Liturgical Music

I have been Music Director at a few small churches, and have written some music especially for worship services. This page is where I will list my service music as well as choral works which serve as choir anthems.

Service Music sample page
THE NATIVITY PSALTER

 
congregation, organ or piano

A set of 97 congregational antiphons and psalm tones for a three-year liturgical cycle. Each antiphon is a miniature art song meant to illuminate the psalm text. The volume is available in three formats:

  • a full accompanimental edition
  • a pew edition
  • a full edition bundled with a CD containing all pages of both previous forms as .pdf files, along with a photocopying release
The latter is perfect for churches whose budgets do not allow for large orders and multiple copies.

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Lenten Introits

 
SATB choir, organ and bells

A set of six Gregorian chant-based choral introits for the six Sundays of Lent.

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Anthems listen
sample page

Baruch Ata Adonai

Hebrew, English
SATB, piano

A 4-part round with piano accompaniment on a variation of a traditional Hebrew text which translates "Blessed is God/who spreads the shelter of peace/over all the peoples of the earth/and over Jerusalem." An optional singing translation is also provided.

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Creation Prayer

text by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
m-s solo, unison choir, piano, organ

A liturgical piece for mezzo-soprano solo accompanied by piano and choir and/or congregation accompanied by organ. The choir sings "All Creatures Of Our God and King" in unison while the soloist sings a fragment of a prayer by Dostoyevksy:

Lord, may we love all your creation, all the earth and every grain of sand in it/For we acknowledge unto thee that all is like an ocean, all is flowing and blending/and to withold any measure of love from anything is to withold that same measure from you.

available from composer

  

Down In the River To Pray

trad. Appalachian
SATB, a cappella

Inspired by the singing of Alison Krauss in the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Everybody loves to sing this song.

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How Can I Keep From Singing?

traditional American; arr. DTB

As much of a theme song as Dare To Breathe has. A Sacred Harp-inspired treatment of an American folk hymn.

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Hymn To Christ the Savior

Eng
SATB (div), organ, handbells, triangle

The text for this large choir anthem is by Clement of Alexandria, one of the most important early Christian thinkers of Greek culture. The music takes into account much of what is known about ancient Greek music, and is formal and chant-like in expression. It has, as George Crumb has put it, an "aroma" of the ancient about it. Written for Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis, under the direction of Philip Brunelle. .

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I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Eng)
SATB (div), handbells (3-5 octaves)

This is a new setting of a Longfellow poem that I thought needed a second look and a fresh tune. Written during the Civil War soon after his son was killed in battle, the poem captured my affection with its acknowledgment of present trouble and confident hope for a peaceful future. This setting is for mixed choir and handbells, and I'm preparing a version for piano as well.

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 (bells)
(4hnd pno)

The Lone, Wild Bird

trad. American; arr. DTB

A sweet song of comfort and interconnectedness from The Sacred Harp tradition.

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May God Bless You and Guard You/Y'varechachah

text Biblical (Eng and Heb)
SATB, T solo, opt. organ

This is a bi-lingual piece for choir, cantor and organ. The choir lines out the familiar English text, and is answered by the cantor singing the same text in Hebrew. With organ accompaniment.

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May the Words of My Mouth

text Biblical (Eng)
SATB, T or S solo, opt. organ accompaniment

A Hebrew-flavored call to worship for humming choir and cantor.

available from composer

  

Name Above All Earthly Names

Philippians 2:5-11 (Eng)
SATB, baritone solo, organ

A setting of a Phillipians passage, written for St. Andrews Lutheran Church in Mahtomedi, MN as part of a "Faith Partners" residency through the American Composers Forum.

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A New Song

from the Book of Psalms, adapted by Randy Leonard
SATB, soli, piano, trumpet, 2 percussionists

A joyful song of universal praise. This was written for an amateur choir who wanted a song of praise without specific theistic language.

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Rise Up, Shepherds, and Follow

traditional spiritual
SATB, piano

A Christmas spiritual for a church choir of moderate ability. A straight-ahead rendering with supportive piano accompaniment.

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Sing to the Lord a New Song

Psalm 98, parts of Psalm 96
SATB, organ, opt. handbells

A setting of Psalm 98 for treble choir, handbells, and organ. Written in honor of Michael Corzine, organist and choirmaster at First Presbyterian Church in Tallahassee. Very lively and noisy; but the choral parts are unison for most of the piece. A version is also in preparation for adult choir.

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Te Deum

from the Book of Commmon Prayer
unison or SATB with descant, organ, optional handbells and brass

Written for Westwood Lutheran Church in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Meant to be as flexible as the musical forces of a church allow. Can be done with only organ and congregation, with optional parts for choir, handbells, and brass.

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We Walk By Faith and Not By Sight

from the Presbyterian Hymnal
SATB, baritone solo, a cappella

During the year of celebration of the 140th anniversary of First Presbyterian Church in White Bear Lake, MN, former pastors were invited to return to the pulpit to address specific parts of the church's history. A member of my choir, the reverend Doug Throckmorton with whom I share a love of early American folk hymns, was asked to speak about the role of art and music within the church, and asked me to write this composite of two of his favorite hymns "God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending" and "We Walk By Faith and Not By Sight." It was designed to be the ending to his sermon, and the baritone solo was written for him to sing from the pulpit.

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The World

George Herbert
SATB, a cappella

George Herbert was a contemporary of John Donne and John Milton. His poem "The World" is a dense allegory about the triumph of righteousness against the forces of carelessness and corruption. You can read the whole poem here.

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The World's Desire

G.K. Chesterton
SATB; children's choir or soprano solo; piano and organ, string quartet piano and organ, or orchestra

A Christmas carol for a variety of possible accompanying ensembles. You can read the complete poem here. It ends with an anonymous medieval prayer which I have used in the past as an Advent introit: Come into my soul, Lord/As the dawn breaks into the sky/Let your Son rise in my heart/At the coming of the day.

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Yonder Come Day

trad. spiritual
SATB (div), a cappella, opt. solos

A wonderfully optimistic spiritual from the Georgia Sea Islands (the culture that gave us "Kum Ba Yah"). I arranged this for my 18-voice church choir as an Easter anthem.

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