Composed by Brian Joyce. Contemporary Classical, Sacred, Lent. Score, Set of Parts. 48 pages. Published by Brian Joyce (S0.160657). - Score,Set of Parts - Contemporary Classical,Sacred,Lent - Brian Joyce

Composed by Brian Joyce. Contemporary Classical, Sacred, General Worship, Christmas. Score. 29 pages. Published by Brian Joyce (S0.161021). - Score - Contemporary Classical,Sacred,General Worship,Christmas - Brian Joyce

Composed by Brian Joyce. Contemporary Classical, Christian, Folk. Score, Set of Parts. 27 pages. Published by Brian Joyce (S0.158141). - Score,Set of Parts - Contemporary Classical,Christian,Folk - Brian Joyce

Composed by Brian Joyce. 21st Century, Contemporary Classical, Impressionistic, Post-Romantic. 19 pages. Published by Brian Joyce (S0.160877). - - 21st Century,Contemporary Classical,Impressionistic,Post-Romantic - Brian Joyce

Composed by Brian Joyce. 21st Century, Contemporary Classical, Post-Modern, Neo-Classical. 36 pages. Published by Brian Joyce (S0.158763). - - 21st Century,Contemporary Classical,Post-Modern,Neo-Classical - Brian Joyce

Composed by Brian Joyce. 21st Century, Neo-Classical, Christian, Sacred, General Worship. Score. 37 pages. Published by Brian Joyce (S0.241799). - Score - 21st Century,Neo-Classical,Christian,Sacred,General Worship - Brian Joyce

Composed by Brian Joyce. Contemporary Classical, Sacred. Score, Set of Parts. 30 pages. Published by Brian Joyce (S0.161463). - Score,Set of Parts - Contemporary Classical,Sacred - Brian Joyce

Instrumental Duet Instrumental Duet,Medium Voice - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.836719 Composed by Brian Joyce. Arranged by Brian Joyce. Contemporary. Score and parts. 18 pages. Brian Joyce #6567925. Published by Brian Joyce (A0.836719). Even very well-versed singers can be forgiven if they have never heard of Everett Maxwell (1858-1940). He was simply one of millions in the vast American workingclass, one who was known to jot down a poem or two now and then.Here we have six examples of his work, poems which he wrote for his childhood sweetheart whom he waited fifty years to marry. Maxwell’s great grandson asked me to set these poems to music saying, the poems illuminate a picture of life in the American midwest during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His poetry serves as a lens through which we can view his . . . youthful romantic view of nineteenth-century prairie life.Since the poems are so imbued with nostalgia and 19th century romanticism, I endeavored to set them with an equally strong sense of the classic art song tradition.Curiously, these songs feel longer than they actually are. There are many pieces about which one could say the same thing with less charity, but in this case it’s a good thing: the poems are quite short (the longest is only twelve lines, the shortest only four!)The entire cycle lasts just under 12 minutes. The audio sample includes most of one song (A June Night) and all of a second (Have You Found a Place?). These are enough to give you a sense of the whole cycle.

Organ - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.836714 Composed by Brian Joyce. 20th Century,Christian,Christmas,Sacred. Score. 8 pages. Brian Joyce #4805139. Published by Brian Joyce (A0.836714). New for the 2019 Christmas Season, here is a Noël (a set of variations of a type popular in the French Baroque) on a somewhat less well known Advent Carol for manuals only.  Venez, divin Messie (O Come Divine Messiah) is an anonymous 16th century tune to which Abbé Simon-Joseph Pellegrin added the words in the early 18th century. It is a charming melody and this new setting will provide organists with a little something beyond the ordinary Advent/Christmas fare.Originally conceived for harpsichord, this piece easily makes the transition to organ manuals. Performance time is between 9 and 10 minutes depending largely on the acoustics of the room. The attached audio file will tell you everything there is to say about the music. You will hear the entire tune plus the beginning and ending of each variation.

Small Ensemble,Strings Harpsichord,Oboe - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.836700 Composed by Brian Joyce. 20th Century,Contemporary. Score and parts. 78 pages. Brian Joyce #2881183. Published by Brian Joyce (A0.836700). An 18-minute concerto in three movements for oboe, harpsichord and string quartet.From the program notes . . . .I can imagine readers glancing over a recital program and seeing that it includes a work for oboe, harpsichord and string quartet. They steel themselves against the onset of what promises to be a dull and dreary piece played by unsmiling people in black suits. My imaginary audience may be pleased to find that this Petit Concert is nothing of the sort. It is actually a rather relaxed piece, combining something of the 18th century Rococo (which was never very serious to begin with) and Steely Dan-influenced Hindemith. But just as a chef will hide the most unlikely ingredients in his sauces and confections, I hope I have concealed these disparate influences in a piece which speaks with its own voice. Here, then, is a short concerto with little if any overt virtuosity; it is offered simple for the enjoyment of players and audience alike. In this it perhaps comes round full circle to composers like François Couperin who preferred to please their listeners rather than stun them.Relaxed the piece may be. To be sure, ranges and techniques are far from extreme and there are plenty of triadic sonorities and almost normal functional harmony here. But there are also moments of jazz-inflected chromaticism and frequent meter changes to contend with. It will take players who can hold their own in a mildly dissonant sound world to pull this off. Careful attention to dynamics, tight ensemble and flawless intonation are a must, but diligent players will be rewarded with an immediate audience-pleaser.A separate harpsichord part is included for players who prefer not to read from the score. Equal temperament and a=440 are assumed for the harpsichord. A two manual instrument is preferred but not absolutely necessary.

