O sacred banquet, for an unaccompanied SATB choir (2009; 1.5')
A communion motet on a text by Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) of moderate difficulty, commissioned by Brett Judson. The piece may be performed unaccompanied or with organ or piano.

The wonders of thy grace, for an SATB choir and an organist (2009; 3')
A communion motet on a text by Joseph Stennett (1663-1713) of moderate difficulty, commissioned by Brett Judson. The Penfield United Methodist Church Chancel Choir (Penfield, NY), under the direction of Brett Judson, premiered the work on October 4, 2009 (World Communion Sunday). The piece is also arranged for solo voice and organ.

Veni, Creator Spiritus, for an SATB choir and an organist (2008; 5')
A setting of the popular 9th-century Latin text by Rabanus Maurus.

L'Invitation au Voyage, for a double SATB choir, unaccompanied (2007; 6')
A setting of Richard Wilbur's translation of Charles Baudelaire's poem. This work was commissioned by The Esoterics as part of the prize for their 2007 POLYPHONOS competition. Under the direction of Eric Banks, the group gave its premiere on April 12, 2008.

The Stolen Child, for a choir of mixed voices, unaccompanied (2006; 13')
A choral cycle on texts by Yeats. The Eastman School of Music student-run vocal ensemble Apeiron premiered the work on April 25, 2009.

Prologue: The Stolen Child
   To a Child Dancing in the Wind
      I.
      II.
   A Memory of Youth
   When You are Old
Epilogue: The Stolen Child

O magnum mysterium, for a choir of mixed voices, unaccompanied (2004, revised 2006; 4')
Setting of two Christmas texts, "O Magnum Mysterium" and "Hodie Christus Natus Est." This piece was written for Stephen Kennedy and the Christ Church Schola Cantorum of Rochester, NY, in July, 2004, and was premiered on April 10, 2005. A small ensemble of middle voices (altos and/or tenors) sings an ethereal setting of the "O magnum mysterium" text, and is supported harmonically by lower voices. Higher voices join later in the piece with an adaptation of the plainchant tune "Hodie Christus Natus Est."

A Word Out of the Sea, for a choir of mixed voices, unaccompanied, with a tenor soloist (2003, revised 2004; 16')
Setting of selections from Walt Whitman's poem "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking." This work is intended for a medium- to large-sized choir, including a tenor soloist drawn from its ranks. Completed in October 2003 and revised in April 2004 this piece won a 2004 BMI Student Composer Award. Competition judges Donald Crockett, Richard Danielpour, Gunther Schuller, and Michael Torke described the work as "a dramatic and strikingly beautiful example of choral writing which speaks to the heart as well as to the mind." The Seattle-based men's choral ensemble, ÆDONIS, premiered the work on May 10, 2008, under the direction of Eric Banks.

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SOLO VOICE

Three Songs for Autumn, for a singer, a flutist and a pianist (2009; 4')
Short songs on poems by Lia Purpura, written for baritone Daniel Pickens-Jones, flutist Deidre Huckabay and pianist Hae Yeun Jeun. The set was performed as part of the Eastman School of Music's Warren and Patricia Benson Forum on Creativity on April 6, 2009.

I. Fall
II. Red Leaf
III. Smoke

Riddle Songs, for a singer and a pianist (2008; 9')
Settings in highly differing styles of five tenth-century riddles from the Exeter Book. Baritone Jordan Wilson commissioned the songs and premiered three of them with pianist Tatiana Vassilieva on April 19, 2008.

Spring and All, cantata for a tenor and a chamber ensemble (2006; 15')
Settings of three poems (sung) and prose (spoken over music) from William Carlos Williams' Spring and All. This work has undergone numerous and drastic transformations since its inception in 2001. The earliest version, a set of five songs for tenor and piano, won Boston University's Wainwright Prize in 2002. The final version was premiered on October 5, 2006, at the Eastman School of Music's Kilbourn Hall, in Rochester, NY. Ossia performed the work with Robert Pierzak, conductor, and Scott Perkins, tenor.

Dogen Songs, for a singer and a pianist or a guitarist (2006; 5')
Four miniature songs on poems by Dogen Zenji. Tenor Zachary Wilder commissioned the songs and premiered them with pianist Amy Yeh on Sunday, April 30, at Kilbourn Hall, Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY.

