| Title |
Synopsis |
| Amando Christum |
This piece is an arrangement based on the theme from Antonin Dvorak's New World Symphony, the 2nd movement.
I arranged this piece for my wife and our wedding. It is a vocalise with the text "Amando Christum" (which means Love of Christ) switching between the upper two voices and lower voices in the middle section. |
| Amyntas with His Phyllis Fair |
This contemporary madrigal speaks for itself. Amyntas with His Phyllis Fair is a mix of Renaissance and 21st-Century styles. The music is set to the text written by Thomas Pilkington, a Renaissance composer. The Greenleaf Singers performed the premiere during the 2004 Eliot Chapel Madrigal Dinners. This piece is light and rhythmically challenging. (The MP3 is a live recording performed by the Greenleaf Singers & Friends during my Masters Degree concert: A Journey Begun) |
| Brevis cogitatio (a short meditation) |
Premiered on Thursday, May 8, 2003, by the Chamber Singers of Bishop DuBourg High School, to whom this meditation was composed. The work is set to the text “Lux aetérna” (Light eternal). I wrote this piece as a three part exercise. First, because of the long phrasing (no definitive breaks in sound) the singers work on developing strong breath control and proper breathing technique. Second, the composition consists of very close harmonies, thus requiring the performers to train their ear in singing chords consisting of intervals of minor and major seconds while maintaining the correct pitch. Lastly, the ensemble will develop a tremendous sense of blend and warm sound in singing this haunting, yet serene work. |
| Dona Nobis Pacem (Grant us peace) |
The SATB setting was premiered by the Greenleaf Singers during the 2003 Eliot Chapel Madrigal Dinners. This serene setting of the last line of the "Agnus Dei" portion of the Mass is scored for SSAA and SATB voices and is dedicated to the 2002/2003 choirs at Bishop DuBourg High School. During the summer of 2003, I reset the music for SATB voices. (The MP3 is a live recording of the SATB setting performed by the Greenleaf Singers & Friends during my Masters Degree concert: A Journey Begun) |
| Ellie’s Lullaby |
Premiered at the Webster University Music Department’s Thursday Noon Recital, March 25, 2004. The performers are Jane Dick - Flute I; Amanda DuClos - Flute II; Katy Barker - Cello. This piece is inspired by my beautiful daughter, Ellie Faith. The melody is an original tune I hum to help Ellie go to sleep. (Click on the title to view a QuickTime movie of the performance, edited by Ellie's mommy.) |
Et calígo cecídit |
Premiered at Gateway Academy's Spring Concert on May 8, 2008, by the 6th Grade Guys That Sing. Et calígo cecídit is in three movements. The opening and closing movements incorporate the musical concept of a psalm tone sung over a drone. This drone serves two purposes. First, harmonic support and color are added to the ensemble. Secondly, the concept of the ison or ‘eternity note,’ which represents the eternal presence of God, is employed.
The simplicity of these two sections allows the ensemble to develop a well blended tone based on unison singing and proper unison diction. Though the text may call for music which evokes longing and yearning, the use of the intoned music connects the singers to a time and place of simple chant and meditation.
The second section takes the performer and listener away from the familiar to something more agitated and less familiar which befits the text. The movement begins as each voice part enters after a set amount of time with each individual person taking the musical line at his own tempo. This section, with its irregular movement and fluctuation of dynamics, evokes the desperation in the text. But, not all hope is lost. The return to the familiar in the third movement, illustrates the peace and hope found only through prayer and faith in God. For God is our refuge and strength.
