Long, Long Ago

Once, Long Ago

Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus

Come, thou long-expected Jesus

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

Long Hast Thou Stood, O Church of God

Magnificat

This Magnificat was commissioned by Choir & Organ Magazine and St. Thomas Fifth Avenue, NYC, for the debut of their newly constructed Miller-Scott organ. The work sets the traditional Magnificat text with long, flowing lines, sensuous modulations, and rich, jazzy sonorities. Duration: 4:00 This Magnificat was commissioned by Choir & Organ Magazine and St. Thomas Fifth Avenue, NYC, for the debut of their newly constructed Miller-Scott organ. The work sets the traditional Magnificat text with long, flowing lines, sensuous modulations, and rich, jazzy sonorities. Duration: 4:00

In Spring

A short song cycle using a solo (unaccompanied) voice to vocalize the fanciful and magical poems of E. E. Cummings with glissandi, whistling, ghostly whispered notes and long melismas drawing out the sounds inside words, stretching them like taffy…all these types of extended techniques are added to beautifully sung lyrical phrases to capture the playfulness and variety of the season of Spring.

Sing On! Sing On! : A Guide to the Life-Long Enjoyment of the Voice for Singers and Teachers of the Vocal Art

The Mystery

Sara Teasdale’s poem, The Mystery, depicts deep lasting love - “Your eyes drink of me” and “We have long been lovers”. It also raises a question - “Can I ever know you / Or you know me?” Stephen Chatman’s expressive setting begins with a unison melody, supported by modulating harmonies in the piano accompaniment, and evolves toward four-part voices. The middle section, featuring rising vocal lines in imitative counterpoint, precedes a return to the initial melody. One of a set of six of Teasdale's love songs. Duration: 2:30

The Mystery

Sara Teasdale’s poem, The Mystery, depicts deep lasting love - “Your eyes drink of me” and “We have long been lovers”. It also raises a question - “Can I ever know you / Or you know me?” Stephen Chatman’s expressive setting begins with a unison melody, supported by modulating harmonies in the piano accompaniment, and evolves toward four-part voices. The middle section, featuring rising vocal lines in imitative counterpoint, precedes a return to the initial melody. One of a set of six of Teasdale's love songs. Duration: 2:30

Jazzonia : From Black Pierrot

From the large work Black Pierrot, Jazzonia (1923) describes the scene in a Harlem café of the 1920s in which “six long-headed jazzers play,” and beautiful girls dance. After a short introductory section, the music moves into a lively ragtime—complete with drum set—that forms the background for the remainder of the piece. Altogether, it is something of a poetic and musical glance at the era of the Harlem Renaissance in which so much African-American music, art, and poetry emerged as vital forces in the arts. Duration: 4:30

Be Thou My Vision: Homage to an Ancient Hymn

The beloved hymn Be Thou My Vision has long been part of our rich musical heritage of hymnody. The text is by St. Dallan Forgaill (6th Century Irish), and the tune is Slane (Traditional Irish) which was added somewhat later to the text. Each verse is set differently, giving variety and expressiveness to the text, which sometimes departs from the original. The composer's intent was an expansive paraphrase of the tune and text, and the result is one of the most rewarding settings of this hymn that you will encounter. Duration: 6:00