High and Low
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 inspired Halloween favorite that “Wraith” turned out to be. The cycle closes with “Only Until this Cigarette is Ended”, a sassy little cabaret song that would make even the great Liberace himself blush with delight. The cornerstone of this cycle is the song “distance is crueler than the coldest february”, a setting of a poem by librettist/playwright/composer John Grimmett. This was the follow up to our work together on Part of the Act for Washington National Opera and composed that same winter. High and Low was premiered by soprano Jennifer Piazza-Pick and pianist Dr. Cheryl Cellon Lindquist on CMASH concerts held at Our Lady of the Lake University and Trinity University in San Antonio, TX.
$12.95
This title is available in print.
Print orders are printed on demand and shipped by our printing partner, and can be expected to be processed within a few days of the order. Please do not hesitate to contact [email protected] to follow up.
Explore More Music…
Title | View | Voice | Duration | Composer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
for soprano and piano | Soprano | 3'30" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
for baritone (voice), trumpet in C, and Organ | Baritone ⋅ Organ ⋅ Trumpet | 7' 15" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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, […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
for Mezzo Soprano, Viola, and Piano | Mezzo-Soprano ⋅ Viola | 6'45" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
for soprano and piano | Soprano | 6'30" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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, […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
for soprano and piano | Soprano | 16' | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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, […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
for Soprano and Piano | Soprano | 8'30 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
for soprano solo, chorus and chamber orchestra | Choral ⋅ Orchestra ⋅ Soprano | 25' | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
for solo voice and piano | 3' | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Christmas Time in the Eyes of a Child is a light-hearted secular Christmas song for children, although it could be performed by adults. This version is in Unison throughout, and could be performed as a solo with piano accompaniment, or by a community or children’s choir. There is also a two-part version and a mixed choir (SATB) version […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
for soprano and orchestra | Orchestra ⋅ Soprano | 2' | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
for SATB choir and optional Soprano solo | Choral ⋅ Soprano | 7'20" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| “Cantemus in omni die” is a setting of a hymn to the Virgin Mary written by Cú Chuimne Sapiens, an Irish monk active at Iona by the early 8th century (died 747). It is the earliest known Latin hymn to Mary originally composed in the Western Christian Church rather than translated into Latin from earlier […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||