List of compositions by Libby Larsen

The following is a chronological list of compositions by Libby Larsen, divided into genre groups.

1970-1979

Opera

• Some Pig (1973)

Children's opera in one act[1]

• Moon Drop (1976 & 1980)

full evening performance with water slides, tapes, and costumes

• Silver Ox (1979)

one-act opera for the young; John Olive, libretto

Orchestral

• Weaver's Song & Jig (1978)

chamber orchestra and string band

Choral

• Eine Kleine Snailmusik (1978)

SA and contrabass; text by May Sarton

• All Shall Be Well (1979)

SA, soprano solo, soprano recorder, triangle, and keyboard; text by Libby Larsen

Voice

• Saints Without Tears (1976)

soprano, flute, and bassoon; text by Phyllis McGinley

• Selected Poems of Rainer Maria Rilke (1978)

soprano, flute, guitar, and harp; text by Rainer Maria Rilke

• Cowboy Songs (1979)

soprano and piano; text by Anonymous, Belle Starr, and Robert Creeley

Instrumental

• Circular Rondo, Canti Breve (1974)

oboe and guitar

• Three Pieces for Treble Wind and Guitar (1974)

treble winds and guitar

• Piano Suite (1976)

solo piano

• Impromptu (1998)

flute, clarinet, and bassoon

• Corker (1979)

clarinet and percussion

• Jazz Variations for Solo Bassoon (1977)

solo bassoon

• Tango (1978)

solo guitar

• Bronze Veils (1979)

trombone, two percussion

• Saraband: In profane style (1979)

solo guitar

1980-1989

Opera

• Clair de Lune (1984)

two-act chamber opera; libretto by Patricia Hampl

Orchestral

• Pinions (1981)

violin concerto with chamber orchestra

• Deep Summer Music (1982)

full orchestra

• Overture: Parachute Dancing (1983)

full orchestra

• Symphony: Water Music (Symphony No. 1) (1985)

full orchestra

• Coming Forth Into day (Symphony No. 2) (1986)

soprano solo, baritone solo, SATB chorus, full orchestra; various texts

• What the Monster Saw (1987)

full orchestra, optional slides, adapted from the opera Frankenstein.

• Collage: Boogie (1988)

full orchestra

• Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra (1988)

C trumpet and full orchestra

• Concerto: Cold, Silent Snow (1989)

flute, harp, chamber orchestra

Band

• Grand Rondo (1988)

concert band

Choral

• Dance Set (1980)

SATB, clarinet, cello, percussion, piano; textless

• Double Joy (1982)

SATB divisi, handbells, organ; text by Michael Thwaites

• In a Winter Garden (1982)

SATB, soprano and tenor solos, chamber orchestra; text by Patricia Hempl

• Everyone Sang (1983)

SATB, harp, two percussion; text by Siegfried Sassoon

• Ringeltanze (1983)

five movements

SATB, handbells, string orchestra; medieval French text

• A Creeley Collection (1984)

five movements

SATB, flute, percussion, piano; text by Robert Creeley

• Welcome Yule (1984)

TTBB and strings

• Clair de Lune (1985)

TTBB, tenor solo; text by Paul Verlaine

• I Love the Lord (1985)

SATB and organ; text by Nathan Everett

• Peace, Perfect Peace (1985)

SATB a cappella; text from Isaiah 26:3, Edward Bickersteth

• We Celebrate (1985)

SATB, piano or organ; text by John Cummins

• Who Cannot Weep, Come Learn of Me (1985)

SSA, mezzo-soprano and tenor solos; text from MS09.38 Trinity College

• Clair de Lune in Blue (1986)

SATB jazz choir, piano; textless

• Songs of Youth and Pleasure (1986)

four movements

SATB a cappella; Renaissance text

• Canticle of the Sun (1987)

SSAAA, finger cymbals, synthesizer, organ; text by St. Francis of Assisi

• A Garden Wall (1987)

unison choir, keyboard, Orff instruments, 7 speaking roles, and congregation

• Refuge (1988)

SSAA a cappella; text by Sara Teasdale

• The Settling Years (1988)

three movements

SATB, woodwind quintet, piano, percussion; 20th century biographical texts

• Three Summer Scenes (1988)

