official website of david wanner
Compositions
SELECTED WORKS
Composing allows me to express my thoughts, passions, and life experiences. My wish with my works is to communicate to my audience the amazing stories that can be told through music. Listed here are stories that stand out for me.
Comin' Home
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(choral & solo voice versions)
On May 17th, 2018 my choral work "Comin' Home" premiered with the Lamont Men's Choir at the end of the year Choral concert at the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver. I sang with the Men's Choir throughout my time studying at DU and wrote this piece with gratitude to the brotherhood of which I partook from singing with the choir. While the work is based off of the text of the traditional Irish blessing "May the road rise up to meet you," much of the text is my original conception. The lyric lines and the lush harmonies call to mind the longing one feels when a brother, mother, sister, father, friend, or loved one is far away from us, and we want nothing more than for them (or ourselves) to come home.
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On April 19th, 2020, I performed this song virtually as a solo work for baritone voice. Since much of the original work contained choral harmonies rather than tonal chord assignments, this arrangement contains more defined chords so that the melody and lyricism are more highlighted. Additionally, the key modulation at the end was altered to create a sound more aimed for a solo voice than a full chorus. The performance of this version is provided here as well.
Sleep My Child
Sleep, My Child is a work for guitar trio commissioned by DNT Guitar Trio. It tells the story of The Legend of the Sleeping Bear:
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A mother bear and her two cubs live on the north side of Lake Michigan when a fire breaks out and forces them to flee for their lives by swimming across the lake. In the escape across the lake, both cubs drown, leaving the mother alone once she reaches the other side. As she lays down mourning, her spirit becomes part of the landscape, thus creating a hill off the coast of Michigan called the Sleeping Bear.
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Characters, natural elements, and emotions from this story were given motifs, each of which was a pitch class set. These motifs are playful, mournful, fearful, and peaceful as the peace progresses. Enjoy this wonderful way to tell story.
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Mirror Image
This duet was written for Glenna and Natalie Boggs, two performance students at DU (Glenna in Bassoon and Natalie in Clarinet) who are identical twins. The twin concept is heavily highlighted throughout the piece. This work became a four movement exercise in two voice counterpoint to highlight the idea of beginning together, growing apart, butting heads and eventually coming back together.
Children at Play
I. Emberling
Emberling is the first movement in an ongoing series of programmatic miniatures about infant mythological creatures. This miniature seeks to symbolize new beginnings through the icon of a young phoenix, or the “emberling.” A phoenix often symbolizes the cycle of rebirth; the emberling, or infant phoenix, starts this miniature with a gradual emergence into life. As it learns to fly, it then takes off into the sky.
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Piccolo: Catherine Flinchum
Piano: Music Meier
Cozy Corner
DAVID'S SONGWRITING
Psalm 130
With the Lord There is Mercy
This psalm setting features elements of a pop ballad to capture the hope and joy found in knowing God's mercy in spite of the sufferings of the world. The recommended vocal range for this song is a mezzo-soprano or baritone. These voices will best capture the ascending lyricism of the verses and the pronounced joyful sounds in the chorus.
Child of God
Each person is a unique and blessed child of God. As men and women we are called to be a harmonious member of the family of God. We were designed to live out our faith in different ways, we have different calls and vocations in life, but when we come together, with our blemishes and brokenness, we are beautified as wonderful children of God. This song's three strophes attempt to reflect on and praise this wonderful reality of our creation.