SECULAR CHORAL MUSIC
While most of my choral music is of the sacred variety, I am gradually producing a body of secular choral music as well. But so far, the only works in that medium that I have available are a setting of a poem by Wordsworth, a women's chorus from my 1985 musical The Treasure of Cathay, and the SATB version of my song cycle In The Shadow of a Mountain. The entire song cycle has now been recorded by J. David Moore and his First Readings Project singers. There is a recording of the full cycle, as well as one for each individual song.
THE SOLITARY REAPER
Level: M
Duration: 5:00
Price: $2.25
Publisher: Dacker Music
SATB and Piano | Words by William Wordsworth PREVIEW ON YOUTUBE
This setting for SATB and piano of an 1805 poem by William Wordsworth illustrates how music can evoke deep emotions and memories, transcending time and space. The reaper's song becomes a symbol of the human experience, connecting the listener to universal themes of sorrow and joy.
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Recording by The First Readings Project - J. David Moore, conductor
SONG OF THE DESERT
Level: M
Duration: 3:55
Price: $2.75
Publisher: Dacker Music
Women's Voices (with optional hand percussion) and Piano | Words by Nancy Grobe PREVIEW ON YOUTUBE
My 1985 musical, The Treasure of Cathay, based on the 1921 novella Messer Marco Polo by Irish-American author Donn Byrne, is a fictional story about Marco Polo and his romance with the daughter of Kublai Khan. This song for women's voices (with optional hand percussion), is from a scene in the Central Asian desert, where the Polo caravan has encountered a group of bandits and their women, who perform this song/dance.
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IN THE SHADOW OF A MOUNTAIN
Scenes from the Rockies
Level: M
Duration: 23:30
Price: $14.00
Publisher: Dacker Music
A Song Cycle for SATB and Piano | Words by Sue Personett
14 short songs set to poetry on Rocky Mountain themes. Here is the preface to the score:
"In the shadow of a mountain a world exists." The opening line of the title song sets the stage for the 14 short songs in this cycle. They provide varied glimpses of that mountain world--sometimes serious, sometimes whimsical--including such scenes as changing seasons and weather, flora and fauna, hiking and climbing, all set in the magnificent Rocky Mountains.
The individual songs, with their locations on the audio track, are listed below.
1.The Shadow of a Mountain 0:00
2. First Thaw 2:25
3. Spring on the Upper Rio Grande 3:40
4. Snowy Spring 6:52
5. Wyoming Snow 8:22
6. Shadows and Sunshine 9:39
7. In the Foothills 10:44
8. The Summit 12:09
9. She Will 13:10
10. Autumn in the Air 14:23
11. Snow 15:24
12. Wind River 18:00
13. Celebrate 19:02
14. Chasing Mountains 20:38
The individual songs are also available as separate octavos (see below - also linked in the list just above).
The full cycle is also available for solo medium voice (see Voice and Piano page).
Read more about In the Shadow of a Mountain - Scenes from the Rockies
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Recording by The First Readings Project - J. David Moore, conductor
INDIVIDUAL SONGS:
The Shadow of a Mountain
Level: ME
Duration: 2:25
Price: $2.00
Publisher: Dacker Music
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Recording by The First Readings Project - J. David Moore, conductor
First Thaw
Level: ME
Duration: 1:15
Price: $2.00
Publisher: Dacker Music
Download from Score Exchange PREVIEW ON YOUTUBE
Recording by The First Readings Project - J. David Moore, conductor
Spring on the Upper Rio Grande
Level: M
Duration: 3:10
Price: $2.50
Publisher: Dacker Music
Download from Score Exchange PREVIEW ON YOUTUBE
Recording by The First Readings Project - J. David Moore, conductor
Snowy Spring
Level: ME
Duration: 1:30
Price: $2.00
Publisher: Dacker Music
Download from Score Exchange PREVIEW ON YOUTUBE
Recording by The First Readings Project - J. David Moore, conductor
Wyoming Snow
Level: M
Duration: 1:15
Price: $2.00
Publisher: Dacker Music
Download from Score Exchange PREVIEW ON YOUTUBE
Recording by The First Readings Project - J. David Moore, conductor
Shadows and Sunshine
Level: M
Duration: 1:05
Price: $2.00
Publisher: Dacker Music
Download from Score Exchange PREVIEW ON YOUTUBE
Recording by The First Readings Project - J. David Moore, conductor
In the Foothills
Grade: M
Duration: 1:25
Price: $2.00
Publisher: Dacker Music
Download from Score Exchange PREVIEW ON YOUTUBE
Recording by The First Readings Project - J. David Moore, conductor
The Summit
Level: ME
Duration: 1:00
Price: $2.00
Publisher: Dacker Music
Download from Score Exchange PREVIEW ON YOUTUBE
Recording by The First Readings Project - J. David Moore, conductor
She Will
Level: M
Duration: 1:12
Price: $2.00
Publisher: Dacker Music
Download from Score Exchange PREVIEW ON YOUTUBE
Recording by The First Readings Project - J. David Moore, conductor
Autumn in the Air
Level: ME
Duration: 1:00
Price: $2.00
Publisher: Dacker Music
Download from Score Exchange PREVIEW ON YOUTUBE
Recording by The First Readings Project - J. David Moore, conductor
Snow
Level: M
Duration: 2:35
Price: $2.25
Publisher: Dacker Music
Download from Score Exchange PREVIEW ON YOUTUBE
Recording by The First Readings Project - J. David Moore, conductor
Wind River
Level: M
Duration: 1:00
Price: $2.00
Publisher: Dacker Music
Download from Score Exchange PREVIEW ON YOUTUBE
Recording by The First Readings Project - J. David Moore, conductor
Celebrate
Level: ME
Duration: 1:35
Price: $2.00
Publisher: Dacker Music
Download from Score Exchange PREVIEW ON YOUTUBE
Recording by The First Readings Project - J. David Moore, conductor
Chasing Mountains
Level: ME
Duration: 2:55
Price: $2.25
Publisher: Dacker Music
Download from Score Exchange PREVIEW ON YOUTUBE
Recording by The First Readings Project - J. David Moore, conductor