Á Belen

Text by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz; (med. Sp.)
SATB, satb solos, viola da gamba (or cello) and vihuela da mano (or guitar)

This is a quasi-dramatic piece portraying the journey of the shepherds to Bethlehem, and the singing of the angels that accompany them. This was written for inclusion in a concert of Mexican Baroque music, and is accompanied by viola da gamba (a precursor of the cello), and the vihuela da mano (a small early Spanish guitar). The text was written by a 17th-century Mexican nun named Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, who was a astoundingly prolific author of villancico texts.

available from composer

La Águila (4 mvts.)

Text by Hernando de Talavera; (med. Sp.)
SATB, s, a, and b solo
mvt 1 - a cappella; mvt 2 - vihuela (or gtr) and riqq (or tambourine); mvt 3 - vielle (or violin), qanun (or harp), and dumbek; mvt 4 - a cappella

Commissioned by The Rose Ensemble of St. Paul. Four fragments of a sermon written for Queen Isabella of Spain by her confessor, Hernando de Talavera. It uses the metaphor of the eagle to instruct the new monarch on righteous leadership. The second and third movements include Arabic rhythmic and modal elements to reflect the strong Islamic influence of the time. Arabic instruments called for are the qanun (dulcimer), the riqq (a small tambourine), and the dumbek. These can be replaced with more common instruments if necessary.

available from composer

Annua Gaudia

Text anon. medieval Spanish (Lat.)
SATB, t solo, a cappella

Written for The Rose Ensemble of St. Paul, this is a setting of a medieval Spanish pilgrim's hymn to St. James. A sturdy marching tune with a memorable refrain.

available from Hinshaw Music / recorded by The Rose Ensemble: The Road to Compostela; The University of Miami Chorale: What Dreams May Come

Arizona Drought

1. Drought
2. Rain Chant
3. Rain

Text trad. Navajo, trans. Hilda F. Wetherill, 1911 (Eng.)
SATB, m-s & bari solos, flute, clarinet, harp, percussion, strings

Written for The Master Chorale of Flagstaff, Arizona. Based on a 1910 translation of a fragment of Navajo epic poetry. The first movement describes a crippling drought at the end of an Arizona summer; the second is a depiction of the rain chant that the collected tribes sing to gain the attention and favor of the Rain God; and the last portrays the exhausted vigil to see if the prayer was heard. As the rains begin to fall, the people sing the traditional Navajo blessing formula "beauty goes before me, beauty goes beside me, beauty follows me."

available from Yelton Rhodes Music

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.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

Be Careful, Don't Tear the Paper (A series of exhortations concerning thrift)

words by Jean Sramek; music traditional English, arr. J. David Moore

This arrangement was made for the 2003 "Happy Merry Lyric Contest," hosted by Minnesota Public Radio. Listeners were invited to submit new lyrics to three familiar Christmas carols and the winners, chosen on the basis of cleverness and singability, got to hear their efforts sung by Dare To Breathe on the air. The lyrics here presented were written by Jean Sramek to the tune of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." Here is the first refrain:

Be careful, don't tear the paper
be careful taking the tape off
be careful to save the ribbon
we can use them next year.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

Brasil não Seremos Jamais, Ou Seremos?

words and music by Caprichoso de Pilares(?) (Port.)
SATTB, a cappella

A brazilian street samba from Carneval that Dare to Breathe did as part of a Mardi Gras concert. I got the song from a sort of field recording on the Laserlight label, and there is no information about the writer or performers, except that the band is "Caprichoso de Pilares." The arrangement is fast, noisy and full of sound effects. "So brasileros" an audience member and former Rio dweller called it.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

Una Boccacina di Vivaldi (A Little Bite of Vivaldi)

music by Antonio Vivaldi
SSATTB, a cappella

A fragment from the first movement of Vivaldi's Concerto for Strings, Lute, and continuo, arranged in a Swingle Singers Baroque-appella kind of style. Originally intended for a Crisco commercial that never aired. A good concert opening fanfare.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

