Works - Tina Davidson

“The freshest piece here was They Come Dancing, a 15 minute toccata written by Tina Davidson. Ms Davidson has a vivid ear for harmony and orchestral colors. Over sustained pedal tones and quietly pulsating bass patterns, diffuse harmonies – like out-of-focus Copland chords – sound forth and dance.”

New York Times

Orchestra

POMEGRANETS (2012) 5′
Chamber Orchestra
2,2,2,2; 4,2,1,0; 2 percussion, piano, strings – for chamber orchestra

RIVER (2004) 12′
2,2,2,2; 4,2,3,0; 2 percussion, harp, strings – for chamber orchestra
Commissioned by the Reading Museum, the work is “stunning, as full of subtle surprises as a walk through a museum. Beginning softly, the piece slowly gathered energy and substance, then came to a pensive conclusion. Along the way were passages of beautiful lyricism – in short, an opulent piece with a spiritual quality.” (Reading Eagle)

BEYOND THE BLUE HORIZON (2000) 5′
3,3,3,2; 4,3,1,1; 3 perc, piano, strings – for full orchestra
“Leonard Slatkin led the orchestra in a specially commissioned ‘encore’ by the gifted Tina Davidson. It is a lovely work – lively, jostling, somehow aquatic and orchestrated with clarity and precision.” (Tim Page, Washington Post)

DEVIL STONE (2000) 16′
2,2,2,2; 2,2,2,0; 2 perc, piano, strings – for chamber orchestra

THE SELKIE BOY (2000) 17′
Narrator; 2 (alt picc),2 (alt Eng. Hr.),2 (alt BCl),2; 4,3,2,1; harp, 3 perc, piano, strings, – for narrator and full orchestra
Also available for narrator and chamber orchestra
Commissioned by the Greater Twin Cities Youth Orchestras, and based on Scottish children’s story by Helen Clare, this moving work is about a little boy who is found on the beach and his journey to find his true identity and his relationship to the seals, the magical selkies. An ideal piece for family audiences.

The Selkie Boy music excerpts:

STARFIRE (1996) 5′
2,2,2,2; 4,2,2,1; 3 perc, strings – for youth orchestra (6th-7th graders)
Also available for string orchestra (revised and extended version for 8th-12th graders)
Commissioned by the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, twenty-fifth anniversary year.

OVER SALT RIVER (1995) 15′
Solo soprano; 3,3,3,3; 4,3,3,0; 3, perc, piano, strings – for soprano and full orchestra
Commissioned by Newark Symphony Orchestra and dedicated to those who have died of AIDS, “the work begins as a lament, but gradually brightens and rises up the scale. This song became a soaring affirmation of the wonder and beauty of life in the face of death.” (City Paper of Philadelphia)

THEY COME DANCING (1994) 15′
3,3,3,3; 4,3,3,1; 3 perc, piano, strings – for full orchestra
A Meet the Composer/Reader’s Digest Commission for the Women’s Philharmonic, Roanoke Symphony, New Orchestra of West Chester and Westmoreland Symphony.
“The freshest piece here was They Come Dancing, a 15 minute toccata written by Tina Davidson. Ms Davidson has a vivid ear for harmony and orchestral colors. Over sustained pedal tones and quietly pulsating bass patterns, diffuse harmonies – like out-of-focus Copland chords – sound forth and dance.” (The New York Times)

They Come Dancing music excerpt:

BLESSINGS (SACRED SPACE) (1992) 15′
Solo alto and soprano saxophone; 3,3,3,3; 4,3,3,1; harp, 3 perc, piano, strings – for alto saxophone and orchestra
Commissioned by the Orchestra Society of Philadelphia, “the piece incorporated a primordial, dissonant mutter developed in percussion and bass. Against that, the saxophone plays long low tones, and the player is asked to improvise. It grows towards a clear, bright unison before the piece seems to open into a broadly lyrical, but rhythmically urgent affirmation.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

IN THE DARKNESS I FIND A FACE [IT IS MINE] (1989) 20′
3*, 2 (alt Eng. hr), 2 (alt BCl), 3*; 4,3,3,1; 3 perc, piano, strings – for full orchestra
Premiered by Harrisburg Symphony, Larry Newland, conductor, Feb. 13-14, 1990.

BLOOD MEMORY: A LONG QUIET AFTER THE CALL (1985) 15′
Cello, 2,2,2,2, (optional BCl, Ten Sax); 4,3,2,1; 2 perc, piano, str. – for cello and orchestra
The work is “deliciously lyrical, dominated by strings throughout most sections, almost a cello concerto in feel, opening with a round, sensual cello solo. I kept liking the piece more with each turn, ’til I fell in love with it.” (Welcomat)

PIANO CONCERTO (1981) 18′
Piano; 2,2,2,2; 4,3,2,1; 3 perc, strings – for piano and orchestra, in 5 movements
Written for, premiered by the Orchestra Society of Philadelphia, Robert Fitzpatrick, conductor.