|
Humpty Dumpty |
Nursery rhymes have become a staple part of my daily reading habits. My daughter, Ellie, loves to sit and listen to me read from her Mother Goose books. Both my children have brought me a great deal of compositional inspiration. They have opened up a whole new way of perceiving the world, especially music. This setting of Humpty Dumpty is no exception. The piece is in ternary form. The first section and the repeat play on the imagery of Humpty Dumpty and his fall by way of a sprightly tempo and descending movement in the voices. A majestic tone is set while the king’s men and horses try to. . . well, you’ll get the picture. (The MP3 is a live recording performed by the Greenleaf Singers & Friends during my Masters Degree concert: A Journey Begun) |
| Lament for Our Cathedral |
Premiered on April 29, 1999, by the University Singers of the University of Missouri-St. Louis. This piece was inspired by a very difficult time in my life. The text is a pleading and yearning for a place of hope, peace and protection from the hardest times in our lives. |
| Lullaby |
Premiered at my Graduate Composition Rectial at Webster University, April 3, 2005. The performers are Sarah D.- Soprano; Elizabeth G.- Harp. The text for this song was written by Renaissance poet Thomas Dekker (1571?-1641?). Again, my daughter was foremost in my mind when I composed this piece. The harp and soprano go back and forth on the text “rock them,” in a lilting, rocking manner creating a gentle imagery of a lullaby. |
| Liturgical Cycle |
Work in progress. The cycle contains the five main sections of the liturgy/Mass (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei) and two additional portions (The Lord’s Prayer, and a Benediction). Two segments have been completed. "Sanctus" was premiered on July 28, 2005 at the Cortot Concert Hall (located next to L’Ecole Normale de Musique) during the European American Musical Alliance Program in Paris, France. Throughout the Agnus Dei," a drone of either two or three pitches serves two functions. First, harmonic support and color are added to the choir. Second, the drone is incorporated into the music as an ison or 'eternity note,' which represents the eternal presence of God. (The MP3s are from a live recording performed by the Greenleaf Singers & Friends during my Masters Degree concert: A Journey Begun) |
| Meditative Verse for Transfiguration Sunday |
First performed by the Adult Choir of Immanual Lutheran Church in Olivette, St. Louis, MO, on Sunday, February 22, 2004. I set the verse for Transfiguration Sunday, which was Psalm 45:2. The composition was written specifically for the adult choir at Immanual. Since Transfiguration Sunday was the last day for saying "Alleluia" in church until Easter, I chose a more tranquil celebration of the "Alleluia" text to balance with the joyous hymn sung at the end of the service. |
| Meditative Verse for Ascension |
The first performance is set for Thursday, May 20, 2004. It is to be sung by the Adult Choir of Immanual Lutheran Church in Olivette, St. Louis, MO, for the Ascension worship service. I set the verse for Ascension, which is Romans 6:9 and Matthew 28:20b. This meditative verse, like the one for Transfiguration, is a more tranquil celebration of the "Alleluia" text and was also written specifically for the adult choir at Immanual. |
| Scary Mind |
This song is my first experiment using Screenblast ACID 4.0 music mixing software. |
| Search for the Lost Children |
The work is comprised of two movements, "Chaos," and "Hope." The second movement was premiered at the 2001 Bishop DuBourg Spring Choral Concert by the Chamber Singers. The work has since been edited. If you would like a detailed description of the composition, please contact me via the email link below.(The MP3 is a live recording performed by the Greenleaf Singers & Friends during my Masters Degree concert: A Journey Begun) |
Seasons
I. Spring Rain
II. Summer Breeze (with Oppressive Summer Heat)
III. Autumn Leaves
IV. Winter Snow |
Premiered at my Graduate Composition Rectial at Webster University, April 3, 2005. The pianists are Joseph Neske and Brad Ellebrecht. The program note: While my daughter was taking one of her many naps on my chest during the fall of 2003, I was gazing out our living room window with the rain falling in a blustery wind. Leaves were cascading down from the tree branches as is typical of autumn. The concept of four character pieces based on the seasons began brewing in my mind. I began by developing a tone row utilizing the first three pitches from each movement of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. However, the final pitch of the row needed to be altered in order to maintain the established elements of the twelve tone row. Let your imagination take over as you are carried through the seasons. |
| Sleep Blessed Child |
The premiere took place at the end of the semester concert at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in December, 1998, and was performed by the Madrigal Ensemble. The composition is a short, inspirational piece written for the Christmas season. |
| Space Face |
Ambient in nature, this song represents more fun with using Screenblast ACID 4.0 music mixing software. |
| Scotland the Brave |
A fun remix of the tune using Screenblast ACID 4.0 music mixing software. |
| A Taste of Latin |
A Taste of Latin is one of the many samples of music I will be mixing for the video editing my wife does. |
| To Golgotha and the Cross |
This work was commissioned by Immanual Lutheran Church in Olivette, St. Louis, MO, for the Tenebrae service which occurs on Good Friday of Holy Week. The premiere took place on March 25, 2005, at Immanual Lutheran Church, and was performed by the Adult Choir. Musically, this work is meditative yet powerful in nature. The imagery created is that of the pain and suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross. |