Calling the Tiger

text by David Moore (fabricated)
SSATTB, A solo, a cappella

A call-and-response song in six parts with text in a fabricated language. Joyous, strong, and bright. Written as part of an original musical dance piece called "Tracking the Tiger" choreographed by Nancy Antenucci and performed by Dare To Breathe.

available from composer

Chamber Music

text by James Joyce
SSATBB a cappella

A contemporary madrigal for mixed voices on a poem by James Joyce.

available from composer

Coffee Calling

words by Mark Dietrich, music by David Moore

An original doo-wop with lyrics by Mark Dietrich. Written as a promotion for Dunn Brothers Coffee Shops in the Twin Cities, but easily turned into a general paean to the loving cup with the substitution of a few words. My favorite line: "two hours work in ten seconds flat/Decaf drinkers can't do that."

order from Fresh Ayre Music

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

Crossing the Bar

words by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, music by David Moore

Tennyson's meditation on death using the metaphor of a ship setting out of quiet harbor. This was written for a dance piece called Solstice River, performed on the summer solstice. There is an mythological connotation of the day as a funeral for the dying sun. For mezzo-soprano solo; the original trombone quartet was rearranged for a cappella choir. Simple, warm, blissful..

order from Fresh Ayre Music

The Ditchling Carol

text trad. English (Eng)
SATB, baritone solo, 2 percussionists

An original Christmas carol on a traditional English carol text from the town of Ditchling. It reminds me a bit of The Wexford carol, but lustier.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

Der Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän

words and music by Loube (Ger.)
SATTBB, a cappella

A humorous character sketch of a Danube-steamship-excursion-company-captain whose love life is troubled by his paramours' inability to fit his title on an envelope. The style varies from verse to verse, but settles into a Viennese tango for most of it.

available from Yelton Rhodes Music, $1.75

Down In the River To Pray

trad. Appalachian
SATB, a cappella

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

order from Fresh Ayre Music

Embrace

text by Mark Dietrich
SATB quartet, cello obligato

A love song for four solo voices and cello, written for my wife on our third anniversary. Also on a poem by Mark Dietrich.

available from composer

Everything Possible

words and music by Fred Small
SATB (div), a cappella

Fred Small's lullaby of universal affirmation. Also available for women's voices.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

Fear No More the Heat o' th' Sun

Philip Rosseter, additional material by JDM
SATTB, a cappella

From "Cymbeline," one of my favorite of Shakespeare's song lyrics. This is as sweet a lullaby to the dead as I know. It is partly adapted from a song by the 16th-century lute song writer Philip Rosseter called "And Would You See My Mistress' Face."

order from Fresh Ayre Music

Fern Hill

text by Dylan Thomas
SATTBB a cappella

A ten-minute dramatic a cappella treatment of the Dylan Thomas poem. For six solo voices.

available from composer

A Few Gentle Admonitions

I have long wanted a concert opener that politely asks the audience to turn off their cell phones. This is that piece. Words by master wordsmith Drew Jansen. Consider the following:

And if you’re fond of candy that is clad in cellophane,
Unwrap it now, or else you’ll be the object of disdain.
Although you think you’re making just a tiny little crinkle,
We assure you it’s a sound that could awaken Rip Van Winkle.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

Follow the Drinkin' Gourd

trad. spiritual
SATB (div), a cappella with A or B solo; percussion

A spiritual about the underground railroad that I first heard on a recording by the New Christy Minstrels in the sixties. This is a code song, a map for escaping slaves; the "Drinkin' Gourd" is the Big Dipper, which points toward the North Star and freedom. Also available for women's voices.

available from Hinshaw Music

Gaudete

anon. English (Lat.)
SSATBB, a cappella, S, T solos; opt. percussion

Learned from an old Steeleye Span recording, this is a traditional English carol from the 13th century. It's also the only 13th century piece that I know of to have spent time on the top ten pop charts in Britain.

