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Solo Vocal Music
Bohun,
Lyle de
of Washington, D.C.
Songs
of Estrangement
for string quartet & soprano
Score and parts 6'45" $ 8.00 #040022 AP-301
The four songs are entitled: Snow Has Lain,
Flowers Fall, Death Has Risen and Love Is A-Borning.
With metaphors from nature, this four movement work dramatically
depicts the developing intensities of a romantic relationship
which over time matures and stabilizes into mutual contentment.
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ART SONGS
All of Lyle de Bohun's songs are poignantly
influenced by the melodic folk traditions
of the Appalachian Mountains where the composer spent her childhood.
Nevertheless, some melodies are unabashedly twelve-tone rows. This
is essentially a collection of love songs with the exception of Beyond
the Stars, Lovely Heart, Slumber Song, and When Songs
Have All Been Sung, which offer commentary on the
meaning of human existence.
Beyond
the Stars
(C to F-sharp) $ 4.00 #040031 AP-310
The song is dedicated to Daniel and Nancy
Boone, and is set to a text by Gwen Frostic.
Celestia
(C to F-sharp) $ 4.00 #040023 AP-302
Fantasia
(A-flat to F) $ 4.00 #040024 AP-303
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 score
sample (pdf)
(Beyond the Stars)
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 score
sample (pdf)
(Celestia)
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Goodnight
Kiss
(C to F) $ 4.00 #040025 AP-304
Lovely
Heart
(C to B-flat) $ 4.00 #040032 AP-311
Mirrored
Love
(D-flat to F) $ 4.00 #040026 AP-305
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Sea Thoughts
(C to F) $ 4.00 #040027 AP-306
Slumber
Song
with melody instrument (C to E) $ 4.00 #040033 AP-312
Sonnet
(C to G) $ 4.00 #040028 AP-307
The song is a setting of Shakespeare's Sonnet, "Since brass nor stone nor earth
nor boundless sea."
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 score
sample (pdf)
(Sea Thoughts)
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 score sample
(pdf)
(Slumber Song)
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 score
sample (pdf)
(Sonnet)
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Time Cannot
Claim This Hour
(C to E) $ 4.00 #040029 AP-308
When Songs
Have All Been Sung
(C-sharp to D) $ 4.00 #040034 AP-313
Winter Song
(C to A) $ 4.00 #040030 AP-309
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 score sample (pdf)
(Time Cannot...)
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Brill,
Elissa
of Holyoke, Massachusetts
Minnie
for medium voice and piano
3'30" $ 6.00 #040035 AP-314
Minnie is a light-hearted setting of Eleanor Farjeon's
humorous poem about Minnie who just could not make up her mind.
The song is a whimsical caricature that spotlights both the vocal
and theatrical talents of the performer. It is an audience pleaser
that easily fills the spot for humor on a concert program. |
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Diemer,
Emma Lou
of Santa Barbara, California
And I Saw
a New Heaven and a New Earth
from "Revelations 21" for medium high voice, trumpet, and organ or piano
6'45" $ 7.00 #040036 AP-315
This dramatic work varies in mood from declamatory or dynamic
to lyrical.
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Create
in Me a Clean Heart, O God
from "Psalm 51" for medium voice and organ or piano
3'35" $ 6.00 #040037 AP-316
The music is quite tonal, very expressive and moving. A portion
of the piece appears as an Offertory response in The
New Century Hymnal (Pilgrim Press, 1995). |
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I
Will Sing of Your Steadfast Love
from "Psalm 89" for high voice and organ
4'25" $ 6.00 #040038 AP-317
This is a joyous solo, rhythmic and colorful, ending
with a jubilant expression of praise. |
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Who
Can Find a Virtuous Woman?
from "Psalm 31" for medium high voice and organ or piano
4'35" $ 6.00 #040039 AP-318
"Proverbs 31" is a chapter exalting and honoring women of stature
and virtue. The setting is lyrical and tonally uncomplicated, and
should be sung with dignity of expression.
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Donahue, Bertha
Terry (1917-1994)
The Castle Yonder
a cycle of songs for soprano with piano accompaniment
7'30" $ 7.00 #040040 AP-319
These songs are settings of poems by children collected by Richard
Lewis in his book Miracles, published by Simon and Schuster,
New York 1966. They reflect a mother's comprehension of a child's
world interwoven with her own. The six songs are titled: The Castle
Yonder, The Dew, Household Problems, Rain, A
Cat, and The Four Winds.