DANCERS (1980) 8′
2,2,2,2; 4,2,1,1; 3 perc, strings – for orchestra
“Davidson has written music that cries out to be choreographed. In a piquant performance by Reading Symphony Orchestra, Dancers conjured up whirling ghosts with weird, eerie screeches, percussion, and even vocal effects. Davidson’s atonal melodies, syncopated rhythms, and a texture woven of jazz, fanfares, and abrupt changes of timbre, draw the listener into a dream space where there is no predicting what will happen next.” (Reading Times)

TWO BEASTS FROM THE FOREST OF IMAGINARY BEINGS (1975) 15′
Narrator, 2,2,2,2; 4,2,2; 3 perc, strings – for narrator and orchestra
An ideal piece for family audiences, the work is based on a text of Jorge Luis Borges. “Two Beasts from the Forest of Imaginary Beings is a phenomenal work.” (Symphony Magazine)

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Orchestra Works for Family Audiences

The Selkie Boy music excerpts:

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Orchestra Side by Side with Student Performers

FIRST LIGHT (2010) 4′
Beginning string players and string orchestra
Created for beginning string players to perform with professional string orchestra, the work opens up with a plaintive melody for the young players. As each string section is slowly added, the work concludes with a joyous finale.

PAPER, GLASS, STRING & WOOD (2000) 15′
Professional string quartet and string orchestra
A “side-by-side” work written for professional quartet to play with students (one advanced and the other intermediate) in four movements, “it is real music, with structure, mood, novelty, and harmonic sophistication – with haunting melodies that grow out of complex, repetitive rhythms.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Recording; Cassatt; The Cassatt String Quartet, Albany Record

Paper, Glass, String & Wood music excerpts:

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String Orchestra

BAREFOOT (2011) 12’
String orchestra
Cold, and full of fresh snow, there was always a longing for bare feet on green forest paths and creek beds. The dashing out and tasting life with little protection, dancing before the burning bush – barefoot before God.

Barefoot music excerpt:

ALWAYS PARISA (2010) 11′
Solo cello and string orchestra

DEISIS (2008) 6′
Violin and string orchestra

BRIGHT AIR, BRILLIANT FIRE (2007) 12′
String orchestra
Empedocles (of Acagras in Sicily, c. 492-432 BC), who is best known for his belief that all matter was composed of four elements: fire, air, water, and earth. As he wrote in his Fragments, “for by earth we see earth, and by water water, and by air bright air; so, too, by fire brilliant fire.” The work, in three movements, can be performed as a whole, or any movement singly.

By Air, Bright Air
By Earth, Earth
By Fire, Brilliant Fire

PAPER, GLASS, STRING & WOOD (2000) 15′
for string quartet and string orchestra
A “side-by-side” work written for professional quartet to play with students (one advanced and the other intermediate) in four movements, “it is real music, with structure, mood, novelty, and harmonic sophistication – with haunting melodies that grow out of complex, repetitive rhythms.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Recording; Cassatt; The Cassatt String Quartet, Albany Record

Paper, Glass, String & Wood music excerpts:

CELESTIAL TURNINGS (1999) 15′
For string orchestra
“Music sometimes arrives in your life with an air of inevitability. You know you’re hearing something for the first time, but your brain seems to have been secretly waiting for it. The ultimate, paradoxical effect is that of a musical homecoming with a total stranger, which happened at the premiere of Tina Davidson’s new string orchestra work, Celestial Turnings.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Celestial Turnings music excerpts:

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Student String Orchestra

FIRST LIGHT (2010) 4′
Beginning string players and students string orchestra
Created for beginning string players to perform with professional string orchestra, the work opens up with a plaintive melody for the young players. As each string section is slowly added, the work concludes with a joyous finale.

First Light music excerpt:

FIDDLER’S DELIGHT (2010) 6′
Student string orchestra
Written for specifically for the various performance abilities of young string players, the piece begins with a soft tapping, which quickly grows into a rhythmic, canonic dance. Evolving still further, the works transforms into a beautiful melody.

STARFIRE (1996) 5′
string orchestra (revised and extended version for 8th-12th graders)
Commissioned by the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, twenty-fifth anniversary year

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String Quartet and Sextet

STILL (2017) 6’
String quartet

RENDER (2016) 16’
String quartet and young string players
From Old French, render means to give back, deliver, causes to become – to cede, cough up, deliver, give up, lay down, relinquish, surrender, turn over, yield. Written for the Cassatt Quartet with the option of performing with students or amateur ensemble of strings in two bookends – short optional pieces that serve as a prelude and postlude.

