The refrain ("Gloria...") of this carol may have originated in the medieval period or before, possibly as monophonic chant. The verse, is an ancient secular tune from France. Armed with this information, I decided to use the mixolydian mode for my setting to give it a more archaic feel. Reasons for using 7/8 meter was two-fold: first, I harbor an affinity for numerological symbolism and the number seven is highly symbolic in the bible; second, complex meters such as 7/8 are commonplace in middle eastern cultures which is where our story takes place.

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Recording by The Singers: Minnesota Choral Artists, Matthew Culloton, cond.:

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The process of composing As If a Phantom Caress’d Me began not with the text, but with a musical idea. While experimenting at the piano, I found that the D-phrygian scale had a particularly haunting quality to it. I wrote a theme that would work in inversion and retrograde as well as in canon. At that point, I began searching for a text that would complete my musical thoughts. The musical fragments I had composed seemed to 'click' immediately with this text, and the text dictating how the musical ideas would be expounded upon. There are three musical ideas that I “play with” throughout the piece. They appear in different guises, including augmentation, retrograde, retrograde inversion, and intervallic expansion. Despite this highly structured approach to the work's assembly, the overall affect might be best described as "haunting." In fact, choirs may wish to experiment with a slightly breathier choral tone from time to time. Though the word “Phantom” plays a prominent role in this poem, I see the phantom as more of a metaphor for inner fears, insecurity and loneliness, which I tried to bring out in the music.

For additional information (including performance considerations and premiere information), click here.

The first movement of this trilogy is That Music Always 'Round Me. The third movement has not yet been written.

Recording by the Augustana Choir, Jon Hurty, cond.:

A "festival introit" written on a text by St. Francis of Assisi. This piece is one of the most intricately constructed works I have ever composed. As if composing in the shadow of Brahms and Stravinsky, just about every note is derived from some other note.

I have many unpublished works. So, why did I choose to include this one here? Simple: it is too difficult to be published! But I'm proud of the piece and had a good recording of it. If you are interested in performing the piece, contact me, and I'll send you a score.

Recording by the Rochester Choral Arts Ensemble, Michael Culloton, cond.:

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This is an original carol that I composed in response to a commission I received from Matt Culloton. He asked me to write something simple and tuneful. William Blake's classic lullaby fit perfectly with this request.

Throughout the process, I had to resist the urge to "over compose:" I didn't want to write a piece that was too complicated for the text. The result is this simple carol tune cradled by sweet harmonies and watched over by a celestial obbigato.

Recording by the Hopkins High School Bel Canto:

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Desert Rose was constructed in part using a recurring motive (la-ti-do) that starts many of the lines of text. The motive is altered rhythmically to accommodate the different lines of text. Despite this and other constructive elements, I hope the listener’s focus will be the message of the text.  The overall effect might best be described as “mystical.”  The audience will hopefully have a sense that time has been suspended as they experience the telling of this story. The best ways to accomplish this are to (1) maintain legato throughout; (2) employ textual and syllabic stress; (3) observe the marked crescendi and decrescendi, especially between phrases so that one phrase “fades out” just as the next “fades in;” and (4) take care to carefully observe the staggered releases.  At the conductor's discretion, the piece may be sung with minimal vibrato in order to facilitate the beauty and tuning of the delicate sonorities.

If desired, Desert Rose may be performed with instruments subtly doubling the individual voice lines. Appropriate instruments would certainly include bowed strings, and might also include recorder (wooden), flute, oboe, clarinet, and/or french horn. No parts are available; if the conductor is interested in this option, s/he would need to generate the parts themselves, or have the players play their part directly from a vocal score. Instruments should only play colla parte. If soloists are used, their parts should not be doubled.

Listen to the promo recording here:

Click here to see other works in the Drew Collins Choral Collection.

