The recorder is my instrument. Starting later in life, with no prior musical training or history, I enjoy learning new music and improvising melodies. What begins for me as a simple improvisation often grows into the urge to compose a full piece, for solo or duet.
For the compositions below, I used the MuseScore app to score for digital recorders and other instruments.
Sheet music available from SheetMusicPlus, Amazon, and Apple Books.
Reflections
An Elegy (Violin & Cello)
An Elegy is dedicated to the memory of Dr. William Henry Cooper, Jr., neighbor, friend, mentor. His unexpected passing brought the sorrow of loss, but also the warm remembrance of his life. There’s vibrancy in remembrance and confidence that his value to all who knew him will always remain meaningful and alive.
Awaiting You (Violin & Cello)
Dedicated to my wife, Awaiting You explores the tension between presence and absence, evoking a sense of yearning. The violin becomes a melody bearer while the cello moves the piece forward, like a subtle heartbeat. The result is a composition of waiting: for grace, for return, for the breath that completes the absence with presence.
From Native Woods
These compositions were inspired by Native American flute music.
Red Cedar (Flute Solo)
I composed Red Cedar when I first began playing a new, hand-crafted Native American flute I received from Blue Bear Flutes of Alabama.
Smokedrift (Flute Solo)
Smokedrift was a melody I created at the piano but recently recreated on a Native American flute and then scored for recorder and other woodwinds.
The American Recorder Society
I am a member of the American Recorder Society. I’m honored that several of my compositions have been accepted for the Society’s Music Libraries.
As their website states, “The mission of the American Recorder Society is to promote the recorder and its music.” Please visit and discover all that the Society offers.