Compositions

Solo Songs (46 total). Selections:

  1. Waves and vulture, 1973
    mezzo, piano with text by Peter Black
    The first Drake's Bay song: the through-composed
    vocal line hovers over the repeating waves of the piano


  2. Light in darkness, 1976
    mezzo, piano with text by Brother Giovanni
    A winter song, the encouraging
    text written in 1513


  3. Photosynthesis, 1977
    mezzo, piano with text by Peter Black
    On the capacity of light to bring back life


  4. Children of light, 1977
    mezzo, piano with text by White Eagle
    Brilliant piano writing


  5. The Oversoul, 1978
    mezzo, piano with text by Emmerson
    Third-related tonalities portraying
    a transcendental text


  6. Fire and ice, 1982
    mezzo, piano with text by Robert Frost

  7. Psalm 139, 1982
    mezzo, piano with text taken from the Bible
    Our most performed sacred song: brief but powerful


  8. River of Spirit(Groundwater) , 1984
    mezzo, piano with text by Yogananda
    A Brucknerian adagio


  9. Night, 1984
    mezzo, piano with text by Jeffers
    A large-scale setting [7'30"] of Jeffers' massive poem
    On night as the immortal feminine


  10. Ich lebe mein Leben, 1986
    mezzo, piano with text by Rilke/Bly
    Done first in German, then English: "I don't know if I
    am a falcon, a storm or a great song."


  11. Sonnet to Orpheus IV, 1986
    mezzo, piano with text by Rilke
    A Gentle entry into Rilke's unique mythology


  12. The valley spirit, 1988
    mezzo, piano with text from the Tao Te Ching


  13. Rivers, 1991
    mezzo, piano with text by Muir
    A bracing plunge into John Muir's mountain streams.


  14. Drake's Bay, 1993
    mezzo, piano with text by Gilliam
    The local Point Reyes seashore's powerful undertow


  15. Bishop Pine, 1996
    mezzo, piano with text by Peattie
    A naturalist's finely wrought description demands
    strong sounds.


  16. The music in the rain, 1998
    mezzo, piano with text by Lenora Black
    Feelings about living with a composer


  17. Ravens, 1999
    mezzo, piano with text by Peter Black
    An accompanied version of a piece
    that was originally a round: "You shadow my flight
    twin of my soul . . ."


  18. A garment of brightness, 1999
    mezzo, piano with text by Tewa Indian
    originally a round. ". . .May the border be the Standing rainbow."


  19. Become like children, 2000
    mezzo, piano with text taken from the Bible
    "Unless you become like children, you will not Enter the kingdom of heaven."


  20. Sapphic Invocations, 2000
    mezzo, piano with text by Sappho
    I. To the muses, II. To those who came before
    III.. To her lyre IV. To Aphrodite. A short cycle.


  21. Answers
    mezzo, piano with text taken from the Bible, 2001
    ". . .to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."
  22. Songs of Marin
    for voice and piano

    i.
       Shady Lane
          Four seasons on the road between San Anselmo and Ross.
    ii.   Rain in Ross Valley
         From first drops to flood, and finally rainbow.
    iii.  Chain of Lakes
         Following the course of Lagunitas Creek from the source, through the water district      lakes.
    iv.  Fog over Four Corners
         Portraying the growing river of fog spilling over the ridge above Mill Valley.
    v.  The Greenleaf and the Straw
        The foothills behind the cities.
    vi.  Around Tamalpais
        The changing aspect of the great mountain seen from the north, east and south.
    vii. From Greenbrae to Inverness
         Urban, pastoral and wilderness Marin.

Vocal Duets (9 total). Selections:

  1. For we are stars, 1976
    soprano, alto, piano with text by Passamaquoddy
    ". . .Our voice is a light."


  2. The Lord is gracious, 1999
    soprano, alto, piano with text from Psalm 103


  3. The two sons, 2001
    Soprano, alto, organ with text taken from the Bible


  4. The mustard seed, 2001
    Soprano, alto, organ with text taken from the Bible


  5. Answers
    Sporano, alto, piano with text taken from the bible
    "Ask and it will be given to you."

Solo Songs with various instruments (5 total). Selections:

  1. Rosetta's Song
    alto, viola, cellowith text by Buchner

  2. Wind in the willows
    Childrens' choir, bsn, pft.


  3. Lines and Squares
    Mezzo, bassoon, piano, with text by A.A. Milne

Rounds, canons, and part songs, a capella (30 total). Selections:

