A delightful variety of classical compositions in this playlist!

Classical Inspiration

The Essence of Gravity

Publisher: Bill Holab Music: http://www.billholabmusic.com

Selected Choral Works

Eternal Reflections is a collaboration between Musica Sacra, one of America's greatest professional choirs, Music Director Kent Tritle, and award-winning composer Robert Paterson. This is the first album dedicated entirely to Paterson's choral music, and all works on the album are world-premiere recordings. This beautiful album was recorded at the world-famous Academy of Arts and Letters in New York City, and produced by multi-Grammy winning producer Adam Abeshouse.

RECENT QUOTES...

“Robert Paterson is among the modern day masters who is making sure that the world of choral music continues to expand... They overwhelmingly deserve to be a standard choice in the repertoire of choral ensembles because of their thoughtful and engaging scores... Overall, Eternal Reflections conveys the virtuosity of Robert Paterson and why he was awarded The Composer of the Year in 2012 from the Classical Recording Foundation. Musica Sacra, under the brilliant direction of Kent Tritle, sing these compositions with self-confidence and professionalism. Recommended.” — AXS.xom

“...brilliant... a handful of gold. Wonderful stuff that exists well away from the commercial zone.” — MidWestRecord.com

“The performers here are adept at the quicksilver mood changes of these pieces, and listeners intrigued by the notion of modern compositions for a very old form of ensemble will find the CD quite pleasurable.” — InfoDad.com

MORE INFORMATION...

The works on the album range from secular to sacred, from serious to lighthearted and even humorous.

Lux Aeterna, written specifically for Musica Sacra and Kent Tritle, is a setting of excerpts of  text from the Requiem Mass.

Eternal Reflections was originally commissioned by the Volti Choir of San Francisco and the winning work of the Cincinnati Camerata Composition Competition, and includes settings of texts by Czeslaw Milosz, Mary E. Frye and Paul Lawrence Dunbar.

The Essence of Gravity, also commissioned by Volti, is a set of four movements using onomotopeia words as texts. The movements are inspired by aspects of gravity,both physical and emotional, on subjects as diverse as war, love, the ocean and outer space.

A Dream within a Dream was commissioned by the Chamber Choir of Europe and is a setting of the text of the same name by Edgar Alan Poe.

Life is But A Dream: also commissioned by CCE, is based on Row, Row, Row Your Boat, and incorporates multiple translations of this famous round in different languages.

Suite from A New Eaarth (for orchestra, chorus and narrator) was written for the VYOA Choir during a Music Alive! New Music USA residency. This piece touches on environmental issues and global warming; text by Wendell Barry, James Joyce, Percy Bysshe Shelly and William Wordsworth.

Did You Hear? addresses the life of teens and the consequences of rumors and gossip, with an original text by David Cote.

Snow Day was commissioned by the Pelham Memorial High School Choir, and expresses the joy of having a day off from school; text by David Cote.

Eternal Reflections

Music: Chris Broom
Lyrics: Nick Broom
Arrangement: Patrick Jonsson
Mixing and Mastering: Stefano Galante
Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEM8zTZ3qrk

Dolce Vento (music by Chris Broom)

Duration: 7'
Instrumentation: mixed SATB choir
Commissioned by Musica Sacra, Kent Tritle, director and conductor
Publisher: Bill Holab Music: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/ensembles/satb/robert-paterson/500040+1823727
For more information: https://robertpaterson.com/lux-aeterna
View Score: https://issuu.com/robertpaterson/docs/paterson_lux_aeterna__vocal_score__

Lux Aeterna

Suite of choral movements from A New Eaarth for orchestra, chorus and narrator. This version for voice and piano
Duration (all movements): 14'
Text by James Joyce

Publisher: Bill Holab Music: http://www.billholabmusic.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=103_137&products_id=1837
For more information: http://robertpaterson.com/a-new-eaarth

PROGRAM NOTE
Although I have lived in cities most of my life, I do not think of myself as a city person and have always felt more connected to the outdoors rather than to asphalt and tall buildings. Many of my works are inspired by nature, and I am deeply concerned about environmental issues, particularly climate change.

