PDF version of Droplet by Micah Mooney

Percussion Trio

To some vague extent, this piece seeks to capture the journey of a droplet of water. It nebulously begins as mist before eventually joining a running river. Finally, it meets a waterfall; the river drops, but a mist appears once again. This piece was originally composed for and premiered by Brain Pocket Trio.

PDF version of Wanderers Nachtlied by Micah Mooney

Art Song for Mezzo-Soprano Voice and Piano

"Wanderers Nachtlied" is one of the most well-known poems by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and the text has often been set to music. In this setting, the composer focuses on the calm, restful themes of the text, exploring silence and quiet dynamics.

Video: https://youtu.be/XjSnzk2AlR0

PDF version of El Taquero by Micah Mooney

Solo for Steel Pan (C Lead) with Auxiliary Percussion

"El Taquero" takes physical actions made in the kitchen while preparing tacos and translates them into musical gestures on and around the steel pan. Chopping onions, grating cheese, basting meat, kneading tortilla dough, adding seasoning: all these actions and more are expressed through the physical motions of the pan player.

The piece begins by preparing the meat with cutting, mincing, stirring, seasoning, and basting actions. The middle of the piece features a moment to prepare the tortillas by kneading the inside of the pan. Finally, the toppings are prepared with a grating action along with further cutting and stirring.

Video: https://youtu.be/a9G5C5Jv3hc

PDF version of Reflection by Micah Mooney

Violin and Cello Duo

"Reflection" seeks to present two voices which start on equal footing, gradually separate from each other, and finally come back together. This is done through looping harmonic progressions of various lengths and rotational metric processes.

Video: https://youtu.be/zr2c3IcE8hE

PDF version of Requiem by Micah Mooney

Piano Solo

In August 2022, my home church was thrown into grief after a sudden accident killed a young mother in the congregation. Everyone connected to the family struggled in some way. We asked questions, trying to find comfort and meaning in the middle or grief and suffering. We wanted to support the family, but also to find the time to wrestle with our own grief. The church and community bonded together and are still caring for the family and supporting their long and difficult path ahead.

When I heard of the tragedy, I was out of town, already beginning my next semester of grad school. Though I felt disconnected from the tragedy, or perhaps because I felt this way, I found it very difficult to focus on my work. Feelings of sadness and questions of why constantly kept me from engaging with my immediate surroundings. Then guilt overpowered the other feelings because what I was struggling with was nothing compared to what those much closer to the tragedy were going through. On top of these whirling emotions, I had assignments, including a composition for a solo instrument to write in one week. That assignment became Requiem.

I wrote Requiem as part of my own grieving process. It is based on Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s five stages of grief. The piece opens with the tragedy, then walks through Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance.

Video: https://youtu.be/-uku5_oIzQ0

PDF version of Three Stand-Alone Songs by Micah Mooney

Mini Musical Theatre Song Cycle for Three Performers and Piano

Three theater songs about comparing yourself to others and standing alone…for better or for worse…

1. Boring – Tenor II. Lower the Bar – Mezzo III. Not Yet – Mezzo

Video: https://youtu.be/ZVr6Ms0TXTA

PDF version of Fragrant Colors by Micah Mooney

Solo for Unaccompanied Cello

Fragrant Colors is inspired by the Iroha, an ancient Japanese poem which uses each of the forty-seven characters of the Japanese syllabary exactly once. The first two lines say that flowers in bloom (the fragrant colors) eventually wither and scatter. My piece aims to present beauty decayed, all the while not repeating any chord exactly in its forty-seven measures.

Video: https://youtu.be/E-9luKAP_mM

PDF version of King John and the Bishop by Micah Mooney

Violin and Piano Duo

(Full Score and Violin Part, 1 document)

King John and the Bishop is based on an English folk song by the same name (Child Ballad 45). As part of a folk tradition, the lyrics and tune vary widely from source to source, but the text consistently tells of the jealous King John who challenges the Bishop of Canterbury to three impossible riddles. With a little help from a local shepherd, the Bishop outsmarts the king and is permitted to keep his position, and his life. Inspired by the story, my piece juxtaposes two themes (the second of which is one variant of the folk tune) in three sections. How might you answer the three riddles the king poses in this battle of wits? –How much am I worth, to the closest penny? –How long would it take for me to travel the whole world? –What am I thinking?

