May Our Hearts Sing of Peace was written in 2023 for SATB choir with piano accompaniment. I fell in love with this text from John Birch and knew right away that I wanted to create music for it. If you have followed my compostions you know that I have used his lyrics many times. John … [Read more…]
We’ve all had broken dreams. Maybe you didn’t get the bicycle you wanted for Christmas. Did your cruise to the Bahamas get cancelled? Perhaps you were told, like I was, that you couldn’t be an astronaut when you grow up because you are a girl. Was there a broken dream of having a “till death … [Read more…]
Once again I’ve chosen lyrics by John Birch for this choral arrangement. This prayer contains such vivid imagery celebrating God’s wisdom and power in the creation of the world. I was particularly captivated by the image of God’s laughter creating a wild goose to fly across the universe. Although I’ve chosen to use repeating phrases … [Read more…]
I know there isn’t a “right answer” to the question of what key signature I should choose when I begin a composition. However, it is one of the questions that I find really difficult to answer. There are many articles and chapters in textbooks that suggest that different key signatures represent different emotions. Some key … [Read more…]
I love the prayers and poetry of John Birch. I’ve set several of them to music for choir and piano in the past couple of years. One of my favorite arrangements so far is God of Rising Sun. God of rising sun, embrace us. God of mist and rain, refresh us. God of flowing stream, … [Read more…]
I have had a lot of vicarious exposure to handbell music. Both of my sons played handbells as they were growing up. We were blessed to attend Westminster Presbyterian Church in Dayton, OH. That church had an outstanding music program for youth and adults. On occasion I would be asked to play a single bell … [Read more…]
Autumn Mist is a piano composition I wrote in 2023 for the early intermiediate pianist. Although the initial key signature is C Major, it starts on an E minor chord, giving it a decidedly modal feeling. The opening section starts predominantly with block chords with the F natural characteristic of the key signature, but unexpected … [Read more…]
In The Shadow of Your Wings is a song of praise and thanksgiving for God’s love, care, and protection throughout the challenges and mistfortunes of our lives. It acknowledges that we make it through those things because of God’s power. The lyrics are based on Psalm 63:7. Oh God, You have been my help. You … [Read more…]
O Sing to the Lord is song of praise for 3 part mixed voice choir, piano, and flute. The vocal parts are composed in a traditional round form and the flute adds contrasting rhythm and harmony. While the three voice parts could be similar voices, I had intended that each of the parts would include … [Read more…]
Choosing lyrics to begin a composition seemed like it should be the easiest part of the process. WRONG! I started out just looking at poetry or scripture that I liked. But sometimes the poem was too long to really work with. Other times it seemed too short. Then there is the issue of copyright and … [Read more…]