  1. The snow is melting on Vogelsang Peak, 3 voice canon


  2. Laughter is like the leaping deer, 4 voice round


  3. Quiet, 2 voice canon


  4. Sunset, 4 voice round


  5. Sundown, 4 voice round


  6. Dammit, these shoes, 3 voice round


  7. Ant, mole, bear, 3 voice round


  8. Through clouds and rain, 3 voice round


  9. The earth and myself (Nez Perce), 4 voice with rattle


  10. Waves and vulture (original version), mezzo, 2 basses


  11. Prominences, SATB part song


  12. Where wind and wing, mezzo, 2 basses


  13. Ravens, 4 voice round


  14. Climb the mountains (Muir), 4 voice round


  15. Coffee, 2 voice round


  16. Going Out (Muir), 4 voice round


  17. The oak, the bay and the buckeye, soprano, mezzo and bass


  18. Orion the Hunter, SATB a capella
    A choral picture of the shape and mythology of the winter constellation.


  19. Blade of Grass, SATB, piano


Choral works (15 total). Selections:

  1. David penitent, 1970
    SATB a capella with text from the Bible


  2. Thorugh clouds and rain, 1980
    SATB, organ with text by Peter Black


  3. Do unto others, 1985
    SATB, organ with text from the Bible
    A. Introit, B. anthem


  4. The Levite and the Samaritan, 1987
    SATB, organ, piano with mezzo & bariton solos
    Text by Martin Luther King Jr.


  5. Out of the depths, 1987
    SATBB, organ introit and text from Psalm 130


  6. Constant love, 1987
    SATB, organ anthem and text from Psalm 103


  7. In beauty I walk, 1987
    SATB, string orchestra - Navajo text


  8. Our Light is a Voice, 2002
    sacred music for women’s voices and piano or organ

    Published by Intrada

Chamber ensembles (8 total). Selections:

  1. Scherzo, 1971
    2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 2 horns


  2. Waterfall organum, 1986
    2 clarinets, basson


  3. Passacaglia and fugue, 1987
    2 pianos

Organ (18 total). Selections:

  1. Fughetta on Herzlich lieb' hab' ich dich, 1967


  2. Chorale partita on Herzlich thut mich verlangen, 1967
    1. c.f. in soprano, adagio
    2. trio, c.f. in soprano
    3. trio, manualiter
    4. canon at the fourth, allegro
    5. canon at the fourth, in augmentation
    6. c.f. in pedal in inversion, in sop. in diminution


  3. Antiphon, concert piece, 1973


  4. Chorale prelude on Vater unser in Himmelreich, 1977

Arrangements (16 total). Selections:

  1. British Isles Folksong Book, 1969
    13 songs, voice and piano


  2. Heiligste Nacht, 1970
    Tyrolian carol SSA, piano 4 hand


  3. Mi Y' malel- Who can retell, 1970
    Chanukah song


  4. Soon I will be done, 1972
    Gospel song, voice, piano


  5. Six Sephardic Songs, 1984
    voice, piano
    1. La rosa enflorece
    2. Adio
    3. Irme quiero, la mi madre
    4. Ja viene el cativo
    5. Jo m'enamori d'un aire
    6. Una matica de rude

Solo voice and orchestra (5 total). Selections:

  1. Vision Fire, 1995
    2 fl, pcc., 2 cl., 2 bsn., 2 hn., timp, perc, string. A nine minute setting of the history of a devastating forest fire in the Point Reyes National Seashore.


  2. Salmon Run, 2000
    mezzo, 2 fl, picc, 2 ob, 2 cl, 2 bsn, 2 hn, 2 tpt, 3 trb, tuba, timp, perc, strings. On the life cycle of the silver salmon in their breeding streams in Muir Woods, CA.


  3. The sweet power, 1998
    From Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice on the power of music to transform people, beasts and nature
Listen to sample recordings featuring music by Georges Bizet, Johannes Brahms, Giuseppi Verdi, Richard Wagner, Richard Rogers and Peter Black.

Just Released!

As Watchmen for the Morning

This is a second volume of choral music by Peter Black published by Intrada.

Our Light is a Voice

sacred music for women’s voices and piano or organ.

The demand for choral music for female choirs keeps growing. We are therefore very pleased to publish this work by the American composer and conductor Peter Black. For more information, visit the INTRADA website.

 

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