MUSICAL WORKS BY JOHN-MICHAEL ALBERT
1. 1977: For the Time Being, by W. H. Auden; incidental music for actors, recorders, chorus, soloists, organ, percussion; commissioned by the director, Jimbo Mulkin.
2. 1977: “Our Father Whose Creative Will,” from W. H. Auden’s For the Time Being; for unaccompanied men’s chorus.
3. 1978: Magnificat and Nunc Dimitis; for unaccompanied mixed chorus.
4. 1978: “Noli Me Tangere,” from the Gospel of St. John; for unaccompanied mixed chorus
5. 1979: The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams; incidental music for piano; commissioned by the director.
6. 1979: “When Adam Was Created,” arrangement of an Appalachian folk song from the Cecil Sharpe collection; epithalamion for tenor and piano; for the wedding of Kathryn Cureton and Frank Larisey.
7. 1980: The Women, by Claire Boothe Luce; incidental music for piano and clarinet; commissioned by Marilyn Fisher.
8. 1982: “My Beloved Spake and Said,” setting of verses from the Song of Solomon; for the wedding of Jeff Douglas.
9. 1983: “Mystic Lullaby,” setting of the late English Renaissance, anonymous Christmas poem, “Holy Mary, Mother Mild;” for unaccompanied mixed chorus; for S. J. Vinecour.
10. 1985: Psalm 23 (St. Columbo); arrangement for unaccompanied men’s chorus; for the Montrose Singers.
11. 1986: “Behold! How Good,” setting of Psalm 133; for unaccompanied men’s chorus; for the Montrose Singers; published by Yelton Rhodes Music.
12. 1986: Hymn to Stonewall, setting of “Sun still rising tall”; for unaccompanied men’s chorus; for the Montrose Singers.
13. 1986: “Peace,” text by Henry Vaughan; for unaccompanied mixed chorus; for Barbara Hilton and the choir of First Unitarian Universalist Church, Houston TX; published by Yelton Rhodes Music.
14. 1987: Dennis Dunwoody, setting of “Standing There Immured,” from Les Nuits d’Ete (1978); for unaccompanied men’s chorus and tenor solo; published by Yelton Rhodes Music.
15. 1987: “Now Is the Season of Dark Brummal Rest,” on an original text; winter madrigal for unaccompanied mixed chorus; for Kathy Biehl, Ben Haddad, and ???; published by Yelton Rhodes Music.
16. 1988: “How Do You Like Your Music?” on an original text; pop song for soprano, tenor, and bass and piano; for Kathy Biehl and Frank Morales.
17. 1988: “The Best Kind of Music Is a Madrigal,” text by Thomas Morley; madrigal for unaccompanied mixed chorus; published by Yelton Rhodes Music.
18. 1988: “Winter,” on an original text; madrigal for unaccompanied mixed chorus; published by Yelton Rhodes Music.
19. 1989: Amara’s Dance; for guitar and tenor recorder; commissioned for Amara’s dedication at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston TX.
20. 1989: “My Heart Leaps Up,” text by William Wordsworth; for unaccompanied tenor and alto; for Kathy Biehl; published by Yelton Rhodes Music.
21. 1990: “A Season for Lovers,” on an original text; Holiday song for unaccompanied men’s chorus; winner GALA IV International Competiton; published by Yelton Rhodes Music.
22. 1991: “Survivors!” on an original text; for mixed chorus and Latin percussion ensemble; commissioned by the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco for their 15th Anniversary; published by Yelton Rhodes Music.
23. 1991: “The Magic Music Makes,” on an original text; for soprano and tenor and guitar; for Kathy Biehl on her birthday; 1992: arranged for unaccompanied women’s chorus for HeartSong; published by Yelton Rhodes Music.
24. 1992: Beauty Is Its Own Excuse, setting of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Rhodora”; for tenor and guitar.
25. 1992: “Chanukah Song,” on an original text; for unaccompanied men’s chorus; for Lawrence Jackson.
26. 1992: “Felipe’s Song,” on an original text; for tenor/alto recorder and guitar; for Julio Quiroz de la Rosa and his son, Felipe.
27. 1992: Jeff Cothran, text adapted from Tennyson’s “Ulysses”; for men’s chorus, solo quartet, and piano; published by Yelton Rhodes Music.
28. 1993: “Possession of the House,” on an original text; for four large choral groups — two men’s, one women’s, one mixed — soloists and piano; commissioned by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Houston to commemorate their first performance in the Cullen Theater at the Wortham Center; published by Yelton Rhodes Music.
29. 1993: “We Like Our Men,” on an original text; silly gay camp song for unaccompanied gay men’s chorus.
30. 1993: “What Do They Do in Old S[outh] A[merica] When Christmas Rolls Around?,” on an original text; for four part men’s chorus, trombone, tuba, cymbals, and bass drum; published by Yelton Rhodes Music.
31. 1993: “I Will Go On,” on an original text; gospel inspirational song for men’s chorus, tenor soloist and piano; in memoriam Prof. Ted Stirling and Prof. Doug Paschall who died on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, respectively, 1993.
32. 1993: “Live It!,” on an original text; calypso for unaccompanied mixed chorus (2000: arranged for mixed chorus and piano; commissioned by Thomas Johnston for the Capital Pride Singers, Albany NY).
33. 1994: “To Friends and To Life,” on an original text; for men’s chorus, piano, violin, and ‘cello; commissioned by Michael Nelson in memoriam Wesley James Perrin; published by Yelton Rhodes Music.
34. 1995: “My Family, My Chorus and My Rhyme,” on an original text; for mixed chorus, flute or oboe, ‘cello, and piano; accompaniment adapted from Pachelbel’s “Canon in D”; published by Yelton Rhodes Music.