SATB, optional youth choirs, full orchestra; texts by William Carlos Williams, Lloyd Frankenburg, and Maurice Lindsay

Voice

• Three Rilke Songs (1980)

high voice and guitar; text by Rainer Maria Rilke

• A Verse Record of my Peonies (1980)

tenor, tape, and percussion; text by Masaoka Shiki

• Before Winter (1982)

baritone and organ; text by Arthur Mampel

• Me (Brenda Ueland) (1987)

soprano and piano; text by Brenda Ueland

• Songs From Letters (1989)

soprano and piano or chamber ensemble; text by Calamity Jane

Instrumental

• Cajun Set (1980)

guitar and string trio

• Scudding (1980)

solo cello

• Black Roller (1981)

flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, piano, violin, viola (featured), and cello

• Aubade (1982)

solo flute

• Four on the Floor (1983)

violin, cello, contrabass, piano

• Sonata In One Movement on Kalenda Maya (1983)

solo organ

• Up Where the Air Gets Thin (1985)

cello and contrabass

• With Love & Hisses (1985)

double woodwind quintet.

Accompanies the silent Laurel and Hardy film "Love and Hisses."

• Juba (1986)

cello and piano

• Song Without Words (1986)

clarinet and piano

• Astonishing Flight of the Gump (1987)

flute, oboe, bassoon, and piano

• Black Birds, Red Hills (1987)

clarinet, viola, and piano

• Fantasy on Slane

organ and flute

• Kathleen, as she was (1989)

oboe and harpsichord

1990-1999

Opera

• Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus (1990)

full-length music drama; libretto by Libby Larsen

• A Wrinkle in Time (1991)

one-act opera; libretto by Walter Green

• Mrs. Dalloway (1993)

full-length music drama in two acts; libretto by Bonnie Grice

• Eric Hermannson's Soul (1998)

full-length opera with orchestra; libretty by Chas Rader-Shieber

Orchestral

• Tambourines! (1991)

full orchestra

• The Atmosphere as a Fluid System (1992)

solo flute, percussion, string orchestra

• Marimba Concerto: After Hampton (1992)

solo marimba, full orchestra

• Piano Concerto: Since Armstrong (1992)

solo piano, full orchestra

• Symphony No. 3: Lyric (1992)

full orchestra

• Overture for the End of a Century (1994)

full orchestra

• Song-Dances to the Light (1994)

SA chorus, Orff instruments, full orchestra (or piano); text by young people

• Ring of Fire (1995)

full orchestra

• Blue Fiddler (1996)

full orchestra

• Fanfare: Strum (1996)

orchestra, no strings

• Roll Out the Thunder (1997)

full orchestra

• Spell On Me That Holy Hour: Overture to Tsvetaeva (1997)

full orchestra

• All Around Sound (1999)

full orchestra, cued CD; text by John Coy

• Solo Symphony (Symphony No. 5) (1999)

full orchestra

• String Symphony (Symphony No. 4) (1999)

string orchestra

Band

• Sun Song (1991)

concert band

• Brass Flight (1996)

brass choir

• Concert Dances (1996)

concert band

• Short Symphony (1996)

concert band

• Hambone (1999)

concert band

Choral

• How it Thrills Us (1990)

SATB a cappella; text by Rainer Marie Rilke

• I Am a Little Church (1991)

SATB and organ; text by e.e. cummings

• Alleluia (1992)

SATB a cappella

• Deck the Halls (1992)

TTBB, five soloists, piano, handbells

• Eagle Poem (1992)

SATB, four-hand piano; text by Joy Harjo

• Missa Gaia—Mass for the Earth (1992)

SATB, SSA, soprano solo, oboe, strings, four-hand piano

• Mother, Sister, Blessed Holy (1992)

SATB, four-hand piano

• Pied Beauty (Glory to God) (1992)

SATB, four-hand piano; text by Gerard Manley Hopkins

• God As Ribbon of Light (1993)

SATB and organ; text by Sr. Mary Virginia Micka

• Canticle of Mary (1994)

SSA, four-hand piano or chamber orchestra; text from the Magnificat and Gregorian hymnal

• A Choral Welcome (1994)