available from Earthsongs, $0.95

recorded by The Village Waytes: The Winter Sun; VoiceBox: Carolling A Simple Song; Seattle Pacific University Concert Choir: …With Music of Concord; The Arkansas Chamber Singers: Gaudete; The South Bend Chamber Singers: Christmas at Loretto

Hashkiveinu

Hebrew
SATB, t solo, organ

A traditional setting of a traditional Hebrew liturgical prayer. Inspired by the singing of Scott Buckner, the cantor at Adath Yeshurun Synagogue in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

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.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

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. .

order from Fresh Ayre Music

I Been In de Storm

trad. spiritual
SMATTBB, a cappella, B solo

A spiritual of hardship and oppression for bass soloist.

available from Yelton Rhodes Music, $1.50 / recorded by The Village Waytes: Voice Of the Song

i carry your heart with me

E. E. Cummings
SATB a cappella

My friends Jill and Jason got married, and this piece was my gift to them. I don't know if they or I was the more richly gifted, for I got to conduct a choir of some of my very best friends for the occasion, even though it was deep in the wilds of Wisconsin. Six of us then went to a cabin in the middle of a deer preserve and read Harry Potter for three days.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

I Find You, Lord, In All Things

Eng
SATB (div), tenor solo, soprano recorder

I have always thought that the principal emotion of the Creative Spirit is one of purest delight, and we respond with delight each time we recognize the presence of that Spirit at work. In this piece, that Spirit is depicted by a giggling soprano recorder, which is just as mercurial and childlike as it is virtuosic.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

Il est Né le Divin Enfant (He is born, the divine child)

trad. French
SAATTBB, a cappella, whistle solo

One of my favorite Christmas tunes, in a largely mixolydian treatment (get out those theory books!), with many different solo parts, including a whistle verse. A wonderful concert opener.

available from Hinshaw Music / recorded by The Village Waytes: The Winter Sun; Voice Box: Carolling a Simple Song; Dare To Breathe: Live

Jigs

traditional Irish; arr. Moore

A medley of three jigs: The Swallow's Tail, Morrison's Jig, and The Irish Washerwoman. The fiddle part is split between the two soprano voices. The vocal style is known as "diddling" or "lilting" and was developed during a time when Irish music and culture were outlawed by the British, and so, without fiddles or bagpipes to dance to, revelers would sing the instrumental parts.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

Jingle Bells

words and music by James Pierpont
SATTB, a cappella

In 2003, Dare To Breathe was hired to sing the winners of the Minnesota Public Radio's "Happy Merry Song Lyric Contest." A very fun job, and resulted in three new arrangements, including this one of a song that I never thought I'd want to sing again. Very fast, with some surprising rhythmic elements.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

Kentucky Reels

vocables
SATB, div, piano

An amalgamation of four Kentucky fiddle tunes, sung in a mountain form of Celtic "mouth music" style. In other words, singers singing like fiddles. Huge fun.

available from Colla Voce Music, Inc.

Kolyskova

trad. Ukrainian
SATB, a cappella with S solo

The title means "lullaby" in Ukrainian. A ravishingly beautiful melody, in an arrangement adapted from one by Andrej Avdjevskij.

available from arranger / recorded by Dare To Breathe: Dream A Little Dream

Listening

words and music by Kate Long
SATB (div), a cappella

The message of this song is "because we are listening, we're part of the song." A wonderful concert opener, this starts in unison and gradually builds to a six-part closing cadence. Also available for women's voices.

available from arranger / original song available at fiddletunes.com

Litanei

music by Franz Schubert, words by J. G. Jacobi (Ger)
SATTB, a cappella

A beautiful song by Franz Schubert for the celebration of All Soul's Day. Tenor or baritone lead, three different accompanimental treatments for three different verses. Each verse ends with the refrain "Alle Seelen, Ruhn in Frieden" (All souls, rest in peace).

order from Fresh Ayre Music

The Lone, Wild Bird

trad. American; arr. DTB

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

order from Fresh Ayre Music

Love Will Guide Us

music traditional Appalachian, words by Sally Rogers
SATB, a cappella

A piece arranged in traditional Sacred Harp or "shape note" style, including a first verse on fasola syllables. Also available for women's voices.

available from Fresh Ayre Music,

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.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

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.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

Navajo Blessing

text trad. Navajo (Eng)
SATTB, a cappella or with piano accompaniment

A fragment of the final movement of "Arizona Drought." Arranged as a liturgical benediction.