Of the many excellent books on the environment, one of the best and the one that moves me most is Eaarth by Bill McKibben, a famed author, educator and environmentalist. McKibben’s assertion is that we have waited too long, and that massive climate change is not only unavoidable, but already underway. He states that we may as well call this new planet Eaarth, because it is still recognizable, but fundamentally different. I feel strongly that he is correct, and wanted to express this in a musical way. A work for orchestra, chorus and narrator seemed like the ideal vehicle for reflecting on this critical issue.

Choral Suite from A New Eaarth consists of the four choral movements from A New Eaarth for orchestra, but with piano rather than orchestra. I designed these movements so they could be performed as a stand-alone suite, and in fact, for the purpose of rehearsals, I composed the choir and piano versions first, and then orchestrated them so they could be integrated into the whole orchestral work.

The suite includes texts by Wendell Berry, James Joyce, Percy Bysshe Shelley and William Wordsworth. The poems, at least as part of the entire orchestral version, allude to the four ancient classical elements—earth, air, fire and water—a theme that permeates many of my other works.

A New Eaarth was commissioned by the Vermont Youth Orchestra Association through a Music Alive! residency grant from New Music USA and the League of American Orchestras.

Choral Suite from A New Eaarth - I. Rough Wind (Percy Bysshe Shelley)

Suite of choral movements from A New Eaarth for orchestra, chorus and narrator.

Publisher: Bill Holab Music
For more information: http://robertpaterson.com/a-new-eaarth

Choral Suite from A New Eaarth - II. The Noise of Waters (James Joyce)

Suite of choral movements from A New Eaarth for orchestra, chorus and narrator. This version for chorus and piano.

Publisher: Bill Holab Music:
http://www.billholabmusic.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=103_137&products_id=1837

View Score:
https://issuu.com/robertpaterson/docs/paterson_choral_suite_from_a_new_ea

For more information:
https://robertpaterson.com/choral-suite-from-a-new-eaarthh
http://robertpaterson.com/a-new-eaarth

PROGRAM NOTE
Although I have lived in cities most of my life, I do not think of myself as a city person and have always felt more connected to the outdoors rather than to asphalt and tall buildings. Many of my works are inspired by nature, and I am deeply concerned about environmental issues, particularly climate change.

Of the many excellent books on the environment, one of the best and the one that moves me most is Eaarth by Bill McKibben, a famed author, educator and environmentalist. McKibben’s assertion is that we have waited too long, and that massive climate change is not only unavoidable, but already underway. He states that we may as well call this new planet Eaarth, because it is still recognizable, but fundamentally different. I feel strongly that he is correct, and wanted to express this in a musical way. A work for orchestra, chorus and narrator seemed like the ideal vehicle for reflecting on this critical issue.

Choral Suite from A New Eaarth consists of the four choral movements from A New Eaarth for orchestra, but with piano rather than orchestra. I designed these movements so they could be performed as a stand-alone suite, and in fact, for the purpose of rehearsals, I composed the choir and piano versions first, and then orchestrated them so they could be integrated into the whole orchestral work.

The suite includes texts by Wendell Berry, James Joyce, Percy Bysshe Shelley and William Wordsworth. The poems, at least as part of the entire orchestral version, allude to the four ancient classical elements—earth, air, fire and water—a theme that permeates many of my other works.

A New Eaarth was commissioned by the Vermont Youth Orchestra Association through a Music Alive! residency grant from New Music USA and the League of American Orchestras.

Choral Suite from A New Eaarth - III. A Timbered Choir (Wendell Berry)

Choral Suite from A New Eaarth - IV. There Was A Time (William Wordsworth)

Our duet with the wonderful Canadian soprano Alessandra Paonessa
Music : Chris Broom
Words : Nick Broom and Stefano Galante
Arrangement : Clarissa Farran
Mixing and Mastering: Stefano Galante

In Perfetta Armonia (the duet with Alessandra Paonessa, music by Chris Broom)

I am no classical guitar player.
I could however play in the subway,
just because this piece is so much fun to play...
(It's far from flawless.)

More (and better) classical guitar on Soundcloud: 
Derek Cornett, Jens Felger, Stan Leonard, Guy Trepanier and Frank Hiemenz!