Organ - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.836713 Composed by Brian Joyce. 20th Century,Christian,Holiday,Sacred. Score. 9 pages. Brian Joyce #4776213. Published by Brian Joyce (A0.836713). These are very early works, sins of my youth, as the saying goes. They are written in a faux-baroque style and would be very accessible to all but the fussiest congregations. The hymn tunes involved are (1) We Gather Together [KREMSER], (2) Come, Ye Thankful People [ST. GEORGE’S WINDSOR], and (3) Now Thank We All Our God [NUN DANKET]. They are especially appropriate for the Thanksgiving season, but would not be out of place at any time of the year. The third prelude gives the tune to a 4’ reed stop in the pedal.Performance times: 0:45, 1:45, 1:25 (4 minutes for all).

Clarinet,Piano - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.836709 Composed by Brian Joyce. Contemporary. Score and part. 27 pages. Brian Joyce #3074129. Published by Brian Joyce (A0.836709). A piece shrouded in mystery and intrigue. For myself, I mean: I don’t even know what the title means, nor why this particular piece should wear it. The music and the title came as a package deal, falling on me out of the blue one day. It wasn’t on my to-do list, nor was I looking for extra work. But perhaps that’s the answer: the piece itself is the Agent, breaking into my nicely ordered studio and disrupting things for the next few months. I’ll have to think about this some more.But I digress. Whatever its meaning or provenance, it’s an odd little sonatina. For instance, at its heart the second movement is a traditional scherzo and trio, but it is as misshapen as anything H. P. Lovecraft himself might have envisioned. Even I am not sure where the beginnings and endings of the sections are without a score in hand. Mystery upon mystery.  Another example: as I began to work on the third movement, I wasn’t sure if it would be a simple binary or ternary form, a rondo or a sonata-allegro. I never did find out, to be honest. All I know is that, to my ears, it sounds like what might have resulted if I had been asked to write the theme to The Simpsons. The audio sample will give you some idea of what I mean.More questions than answers.Performance time is a little under 14 minutes.

Organ - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.836718 Composed by Brian Joyce. Christian,Contemporary,Sacred. Score. 15 pages. Brian Joyce #5749579. Published by Brian Joyce (A0.836718). These eight Chorale Preludes were all written between March and May of 2020, during the worldwide Coronavirus Pandemic. Unlike the earlier companion volumes of shorter English and German preludes, which feature a variety of moods and themes, these American examples all seem to center around the closely related ideas of hope and quiet confidence. While this was not my intention back when I was choosing hymns to work with, I am pleased with the unity of the set. Taken as a whole, they are filled with tidings of comfort and joy. Stylistically, the preludes range from the baroque bounce of Praise Him, Jesus Our Blessed Redeemer, through the sturdy On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand (with its chords sounding as if they had been carved from granite blocks) and a surprisingly delicate I Stand Amazed. There is a fair amount of canonic leading and following in He Leadeth Me; Great is Thy Faithfulness is the expressive heart of the set; and we end by returning to 18th century ritornello models with Blessed Assurance. Through it all I think I have managed to avoid any sense of academic stuffiness - in fact there are several moments which may sound almost playful if not handled rightly.As with the Shorter English and German Preludes, most of these are between one and two minutes in length, and each fits on one or two pages, arranged so as to avoid page turns. As always, durations and sources are provided for your planning.

Organ - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.836716 Composed by Brian Joyce. Christian,Contemporary,Sacred. Score. 12 pages. Brian Joyce #4966351. Published by Brian Joyce (A0.836716). For many years I have enjoyed playing the simpler manualiter chorale preludes of Zachau and J. G. Walter in the old Peters edition many organists will be familiar with. Then there are the delightful little preludes of Ernst Pepping which I first heard as a teenager in a recording by E. Power Biggs. I had something of a cross between these two influences in mind for this new set of English preludes. There are some finger-twisting moments here and there, but by and large these manuals-only pieces are meant to be shorter, more direct, and simpler (in concept, if not execution!) than my larger sets of preludes. The hymns dealt with here represent a useful mix of liturgical purposes and include Holy, Holy, Holy!, Come, Thou Almighty King, When Morning Gilds the Skies, Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates, All Things Bright and Beautiful, Beneath the Cross of Jesus, The Church’s One Foundation, and Christ the Lord is Risen Today. As always, sources and timings are included and the score prints in landscape format.

Small Ensemble Flute,Harpsichord,Marimba,Multi-Percussion - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.836702 Composed by Brian Joyce. Contemporary. Score and parts. 45 pages. Brian Joyce #2897325. Published by Brian Joyce (A0.836702). It’s a brave musician who, armed only with a piccolo, is willing to walk onto a stage strewn with the assorted weaponry of a determined percussionist. One’s confidence can be shaken to the point of asking, who is the soloist here, anyway?But the rewards for courage are great: where else will you find bongos, a harpsichord and a piccolo performing together? How many times do you come across a military march in 3/4 time? In what other circumstances would Goldilocks intrude on the Seven Dwarves? What more could you ask?Percussion required (one player): marimba, glockenspiel, field drum, bongos, suspended cymbal with yarn sticks, sleigh bells, maracas (1 or 2, one hand).Piccolos required: one (1).The score assumes a five-octave double-manual harpsichord, but adjustments can be made to accommodate a single without appreciable harm to the music.The audio file accompanying this blurb features snippets of the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th and 7th movements.  Performance time is approximately 12 minutes. Good luck!