.
Christus Factus Est was commissioned by Marion Jacob to be premiered at her senior recital on May 15th, 2010. Although the musical content of the piece does not come straight from the original Christus Factus Est chant, several of the original motives can be heard quoted in places such as the opening soprano line and […]
“To Soar” was premiered on June 3 and 9, 2018 in New York City by Accord Treble Choir, directed by Liz Geisewite. A live recording appears on Accord’s 2019 album Celestial & Terrestrial. I chose this poem by Walt Whitman to fit the theme of Accord’s June 2018 concert program “On Wings.” The piece squeezes […]
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 […]
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 […]
“Coney Island,” was written by Pulitzer prize winning American poet Sara Teasdale (1884-1933) and was first published in 1911 in the collection “Helen of Troy and Other Poems.”. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, she lived for many years in New York City. My immigrant great-grandparents settled in Brooklyn, New York, in the 1890’s, and lived […]
(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 […]
GA-ZE (SSA) is from the northwestern part of Uganda (West Nile Region), bordering with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, formerly Zaire). It is closely associated with the traditional Gaze dance of the Lugbara people, and the lyrics are a mixture of Lugbara and Lingala. The Gaze play/dance songs encourage and inspire children, usually […]
Steven Paxton’s VISIONS for SATB choir is a moving setting of the poem by Wisconsin poet Charlotte A. Cote: “You catch sometimes a glimpse of forever — a lake… .” It was commissioned by Paul Rusterholz and the La Crosse Chamber Chorale in celebration of the 1998 Wisconsin Sesquicentennial. Two versions are available, one with […]
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.
An effective way to close a service or concert during the seasons of Christmas and Epiphany, this short choral benediction is easy to learn and will be an enjoyable addition to the repertoire of choirs of varying sizes and skill levels.
An English translation of the poem “Friede auf Erden” by Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (1825-1898) is set for SSATB choir unaccompanied. Referencing the Christmas story, this setting brings to life the text with lush harmonies freely changing key centers as the story progresses. Each of the four stanzas ends with a variation on the musical material […]
Chanukah Candle Blessing is an original SATB setting of the traditional Jewish prayer recited before lighting the menorah. Short, not difficult, and sung in Hebrew, this piece is appropriate for winter concerts and synagogue use. Click on Soundcloud above to listen to an excerpt. Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-he-nu Me-lech ha-olam a-sher ki-de-sha-nu be-mitz-vo-tav ve-tzi-va-nu le-had-lik […]
This light-hearted holiday song was commissioned by a local community chorus, one of whose members wrote the words. I was asked to include a part for children’s choir, and I understand everyone enjoyed taking part. It has a simple message – to chase away the gloom, and spread light and happiness to all at Christmas […]
One of Newfoundland’s best known folksongs, “She’s Like The Swallow” was first collected by Maud Karpeles in 1930, but certainly dates from well before that, as evidenced by the appearance of several verses in various British laments. The subject of the unfaithful lover is perhaps as old as song itself. “She’s Like the Swallow” is […]
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 […]
“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, […]