Si ela perguntar (by Dilermando Reis 1916-1977)

A Dream Within A Dream - for Mixed A Cappella SATB Choir
Duration: 7'
Commissioned by the Chamber Choir of Europe, Nicol Matt, director
Publisher: Bill Holab Music: http://www.billholabmusic.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=998
For More Information: https://robertpaterson.com/a-dream-within-a-dream

PROGRAM NOTES

The text for A Dream Within A Dream is derived from the Edgar Allan Poe poem of the same name. Poe wrote this poem when he was eighteen, and it was first published in 1849, the year he died. The poem may be viewed as a reflection on Poe’s feelings about his life at the time, and dramatizes his confusion in watching the important people in his life slip away, like grains of sand. Realizing he cannot hold onto even one grain of sand leads to his final question: "Is all that we see or seem, But a dream within a dream?"

A Dream Within a Dream was commissioned by Festival Europäische Kirchenmusik for Nicol Matt and the Chamber Choir of Europe.

Buy on Amazon

A Dream Within A Dream

Braids for violin and marimba (six-mallets)
Duration: 8'
Performers: Victoria Paterson, violin; Robert Paterson, marimba

Publisher: Bill Holab Music: http://www.billholabmusic.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=103_137&products_id=976

PROGRAM NOTES
An experience that fascinates me is watching my wife Victoria braid her hair. Braids draws its inspiration from watching her create elegant, masterful braids, with names such as French Twist, Back Twist, Flip Through, Victorian Twist, Rolled Braid, French Braid, Rope and Herringbone. The names of these various braids inspired me to invent interesting musical analogues and ultimately to create this piece.

The book I consulted while writing this piece is Hair: A Book of Braiding and Styles by Anne Akers Johnson.

Six Mallet Marimba

Braids (Violin and Marimba)

Eternal Reflections for mixed a cappella choir. Duration ca. 14'. Mvt. III. Do not stand at my grave and weep, text by Mary E. Frye. Text in the public domain.
Publisher: Bill Holab Music: http://www.billholabmusic.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=103_137&products_id=901
For More Information: https://robertpaterson.com/eternal-reflections

PROGRAM NOTE (LONG VERSION)

Eternal Reflections consistsof settings of the poems A Song on the End of the World by Czeslaw Milosz, Life’s Tragedy by Paul Laurence Dunbar and Do not stand at my grave and weep by Mary E. Frye.

Milosz is a Nobel Prize-winning, Lithuanian and Polish-American poet, prose writer and translator, and is widely considered one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century. After spending most of World War II in Nazi-occupied Warsaw working for underground presses, he emegrated to America and taught at the University of California at Berkeley for more than twenty years. I chose this poem partly because I knew this work would be premiered in Berkeley, where he lived for many years.

Paul Laurence Dunbar is America’s first prominent African-American poet and was a child of ex-slaves. Although he died at the relatively young age of 33, he produced a large body of work, including this poem and the lyrics for In Dahomey (1903), the first musical written and performed entirely by African-Americans to appear on Broadway. He was friends with many prominent figures of his day, including Wilbur and Orville Wright, Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington, and toward the end of his life he was honored with a ceremonial sword by President Theodore Roosevelt.

Mary E. Frye was a housewife and florist who became well-known because of her poem. According to an article in the London Times, “Frye had never written any poetry before 1932, when she and her husband had a young German Jewish girl, Margaret Schwarzkopf, staying with them. According to Frye, their guest had been concerned about her mother, who was ill in Germany, but she had been warned not to return home because of increasing anti-Semitic unrest. When her mother died, the heartbroken young woman told Frye that she never had the chance to ‘stand by my mother’s grave and shed a tear”.” Although many versions of this uncopyrighted poem exist, the version used in this setting is the one Frye claimed as definitive before she died.

Although the three poems are related thematically, there are a few other details that link them together. They are all by poets who lived in America, and both Dunbar and Frye were born in Dayton, Ohio. The poems by both Milosz and Frye are profoundly influenced by the trajedies of World War II, and both Milosz and Frye passed away in 2004. Finally, all three poems use musical and aural metaphors, which are particularly useful when setting poems for a choir. These movements may be performed individually or together as a three-movement work.