Render music excerpt:

WEPAN (2014) 9′
2 Violins, viola, cello and piano
Written for Open End Ensemble, wēpan is to weep, bewail, mourn over, or deplore.

Wēpan music excerpt:

A BRIGHT FLASH OF WINGS (2004) 15′
String sextet (or string quartet and piano)
Commissioned by Concertante, the work is about that moment when, out of the corner of our eye, we see something flash in the sky, and look up, wondering.

A Bright Flash of Wings music excerpt:

PAPER, GLASS, STRING & WOOD (2000) 24′
String quartet and 1-2 student quartets
A “side-by-side” work written for professional quartet to play with students (one advanced and the other intermediate) in four movements, “it is real music, with structure, mood, novelty, and harmonic sophistication – with haunting melodies that grow out of complex, repetitive rhythms.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Recording; Cassatt; The Cassatt String Quartet, Albany Record

Paper, Glass, String & Wood music excerpts:

THE DELIGHT OF ANGELS (1999) 18′
String quartet
This vibrant, rhythmic work, commissioned for the Cassatt Quartet, is “a state replete with sweet tunes layered among the strings, fragments that circle in and out of consciousness, sustaining slender, shimmering textures.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Recording; Cassatt; The Cassatt String Quartet, Albany Record, 2006.

The Delight of Angels music excerpt:

IT IS MY HEART SINGING (1996) 16′
String quartet and piano or string sextet
Dedicated to Brahms’ centennial and commissioned by the Wilmington Music Festival, it “opens with a wailing, lyrical violin melody – the work is a continuous, meditative swath of sound.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Recording; Cassatt; The Cassatt String Quartet, Albany Record, 2006.

It Is My Heart Singing music excerpt:

BLEACHED THREAD, SISTER THREAD (1991) 16′
String quartet
“The energy and vitality of Bleached Thread, Sister Thread create a sense of journey so palpable and persuasive that the music and poetry flow together in one unified experience” (American Music). The work was commissioned by the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society; this work was written for the Mendelssohn String Quartet and recorded on CRI in 1996.

Bleached Thread, Sister Thread music excerpt:

CASSANDRA SINGS (1989) 16′
String quartet
Commissioned by the Kronos Quartet and recorded by the Cassatt String Quartet, the piece “builds to a climax of tremendous richness, throwing out a soundscape that would seem to be much greater than merely four instruments can produce. An extended coda achieves a resolution of sublime dimensions.” (Fanfare)
Recording; Cassatt; The Cassatt String Quartet, CRI # 671, Emergency Music, 1994.

Cassandra Sings music excerpt:

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String Quartet Side by Side with Student Performers

Render music excerpt:

Paper, Glass, String & Wood music excerpts:

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Strings Trios

TREMBLE (2013) 10’
Violin, cello & piano
We shiver in delight or quake in fear. We shake in anger or pulse in love. We tremble in the act of knowing and not knowing.

Tremble music excerpts:

BAREFOOT (2011) 12’
Violin, viola, cello & piano
Cold, and full of fresh snow, there was always a longing for bare feet on green forest paths and creek beds. The dashing out and tasting life with little protection, the dancing before the burning bush – barefoot before God.

Barefoot music excerpt:

BLUE LIKE AN ORANGE (2009), 10’
Violin, cello & piano
Inspired by the poem by the French Surrealistic poet Paul Éluard, is a reverie about the earth – blue, rotating with fire and passion, throwing out sparks of energy until it finally breaks opens to a melodic rush of harmonies and colors.

Blue Like an Orange music excerpts:

MUSIC FOR THE SEASON (2010)
Violin, cello & piano
“Beautiful, evocative music for the holiday season created and arranged for the Newstead Trio. Original music includes Tina Davidson’s tender Behold a Virgin Approaching and jubilant Let There be Joy, which are from her large work, Duan Nollaig, a collection of carols based on ancient Celtic texts. Traditional carols are beautifully reincarnated; Davidson’s lovely Ave Maria, What Child is This, Silent Night and Away in the Manger.” (from recording, Music of the Season)

Ave Maria, Music by C. Gounod, arr. by Tina Davidson
Silent Night, Music by Franz Gruber, arr. by Tina Davidson
Away in the Manger, Music by Jonathan E. Spillman, arr. by Tina Davidson
What Child Is This?, 16th Century English Melody, arr. by Tina Davidson
Behold the Virgin Approaching, by Tina Davidson
Let There be Joy, by Tina Davidson

Recording; The Newstead Trio: Music of the Season

Music for the Season music excerpts:

BODIES IN MOTION (2001), 18’
Violin, cello & piano, (optional soprano & marimba)
Commissioned by WHYY-TV
Recording; Thomas Eakins: Scenes from Modern Life, WHYY, Inc. 2002.