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Dutton,
Leslie
of Lubbock, Texas
Rimas
de Amor
Spanish song cycle for voice and piano
14'25" $ 40.00 #040153 AP-344
Rimas de Amor is dedicated to John Gillas,
Professor of Horn at Texas Tech University. The
cycle consists of six poems by the Spanish Romantic poet,
Gustavo Adolfo Becquer (1836-70). Most of the songs are
through-composed
except for #2 which is ternary and #1 which is strophic
in form. The composer writes that it is her interest
in the language and culture of the West Texas area that
inspired her to select these poems for her song cycle.
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Funk,
Susan
of Los Angeles, California
For My Beloved
a wedding song (easy) for medium voice, oboe and piano
3'30" $ 6.00 #040041 AP-320
A technically easy piece for weddings or recitals, this song
was the composer's gift to her bridegroom. The text is from the Song
of Solomon.
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Hyson,
Winifred
of Bethesda, Maryland
Songs of
Job's Daughter
for soprano with piano accompaniment
10'40" $ 8.00 #040042 AP-321
These songs were a prize winner in the 1971 Mu Phi Epsilon
Composition Contest, and was the required selection for sopranos
in the
1980 Mu Phi Sterling Staff Competition.
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The six songs on texts by Jean Starr Untermeyer comment
on the ultimate lack of real life choices for a woman, the ambiguous
feelings of a
young mother, and the rapture of fulfilled love.
Laitman,
Lori
of Potomac, Maryland
I Never Saw
Another Butterfly
Six songs for soprano and alto saxophone or clarinet or bassoon on texts by children
of the Holocaust.
Edition for Alto Sax and Soprano: #040043 AP-322, $17.50
Edition for Clarinet and Soprano: #040043B AP-322B, $17.50
Edition for Bassoon and Soprano: #040043C AP-322C, $17.50
Recording: Mystery:
Songs of Lori Laitman
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Based on poetry by children from the Terezin concentration
camp and written in
1996, the six songs of the cycle use varied imagery and musical
styles. The composer writes: "One cannot help but be touched by the
hope and innocence that these children put into their poetry, despite
their
terrible
surroundings. The accompaniment of saxophone is intended to be
haunting and soulful, with echoes of Klezmer music. The song titles
are: The
Butterfly,
Yes--That's the Way Things Are, Birdsong, Man Proposes,
God Disposes, and The
Old House . The first performance was at John Hopkins University
in 1996 with
soprano Lauren Wagner and saxophonist Gary Louie, for whom the piece was
written.
Larson,
Anna
of Takoma Park, Maryland
The
Listeners
for medium low voice and piano
6'53" $ 8.00 #040044 AP-323
The composer describes her dramatic narrative setting
of the poem by Walter de la Mare: "This setting of The
Listeners was written in the late 1970's as a surprise
gift for my father, Arthur Larson, at the suggestion of my
mother who sent me several of his favorite poems. I
was immediately drawn to this text because it combines a beautifully
crafted dramatic form with a stirring expression of human integrity
in a world where absolute knowledge is mysteriously withheld."
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Nora
for soprano and cello
Based on A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen.
$ 30.00 #040148 AP-342
Based on the title role of Ibsen's play, Nora received
its first performance in 2001 on a concert of the Contemporary
Music Forum at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C.
The composer writes: |
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"I have chosen to write this dramatic chamber
work from inside Nora's mind and memory, as she
ponders and relives her experience with Torvald [her
husband]. When she finally leaves him, she is
completely clear on the need to escape his influence,
but she steps into the unknown. Nora is divided into
six parts, including a prologue and epilogue of my own
poetry and imagery."
Lomon,
Ruth
of Cambridge, MA
Canticles
for soprano and piano
6' $9.00 #040151 AP-343
The texts are by Marguerite Bouvard
and the music is dedicated to her. There are three
canticles: Honoring the Hidden Work, Mindfulness, and Questions.
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 score
sample (pdf)
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Five
Songs after Poems by William Blake
Five polyphonic duets for contralto and viola.
6' $ 8.00 #040045 AP-324
The first four poems by William Blake set here are from
his Songs of Experience and the fifth is from his Satiric
Verses and Epigrams. The pieces are polyphonic duets
with the titles: The Sunflower, The Fly, The
Sick Rose, The Clod and the Pebble, and Injunction.
In a paper entitled A Comparative Stylistic Analysis,
Carol Ann O'Connor writes: "This set of five polyphonic
duets for contralto and viola incorporates many aspects
of musical personality and technique found in [the composer's]
later works...and illustrate Lomon's sensitivity to capturing
in music the essence of a poetic gesture or image."
