Compositions

The sheet music for this piece available on my Patreon Account for a low, $2, easy to cancel, monthly membership, I provide one to two new organ pieces each month.

Or buy separately at PayHip.

How Can I Keep from Singing?

Organ Prelude or Postlude, this is one of my favorite hymn tunes. It is a Quaker Hymn attributed to Robert Lowry, and expresses such deep hope and optimism, needed for the times in which we live.

The registration given on the sheet music is what I use on my organ when playing this for postlude. But I've also played this for prelude using quieter registration.

I've been playing around with some short pieces by French composers and love the sound of the melody in octaves in the soprano and tenor lines with an accompaniment in the alto and pedal lines. So there's a little of that in this piece, plus some fresh harmony for this tune.

The sheet music for this piece available on my Patreon Account for a low, $3, easy to cancel, monthly membership. At this second tier membership level, I provide one to two new organ pieces each month and one vocal/choir piece. Patreon members have permission to make as many copies as they need for their choir.

Or you can buy this individual piece for your entire choir for $15 on PayHip.

Mend Me

Mend Me (A Song of Healing) is a deeply personal prayer for myself. During the past several years of the pandemic paired with the increase in violence in our society and negativity we all have been facing, I have found it a challenge to respond to people with grace.

I found writing this piece very cathartic, and hope you find the same healing in it. Written for two part treble / lower voices choir, this piece also works well as a two-part mixed piece, two part lower voices, or two part treble as I am singing it in the video.

I do hope this prayer is meaningful for you as well, and that as you pray it, you will include me in your intentions. .

Sine Nomine (For All the Saints)

The hymn tune Sine Nomine was composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1906. So in the United States it is now public domain.

This alternative harmonization of this popular hymn tune broadens the tempo and puts mostly half notes in the pedals instead of the marching quarter notes of the original setting by Williams. It's an excellent choice for those who are beginners at playing the organ, or as a setting to use as I do--for verse five--From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast--as the tempo can be broadened, highlighting the text.

Lambillote (Come Holy Ghost)

This toccata draws inspiration from the many written by Johann Pachelbel. The A section dances around the melody of the hymn tune "Lambillotte" commonly known as "Come, Holy Ghost." The transition to B uses the pedal point technique commonly used by Pachelbel, as well as motifs that overlap and transfer from voice to voice. The transition leads to a section in the dominant minor which leads to a restatement of the main melody. After a lighter section in the dominant minor, the main theme is restated in bold chords, followed by a flashy ending.

This piece is great for those who are pianist turned organists as the pedal part is easy to learn. This piece was written to be used on the Feast of Pentecost.

Psalm 145: How Good is the Lord to All

This psalm setting is perfect for weddings!

During the pandemic of 2020, after I got over my initial depression over it all, I began going through all my books of medieval music. I wrote a series of pieces for an imaginary Renaissance Fair wedding--not that I've ever seen a pipe organ there--and this psalm is part of that series.

Beauty in simplicity, but with interesting harmonic changes, your organist and singer will find this easy to learn.

Mary, Joseph, Pray for Us

Every once in a while I meet a bride with a unique and deeper perspective on planning her wedding. I was deeply touched when I had a bride ask that instead of the Ave Maria and asking intercession from Mary, she wanted to include St. Joseph as well. After quite a bit of searching, I determined that there really was not a suitable song that asked for St. Joseph's intercession, so I wrote this one for her wedding.

I love the simplicity and gentleness of it, and wish I had the opportunity to sing it more often.