Catalog of Selected Works for Women's Voices
For an alphabetical list of all works, click Here, or click All Voicings in the menu bar. If you have any questions or requests, please use the contact form to send me an email.
The following scores are available through online publishers as well as from the composer in some instances. See Publisher information on Contact page for publisher links, or click the underlined publisher name below, which will take you to a list of my works. Not all works from a publisher's catalog are listed on this web page. In the following alphabetical web page list, the abbreviations refer to the following publishers:
JWP - J. W. Pepper
SELF - Self-published by composer
Click the underlined publisher abbreviations (JWP) that are associated with each piece, and you'll be linked to the piece itself on each publisher site.
Perusal score downloads are available for selected SELF pieces. Look for NEW → , which highlights the new downloads.
- A -
Ave Maris Stella
JWP | $2.00 | SSA trio or three-part women's chorus | a cappella | YouTube link is HERE
This contemporary a cappella setting of an ancient hymn requires three skilled soloists for the trio version or an advanced women's chorus. It employs shifting tonal centers as well as complex harmonic structures. Ranges from meditative to dramatic in the opening verse settings to a tranquil barcarolle that recalls the oar strokes of a gondolier and the gentle swells of the sea. Ends with a modal section reminiscent of the medieval period, though with a modern interpretation.
- 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.
- S -
The Ships of Yule
JWP | $2.00 | SSA and SA (also available in SATB, SAB, TB, and TTBB) and piano | 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 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.
Winter Reverie
SELF | $3.50 | SSAA and soprano soloist, oboe, and piano | YouTube link is HERE
Winter Reverie is a setting of two evocative Teasdale poems that re-create a winter scene of walking on a snowy night, enjoying a good meal in a restaurant, watching twilight descend under “ice-bowed trees,” and returning thanks for “… the mother who bore me." For more information from the publisher and the text of the poems, along with a link to download a partial PDF of the score, click HERE​
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Winter's Cloak
SELF | $1.50 | SSAA with various divisi a cappella
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A setting of a poem of the same name by Joyce Rupp. The central theme embraces the solace and deep creativity that resides in the quiet darkness of winter. The last lines of the poem are "Let me seek solace in the empty places of winter’s passage, those vast dark nights that never fail to shelter me." The SoundCloud link is to a performance of the work in dress rehearsal. The performance itself was canceled due to restrictions on group gatherings brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The link is HERE.