Available from Yelton Rhodes Music

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.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

The Next Table Over

vocables
SATB, soli, a cappella

Formerly entitled "Intermezzo." This is the third piece that I have written on commission for the group MACxima, a high school a cappella ensemble connected with The Musical Arts Center from Cincinnati. This work is like nothing I have done before. It is a wordless piece, instrumental in effect; an indistinct, desultory conversation between a group of people who know each other very well.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

Peace Is

words and music by Fred Small
SATB, piano, optional percussion

Fred Small's "Give Peace A Chance." Also available for women's voices.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

Rise Up, My Love

text from the Song of Solomon
SATB a cappella

A setting of a portion of the Song of Solomon, written to honor the first anniversary of my friends Mark and Jennifer Dietrich. Intimate and romantic.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

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.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

The Rock Island Line

Huddie Ledbetter (Leadbelly)
SATB (div), a cappella, baritone solo

Evocative of a midnight train ride. Hushed and rhythmic, dynamite for showing off tight 3-part female harmony.

available from arranger

Searching For Lambs

trad. English; arr. DTB

I learned this haunting tune from the singing of Maddy Prior and Steeleye Span, a British folk-rock group of the 1970's. One of innumerable songs about the flush of new love that begin "As I walked out..."

order from Fresh Ayre Music

Seinn O

trad. Scots
SATTB, a cappella

All Celtic cultures have a tradition of "mouth music," wherein voices take on instrumental roles in accompanying dances. This song is a blinding vocal showpiece of mouth music that I learned from the singing of Talitha MacKenzie. Also available for men's voices.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

Shir L'Shalom

music by Yair Rozenblum, words by Ya'akov Rotblit (Heb.)
SATB with SS solos, guitar or piano

A popular Israeli peace song. Purportedly the song that Yitzakh Rabin was singing when he was assassinated. Also available for women's and men's voices.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

Sing to the Lord a New Song

Psalm 98, parts of Psalm 96
2-part treble choir, handbells, organ

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.

available from Mark Foster Music Co.

Sky Dances

music by Ray Brown, lyrics by Jimmy Durham
SATB, piano

A lovely tune by Ray Brown on a poem by Native American poet Jimmy Durham. A song of praise to beauty of the Earth, championed by Holly Near. Also available for men's voices.

available from arranger

Somos el Barco

words and music by Lorre Wyatt (Eng., Sp.)
SATB, piano

A simple bi-lingual song about interdependence. When Pete Seeger sang this song, he taught the chorus to the audience. Also available for women's voices a cappella.

available from arranger

Sonnet 104

words by William Shakespeare
SATB, french horn

The first commission by a brand new Twin Cities chamber music ensemble: The Sapphire Chamber Consort. It is also in honor of the third anniversary of the co-artistic directors James and Heidi Miller; thus the lines Three winters' cold/Have from the forests shook three summers' pride/Three beauteous springs to yellow autumn turned/In process of the seasons have I seen. It is a brazenly romantic and youthful love letter for six parts (SSATTB) and french horn.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

Suite Drottning Christina

Text by Georg Stiernhielm
SATB with soli, 2 violins, lute, viola da gamba, percussion