Bodies in Motion music excerpts:

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Cello Quartets and Octets

CELESTIAL TURNINGS (1999) 20′
Cello Octet
“Music sometimes arrives in your life with an air of inevitability. You know you’re hearing something for the first time, but your brain seems to have been secretly waiting for it. The ultimate, paradoxical effect is that of a musical homecoming with a total stranger, which happened at the premiere of Tina Davidson’s new work, Celestial Turnings.” (David Patrick Stearns, Inquirer)

Celestial Turnings music excerpts:

LULLABY (sweet child, sleep and dream) (1997) 5′
Cello octet
Commissioned by OperaDelaware, this quiet, wordless lullaby is the final song in the opera, Billy and Zelda – “a lullaby of transfiguring beauty.” (OperaNews)

DARK CHILD SINGS (1988) 10′
Cello quartet
Inspired by a poem by the composer’s sister, Eva Davidson, the work speaks of the child in the shadows of the past.
Recording; Bennington Cello Quartet, Opus One, #148

Dark Child Sings music excerpts:

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Chamber Ensemble

LEAP (2020) 11’
Violin, Viola, Cello and piano
A large jump or a sudden movement – when the pandemic hit, we leapt into a world unrecognizable, but not without its gifts.

HUM (2019) 8’
Cello and piano
A hum, a convergence – a thrum, almost a purr, if you listen closely enough.

THIS (2018) 8’
Clarinet, Cello and piano
What is here, right now.

HUSH (2017) 10’
Violin and piano
A spinning, both interior and exterior, energy arcing over light, glow.

GATHER (2015), 10’
Clarinet Quartet (Also available for clarinet and piano)
Written for clarinetist Christy Banks

MEMORY: WILD FRUIT (2015), 16’
Clarinet, violin, cello and piano
There is an untamed and wild quality to memory, and like gravity, it has its own pull – forward and back, upwards and downwards. Written for the Ensemble Nordlys and premiered in Denmark.

BLUE CURVE OF THE EARTH (2011) 5′
Violin and piano (or solo violin)
Commissioned by Hilary Hahn, recorded on Deutsche Grammophon, 2013
“Grows into a lyrical world that literally seems capable of embracing the horizon. It is a shamelessly lovely piece.” (Communities Digital News)

CLOSE TO THE BONE (2007) 9′
Marimba, three performers on one marimba
Commissioned by Attacca Percussion Group

\CEL”E*BRATE\ (2003) 12′
Alto saxophone, bass clarinet, piano and percussion
Celebrate: to, commemorate, bless, carouse, ceremonialize, commend, dedicate, drink to, eulogize, feast, glorify, honor, jubilate, keep, laud, let loose, lionize, make merry, make whoopee.

\CEL”E*BRATE\ music excerpt:

IN THAT EARLY LIGHT (1999) 6′
Glass harmonica and cello trio
In that Early Light, commissioned by WHYY-TV, is a gradual awakening to the world; small slivers of light, a distant broom brushing against cement – rhythm building upon rhythm until we are in the full light of the morning.

In That Early Light music excerpt:

OF THE RUNNING WAY (1996) 12′
Clarinet and piano (also alto saxophone and piano)
Of the Running Way was written for clarinetist Linda Bartley through a Fellowship from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. The title comes from an ancient Celtic prayer.

FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN (1993) 11′
Marimba, vibraphone and piano
Commissioned and premiered by Network for New Music, and recorded on CRI. The work “is rhythmically driving, with fascinatingly simple yet lovely harmonic changes.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Recording; Tina Davidson: I Hear the Mermaids Singing, CRI #681, Emergency Music

Fire on the Mountain music excerpt:

THE DANCING SWORD (UNSHEATHED) (1992) 15′
Two pianos
Written for and premiered by Double Edge

WOMAN DREAMING (1990) 12′
Flute, English horn, clarinet/bass clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion
“A vividly descriptive piece in which darkness gradually gives way to enlightenment. The transparency of the writing enables Davidson’s journey from mysterious, static phrases to nostalgic, jazzy and shimmering statements to come across with crystalline clarity. This is a tightly-knit work in which each instrumental strand adds resonance to the overall structure. Davidson has devised episodes that are succinct and telling. The colors and moods, animated at times by frisky rhythms, are beautifully deployed.” (Pittsburgh Press)

I HEAR THE MERMAIDS SINGING (1990) 10′
Flute, English horn, bassoon and piano
“Her music is primal. Ostinati knock calmly at the door, and thirds resound like emergency vehicle horns sans the usual impatience and anger. What remains are delightful sounds – sounds that make us human and resound in the universe. If these words sound lofty, it is the result of listening to this otherworldly music.” (IWCM Journal)
Recording; Tina Davidson: I Hear the Mermaids Singing, CRI #681, Emergency Music