SATB divisi, keyboard or orchestra; text by G. Galina

• I Just Lightning (1994)

SSAA and percussion; text by María Sabina

• Little Notes on A Simple Staff (1994)

SATB and piano; text by Siv Cedering

• Fanfare & Alleluia (1995)

SATB, brass, handbells, chimes, and organ

• I Arise Today (1995)

SATB and organ; text from St Patrick's Breastplate

• I Will Sing and Raise a Psalm (1995)

SATB and organ; text by St. Francis of Assisi

• Invitation to Music (1995)

SATB and string quartet, string orchestra, or piano; text by Elizabeth Bishop

• Seven Ghosts (1995)

five movements

SATB with soprano solo, brass quintet, piano, and percussion; 20th century biographical texts

• Today, This Spring (1995)

three songs

SA and piano; text by Emily Dickinson, Charles Wilson, and Jan Kimes

• Eleanor Roosevelt (1996)

SATB with soprano and mezzo-soprano solos, speaker, clarinet, cello, piano and percussion; text by Sally M. Gall

• So Blessedly It Sprung (1996)

SATB, oboe, viola, and harp; text from 12th century poetry by Adam of Saint Victor

• I Find My Feet Have Further Goals (1997)

SATB a cappella; text by Emily Dickinson

• Love Songs (1997)

SATB and piano; text based on love songs by American woman poets

• May Sky (1997)

SATB divisi, a cappella; text by Tokuji Hirai, Neiji Ozawa, Reiko Gomyo, and Suiko Matsushita

• Reasons for Loving Harmonica (1997)

SATB and piano; text by Julie Kane

• Density of Light (1998)

SATB, treble choir, brass; text by Thomas H. Troeger

• Ring the Bells (1998)

SSA children's chorus and piano; text by M.K. Dean

• Stepping Westward (1998)

SSA, handbells, oboe, and marimba; text by Denise Levertov

• Sweet & Sour Nursery Rhymes (1998)

SATB and french horn; text by Eugene Field and traditional

• By a Departing Light (1999)

SATB a cappella, text by Emily Dickinson

• Day Song (1999)

SSA a cappella; text by N. F. S. Grundtvig, and Libby Larsen

• Is God, Our Endless Day (1999)

SATB a cappella; text by Julian of Norwich

• A Salute to Louis Armstrong (1999)

from choral suite Seven Ghosts.

SATB divisi and piano; text by Louis Armstrong

• To a Long Loved Love (1999)

SATB, string quartet; text by Madeleine L'Engle

Voice

• When I Am An Old Woman (1990)

soprano and piano; text by Jenny Joseph

• Sonnets From the Portuguese (1991)

soprano and chamber ensemble or piano; text by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

• How Lovely Are Thy Holy Groves (1992)

soprano and piano; text from the Chinook Psalter

• Perineo (1993)

baritone and piano; text by Roberto Echavarren

• Beloved, Thou Hast Brought Me Many Flowers (1994)

mezzo-soprano, cello, and piano; text by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Hilde Doolittle, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Percy Bysshe Shelley

• Mary Cassatt (1994)

mezzo-soprano, trombone, orchestra and slides; text from the historical narrative and letters of Mary Cassatt

• Margaret Songs (1996)

soprano and piano; text by Willa Cather and Libby Larsen

• Chanting to Paradise (1997)

soprano and piano; text by Dickinson

• Lord, Make Me An Instrument (1997)

tenor and piano; text by St. Francis of Assisi

• The Art and the Grasshopper (1998)

soprano and piano; text by Jeanne Shepard

• Late in the Day (1998)

soprano and piano; text by Jeanne Shepard

• Songs of Light and Love (1998)

soprano and chamber ensemble; text by May Sarton

Instrumental

• Aspects of Glory (1990)

solo organ

• Xibalba (1990)

bassoon and percussion

• Schoenberg, Schenker, and Schillinger (1991)

flute, oboe, viola, cello, and keyboard

• String Quartet Schoenberg, Schenker, and Schillinger (1991)

string quartet

• Dancing Solo (1994)

solo clarinet

• Fanfare for the Women (1994)

solo trumpet

• Slang (1994)

clarinet, violin, and piano

• Concert Piece for Tuba & Piano (1995)

tuba and piano

• Blessed be the Tie That Binds (1996)

solo organ

• Blue Third Pieces (1996)

flute or clarinet and guitar

• Brass Flight (1996)

brass choir

• Holy Roller (1997)

saxophone and piano

• Prelude on Veni Creator Spiritus (1997)

solo organ

2000–2009

Opera

• Barnum's Bird (2000)

chamber choral opera in two acts; libretto by Bridget Carpenter

• Dreaming Blue (2002)

opera in one act for child actor, SATB soloists, children's chorus, rhythm chorus, and drumming group; libretto by Libby Larsen

