J A C O B R E E D
Selected Compositions & Collaborations
Alleluia - Dedicated to my daughter Caroline and written for her birth, this piece gives thanks for her. It is an expression of the joyful expectation of her arrival into our family and an attempt to put music to my ever-growing feelings of love and adoration for her.
Psalm Twenty Three (Excerpt) - This setting of the original Hebrew text interprets the Psalm as as walking meditation of solitary reflection. The cello walks, the piano paints the pastoral surroundings and the soprano converses with god.
Psalm Forty Six (Excerpt) - This setting for Soprano, Alto, Viola, Cello and Piano weaves an English translation of the Psalm with the original Hebrew.
Sanctuary The text of this work is drawn from a poem by Ellen Steibaum. For me a sanctuary is more than a place of peace and security, it is a place of transformation. Rather than merely depicting this kind of transformation, I wrote this piece to create an aural sanctuary for the listener—an opportunity to welcome metaphysical change and tranquility.
Six Demonic Dances is a character study in mischief. While technically challenging the real opportunity for the performer is to fully develop the characters of each movement. Each dance has a specific pace or groove that must be established and maintained. Each movement, when performed, should visualize for the audience not only some gremlin or gargoyle dancing about, but should convey to the audience specific details about the creatures.
The Way of the Wind The tone and concept for this piece comes from a cycle of lesser-known poems by Robert Frost. Frost's poetry conveys a deep but not always easy connection to nature; a rich and textured sense of humanity; the unyielding path of time; the bliss of the youth, the wisdom of old age; the queerness of death and our reactions to it. In this piece, the voices of the wind and early America are woven together, singing Appalachian melodies over folk song like drones.