I. Viewing Peach Blossoms and Realizing the Way
II. On Nondependence of Mind
III. The Body Born Before the Parents
IV. On the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye

Holy Sonnets of John Donne, for a soprano and a pianist (2005; 9')
Settings of three of Donne's Holy Sonnets, commissioned by soprano Erica Schuller. The first of the three songs, "Thou hast made me," features anxious, running scales under the singer's desperate plea to God for strength in the face of temptation. The second song, "At the round earths imagin'd corners," contrasts a fiery and powerful opening, depicting Judgment Day, with a tranquil conclusion, in which the penitent singer invokes God's mercy. The final song, "Death be not Proud," is soft and reflective, emphasizing the poem's imagery of sleep and rest as metaphors of death. Erica Schuller and pianist Alisa Curlee gave the first performance on March 24, 2006, in Kilbourn Hall, Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY.

I. Thou hast made me
II. At the round earths imagin'd corners
III. Death be not proud

 

Songs from Spring and All, for a tenor and a pianist (2002, revised 2006; 8')
Three songs from the cantata Spring and All, arranged for a singer and a pianist. Tenor Jim DeSelms and pianist Susan Rogers DeSelms premiered the original version of the work on April 27, 2002, at the United Parish of Brookline, MA.

I. Spring and All
II. The Farmer
III. The Right of Way

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INSTRUMENTAL

Three Prayers, for an organ soloist (2006; 9')
Commissioned by Lars Gjerde, who premiered the work on February 25, 2006 at the Chapel of Reconciliation at Augustana College, Sioux Falls, SD. The first Prayer is a sustained and awestruck invocation; the second is a lament against war, a soft and tender setting of the popular Renaissance war tune L'homme armé, or "The armed man;" the third is an exultant expression of thanks. Three Prayers may be used in concert and liturgical settings; in the latter case, the first Prayer may be used as a prelude, the second as an offertory, and the third as a postlude.

I. Prayer of Praise
II. Prayer for Forgiveness
III. Prayer of Thanks

 

Threnody, for an organ soloist (2005; 9')
A solemn, meditative work, based on two brief melodic gestures. David Higgs commissioned the work, which John Morabito premiered on September 28, 2008 at River Road Church in Richmond, VA.

Elegy, for a trumpeter and a pianist (2003; 4')
A slow, introspective, lyrical piece with modal influences.

Meditation, for a trumpeter and an organist (2002; 4')
Setting of the hymn tune "St. Theodulph," for trumpet and organ. This work was premiered by trumpeter Jeremy Peterson and organist Susan Rogers DeSelms on April 27, 2002, at the United Parish of Brookline, MA.

Five Short Piano Pieces, for a piano soloist (2001, revised 2004; 10')
Collection of short piano pieces, including a processional, ostinato, song without words, waltz, and fugue. This work, composed in 2001, was revised in 2004. Tetyana Ryabchikova gave the premiere of the 2001 version at Boston University's College of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, on December 4, 2001.

FILM MUSIC

Swimming With Lesbians (2009; 68')
Score for a documentary film by Dave Marshall about GLBT history in Buffalo, New York. Distributed by Frameline.

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ELECTROACOUSTIC

exosphir, on CD (2008; 5')
A short, atmospheric installation derived entirely from a sample of the composer blowing into a bottle. The work was premiered at the Eastman School of Music on May 5, 2008.

inspirivation, for the a performer on the Italian Baroque organ at the Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NY, with CD (2007; 8.5')
Commissioned by organist Hans Davidsson, this work can be performed only on the Italian Baroque organ at the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, NY. The CD part is derived from the composer's reading of Chapter 2, Verse 7, of Genesis, or Bereshit, in five different languages: Latin (Vulgate), Hebrew (Masoretic Text), German (Luther Bibel), Spanish (Reina-Valera Antigua), and English (King James). inspirivation exists in three forms: inspirivation i, for CD only (premiered on December 20, 2006, at the Eastman School of Music); inspirivation ii, for the Italian Baroque organ (premiered April 15, 2007, by Hans Davidsson); and inspirivation i+ii (premiered April 15, 2007, by Hans Davidsson).

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For more information on any of these works or others by Scott Perkins, to purchase scores, schedule a performance,
or to commission a new work, please contact the composer at scott (at) scottperkins (dot) org.