35. 1995: “The Good Host’s Lament,” on an original text; comic scene set to the “Anvil Chorus” from Verdi’s Il Trovatore; text written with Troy Christensen.
36. 1996: After the Meditation; twelve easy piano pieces for use at the First Unitarian Universalist Church, Houston; for Bob Fazakerly).
37. 1996: On His Blindness, text by John Milton; madrigal for unaccompanied men’s chorus.
38. 1996: “The Sorrow Tree,” on an original text based on a tale by the Baal Shem Tov; festival hora for mixed chorus and piano; composed for the National Conference of Unitarian Universalist Musicians; published by Yelton Rhodes Music.
39. 1996: “The Story of ‘America the Beautiful,’” on an original text; for three part men’s chorus and piano; commissioned by the Lexington Men’s Chorus; published by Yelton Rhodes Music.
40. 1996: “When I Think of Winter,” on an original text; for four part unaccompanied mixed chorus; dedicated to Alvin John Randall, Jr.; published by Yelton Rhodes Music.
41. 1997: Dorothy Parker’s Carol, setting of “Prayer for a Young Mother” by Dorothy Parker; for unaccompanied women’s chorus and candle-driven household zimbelstern; published by Yelton Rhodes Music.
42. 1997: “The Familiar Shadow,” on an original text; ballad for men’s chorus, SATB soloists, fiddle, and piano; commissioned by David Weber for the Gay Men’s Chorus of Houston in memory of his grandfather; published by Yelton Rhodes Music.
43. 1998: “Department Store Santas,” on an original text; comic scene set to “Escamillo’s Aria” — the “Toreodor Song” — from Bizet’s Carmen; for men’s chorus and piano.
44. 1998: “My Journey of Pride,” on an original text; for unaccompanied mixed chorus, or mixed chorus and piano; premiered by “Something Else” — the small ensemble in the Lesbian and Gay Chorus of Seattle — under the direction of Chris Vincent; published by Yelton Rhodes Music.
45. 1998: “Teach me, O LORD!,” setting of Psalm 119:33-40; for unaccompanied mixed choir; in memoriam Prof. Gilbert F. Gilchrist Jr.; published by Yelton Rhodes Music.
46. 1999: “Holding Matthew, In Memory of Matthew Shepard,” (no text); for 12 part men’s chorus using body percussion; winner of 1998 GALA Leadership Conference (Dallas TX) auction; commissioned for “Potomac Fever,” — the small ensemble of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC — by their conductor, Gregory Ruffer; in memoriam Matthew Shepherd.
47. 2000: “Make Me A Salad, Darling,” on an original text; for mixed chorus accompanied by maracas and other shakers ad lib.; commissioned by Rich Cole for “The Coastliners” of the North Coast Men’s Chorus, Cleveland OH.
48. 2000: “Rejoicing Comes In The Morning,” text from Psalm 30:4-5; for soprano, alto, and baritone chorus and piano; for Sivan Etedgee and the choir of the Union Congregational Church, Madbury NH
49. 2001: Quintet No. 1, Three Pieces for Five Friends, “1. World’s Finest,” “2. Editing Poetry,” “3. Oh, Ethel!,” for tenor/narrator, trumpet/coronet, trombone, tuba, marimba/glockenspiel/vibraphone, 2 maracas and castanets; dedicated to Amanda Allen, Robert Booth, Akilah Campbell, Andrew Robins, and Phil Edelman.
50. 2005: Hymn, March, and Love Song, for trumpet and piano, dedicated to Amanda Allen
51. 2006: Suite for Poems in C, for small, mixed vocal ensemble and piano, commissioned by Benjamin Nash Maferra, poems by the first five Portsmouth Poets Laureate: Esther Buffler, Robert Dunn, Maren Tirabassi, John Perrault, and Mimi White
52. 2010-12: Quintet No. 2 for Brass (2010-12), Op. 52, “1. Choral Prelude: Lancashire,” “2. Song: When I Think of Winter,” “3. March: No Piccolos, Please.” Dedicated to The Inextinguishable Quintet, Adam Gallant, Kayla Barbas, Gray Ferris, Nicole Wright and Ben Stadelmann.
52b. 2019: (substitute) “3b. Dance: Oh, Ethyl! Did you see that!?!” Premiered by Adam Gallant and Greg Bechtold, trumpets; Tracey Crain, horn; Brandon Newbould, tenor trombone; and Jim Griswold, bass trombone.
53. 2013: Russian Song and Dance for contrabassoon and piano, commissioned by Vincent LaMonica.
54. 2014: Appalachian Wedding Song, for violin and piano, Dedicated to Sivan Etedgee.
And many arrangements, most for men’s chorus, including: Adolf Adam, O Holy Night* (with new translation of the French text); Alexander Borodin, Polovtsian Dances; Johannes Brahms, Geistliche Wiegenlied / Sacred Cradle Song* (with translation); Jacques Brel, If We Only Had Love; William Byrd, Christmas Lullaby,* Haec dies* (for antiphonal choirs), Ye Sacred Muses*; Frost “Who’s Woods These Are” to “Hernando’s Hideaway”; Georg Fredrick Handel, Hallelujah Chorus; Hans Leo Hassler, Cantate Domino*; Inglebert Humperdink, Sandman’s Aria and Evening Prayer*; Luis di Milan, Aquel caballero, madre; Milton Nascimento, Canciones y momentos/Songs and Moments; Violetta Parra, Gracias a la vida; Romanovsky and Philips, Love Is All It Takes; Fred Small, Everything Possible; Smith/Key, Star Spangled Banner**; Glochestershire Wassail,** Tippett, Five Spirituals from a Child of Our Times; and others
* published by Yelton Rhodes Music
** copyright owned by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Houston