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

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.

Piano,Violin - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.836715 Composed by Brian Joyce. 20th Century,Classical,Romantic Period. 44 pages. Brian Joyce #4887927. Published by Brian Joyce (A0.836715). A Violin Sonata written in 2019, but which sounds more like 1869? There’s a reason for that: apart from the obvious and enjoyable challenge of writing an extended faux-19th century piece, the sonata is dedicated to the memory of my mother who - being a Brahms & Tchaikovsky gal through and through - had little use for music written after 1900. For instance, I remember when I was a lad and my father and I would listen to Stravinsky’s Le Sacre, Mom would always go out for a walk until it blew over. The Sonata has four movements: I. Largo-Moderato (7:10), II. Allegretto (5:00), III. Andante (7:00), IV. Bagatelles. Allegro non troppo (6:00). Total performance time is about 25 to 26 minutes. The audio file accompanying this description gives you a couple of minutes of each movement: most of the exposition of I; the end of the Scherzo and beginning of the Trio (with its curious three-measure phrases) of II; the closing measures of III; and the beginning of IV. (The sonata has been read by professional players and is guaranteed to work, but at this writing it has not been performed or recorded. Therefore the audio file is only a computer playback. Living musicians will be able to make far more sense of it.)

Choral Choir (SATB) - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.836712 Composed by Brian Joyce. Christian,Sacred. Octavo. 21 pages. Brian Joyce #4325937. Published by Brian Joyce (A0.836712). If you ever need a break from the soundbyte theology found in so many contemporary Christian lyrics, why not revisit the words of Isaac Watts (1674-1748), who could stretch a single coherent thought across multiple verses of his hymns? Watts was a prolific writer on many subjects, including geography, astronomy, ethics, and psychology. His book on Logic became a standard university text, being used at Oxford for over 100 years. But his greatest desire was to assist Christians in the worship of God and it is his hymns for which he is best remembered today.These old words are here set to new music which represents a blending of three different traditions: First, and most obvious, is the rustic sound of early American shape-note singing. Second is the strong linearity of 13th century Ars Antiqua voice leading, in which each part was more or less independent. And third is my own fondness for mixed meters and sonorities built on fourths and seconds. Yet it all works somehow: these are actually very singable hymns once the choir has acclimated to the style. Most fall comfortably into a simple diatonic language and would present no jarring problems for the listener. Five of the hymns are for standard mixed voices (SATB); one is for men’s voices (TTB); one for women’s (SSA) and the last, a Doxology, is in six parts (SSATTB) with a florid threefold amen. There is admittedly a certain sameness about these settings; perhaps it’s best if they are not all sung in one go, cover to cover. Taken individually, however, there is no reason they couldn’t make for a refreshing change from the usual church anthem, and a group of three or four could easily find a place on a choral recital program.

Woodwind Ensemble,Woodwind Quintet - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.836708 Composed by Brian Joyce. 20th Century,Contemporary. 24 pages. Brian Joyce #3022299. Published by Brian Joyce (A0.836708). Full disclosure: This work is frankly atonal. Rhythms are tricky. Harmonies are unconventional to say the least. And even the form is nicely aberrant.Yet something magical happens when writing for winds: because of the weak timbre contact between the different instruments, one can write complex textures without losing clarity. One can write dissonant harmonies without having them sound harsh and grating. In fact, there are moments of surprising beauty here. Take for instance the color canons, passages combining all instruments in clusters whose harmonic and rhythmic motion is essentially static, but which shimmer with ever-changing timbres. The title translates - inexactly - to Keeper of Heaven, or Starry Watchman, or Celestial Caretaker, and refers to an imaginary character whose task it is to walk about the heavens at sunset and turn on the stars. He is the galactic equivalent of the old gentlemen who once went about Victorian streets, lighting the gas lamps and generally keeping an eye on things, making sure that all is well. I do not claim that this character is God the Father Almighty, only that he is an old gentleman. But there might very well be something wizard-ish about him!Performance time is approximately seven and a half minutes. The audio excerpt included here is of the last two minutes, where the music comes the closest to being tonal.

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.

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).

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: A0.836718 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.