• Every Man Jack (2006)

chamber opera, based on the life of Jack London; libretto by Philip Littell

• Picnic (2009)

opera in three acts based on the play by William Inge; libretto by David Holley

Orchestral

• Still Life With Violin (2000)

solo violin and full orchestra

• Fanfare: Sizzle (2001)

full orchestra

• Brandenburg for the New Millennium (2002)

trumpet, marimba, electric guitar, amplified harpsichord, and string orchestra

• Song Concerto (2005)

saxophone (alto and soprano) and chamber orchestra

• Bach 358 (2008)

full orchestra

• Evening in the Palace of Reason (2008)

string orchestra, solo string quartet

• Encircling Skies (2009)

double choir, full orchestra, full wind ensemble, three marimbas, three pianos

• Sacred Vows (2009)

tenor, baritone, narrator, SATB chorus, full orchestra; text by U Sam Oeur

Band

• Strut (2003)

concert band

• River Fanfare (2004)

British brass band

• An Introduction to the Moon (2005)

symphonic wind ensemble, tuned water glasses, recorded voice, eight collaborative improvisations

• Cri de Coeur (2009)

solo euphonium and wind ensemble

Choral

• Four Valentines: A Lover's Journey (2000)

four movements

six-voice male a cappella; text by James Joyce, William Shakespeare, and Karl Joseph Simrock

• Falling (2000)

SATB chorus, SATB quartet, SAT trio, trumpet, piano, and percussion; text by James Dickey

• How To Songs (2000)

SSA (children's) chorus

• Lord, Before This Fleeting Season (2000)

SATB a cappella; text by Maryann Jindra

• Psalm 121 (2000)

SSAA divisi a cappella; text from and by Psalm 121, Patricia Hennings, and John Muir

• Touch the Air Softly (2000)

SSAA a cappella; text by William Jay Smith

• The Witches Trio (2001)

SSAA a cappella; text by William Shakespeare

• If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking (2001)

SSA, woodwind quintet, percussion, and strings; text by Emily Dickinson

• Jack's Valentine (2001)

SSAA; text by Aldeen Humphreys

• The Ballerina and the Clown (2002)

SSA and harp; text by Sally Gall

• Flee We to Our Lord (2002)

SATB a cappella; text by Julian of Norwich

• Come Before Winter (2003)

SATB, baritone solo, orchestra or piano; text by Arthur Mampel

• I It Am: The Shewings of Julian of Norwich (2003)

SATB divisi, soprano, countertenor, baritone, and chamber orchestra; text by Julian of Norwich

• Womanly Song of God (2003)

SSAA divisi a cappella; text by Catherine de Vinck

• A Young Nun Singing (2003)

SSA a cappella; text by anonymous, Juana Inés de la Cruz, and Idea Vilarino

• Cry Peace (2004)

SATB divisi a cappella; text adapted by Libby Larsen

• Jesus, Jesus, Rest Your Head (2004)

two or three-part, solo voice, and piano; traditional text

• Natus Est Emmanuel (2004)

SSAA divisi a cappella; anonymous text from Piae Cantiones

• Praise One (2004)

SATB, SATB favori, orchestra; text adapted by Libby Larsen from Psalms 146, 147, 148, and 150

• The Shepherds and the Angels (2004)

SATB, soprano and baritone solos, organ and brass ensemble; text from Luke 2:8-20

• Giving Thanks (2005)

SSAA and string quartet; text by Chief Jake Swamp

• God So Loved the World (2005)

SATB a cappella; text from John 3:16-17

• I Dream of Peace (2005)