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Songs from
a Requiem
for soprano with piano accompaniment
10' $ 9.00 #040046 AP-325
"Lomon's intense, emotional songs have profile and character." (Boston
Globe)
The songs are inserts in the setting of a Requiem Mass composed
by Ruth Lomon in 1977, and dedicated to the memory of her
sister. The Mass is set for chorus with trumpets and
trombones. The songs, settings of poems by the composer from
1970-72, are orchestrated for soprano, flute, clarinet, bass
clarinet, and bassoon. Thisversion for soprano and piano was
written in 1982. The titles are: Les Baux, Interregnun, The
Mammoth Head, Cancrizans, Black Mesa, and Incantation.
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Munn,
Zae
of Notre Dame, Indiana
Lauber Lieder:
Four Songs for Soprano and Piano
12' $10.00 (soprano) #040047 AP-326 (mezzo) #040136 AP-341
The titles are: The Slowly Opening Rose, I have Washed and Buttoned
Up, Geese Along the Flowage, and The Sermon.
The texts of these emotionally direct and attractive songs are
by Peg Carlson Lauber, with whom Zae Munn has collaborated on other
works. The poems are linked by the theme of coping with, and overcoming
burdens
and challenges. The songs were written in the summer of 1994, and
while conceived as a set, may be performed separately.
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Two for Three
for soprano, flute and viola
8' Score and parts $11.00 #040048 AP-327
Two for Three (1994) is based on two poems by Peg Carlson
Lauber: For a Few Minutes Lie in the Sun and Contemplate
Cliché Angels. The structure of the first song puts
musical parentheses around anger and bitterness by alternating
serenity, venomous emotions and a return of serenity. The second
song alternates humorous music with jazz references to celebrate
words. The two songs may be performed separately
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What's for Supper?
four songs for soprano, viola and piano
14' Score and parts $17.50 #040049 AP-328
Composed both to entertain and educate young people about
contemporary concert
music as well as serve as recital pieces, What's for Supper? was
written on a COSTAR Grant from Saint Mary's College. The titles of
the four songs are: I'll Go Along, What's for Supper?, If
I Could, and Oh no! Not Me. The
individual songs may be performed separately and the piece may be
performed without viola.
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Pierce,
Alexandra
of Redlands, California
Psalm 100
for low voice and piano or high voice and piano
Please specify which version. 5' $ 6.50 (low) #040050 AP-329A (high)
#040132 AP-329B
Written in 1993, the piece is dedicated to Tina Haddon. It contains
strong shifts of character, ornamentation with a Middle-Eastern
flavor, and a vocal part for an agile and lyric soprano. The
piece is written to be freely danced or gestured as it is sung
(if desired). The pianist is an equalpartner to the singer.
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Shaffer,
Jeanne
of Montgomery, Alabama
Christina
Rossetti, My Mother and Me
A cycle of five songs for mezzo or baritone & piano
13' $ 9.00 #040051 AP-330
Dedicated to her mother, the piece is the composer's Op. 207.
The titles of the songs are: Up-Hill, Sleeping at
Last, Song, Remember, and Another
Spring. The poems are about life, death, and using well
our time with those we love. The first performance was at the
National Gallery in Washington, D.C
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Emptiness
Became Music
Four songs for high voice, flute and piano
8' $ 8.00 #040052 AP-331
The songs are on texts by the composer and are
entitled: When
Did Our Love Begin?, How
Dare You?, I
Hear the Music Still, and Love
Is Like That.
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Eternity - Five
Songs to poems of William Blake
for soprano with piano accompaniment
7' $ 8.00 #040053 AP-332
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"
It was well crafted not only with technical skill but, more important,
with audience awareness and a sense of the value of communication." (The
Washington Post)
Composed in 1992, Eternity has five parts: The
Wild Flower's Song, Soft Snow, Infant Joy, Infant
Sorrow, and Eternity. The first version of this piece
was performed at the Piccolo SpoletoFestival in Charleston, SC. The
published version
was first performed at the 1996 Women's Music Festival at Indiana
University of Pennsylvania.