Eternal Reflections - I. A Song on The End of the World

Eternal Reflections for mixed a cappella choir
Duration ca. 14'
Mvt. III. Do not stand at my grave and weep, text by Mary E. Frye. Text in the public domain.
Publisher: Bill Holab Music: http://www.billholabmusic.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=103_137&products_id=901
For More Information: https://robertpaterson.com/eternal-reflections

PROGRAM NOTE (LONG VERSION)
Eternal Reflections consists of settings of the poems A Song on the End of the World by Czeslaw Milosz, Life’s Tragedy by Paul Laurence Dunbar and Do not stand at my grave and weep by Mary E. Frye.

Milosz is a Nobel Prize-winning, Lithuanian and Polish-American poet, prose writer and translator, and is widely considered one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century. After spending most of World War II in Nazi-occupied Warsaw working for underground presses, he emigrated to America and taught at the University of California at Berkeley for more than twenty years. I chose this poem partly because I knew this work would be premiered in Berkeley, where he lived for many years.

Paul Laurence Dunbar is America’s first prominent African-American poet and was a child of ex-slaves. Although he died at the relatively young age of 33, he produced a large body of work, including this poem and the lyrics for In Dahomey (1903), the first musical written and performed entirely by African-Americans to appear on Broadway. He was friends with many prominent figures of his day, including Wilbur and Orville Wright, Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington, and toward the end of his life he was honored with a ceremonial sword by President Theodore Roosevelt.

Mary E. Frye was a housewife and florist who became well-known because of her poem. According to an article in the London Times, “Frye had never written any poetry before 1932, when she and her husband had a young German Jewish girl, Margaret Schwarzkopf, staying with them. According to Frye, their guest had been concerned about her mother, who was ill in Germany, but she had been warned not to return home because of increasing anti-Semitic unrest. When her mother died, the heartbroken young woman told Frye that she never had the chance to ‘stand by my mother’s grave and shed a tear”.” Although many versions of this un-copyrighted poem exist, the version used in this setting is the one Frye claimed as definitive before she died.

Although the three poems are related thematically, there are a few other details that link them together. They are all by poets who lived in America, and both Dunbar and Frye were born in Dayton, Ohio. The poems by both Milosz and Frye are profoundly influenced by the tragedies of World War II, and both Milosz and Frye passed away in 2004. Finally, all three poems use musical and aural metaphors, which are particularly useful when setting poems for a choir. These movements may be performed individually or together as a three-movement work.

Eternal Reflections - II. Life's Tragedy

Eternal Reflections - III. Do not stand at my grave and weep

Life is But a Dream for SATB Choir
Duration: ca. 5'
Publisher: Bill Holab Music: http://www.billholabmusic.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=999
For More Information: https://robertpaterson.com/life-is-but-a-dream

PROGRAM NOTES
The text and initial melody for Life is But a Dream is derived from the English nursery rhyme Row, Row, Row Your Boat, a popular round sung by children all over the world. While working on this piece, I discovered that there quite a few variations—most of them humorous—as well as versions in various languages.

In Life is But a Dream, I use the English text in its entirety and also words and phrases from the German, French, Latin and Italian versions. Throughout the piece I superimpose different words and phrases, creating a kind of flowing, quilt-like dreamscape.

Life is But a Dream

The Essence of Gravity - for Mixed SATB Choir
Duration: 18’
Commissioned by Robert Geary and the Volti choir of San Francisco
Publisher: Bill Holab Music: http://www.billholabmusic.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=103_137&products_id=902
For More Information: https://robertpaterson.com/the-essence-of-gravity

PROGRAM NOTE
In The Essence of Gravity, I use a few key words, phrases and phonetic sounds rather than an elaborate text. Since there are so few words, I designed the text myself, and it is made up almost entirely of onomatopoeia words. The word ‘gravity’ in the title not only refers to the force of attraction by which objects tend to fall toward the center of the Earth, but also to a sense of seriousness. Each movement reflects one or both of these definitions.

The first movement, Echoes of War, contains words and phrases that make me think of war. A type of weapon called a “gravity bomb” also inspired me. This weapon is delivered by aircraft and does not contain a guidance system; it follows a ballistic trajectory. Until the later half of World War II this described all aircraft bombs, and the vast majority until the late 1980s.

The second movement is entitled Love and Kisses. Although love is an undeniably heavy subject, this movement is intended to be much more playful than serious. Perhaps it is more about the emotional pull that people have on each other.