SATB and percussion; text by children of former Yugoslavia

• The Nothing That Is (2005)

SATB, baritone solo, three speaking voices and chamber ensemble; text adapted by Libby Larsen

• The Summer Day (2005)

SSAA and string quartet; text by Mary Oliver

• Western Songs (2005)

SATB a cappella; text from American Folksongs

• Of Music (2006)

SSAA and four-hand piano; text by Emily Dickinson

• The Blackbird (2007)

TTBB and piano; text by Wallace Stevens

• Crowding North (2007)

three pieces

SATB, guitar, flute, oboe, bassoon, and string quartet

• Four Meditations of Mechthild of Magdeburg (2007)

SATB, organ, handbells; text by Mechthild of Magdeburg

• I Lift My Eyes to the Hills (2007)

SATB, handbells, organ; text from Psalm 121

• Novum Gaudium (2007)

SATB a cappella; text from and by Ecce Novum Gaudium and Angelus Emittitur

• A Simple Gloria (2007)

SATB a cappella; text by M. K. Dean

• Whitman's America (2007)

SATB a cappella; text by Walt Whitman

• To Sing (2008)

SSA and piano; text by Kasey Zitnik

• A Book of Spells (2009)

SSAA and piano; text by Z. E. Budapest

• Free, Fearless, and Female (2009)

SSAA and marimba; text by Judy Belski, Anonymous Pampa Poem trans. by W. S. Merwin, and Anna Swir

Voice

• Love After 1950 (2000)

five movements

mezzo-soprano and piano; text by Rita Dove, Julie Kane, Kathryn Daniels, Liz Lochhead, and Muriel Rukeyser

• My Antonia (2000)

high voice and piano; text by Willa Cather

• Try Me, Good King: Last Words of the Wives of Henry VIII (2000)

five movements

soprano and piano; text by Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr

• Hell's Belles (2001)

four movements

mezzo-soprano and handbells; text by Tallulah Bankhead, Billie Jean King, Gertrude Stein, and Nursery Rhyme

• Jazz at the Intergalactic Nightclub (2001)

tenor and piano; text by Thomas McGrath

• Notes Shipped Under the Door (2001)

soprano, flute, and orchestra; text by Eugenia Zukerman

• Raspberry Island Dreaming (2002)

mezzo-soprano and full orchestra; text by Joyce Stuphen and Patricia Hampl

• Raspberry Island Dreaming (Piano/Vocal) (2002)

mezzo-soprano and piano; text by Joyce Stuphen and Patricia Hampl

• De Toda la Eternidad (2003/2005)

soprano and wind ensemble or piano; text by Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz

• I Love You Through the Daytimes (2003)

baritone and piano; ancient Egyptian text

• This Unbearable Stillness: Songs from the Balcony (2003)

soprano and string quartet; text by Dima Hilal and Sekena Shaben

• Fern Hill (2004)

solo tenor; text by Dylan Thomas

• A Pig in the House (2004)

tenor and piano; Alvin Greenburg

• Sifting Through the Ruins (2005)

mezzo-soprano, viola, and piano; text by Hilary North, anonymous, Alicia Vasquez, Martha Cooper, and Ted Berrigan

• Take (2006)

soprano and piano; text by Margaret Atwood

• Center Field Girl (2007)

soprano and piano; text by Michele Antonello Frisch

• A Quiet Song (2007)

baritone and piano; text by Brenda Ueland

written in memory of Bruce Carlson of the Schubert Club

• Righty, 1966 (2007)

soprano, flute, and piano; text by Michele Antonello Frisch

• Within the Circles of Our Lives (2007)

soprano, baritone, and wind ensemble; text by Wendell Berry

• Far in a Western Brookland (2008)

tenor and piano; text by A. E. Housman

• Forget Me Not (2008)

soprano and tenor duet and piano; anonymous text from Cupples and Leon Given book of poems

• This Unbearable Stillness: Songs from the Balcony, Orchestral Version (2008)

soprano, percussion I, II, III, celeste, and string orchestra; text by Dima Hilal and Sekeena Shaben

