For those that suffer blasphemous indignities as they follow the Lord’s commands written in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 5, verses 38-40 and 44-46.

Arranged for string orchestra from the original piano score.

Arranged for string orchestra from the original piano scores.

2222 4331 timp., perc., strings

2222 4331 timpani, perc., strings

for piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 Bb clarinets, Bb bass clarinet, bassoon, 4 F horns, 3 C trumpets, 2 trombones, bass trombone, tuba, timpani, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, tam-tam, xylophone, glockenspiel, strings.

This piece was written for my former colleagues and myself. The work is dedicated to those of us who taught in the arts in the academy, especially in music, and were labelled “deadwood,” cut from the academic tree, and discarded.

This work is based on a single theme, but approached from two different perspectives.

This piece was commissioned by Trina Fink in honor of her father, T.W. Dean, whose choral arrangement I preserved and expanded in this orchestration.  The instrumentation is that of FBC Abilene, Texas.

This piece was commissioned by Trina Fink in honor of her father, T.W. Dean, whose choral arrangement I preserved and expanded in this orchestration.  The instrumentation is that of FBC Abilene, Texas.

This piece was commissioned by Trina Fink in honor of her father, T.W. Dean, whose choral arrangement I preserved and expanded in this orchestration.  The instrumentation is that of FBC Abilene, Texas.

This piece was commissioned by Trina Fink in honor of her father, T.W. Dean, whose choral arrangement I preserved and expanded in this orchestration.  The instrumentation is that of FBC Abilene, Texas.

This work was commissioned by Hardin-Simmons University for the inauguration of its president, Dr. Lanny Hall. It is tonally accessible and engagingly rhythmic with mixed-meter passages. It is a refrain-verse design and would work well in a liturgical setting. The saxophone parts are optional and were included in the original score because members of both the concert band and orchestra were part of the premiere performance.  The recording on this website is a NotePerformer realization.

This piece was begun in 1986 but not completed until 2009. It reflects my early compositional style which was quite tonal. The piece is a tone poem about my childhood experiences of going to the county fair. Its themes evoke images of my favorite animals, rides, games, and foods. It is dedicated to the Tulare County Fair (California). The piece was premiered by the Hardin-Simmons University Orchestra under the direction of Bernie Scherr.

This set began as a single-movement commission from Dr. Loyd Hawthorne, former director of the Hardin-Simmons University Concert Choir. A few years after The Gloria was premiered (the original title was “Today a Savior is Born”), Dr. Clell Wright, the new director of the same group commissioned a second, single-movement piece, The Annunciation. Following its premiere, I decided to complete the set on the biblical infancy narratives of Jesus. These pieces vividly evoke the Gospel scenes. There is a piano reduction of the orchestra part for conventional choral performances.

This piece was commissioned by Dr. David Andre, former conductor of the Tulare County Symphony. It was premiered in 2006. It is a homage to the great organ literature of the 18th century. The titles indicate the contrapuntal nature of the work and also suggest its tonal harmony.

This piece is dedicated to João Bettencourt da Câmara, a young Portuguese pianist of rising international fame. The piece is highly rhythmic and contrapuntal. The outer, fast movements are energetic and lyrical; but, the slow, second movement is somewhat dark and foreboding because it was inspired by the anguish I saw in the lives of our dear friends as they suffered a terrible and tragic loss.

This piece was premiered by the Hardin-Simmons University Orchestra under the direction of Bernie Scherr. It is dedicated to Peter Isaacson, former director of the HSU Orchestra.

Though completely based on octatonic scales, the listener will readily detect a number of jazz influences. I wrote this piece for “fun” and it awaits its premiere.

Based on the hymn tune of the same name from the Sacred Harp. This piece was premiered by the Hardin-Simmons University Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Peter Isaacson.

The text is based on a compilation of psalm verses that are organized into a single, new psalm. This piece was read by the University of Oregon Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Bernie Scherr.

The text adapted from the poem of the same name by Wilfred Owen.

The text is by Wilfred Owen. This piece was read by the University of Oregon Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Wayne Bennett. This piece was formerly known as “Death or Arms” with text from a different poet.

The ideal setting for the set is to be performed in a large church. The orchestra would be at the altar area and a choir would be at a distance, perhaps in the choir loft or in the transepts. The choir would sing the chant first and the orchestra would respond. Victimae Paschali Laudes, Ubi Caritas, and Veni Creator Spiritus have been performed, but the set as a whole awaits its premiere.

This piece is dedicated to my wife, Donna. The origional version was premiered by the UCLA Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Bernie Scherr. The revised version was premiered by the Abilene Collegiate Orchestra under the direction of Bernie Scherr.

This piece is one of my earliest that I include in my oeuvre. It is a tone poem that chronicles my grandfather’s journey from the Azores to America. The original version was premiered by the UCLA Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Bernie Scherr and was later performed by the Tulare County Symphony under the direction of Dr. David Andre. The revised version awaits its premiere.