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I used fugue, canon, augmentation and other devices to construct this arrangement of the popular Swedish folk tune, Domaredansen. The more fun the performers have with this one, the better it sounds. It's a folk song, so try not to overthink it. (Some choirs seem to get very cerebral about this arrangement, because they're focusing so much on the correct pronunciation of the Swedish.)

If desired, double the vocal parts with instruments such as bowed strings, recorder (wooden), flute, and/or oboe. No parts are available; if the conductor is interested in this option, s/he would need to generate the parts themselves, or have the players play their part directly from a vocal score. Instruments should only play colla parte.

This piece tends to stay in tune better when performed a semi-tone higher, in G-flat.

Click here to see other works in the Anton Armstrong Choral Series.

Recording by Wright State University Collegiate Chorale, Hank Dahlman, cond.:

“The King of Love” has been a popular hymn for many people around the world. This arrangement uses flute and harp to bring out both the celtic history of the tune, and the pastoral nature of the text.

Recording by Jenny Lind Singers of Augustana College, Drew Collins, cond., Janet Stodt, Flute:

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The entire first page is basically Hildegard's chant, with my metricization and an added drone. The rest of the piece is based on her chant, but I used augmentation, fugue/canon and numerological symbolism (look for a pervading number of instances of the number 3) to dress it up.

I'm honored that this piece has been performed by some very well regarded conductors and ensembles, including Lynne Gackle, Sigrid Johnson, and Iris Levine. It has been fun to hear different ideas about its use, including adding some light unpitched percussion, or using it as a processional.

Recording by Jenny Lind Singers of Augustana College, Drew Collins, cond.:

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This is the perfect ditty for a treble chorus full of drama queens! I turned a simple folk song into a mini-opera regaling the audience with the battle between two women over the same man. The choir gets involved, too, playing the role of the gossiping maidens.

N.B.: People often inquire about the last bass lick in the piano. Simple! After any kind of contest, children might sometimes stick out their tongues to the other team and goad them by singing, "Nyah-na-na-na-na na na!" (In games of tag, often followed by "You can't catch me!") In this case, it points out the pettiness of the soloists' competitiveness.

Listen to the promo recording here:

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A fun arrangement of a fun carol. I had fun with the meter, and tried to keep it interesting rhythmically and harmonically. I was very careful with the dynamics, trying to be sure the melody could be heard amidst the other voices.

I conceived the piece as an unaccompanied work, but thought that conductors would appreciate the option of an accompaniment. To make the publication as flexible as possible, I included one, even though my preference remains an unaccompanied performance. Please note that the accompaniment is playable on either piano or harp. If desired, double the vocal parts with instruments such as bowed strings, recorder (wooden), flute, and/or oboe. No parts are available; if the conductor is interested in this option, s/he would need to generate the parts themselves, or have the players play their part directly from a vocal score. Instruments should only play colla parte. I wrote a guitar part at one point. One could be improvised, using the piano/harp accompaniment as a guide. In this case, nylon strung guitar would be the best option.

Click here to see other works in the Matthew and Michael Culloton Choral Series.

Listen to the recording of The Singers: Minnesota Choral Artists (Matthew Culloton, cond.) here :

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My mom is a big fan of Tasha Tudor. One summer when visiting my parents, I came across a book of children's poetry illustrated by Tudor, and this poem was among them. As I read, this melody seemed to write itself. I harmonized it, scored it, and wrote down the piano part I had been improvising. It received a lot of performances when in manuscript form, until Walton Music offered to publish it.

Recorded by Jenny Lind Singers of Augustana College, Drew Collins, cond.:

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I wrote this as a "rainy day anthem" — a piece that could be learned very quickly on those Sunday mornings when some members of the choir stayed home without notice, leaving the conductor with a bare-bones complement.

Later, to "art it up" a bit, I added an optional descant by inverting the melody. In general, though, I kept it simple.

Of course, even with a full choir, there is a great deal of opportunity for expression, line and phrasing.

Click here to see a listing of other works in the Anthems for Smaller Choirs series selected by Drew Collins.

Listen to the promo recording here:

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