The Mad Gardener’s Song (male voice)
Lewis Carroll’s Mad Gardener, often mistaken for a nonsense poem, is actually a series of humorous metaphors relating to the minor disappointments and hassles of everyday life, a list of complaints still relevant now in the 21st century. While the protagonist attempts to peacefully cultivate his garden, e.g. live his life, his relatives overstay their welcome in his home, bank loan repayments are deleting his savings, and his future is an incomprehensible mystery – as it is to many of us.
A Lewis Carroll Songbook, Bruce Lazarus’ collection of eleven songs on poems from “Alice in Wonderland,” “Through the Looking Glass,” “The Hunting of the Snark,” and “Sylvie and Bruno” is also available here at Swirly Music.
$6.95
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Originally written for the musical The Ghost of Wu, musical that tells the story of Wu Chao, the only female ruler in Chinese history, who ruled in the 8th Century, “The World Rolls On” is, quite simply, a lullaby. More info & view score » | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A dramatic, contemporary setting of the Biblical passage “The Trumpet Shall Sound”, which was also used in Handel’s “Messiah”. The baritone and trumpet dialog throughout with the organ underpinning and expanding the harmonic structure. The trumpet begins and ends using a straight mute, but plays open in middle portions. It is appropriate for memorial services, […] More info & view score » | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Over Journey gives voice to the über-Romantic yearnings of 19th Century German poet Novalis (Friedrich von Hardenberg). The poet’s fascination with death, art, and the loss of his young fiancee permeates this piece, as the poet dreams of one day reuniting with his lost love. More info & view score » | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I have a confession to make; my pieces come from a very personal, very private place. I know and admire many fellow composers who take a cooler, analytical stance towards their art and aesthetic, and I admire their craftsmanship and outward reserve. But that just doesn’t work for me (no judgement). From a technical standpoint, […] More info & view score » | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Silver Apples can be heard on the CD Currents by Soprano Ann Moss, available from iTunes, CD Baby, Amazon and other venus. Liam composed this enchanting song cycle for me and pianist Steven Bailey to premiere on CMASH’s second annual New American Chamber Music program in 2008. Liam and I selected the moon-themed poems together, […] More info & view score » | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Created as part of my composer residency with San Francisco’s Lieder Alive!, Ich und Du simply would not have been possible without the inspiration, assistance, and sheer joy of working with soprano Heidi Moss. These works are personal to a unique degree, created as they were as a kind of courtship gift to this wonderful woman […] More info & view score » | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
High and Low (2013) is four song cycle on poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay and John Grimmett that in its musical journey brings together several very different sound worlds. From the Laurel Canyon 60s folky opening number “Afternoon on a Hill” to the chilling operatic drama of “distance is crueler…” to the Schubert/ Iron Maiden […] More info & view score » | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Completed and premiered in 1996, Cycle of Friends is a lush, emotional journey through five texts taken from such diverse sources as Tang Dynasty poetry of China, Sappho and Emily Dickinson, each dealing in its own way with the universal theme of friendship. Cycle of Friends was commissioned and premiered by the Music Group of Philadelphia, Seán […] More info & view score » | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chicago Songs is my attempt to musically recreate something of the spirit and people found in Carl Sandburg’s iconic poetry. Sandburg’s world is one filled with the grit of burgeoning industrialization, the earnest hope of immigrant settlers, and the heartache and beauty found in the everyday. His characters are larger than life, yet tragically human […] More info & view score » | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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