Video: https://youtu.be/0WjLBggREjE

PDF version of Nothing but Blood (Quintet) by Micah Mooney (Full Score and All Parts, 1 document)

String Quintet

Nothing but Blood is a quotation piece which draws its material primarily from Robert Lowry’s 1876 hymn “Nothing but the Blood of Jesus”. In Christian circles, phrases like “washed by the blood” are used so often, a significant level of gravitas and nuance has been lost. The idea of being washed by blood should conjure up a grotesque and paradoxical image, and yet, these phrases are sung in church services to the most care-free of tunes. While theologically, this blood-washing should stir in the heart of a believer a great joy, it should not be without a deep reflection on what that joy cost. The goal of this piece is to recontextualize this blood-washing in a somber, Lenten, posture, so that the celebration of Easter may be even more joyous.

While pitch and rhythmic material come from the hymn, the greater form of the piece is derived from four Hebrew words in a passage by the prophet Isaiah: חלל (“pierced”), זכא (“crushed”), מוסר (”punishment”), and חבורה (“wounds”) (Is. 53:5). These four words influence aspects of the four main sections of the piece including length and character. During the fourth section (חבורה: “wounds”), the original tune of Lowry’s hymn emerges, unadjusted in essence, yet aurally affected by its surroundings which put it, along with its associative text, in a new context. The changes to the musical source, much like to the title itself, will hopefully allow listeners to approach the subject matter in a new way.

Video: https://youtu.be/l3lizzSeDWk

PDF version of Melachim by Micah Mooney

Solo for Unaccompanied Cello

Melachim, Hebrew for “Kings” (מלכים), chronicles the biblical kings (and queen) of Judah from around 930 to 586 B.C. This piece seeks to capture the cyclical nature of the book of Kings from the Hebrew Bible (divided into two books in Protestant and Catholic Bibles). Each gestural group represents one ruler’s time on the throne, temporally proportionate to the length of their reign. The legacy of each ruler, whether generally positive, generally negative, or mixed, is presented stylistically, and all of the rhythmic and intervallic material is generated from the Hebrew spelling of each name.

Video: https://youtu.be/wb83PIuVr8I

PDF version of Red Leather/Yellow Leather by Micah Mooney (Full Score and All Parts, 1 document)

Brass Quintet

Red Leather/Yellow Leather is all about a few of my favorite tongue-twisters. The piece incorporates the players speaking the tongue-twisters, while also mimicking the rhythms and contours when playing their instruments. The three tongue-twisters are “Red Leather/Yellow Leather,” “This Wristwatch is a Swiss Wristwatch,” and “A Proper Copper Coffee Pot.” Try saying those three times fast!

Video: https://youtu.be/sfqlmiA4TXg

PDF version of Love Quintet by Micah Mooney (Full Score and All Parts, 1 document)

Quintet for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet in Bb, Alto Saxophone, and Bassoon

Love Quintet explores love and relationships, and the relationships between loves…different types of loves. Author, scholar, and lay theologian C.S. Lewis explores different facets of love in his book The Four Loves. He looks at four different manifestations of love and assigns each a different Greek word. Στοργή (storge) is affection; φιλία (philia) is friendship; ἔρως (eros) is romance; and ἀγάπη (agape) is unconditional, sacrificial love. While the first three, Lewis argues, are feelings, the last is a choice. When the others fade, agape love has the power to rekindle broken, human relationships, but it takes work.

In this piece, each of the four loves is represented by a musical spelling of the Greek word. The four loves are spelled with each Greek letter corresponding to a note in a two-octave range as there are 24 letters in the Greek alphabet. Storge grows into philia, and philia into eros. What ties the three together is the agape theme, which begins the piece and acts as a bass line throughout. Partway through the piece, the relationship is “in tune”, but slowly, the three feelings peel away and, in their inverted forms, attack the agape theme. When all seems lost, agape chooses to keep going, eventually healing the broken relationship and restoring the other manifestations of love.

Video: https://youtu.be/XtQh_MYg3lY

PDF version of Persephone Variations by Micah Mooney

Solo for unaccompanied Baritone Saxophone

The Ancient Greeks attributed the change of seasons to Persephone. As goddess of vegetation and queen of the Underworld, she must stay in Hell for six months, but may roam the land of the living during the rest of the year. Persephone Variations journeys with the goddess as she moves between domains throughout the span of a year. Each seasonal movement follows the same form, and heavily features the minor 6th, a very melancholy interval. We start in Autumn, when Persephone is dragged to the Underworld. After sorrow and mourning in Winter, Persephone is permitted to leave and rejoices in Spring. Lastly, she spends Summer at rest, though sadly aware that this bliss will disappear when the seasons change once again.

Video: https://youtu.be/X9kehPvecdg