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On
Gardens, Minutes and Butterflies
five songs for high voice, flute and piano
10' $ 9.00 #040054 AP-333
The songs are on texts by the composer and are entitled: Come slowly,
Paradise, What Can I Give You, My Love?, Beautiful Fool, On Planting
a Garden and all that Jazz, and Sing for Days Like Today. |
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Shore, Clare
of West Palm Beach, Florida
Four
Dickinson Songs
for soprano & harpsichord
12' $ 8.00 #040055 AP-334
"...interesting contrapuntal writing"(NY
Times)
Written in 1981-82, the songs to texts by Emily
Dickinson have the following titles: With a Flower,
I'm Nobody, Summer Shower, and I Shall Know
Why... |
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Van Appledorn, Mary
Jeanne
of Lubbock, Texas
Five
Psalms
for trumpet, tenor voice and piano
8' 30" $ 7.00 #040056 AP-335
Written in 1998 and based on Psalms 100, 13,
117, 23 and 150. |
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Missa
Brevis
for voice and organ or trumpet and organ
8' 30" $ 7.00 #040057 AP-336
Recording: Contemporary Record Society 8842
The piece had its premiere in October Hall at the Saratov
State Conservatorie in Saratov, U.S.S.R., in 1987. The
performance was by Anatoly Selianin with organist Trina
Khudiakova. Robert Birch, trumpet, and Carol
Feather Martin gave the American premiere
at Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C.
and have recorded the piece on a Contemporary
Record Society album entitled Brass and Pipes.
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These three songs were written in 2000 and dedicated to Kathy
and Linda McNeil. The titles are "La la la," "Ooo-Ah" and "Ta-ka-ta-ka-tu." The
two vocal parts consist of imitative lines sung on nonsense syllables.
The piano part includes several special effects such as glissandi
and tone clusters played with the arm on the black keys.
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Vercoe, Elizabeth
of Rockport, Massachusetts
Herstory
II: Thirteen Japanese Lyrics
for soprano, piano and percussion (on texts by Japanese women)
18' $11.00 #040059 AP-338
Recordings: Capstone
CD 8613, Northeastern 221
"spare, reticent" (Boston Globe)
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 score
sample (pdf)
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Gardner Read writes the following in his jacket notes for
the Northeastern Records recording: "Elizabeth Vercoe is a composer
whose music reflects great sensitivity to sound materials. Her
works are frequently
brief, highly compressed-even aphoristic-expressions, generally
with clear
rhythmic foundations. It was characteristic of this composer
that she sought out an exotic source for her texts, such as these
haiku-like
aphorisms by nine female poets of ancient Japan. Their musings
on love-ecstatic, despairing, questioning, nostalgic-are deftly
mirrored in Vercoe's concise and atmospheric settings... Piano
and percussion together contribute an always apt and sensitive
underpinning
to
the melodic
vocal
flow, the whole of Herstory II becoming
the sum of its diverse but invariably relevant parts."
Herstory
III: Jehanne de Lorraine (Joan of Arc)
for soprano and piano
23' $15.00 #040060 AP-339
Recording: Owl
Recording CD 35
"The most powerful work I know by a woman
on a feminist theme." (Washington Post)
"This extraordinary work would be a wonderful
second half for any vocal recital." (The NATS Journal)
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Herstory III was commissioned by
Austin Peay State University in Tennessee and was premiered
there in 1986. The
composer writes: "My monodrama on the 19-year-old Joan
of Arc is based on writers from Shakespeare and Shaw to
Mark
Twain
and
Christine
de Pisan. Documents from Joan's trial show
her faith and her sharp tongue which emerge as fresh today
as in 1429, the year of her
trial
and death. The piece is intended as a dramatic performance
with lighting and costume, and is in twelve sections. There
are set pieces, combinations
of speech and music, some special effects (gong, finger
cymbals, woodblock and use of mallets or fingers directly
on the piano
strings) and a
return to the spare simplicity of the beginning in the
concluding prayer."
"hugely funny, elegant" (St. Louis Dispatch)
The titles are: Andromeda Rag, Older Woman
Blues, and Boogie for Leda.
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Irreveries from Sappho is wickedly
satiric and full of musical jokes and parodies. The composer
comments: "Although
Sappho's poetry is over 2500 years old, it seems remarkably
up-to-date. Its wit
calls for whatever musical sleight of hand a composer might
muster: thus, the use of popular idioms and hidden tunes (Turkey
in the Straw, Auld Lang Syne), as well as the more respectable
tricks of the trade, such as counterpoint and recitative.
Sappho's three women
have
clearly distinctive voices, but all three bespeak a fierce
pride."
Weigl, Vally (1884-1982)
Dear
Earth-a quintet of poems from Frederika Blankner
for French horn, violin, cello and piano, with medium voice (optional)
Score only 15'30" $ 8.50 #040061 AP-340
Parts available from American Composers Alliance
170 W. 74th St., New York, NY 10023
Recording: Orion Master Recording 80393
The song titles are: Evolution, Redemption, Post Factum,
Dear Earth, and This Gift of Mine. The piece
is dedicated to Ilse Sass.
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The composer writes: "Although based on Frederika Blankner's
poems, this music is instrumental in essence and can also be performed
as Songs Without Words, with various instruments taking over the vocal melody
as indicated."
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