I Hear the Mermaids Singing music excerpt:

BLUE DAWN [THE PROMISED FRUIT] (1989) 10′
Flute, English horn, bassoon and piano
Blue Dawn (The Promised Fruit) is both a departure and an arrival. Blue is the color the Navahos associate with the fructifying power of the earth, the water and the sky, dawn is a moment of happiness and promise and Eve gives Adam, not the apple of death, but the apple.
Recording; Tina Davidson: I Hear the Mermaids Singing, CRI #681, Emergency Music

Blue Dawn [The Promised Fruit] music excerpt:

LULLABY (1986) 8′
Unspecified instrumentation (6-8 players)
“And the no-school school declared itself with Tina Davidson’s Lullaby, a gorgeously gentle piece for variable solo instrument – in this case violin – and an accompanying group that wraps the solo lines in echoes and shadows.” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Recording; Tina Davidson: I Hear the Mermaids Singing, CRI #681, Emergency Music

Lullaby music excerpt:

NEVER LOVE A WILD THING (1986) 8′
Unspecified instrumentation (6-10 players)
Never Love a Wild Thing is for non-specific instrumentation and open orchestration. The ensemble may vary from six to eight performers who orchestrate the sections within the work.

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Instrumental Solo

BLUE CURVE OF THE EARTH (2011) 5′
Solo violin (or violin and piano)
Commissioned by Hilary Hahn, recorded on Deutsche Grammophon, 2013
“Grows into a lyrical world that literally seems capable of embracing the horizon. It is a shamelessly lovely piece.” (Communities Digital News)

RUN (2007) 8′
Solo piano
Run is to never have both or all the feet on the ground at the same time. Run away from others or towards them, run across, after, along, or around. Run like the wind or run in place … in the short run, in the long run, or on the run. Run in the sheer wonder and exuberance of the body,

BAR NONE (2007) 1″
Piano Solo
Commissioned by Guy Livingstone, performances in Gouda, Zwolle, Leeuwarde.

MANGO SONGS (2000) 15′
Piano solo or piano & reader
Six impressions or musical songs based on poet Regie Cabico’s Mango Poem.

LOST LOVE SONGS (1997) 22′
Cello (also available for marimba)
Commissioned by choreographer Anna Sokolow. The work uses the surrealistic prose poems of Paul Éluard.

TRANSPARENT VICTIMS (1987) 7′
Soprano/alto saxophone and pre-recorded saxophones
“Davidson has created accessible music of real substance.” (Classical Insites)
Recording; Tina Davidson: I Hear the Mermaids Singing, CRI #681, Emergency Music

Transparent Victims music excerpt:

STAR MYTHS (1987) 12′
Piano
“My own favorite was probably Tina Davidson’s Star Myths, which starts out with serene detached notes – like a science fiction movie maker’s vision of space – and ends up capturing the intensity of the real thing.” (Welcomat)

REQUIEM FOR SOMETHING LOST (1986) 5′
Soprano saxophone and pre-recorded saxophones
Commissioned by the New Works for American Radio, Marshall Taylor, saxophones, Gregory Whitehead, radio sound artist, premiered on NPR December, 1990.

SEVEN MACABRE SONGS (1979) 20′
Piano
“Based on seven grossly sardonic – yes, macabre – poems by Howard Nemerov, each of Davidson’s programmatic pieces is intended to be a poem as well, created, as Davidson says, with a ‘tightness, a scarceness of development and the intensity of line inherent in a poem.’ But tightness gives a false impression of the extroverted spirit of these unique songs. Sound effects such as forearm rolls, harmonics, and the lucking and strumming of the inner strings create weird and wonderful images – a lot of haunting, fun exhibitionism.” (Fanfare)

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Voice and Ensemble

SPRING AFTER SPRING (2010) 10′
Soprano and voice
A set of three songs based on the delicate poems by the composer’s sister, poet Eva Davidson, carefully detail a passage through the seasons of fall and spring, through grief and into the renewal of light.

SONGS OF PASSAGE, LOVE AND WAR (1997) 45′
Two sopranos, mezzo-soprano, tenor or baritone (five singers) and piano
These nineteen songs works reflect a rich passage of life through love, marriage, war, death and reconciliation. As the day begins, what promises are given, what love is lost, deaths are grieved and love finally reconciled — what is there before us, except to love and reconnect again and again?