• Song (2009)

solo soprano; text by e.e. cummings

Instrumental

• Brazen Overture (2000)

brass quintet

• Mephisto Rag (2000)

solo piano

• Neon Angel (2000)

violin, cello, clarinet (or saxophone), flute, piano, percussion, and cued CD

• Three for the Road (2000)

violin, cello, and piano

• The Atmosphere as a Fluid System (also known as "Sky Concerto) (2001)

flute and orchestra

• Barn Dances (2001)

flute, clarinet, and piano

• Trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano (2001)

violin, cello, and piano

• Viola Sonata (2001)

viola and piano

• Licorice Stick (2002)

clarinet and piano

• On a Day of Bells (2002)

solo organ

• Argyle Sketches (2003)

solo guitar

• Bid Call (2003)

alto saxophone, cello

• Fanfare for Humanity (2003)

brass ensemble

• Firebrand (2003)

flute/piccolo, violin, cello, and piano

• Pocket Sonata (2003)

oboe, alto saxophone, violin, cello, marimba/vibraphone, and piano

• Bee Navigation (2004)

solo clarinet

• Concertino for Tenor Steel Drum and Chamber Ensemble (2004)

tenor steel drum and chamber ensemble

• For Two (2004)

four-hand piano

• Gavel Patter (2004)

four-hand piano

• Pealing Fire (2004)

carillon

• Penta Metrics (2004)

solo piano

• Wait a Minute (2004)

saxophone quartet

• Yellow Jersey (2004)

Bb clarinet duet

• Blue Windows: After Marc Chagall (2005)

woodwind quintet and piano

• Fanfare for a Learned man (2005)

brass quintet

• Now I Pull Silver (2005)

amplified flute and prepared CD; text by A. E. Stallings

• Slow Structures (2005)

flute, cello, and piano

• Song Concerto (2005)

saxophone and chamber orchestra

• Trio in Four Movements (2005)

four movements

flute, violin, and harp

• Concert Piece for Bassoon and Piano (2006)

bassoon and piano

• Engelberg: Trio for Brass and Organ (2006)

trumpet, horn in F, trombone, and organ

• He Arose: A Fanfare for Easter (2006)

organ, two trumpet, two trombone, optional horn

• The Adventures of Wonderboy: Issue One (2008)

bass, sampler, narrator, cartoons, strings

• Double String Quartet, J.S.B. (2008)

double string quartet

• Quartet: She Wrote (2008)

string quartet

• Ricochet (2008)

two marimbas

• Ricochet (piano) (2008)

solo piano

• Downwind of Roses in Maine (2009)

flute, Bb clarinet, and mallet percussion

• Over, Easy (2009)

violin, viola, cello, and piano

2010-present

Orchestral

• The Moabit Sonnets (2011)

two sopranos, tenor, bass, chamber orchestra; text by Albrecht Haushofer, trans. M.D. Herter Norton

Choral

• Celebration Mass-Lutheran Edition (2010)

SATB choir, congregation, organ, and optional handbells, brass quintet/quartet and percussion/timpani; text from traditional Lutheran liturgy

• Chain of Hope (2010)

SATB, baritone, actress, piano; text from various letters and writings regarding Frederick Douglass; libretto by Libby Larsen, Kathleen Holt and Jeanne Soderberg

• Concord Fragments (2010)

SSAA, oboe, clarinet and piano; text adapted by Libby Larsen

• Celebration Mass-Catholic Edition (2011)

SATB choir, congregation, organ; text from traditional Catholic liturgy

• If Music Be the Food of Love (2011)

SATB; text by Henry Heveningham

Voice

• The Strange Case of Dr. H.H. Holmes (2010)

baritone and prepared piano; text by H. H. Holmes aka Herman Mudgett

Instrumental

• In Such a Night (2010)

two violas and recorded voice; text by William Shakespeare

• Like Blind Men Tapping in the Dark (2010)

one marimba, two performers

• Rodeo Queen of Heaven (2010)

clarinet, violin, cello, and piano

• Ursa (2010)

tuba and wind ensemble

References

"Libby Larsen: Works", accessed 03/21/2011.

1. Griffel, Margaret Ross (2013). Operas in English: A Dictionary (Revised ed.). Scarecrow Press. p. 461. ISBN 978-0-8108-8272-0. Retrieved 11 May 2016.

External links

• Libby Larsen - Home