Tag: historical figures

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Dai-Shizen (Great Nature) (2014)

Flute and guitar. 10 1/2 mins.


Inspired by the woodblock prints and paintings of Japanese-American artist Chiura Obata. Commissioned by Alicia Mielke and Devin Ulibarri for the 9th Annual Boston GuitarFest 2014, “American Odyssey.” Continue reading “Dai-Shizen (Great Nature) (2014)”

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The Coming of Spring (2014)

Monodrama for tenor with flute/piccolo, oboe/English horn, clarinet/bass clarinet, horn, bassoon, and piano. Available for performance in piano-vocal reduction. 36 mins.

A dramatic work in one act with libretto by Nell Shaw Cohen based on the writings and paintings of Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967). Continue reading “The Coming of Spring (2014)”

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Crescent Meadow (2014)

SATB choir. 4 ½ mins.

Recording courtesy of SACRA/PROFANA.

A choral setting of text adapted from an essay by John Muir about Crescent Meadow in Sequoia National Park.

Perusal Score

View perusal score.

Performance score available for purchase. Please direct inquiries to Nell Shaw Cohen at nell@nellshawcohen.com.

NEW! Seeking repertoire for your choir or vocal ensemble? Check out my programming guide for choral directors.

TEXT

There lay the grassy,  flowery lawn,
three fourths of a mile long,
smoothly outspread,
basking in mellow autumn light.

Then up spring the mighty walls of verdure
three hundred feet high,
the brown fluted pillars so thick and tall and strong
they seem fit to uphold the sky.

And as I gazed, every color seemed to deepen and glow
while every tree seemed religious
and conscious of the presence of God, of God.

A free man revels in a scene like this and time goes by unmeasured.

Adapted by Nell Shaw Cohen from “Our National Parks” (1901) by John Muir.

Performance History
  • SACRA/PROFANA, Juan Carlos Acosta, conductor, St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, San Diego, CA, 4/20/24.
  • SACRA/PROFANA, Juan Carlos Acosta, conductor, Fallbrook Mission Theater, Fallbrook, CA, 3/27/22.
  • New Mexico Highlands University Concert Choir, André García-Nuthmann, conductor, New Mexico Highlands University, Ilfeld Auditorium, Las Vegas, NM, 4/23/17.

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Explore John Muir’s Yosemite (2014)

Multimedia installation for web browser & iPad app with photography, video, and digitally synthesized score.

This installation illustrates the writings of naturalist and conservationist John Muir through interactive photography and music, offering an engaging new interpretation of Muir’s vision of nature. Explore ten sites in Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks with Muir as your guide. View it for free: muirsyosemite.com Continue reading “Explore John Muir’s Yosemite (2014)”

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The Faraway Nearby: Georgia O’Keeffe and The New Mexico Landscape (2010)

Video with flute, clarinet, piano, violin, cello.  10 mins.

(The music in this work is also the first movement of Into nowhere).


Video and music inspired by the paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe. Filmed on location in New Mexico, with original animations and motion graphics. Over 19,000 views on YouTube. Continue reading “The Faraway Nearby: Georgia O’Keeffe and The New Mexico Landscape (2010)”