Songs of Passage, Love and War music excerpts:

OVER SALT RIVER (1994) 5′
Soprano, English horn, piano
Commissioned by Newark Symphony Orchestra and dedicated to those who have died of AIDS, “The work begins as a lament, but gradually brightens and rises up the scale. This song became a soaring affirmation of the wonder and beauty of life in the face of death.” (City Paper of Philadelphia)

DESCENDING FIGURE WITH LULLABY (1986) 10′
Mezzo-soprano and unspecified ensemble (4-10)
“And the no-school school declared itself with Tina Davidson’s Lullaby, a gorgeously gentle piece for variable solo instrument – in this case violin – and an accompanying group that wraps the solo lines in echoes and shadows.” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

LULLABY (1986) 6′
Mezzo-soprano and unspecified ensemble (4-10)

TO UNDERSTAND WEEPING (1980) 8′
Soprano and pre-recorded tape

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Chorus

TURN TURN TURN (2019) 5’
Children’s Chorus, SATB and piano
Uses a poem by Daniel Berrigan based on Psalm 85 – a brilliant reweaving of its themes into contemporary reflection and prayer that is boldly new, yet fundamentally faithful to the original.

MAY YOUR DAYS BE GOOD (2011) 6′
SATB and piano
The text is an Apache wedding prayer.

LOVE IS (2010) 5′
SATB, Children’s Chorus and piano
Commissioned by Unitarian Universalist Church in Lancaster, and uses the UU affirmation of faith as text.

LOVE IS THE SPIRIT (2008) 10′
A cappella SATB
Five short settings of the Unitarian Universalist’s affirmation of faith.

WITHIN CIRCLES (2008) 5′
SATB Chorus
Text: “Circles of Our Lives” by poet Wendell Berry

WHAT WE NEED IS HERE (2005) 6′
A cappella SATB
Text: “The Wild Geese” by poet Wendell Berry

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF CHANGE (2005)
A cappella SATB
The text was written by author, educator and missionary Richard Shaull, who believed in the transformation of individuals and societies. As a liberation theologist, his commitment to social justice and inclusively were lifelong and tenacious.

On the Other Side of Change music excerpt:

TU AUTEM, DOMINE (2005) 4′
SATB
Commissioned by the Foundation for Sacred Music, the work is both in Latin and English, and resounds with the joyous, “Lock me up, lock me up, Lord!”

Tu Autem, Domine music excerpt:

IN THE GARDEN (2000) 8′
SATB and piano
Commissioned by the Mural Art Program.

THE OFFERING (2003) 10’
SATB, piano
Commissioned by VocalEssence and Philip Brunelle, this work is part of a larger work, Hymn of the Universe. Based on writing by the Catholic mystic, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, this work “vibrates like a mystical revelation, complex and compelling.” (review, Star-Tribune)

The Offering music excerpt:

SPEAK TO THE EARTH (2002) 3’
SATB
Commissioned by the Gloucester County Cultural and Historical Commission, this work part of a larger work called Listening to the Earth. Wondering, “how do I fit into this complicated time?” comes the answer – “speak to the earth and it will teach you (Job 12:6).”

Speak to the Earth music excerpt:

LIVED LIKE A SAINT (2002) 6’
SATB and piano
Lush and melodic, the piece joyously revels a communion with nature – “Last summer I lived like a saint, I didn’t work, learned thrush” (Smith).

Lived Like a Saint music excerpt:

WALK IN THE LIGHT (2001) 5’30”
SATB
Commissioned by Singing City chorus in memory of September 11^th, this work finds the delicate balance between “perfect sunlight shattered” and “slender, sturdy threads of hope.”

ANTIPHON FOR A VIRGIN (1998) 5’20’
SATB
Commissioned by the Fleisher Art Memorial, the Antiphon uses Hildegard of Bingen’s poem about the “shining girl” in both the English translation and in the original Latin.

Antiphon for a Virgin music excerpt:

LULLABY (SLEEP AND DREAM) (1998) 6’
SSATB and piano
Commissioned by OperaDelaware, this quiet, wordless lullaby is the final song in the opera, Billy and Zelda – “a lullaby of transfiguring beauty.”

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Choral Works in Multiple Movements

DUAN NOLLAIG (2005) 25′
SATB and chamber orchestra
Five carols (Uana) from the Carmina Gadelica to celebrate the Christmas (Nollaig) season.
The texts come from a collection of Celtic folk prayers, hymns, blessings, runes, poems and songs.

Let There Be Joy!
That Night the Star Shone
Hey the Gift
Behold the Virgin Approaching
Blessing of the New Year

Duan Nollaig music excerpts:

HYMN OF THE UNIVERSE (2003) 29’
SATB, English horn, string quartet & marimba (Also available for SATB and piano)
Commissioned by VocalEssence Ensemble Singers under the direction of Philip Brunelle, the work is based on the writings of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, an ardent Christian, a scientist and prolific writer. Written in four movements, the work explores the desire to see the “essence of things – a living heart beating with the fiery energy of love and compassion.”
“The major work Hymn of the Universe … was both intellectually rigorous and deeply moving. The first movement seemed to vibrate like a mystical revelation, complex and compelling. By contrast, the second was a lullaby to the soul, utterly transparent in its simplicity. The third movement was an extroverted song of praise, seemingly propelled by the very energy of creation. The work concluded with an a cappella movement of quiet grace.” (Star Tribune)