Before I composed the third movement, Infinite Oceans, I walked along San Francisco’s Baker Beach and Lands End. Although I’ve been to the ocean many times, I am always struck by the seemingly infinite-sounding tides and lonely-sounding foghorns I often hear in the distance. This movement is inspired by the gravitational pull of the moon, the primary force responsible for the ocean’s tides. This movement also alludes to the stories of the mythological Greek Sirens that lured sailors to their deaths with their beautiful singing.

Although many people might not think of machines as evoking a sense of gravity, they seem important in ways that may not be readily apparent. Without machines such as the Space Shuttle, we would not be able to explore outer space. For better or worse, they are integral to our modern way of life. In this sense, the fourth movement, Machines, pays homage to the machines that enrich our lives by allowing us to defy gravity.

The Essence of Gravity - I. Echoes of War

The Essence of Gravity - for Mixed SATB Choir
Duration: 18’
Commissioned by Robert Geary and the Volti choir of San Francisco

Publisher: Bill Holab Music: http://www.billholabmusic.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=103_137&products_id=902

PROGRAM NOTE

In The Essence of Gravity, I use a few key words, phrases and phonetic sounds rather than an elaborate text. Since there are so few words, I designed the text myself, and it is made up almost entirely of onomatopoeia words. The word ‘gravity’ in the title not only refers to the force of attraction by which objects tend to fall toward the center of the Earth, but also to a sense of seriousness. Each movement reflects one or both of these definitions.

The first movement, Echoes of War, contains words and phrases that make me think of war. A type of weapon called a “gravity bomb” also inspired me. This weapon is delivered by aircraft and does not contain a guidance system; it follows a ballistic trajectory. Until the later half of World War II this described all aircraft bombs, and the vast majority until the late 1980s.

The second movement is entitled Love and Kisses. Although love is an undeniably heavy subject, this movement is intended to be much more playful than serious. Perhaps it is more about the emotional pull that people have on each other.

Before I composed the third movement, Infinite Oceans, I walked along San Francisco’s Baker Beach and Lands End. Although I’ve been to the ocean many times, I am always struck by the seemingly infinite-sounding tides and lonely-sounding foghorns I often hear in the distance. This movement is inspired by the gravitational pull of the moon, the primary force responsible for the ocean’s tides. This movement also alludes to the stories of the mythological Greek Sirens that lured sailors to their deaths with their beautiful singing.

Although many people might not think of machines as evoking a sense of gravity, they seem important in ways that may not be readily apparent. Without machines such as the Space Shuttle, we would not be able to explore outer space. For better or worse, they are integral to our modern way of life. In this sense, the fourth movement, Machines, pays homage to the machines that enrich our lives by allowing us to defy gravity.

The Essence of Gravity - II. Love and Kisses

The Essence of Gravity - III. Infinite Oceans

The Essence of Gravity - IV. Machines

The Essence of Gravity - Premiere Speech

American composer Robert Paterson is a true New Yorker—born and bred in Buffalo, he lived in Rochester and Ithaca for over ten years, in New York City for over twenty years, and now lives in Saratoga Springs, near the Adirondacks. Paterson’s colorful music embraces a wide variety of themes, everything from goddesses and online dating to mathematics and the environment. His music is filled with emotion and fierce rhythmic energy, marked by elegance, wit, and meticulous craftsmanship. Named Composer of The Year by the Classical Recording Foundation at Carnegie Hall, Paterson is the winner of the Alfred I. DuPont Award, and his opera Three Way won the Grammy® under Best Classical Producer of the Year. His music is often a Best of the Year pick on National Public Radio. His orchestral tone poem, Dark Mountains, regularly airs on NPR’s Performance Today. Three Way premiered with Nashville Opera, then BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), and across the United States. Minnesota Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, The Oratorio Society of New York, Buffalo Philharmonic, Albany Pro Musica, Albany Symphony, Musica Sacra, Austin Symphony, Vermont Symphony, and ensembles worldwide perform his works. Paterson gives masterclasses at the Curtis Institute of Music, New York University, the Aspen Music Festival, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and more. He is the Artistic Director and house composer for Mostly Modern Projects. Robert is a lifelong vegan and advocates for animals and the environment, celebrating the natural world with ground-breaking works such as his Triple Concerto, A New Eaarth, Listen, and I Go Among Trees.

The Essence of Gravity - III. Infinite Oceans

Robert Paterson Composer