Joseph McConaughy's Album

My Song 64

My Song 65

My Song 71

My Song 83

Woodland St 5 (unfinished)

New Recording 12

Psalm 49 29Mar2025 USE Latest to BB + 1 change

Written as an Anthem for Ascension. Text is Psalm 47. Suitable for concert piece. 

Verses are based on the chittaswara of Raghuvamsha Sudha, a popular kriti (composition) in Carnatic (South Indian classical) music, composed by Patnam Subramania Iyer, set in the raga Kathanakuthuhalam. The ascending scale of this raga is: Do Re Fa La Ti Mi So Ďo, or in Indian parlance, Sa Ri Ma Dha Ni Ga Pa Ša (You can hear the India kriti sung by M.S. Subbulakshmi on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wumtcpJsZWw  . The aforementioned chittaswara, which inspired the melody for the verses of the anthem, can be heard at 1:23 and again at three different tempos at 3:00 on that recording.) I first heard this kriti played by Mokkapati S. Nageswara Rao on vina. The first Indian singer I ever heard was M.S. Subbulakshmi, one of the most famous, in 1965 at Wesleyan University. 

This is a revision of my 2016 piece. Finale simulated voices. Two woodblocks. The score calls for clapping, but in this version other percussion instruments are used. Contact me for sheet music.

Psalm 47 Clap your Hands rev 4JApr2025

I write choral and solo settings of psalm texts, church service music, descants and hymn reharmonizations.  Background in classical choral music, Episcopal (Anglican) tradition, and South Indian classical music. St. Albans School, Wesleyan University. Psalms posted here include: 4, 6, 15, 18, 19, 22, 23, 25, 34, 36, 39, 47, 48, 49, 51, 54, 66, 72, 91, 100, 115, 130, 146, 148. Some were commissioned. At least half have been performed. Most of the uploaded compositions are Finale audio simulations but some are recordings of performances. Contact me for more information. I'm happy to share the sheet music with choir directors.

Psalm 49 29Mar2025 USE Latest to BB + 1 change

Jim McConaughy

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