- D -

 

Dona eis requiem

JWP | $3.00 | SA or treble voices (also available in TB and SATB) with piano  | settings of three sections from the requiem mass: Pie Jesu, Agnus Dei, and Lux Aeterna | sound files are available on the publisher web pages

 

Suitable for concert or service use. A modern setting, tonal, and very accessible for singers and audience or congregation.

 

- F -

 

Four Songs of the Seasons

 SELF | Contact composer for download availability |  $3.75 | Two-part treble voices and piano in a set of four songs |  YouTube link to fourth movement, Winter Circle, is HERE

 

Each song explores the sights and sounds of a particular season. Very suitable for concerts year-round where two seasons can be programmed in the winter concert (fall and winter) and then for the spring concert (spring and summer). The two-part writing is accessible for grades 3 - 7. More advanced groups can sing optional harmonies for the endings in the fall and winter pieces and an optional solo is available in the fall piece. Lyrics in the spring piece can be customized by the instructor or as a class exercise.

 

- S -

 

Songs for Genie

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SELF | $3.50 for all songs in one document; $$1.50 - $2.00 per individual song | Treble voices or SA (also available in TB and SAB) | 

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These three feline-themed works can be programmed separately or as a set with three separate ensembles each singing one song.

 

Descriptions of individual songs and YouTube links:

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Marmalade Maddy was written as a unison piece for beginning treble voices (SA). It is a humorous, heartfelt, and playful description of a “funny and furry and finicky cat.” The piece features a repeating melody line over a lively accompaniment that delves into jazz-based harmonies. In the last few measures, there are opportunities for choreographed movements performed by the choir while singing. Also included during this section is an optional divisi into two-parts. Duration ≈1:53. YouTube link is HERE

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The Fog was written for intermediate singers and is available for treble voices (SA), men’s voices (TB), and for three-part mixed choir (SAB). In the last few measures, there is an optional divisi. The focus was to create a simple and serene work using flowing vocal lines above a fluid piano accompaniment that mimics the rolling swirls of fog itself. Duration ≈2:30. YouTube link for SA version is HERE

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Tyger, Burning Bright is a dynamic and rhythmic work for intermediate to advanced singers that sets the famous William Blake poem. It is available for treble voices (SA), men’s voices (TB), and for three-part mixed choir (SAB). The piano accompaniment is used to describe certain features of the poem. Notice, for example, the hammer-like vocal and pianistic blows that occur in the fourth stanza followed by the lyrical setting in piano and voices for the fifth stanza. Duration ≈2:22. YouTube link for SA version is HERE

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The Ships of Yule

JWP | $2.00 | Treble voices or SA (also available in SATB, SSA, SAB, TB, and TTBB) |  sound files are available on the publisher web pages

 

This setting of Bliss Carman's poem, "The Ships of Yule," is lively and rhythmic and contains elements of a traditional sea chantey. The music is tonal with lots of harmonic color and forays into related keys. The poem refers to Yule, and so the piece is appropriate for Christmas or winter celebrations. 

 

- W -

 

Winter Circle

from Four Songs of the Seasons

JWP | $2.00 | Two-part treble voices (or SA) and piano | YouTube link is HERE

 

Comments by a director for a recent performance: "Working on your piece was a great experience for me and the singers. It presented good vocal and musical challenges for this age group, all the while being beautiful and captivating--they were always willing to keep working on it!" 

Here's a link to an interview with Sara Boos, Northwest Girlchoir director, and myself, a "behind the scenes" look at the work and its inspiration, and Sara's thoughts about the piece:

 

Behind the Scenes: "Winter Circle" by Don Skirvin 

Winter Circle is evocative and harmonically rich. The piano plays a constantly moving pattern while the voices float above it, like the stars in the Winter Circle itself. The lyrics consist of short descriptions of each star based on one or more of the following factors: color, size, and brightness of the star; constellation in which the star is located; zodiacal sign star reference; reference to the star in mythology or in another historical reference such as the Dendera zodiac. To "decode" the lyrics, notice that the color always refers to the color of the star itself and may include another attribute. As an example, Aldebaran is referred to as "the fiery eye of the Bull." It's "fiery" because the star color is red. And it's the eye of Taurus in the constellation of the same name, hence the reference to the "eye of the Bull." The other lyrics can be decoded in a similar fashion. Additional information is available from the composer.