Something a little different today...before I got into choral composition, I used to write for voice and guitar. I had a less-serious side, songs that I wrote for my "group" Those Two Annoying Guys (me and my friend Kyle). But I also had a serious side to my writing as well. This is one I wrote back in 1998, Land of Dreams. The recording was done in December 2009. I played around with the audio using GarageBand and came out with this video.

As you probably know if you're familiar with my bio or my research, I speak Slovak and was, once upon a time, fluent. I decided to create a singable translation of the song in Slovak and recorded that version as well. It's a tricky thing to translate for meaning, it's a harder thing to make a singable translation. It has to make sense and rhyme. So, here's the Slovak version, Zem Snov.

Please watch, like and share these videos and don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel.

In 2015, during my 10th year of teaching choir at Germantown High School, I was preparing to take my choirs to New York City to sing at Carnegie Hall under the baton of Dr. André Thomas. As with any trip of this scale, it took tremendous planning and fundraising, including a three-night Germantown’s Got Talent production. The students were getting super excited.

Part of the excursion was going to be a trip up the Empire State Building with chance to perform in an open area on the 80th Floor. I decided that I wanted to write something brand new for my choirs to perform for this special venue.
 
I wanted something that sort of said “America” without being overly patriotic, so I started thinking of folk songs. I couldn’t find one that really fit what I had in mind, so I decided to write my own. I know, I know…can it really be a true ‘folk song’ if I’m writing it in 2015? Probably not, but I feel that it is written as if people today were to start singing songs the way that our ancestors did. I think people would want to look back at the past.

That's what this song is. It's a song looking back at the songs of yesteryear. It's written in the style of Mack Wilberg's Bile Them Cabbage Down and Paul Busselberg's Skip to My Lou and other songs in that vein.

Written for SATB choir and piano, this was premiered in March 2015 by the GHS combined Chamber Choir and Honors Chorale on the 80th floor of the Empire State Building. It was more recently performed in May 2018 by the University of Washington Chorale under the direction of Dr. Giselle Wyers with Sereena Chin at the piano.

Sheet music is available at CadenzaOne.com.

I know, this is the third "slow song" in a row that I've posted about. The next one I post about will be more up tempo, I promise. ;)

Today I've decided to talk about my first piece specifically written for middle school voices, Dream a Dream. This was a psuedo-commission, meaning that I sort of asked the commissioner to commission the piece. It went a little something like this...

When my daughter Annica was graduating from 8th grade at Appling Middle School in Bartlett, TN, the principal stood and read a poem written by a graduating 8th grader, Katelyn Clemmer.

Dream a dream today
And forget of yesterdays.
Dream a dream you never let go
for God who knows.
Dream a dream that
keeps you alive
For it lies ahead of us
for something that strives.
Dream a dream like you
never did before.
Dream a dream that
opens many doors.
So allow God to turn you
into a dreamer today.
For through this he can
use you In a mighty way.
Dream a dream that will last a lifetime.
The ones that come from above
For God will plant these dreams
In our lives as a way to show his love.
Dream a dream today.

I listened to the poem and thought it was quite lovely and would set nicely for the Appling Middle School Honor Choir. I contacted the principal who helped me get permission from Katelyn to use the poem. I then contacted Nick Wammack, the director of choirs at AMS and approached him about writing a piece for his choir. He was very enthusiastic about the project and helped me with voice ranges and skill level of his group.

The result was this piece, Dream a Dream, premiered by the AMS Honor Choir, of which my son Steven was a part, on May 19, 2016 with Nick Wammack conducting with yours truly at the piano.

The piece is set for three-part mixed choir and piano. It is completely accessible for middle school choirs.

The sheet music by following this link to CadenzaOne.com.

I'm going old school today...in two ways. Firstly, The Itsy Bitsy Spider is a nursery rhyme (in case you weren't aware) from most of our childhoods (childrenhood?). Secondly, this is one of my early compositions, yet still one of my favorites.

When I was attending BYU in the very early 2000s, the BYU Singers were finishing up their landmark album of Eric Whitacre a cappella choral music (yes, I know this is the second post in a row mentioning Whitacre; it's an addiction). No, I was not in the BYU Singers (that's a conversation for a different day), but I was in Concert Choir which met directly after them. I would sit in the lobby of the Madsen Recital Hall with my friend Sarah eating lunch and listening the Singers do their thing. Suddenly, Eric Whitacre himself was there and wafted through the lobby. I was, as most singers of the time were, in awe and became much more aware of his music.

I began to ask myself if I could write something that sounded Whitacre-esque. This was a rather bold move on my part since I had zero composition training and had only done a couple choral arrangements at all. Nonetheless, I decided to put my hand to it and give it a shot. I didn't want to be so serious, though, so I chose a nursery rhyme as my text and proceeded to play around with it. The Itsy Bitsy Spider was the result. 

 The piece was finally premiered while I was at the University of Memphis. I showed the piece to my professor and mentor, Larry Edwards, and asked if I could conduct the Chamber Singers doing this piece. He said it sounded like it belonged in a set. I had a short piece that I wrote for a theory class based on a Shel Silverstein poem, A Selfish Child's Prayer that I added as the second piece in the set of Children Songs. Then, I wrote a brand new piece called Mary's Lamb and the premiered all three of them in the spring on 2004.

I have used the piece a couple times with other choirs since the premiere. Its for SATB div. choir, a cappella. It's appropriate for high school, community, or collegiate levels. I guess a church choir could use it, but you'd have get creative. :)

Sheet music is available at CadenzaOne.com.

For more information about how I really feel about Eric Whitacre (it's positive, if you're wondering), check out my previous blog post about Whitacre's Virtual Choir.

I have decided to put down in print my feelings about some of my compositions. You know, origins, poetry, premiere information, etc. My hope is to post something once to twice a week.

The first piece I'm going to write about is From the Ashes which I wrote at the end of 2017. I was in my second year of my doctoral program at the University of Washington and was feeling a little discouraged. I began to find inspiration in the image of the phoenix who dies by bursting into flame, but is then reborn from the ashes. I knew that I could emerge from my discouragement stronger than when I began.

I wrote the text thinking of the phoenix immediately after the burning as it's about to wake up into a new life.

I sleep.
Enfolded in peace.
The agony and pain Disappear:
The burning, the sorrow, the flame
Enfolded in peace.

I wake.
Entranced by life.
Remembering fire Inside;
Death before sleep, and now
Entranced by life.

I rise.
Enraptured by flight.
The strength within Burning.
Spreading my wings, I soar
Enraptured by flight.
https://www.poetrysoup.com/poem/from_the_ashes_952413

I began to set the music using the text as a guide. I moved from the simplicity of repeated open fifths during "I Sleep" moving forward to the eventual spreading of the wings and the flight of new life.

The music of this piece was influenced by the music of Giselle Wyers, Eric Whitacre, and Jake Runestad.

As I wrote the piece, I didn't have a choir lined up for a performance, but shortly after I started writing, Dr. Geoffrey Boers at the University of Washington said that he wanted to use student compositions in the spring concert, so I began to write with Chamber Singers in mind. When I was finished, I sent it to him and he gave me suggestions that would help shape and improve the piece. It was premiered in May 2018 by the UW Chamber Singers under the direction of Jennifer Rodgers, one of my DMA colleagues.

Written for SSAATTBB choir with piano, the sheet music is available at SheetMusicPlus.com and is appropriate for advanced high school and collegiate groups as well as community choirs.