Commissioned for the Rose Ensemble for a concert focusing on the life of Queen Christina of Sweden, a colorful 17th-century monarch whose intellectual vivacity and arts patronage earned her the soubriquet "Pallas of the North" after Athena, goddess of civilization and wisdom. The text was written by Georg Stiernhielm as part of a ballet performed for the Queen's 23rd birthday. To add some variety to the relentless meter of the poem, and to pay homage to some of the composers that Christina brought to her court, I have set it as a French dance suite: Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Gavotte, and Gigue. It is accompanied by viola da gamba, archlute (here is a picture), and two violins. The vocal writing takes advantage of the wonderful flexibility of the Rose Ensemble, and so includes many solo parts and varied vocal combinations.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

Te Deum

from the Lutheran Book of Worship
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.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

There Are Hundreds Of Ways To Kneel and Kiss the Ground

Rumi; trans. Coleman Barks
SATB (div.), chime

Written on the 800th anniversary of the poet's birth, this is a setting of a poem that exhorts the listener against inattentive living: Let the beauty we love be what we do/There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground. The setting is a kind of spiritual exercise that makes every word an object for meditative contemplation.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

The Twelve Days of Christmas

trad. English
SATB (div), a cappella

Twelve days in twenty seconds. Also available in men's voices.

available from arranger / recorded by The Village Waytes: The Winter Sun; VoiceBox: Carolling A Simple Song

Tzena Tzena Tzena Tzena

music by Issachar Miron, English lyrics by Gordon Jenkins and Pete Seeger, Hebrew lyrics by Yehiel Haggiz, Arabic lyrics by Salman Natour
SATB, piano

A tri-lingual dance party song, made popular by The Weavers in the '60s. Also available for women's voices.

available from arranger

Vocalise

Sergei Rachmaninoff
SMTTB, a cappella, S solo

Rachmaninoff's wordless art song, for soprano soloist and four-part a cappella backup. My goodness, what a haunting melody. I first heard this on a recording by Bobby McFerrin and Yo Yo Ma, with Bobby singing the solo part and Yo Yo playing a many-layered treatment for cello.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

Vzyaw bi ya Banduru (I Will Take a Bandura)

trad. Ukrainian
SATB (div), a cappella

A traditional Ukrainian song about the universality of music. Beautiful tune, rich and thickly scored.

available from Hinshaw Music / recorded by The Village Waytes: Voice Of the Song

Walk Humbly

Micah 6:6-8
SATB, soprano and treble soli, organ or string quartet

A setting of the famous passage from the book of Micah "What does the Lord require of You?" In this setting, the soprano soloist is an anguished questioner who is finally answered by a boy (or treble) soprano: "Seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God." It is accompanied by organ or string quartet.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

Was Weiß Denn die Welt (What does the world know)

Föderl & Hub (Ger.)
SATTBB, a cappella

A Viennese popular song from earlier days. "What does the world know/what a Viennese heart feels/When the violins sweetly play/a Strauß waltz?" In waltz time, natürlich.

available from arranger

We Are the Choir

text by JDM and the Albert Lea H.S. choir
SATB, div, 5 percussionists

A head-banging, foot-stomping tribal pep rally song of choir singer pride. The text was written with the help of the Albert Lea High School choir, and is about the power that is experienced and produced by a lot of people singing together. A sample:

We sing songs that sound like heartbeats,
that sound like trumpets,
that sound like drumming.

We sing songs that taste like chocolate,
that taste like peaches,
that taste like honey.

We make music that sounds like horses,
that sounds like heaven,
that sounds like freedom.

We Are the Choir.

available from composer

We Shall Overcome

trad. American
SATB (div), a cappella

The Civil Rights anthem, for choirs of moderate ability. Designed to be joined by audience or congregation on the final verse.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

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.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

We Wish You A Merry Christmas

trad. English
SATTBB, a cappella

Short and bright, with a tenor solo for the slow part. Perfect as the last doorstep carol of the evening.

available from Fresh Ayre Music,

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.

order from Fresh Ayre Music,

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.

order from Fresh Ayre Music

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.

order from Fresh Ayre Music