The Offering (Pierre Teilhard de Chardin)
Fold Your Wings (Teilhard de Chardin)
Hymn to Matter (Teilhard de Chardin)
Stay with Us, Lord (Luke 24:29)

Hymn of the Universe music excerpts:

LISTENING TO THE EARTH (2002) 16’
Children chorus, SATB and piano
Commissioned by the Glouster Historical Society and the James G. Atkinson Memorial Park, the work consists of five movements, two for the adult choir, two for the children’s choir, with the central piece for both choirs. The texts were created by teens attending Davidson’s Young Composers camp – a six-week intensive study of composition and instrument building reflecting the theme of listening to the earth, and local New Jersey poets.

The Blessing (Karen R. Springer)
Plankton (Mirella Gable, age 13)
Speak to the Earth (Shane Beatrice, Job 12:6)
Have You Ever? (Roxanne Carini, age 14)
Lived Like a Saint (John Smith)

Listening to the Earth music excerpts:

RIVER OF LOVE, RIVER OF LIGHT (1998) 26’
SATB, Eng. horn, vln, vlc, pft & perc (Also available for SATB and piano)
Commissioned by the Fleisher Art Memorial for their 100th anniversary, the work is comprised of seven spiritual texts about the Virgin Mary; St. Hildegard of Bingen, Sor Juana and Chiara Margarita Cozzolani, a poem by Gerald Manley Hopkins, and the words of the Virgin Mary as she appeared to Juan Diego in 1531.
“The highlight of this concert was the cantata River of Love, River of Light. Based on Marion texts, this is an exploration with strongly defined rhythms and repetitions; quickness of the opening and closing phrases contrast with deliberation, in the middle repetition in Latin is a totally different melody, sensual feeling and effect. The emotional center of this piece is the High Seas section: creating a seductive rolling rhythm of strong turbulence and wind, as ‘our ship flounders in the waves; the waters enter into our souls.’ The fugal Alleluia movement rises to a peak in a burst of light as ‘two realms become one.’ The final section of Hopkins text is a rushing, tumbling sound matching the color of the text.” (Penn Sounds)

Mother of the Great Truth (Eva Davidson)
Antiphon for the Virgin (Hildegard of Bingen)
Tla ya (Sor Juana)
High Seas (Chiara Margarita Cozzolani)
Hear me, Hear me (Virgin Mary to Juan Diego)
Alleluia for the Virgin (Hildegard of Bingen)
The Blessed Virgin (Gerard Manley Hopkins)

TOUCHING THE ROCK (1995) 12’
Soprano, SSAA, and marimba
Commissioned by the YWCA of New Castle County, Delaware, the work was written to honor the 100th Anniversary of the Wilmington YWCA. The texts uses Vera Scott Cushman’s stirring speech about women being the “watchers of the skies” to the YWCA’s current mission statement of a “common vision of peace”, the message was always clear, and the vision extends even to this day. Truly, the African Bush saying rings true, “when you have touched the woman, you have touched the rock.”

I Believe (Florence Simms)
Wherever There Is (YWCA Interracial Charter)
We are the Watchers (Vera Scott Cushman )

QUIETLY (1995), 9’
SSAA and piano
Written using texts by the composer’s daughter, the first movement beautifully describes a quiet evening in the city with all its interruptions. The second is an eerie description of possession, and the third is a delightful, whimsical pestering for chocolate that must be in the kitchen.

Quietly (Cassandra Blum, age 10)
The Ghost (Cassandra Blum)
Chocolate in the Kitchen (Cassandra Blum)

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Choral Works for Children’s Chorus

ON MY STREET (1998) 4
SATB, Children’s Chorus and piano
Commissioned by Singing City as part of their school residency program with Tina Davidson, and uses student texts was written about their neighborhood.

MUSIC IS THE SOUND (1998) 3’
SS and piano (Also available for SS and middle school orchestra)
A delightful piece for children to sing, using texts from over 30 poems written by Mrs. Tinney’s third grade class about their feelings about music. “Music is the waves rushing through the ocean, music is the sound ringing in my head.”

PLANKTON (2001) 3’
SAT and piano
Commissioned by the Gloucester County Cultural, this work part of a larger work called Listening to the Earth. This word uses the lovely lyrics of a 13 year old as she compares her size relative to the world, “next to a cloud, I feel, small, like the earth to the universe.”

Plankton music excerpt:

HAVE YOU EVER? 3’
SAT and piano
Commissioned by the Gloucester County Cultural, this work part of a larger work called Listening to the Earth. “Have you ever, taken a piece of grass, split it down the middle, smaller and smaller?”

Have You Ever? music excerpt:

Quietly (Cassandra Blum, age 10)
The Ghost (Cassandra Blum)
Chocolate in the Kitchen (Cassandra Blum)

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Opera

BILLY AND ZELDA (1998) 90′
9 cast: 5 principal singers (2 sopranos, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone), chorus, 3 male singers (TBB), actress/singer, string quartet, improviser (string instrument), and percussion.
Opera in two acts. Lyrics by Eva Davidson and script by Lale Davidson.

Billy and Zelda is a passionate, melodic opera, which explores the rich life of relationships between children and their parents; it tells the story of two children lost in death and found by love. Under the “blue moon, over the curve of the horizon” the opera opens to two households, on that rare occasion when two full moons appear in one month. In one house, the Neighbor, pregnant and full of these new stirrings comes to visit Clara, an older woman burdened by ghosts of the past. Next door, the narrator comes to clean her dead uncle’s house, only to find that a child ghost is haunting the place. As both women open themselves up to the stories of Billy and Zelda, they learn about themselves and their own lives.

“Like an engrossing thriller, Tina Davidson’s chamber opera ‘Billy and Zelda’ explores the mystery surrounding two deaths. Premiered by OperaDelaware, the work enthralled the audience. This intimate piece, set to lyrics and script by the composer’s sisters Eva and Lale Davidson, transfixed the audience seated on the stage of the Grand Opera House.” (Opera News)

Davidson does not flinch from revealing the power and the intensity of what is perhaps our greatest love affair – that with our children. It is a love that endures through time as if it were yesterday, and that knows no safety from loss. Her lyrical music brings these stories to a subtle and climactic conclusion.

“These quiet pieces draw subtly shaded music from Davidson, whose score is filled with gracious melodies, tinged with tender sadness. Zelda’s haunting death narrative is punctuated by abrasive musical effects improvised by the cellist. Billy unfolds in a series of poems, sung in aria and ensemble. Only a few spoken exchanges – there are no recitatives – interrupt the lyrical progress of the piece. Billy reaches a musical climax in the parents’ grief-stricken outbursts that find resolution in the lullaby for ensemble voices, whose lines float serenely over the strings.” (Opera News)

In a unique collaboration, Davidson worked with her two sisters, poet Eva Davidson and writer Lale Davidson to create the libretto. Surrounded by Eva Davidson’s delicate poetry about the intricacies of human relationships, and coupled with Lale Davidson’s elegant prose, Davidson’s music illuminates an inner dimension of family relationships.

Billy and Zelda music excerpts:

SUMMER OF THE SWANS (2006) 60′
An opera for family audiences
4 principal singers (soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, boy soprano), SATB, children’s chorus, clarinet, bassoon, string quartet and marimba.

At the heart of this opera for family audiences is the gaining of understanding and compassion for those who are different. Themes of love, family, forgiveness, and most importantly, diversity, weave their way throughout the story. Summer of the Swans “demonstrates both the hurdles of disability for a family – and the gifts that come of it.” (The Sentinel)

Outreach activities include an educational program storybook, consultations with siblings of children with disabilities, and post-performance audience conversation about issues raised in the opera and the book.

Summer of the Swans music excerpts:

View interactive site for Summer of the Swans.

PEARL (2009) 2″
An opera in three acts – in development
8 cast: 7 principal singers (2 sopranos, 2mezzo-sopranos, tenor, baritone), actor, chorus, chamber ensemble with strings and percussion

“Pearl, an opera in two acts with music by Tina Davidson and libretto by Eva Davidson, reveals a moving drama based on political and religious strife in Ireland and a young American student’s deep involvement in it, so much so that she plans to martyr herself to the cause of the religious freedom denied to the people with whom she has come to identify herself. The great artistic strength of this exciting work does indeed give one hope for opera’s continued existence.” (Classical Voice of North Carolina)

At the heart of the story are themes of the roles of art, politics, religion, and love in our daily lives. Pearl takes us deep into the labyrinths of maternal love, religion’s faith and Ireland’s tragic history.

On Christmas night of 1998, Maria learns that her twenty-year-old daughter, Pearl, has chained herself outside the American embassy in Dublin, were she intends to starve herself to death. Although Maria was once a student radical and still proudly lives by her beliefs, Pearl has never been interested in politics – nor in Catholicism her mother rejected years before. What, then, is driving her to martyr herself?

Shaken by this mystery, Maria and her childhood friend (and Pearl’s surrogate father), Joseph, both rush to Pearl’s side. As Pearl, dehydrated and wanting to die, lies in a hospital bed, we witness as they come together, clash, and continue to love each other, both hopelessly and with hope.

By the end of Pearl, the three have been through the trial of their lives, and each emerges transformed, with a wider vision of their future, apart and together.

Pearl music excerpts: