R. Michael Daugherty – Composer

Original Music for Orchestra, Band, Ensemble, Solo, Chorus and Voice

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  • Elegy for the Victims of Ebola – French horn and piano

    By R. Michael Daugherty / August 17, 2018

    Elegy for the Victims of Ebola (10/19/14) for horn and piano – 7’25”.  Elegy is a concept of mourning and lament for the dead and praise for the deeds they accomplished while living. This elegy is intended…

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  • Bee! I’m Expecting You! – soprano or tenor and piano

    By R. Michael Daugherty / August 17, 2018

    This song forms the opening of the song cycle, A Wagtail Dance.  It is a letter to an old friend.  The cycle gets its name from the behavior of bees.  When bees return to the hive, they…

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  • Gather Ye Rosebuds – tenor or baritone and piano

    By R. Michael Daugherty / August 16, 2018

    “Gather Ye Rosebuds” is the final song in the cycle, Men in Love.  The song, to the poem by Robert Herrick, warns men to find love when they are young.  However, Men in Love is a song…

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  • It’s All I Have to Bring Today – for mezzo-soprano, clarinet and piano

    By R. Michael Daugherty / August 16, 2018

    This is the first song from the song cycle All I Have to Bring Today for mezzo-soprano, clarinet and piano (Emily Dickinson).  This cycle is about unrequited love and lasting hope.  The first song, “It’s all I…

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  • Morning Will Brighten – alto saxophone and piano

    By R. Michael Daugherty / August 16, 2018

    “Morning Will Brighten” (2009) for Alto Saxophone and Piano or alto saxophone and organ – 4’33”.  The piece expounds a feeling that things will be better with the dawn.  It has a religious quality and would be…

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  • Sonatina – oboe and piano

    By R. Michael Daugherty / August 16, 2018

    Sonatina for oboe and piano (2012) – 9’00”.  The sonatina is in three movements, each relying on simple sectional forms. The first movement, a five-part rondo, ABACA, is somber, dark and tense.  The second movement is in…

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  • Known Lights – clarinet and piano

    By R. Michael Daugherty / August 16, 2018

    Known Lights, Clarinet Sonata No. 2 (2009) for Clarinet and piano – 14’40”.  As the title suggests, this work is inspired by common sights, views from the everyday world that create an emotional response. “Turbulent Skies” presents…

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  • Three Semi-Tropical Etudes – flute and piano

    By R. Michael Daugherty / August 16, 2018

    Three Semi-Tropical Etudes (8/21/14) for flute and piano – 10’00”.  The Three Semi-Tropical Etudes are etudes in the loosest sense. They are so-named because two of them require a very relaxed performance style, and all three have…

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Testimonials

“…locals marveled at the seemingly perfect mating of language and Michael’s reaction to it.”

I have immense admiration for the work of R. Michael Daugherty.  As a conductor I have been especially blessed with Michael’s fifteen contributions to the repertory of The Denison Singers.  An inspired craftsman, always aware of the needs of the designated performers, astute in his choice of texts and response to them, those skills extend to the cycles of pieces he wrote for tours to Romania and Spain, where the locals marveled at the seemingly perfect mating of the local language and Michael’s reaction to it.  I hope that others will become acquainted with and perform the work of this immensely gifted composer.

William Osborne, Distinguished Professor of Fine Arts Emeritus, Denison University

“…an incredible friend to the Philharmonic Association…”

You (R. Michael Daugherty) have been an incredible friend to the Philharmonic Association for so many years. I have enjoyed hearing your many compositions, and Hugh (Partridge) and the young musicians have enjoyed performing them. It has been a special collaboration that we treasure. Thank you for providing this celebratory piece (Celebration Overture) for the 30th Anniversary and Hugh’s final formal concert.

Margaret Partridge, Philharmonic Association Executive Director

“…spirited and interesting score…”

I admired the smooth playing and superior rhythmic sense of James Williams…and Michael Ching. Their ability to cope with the spirited and interesting score of R. Michael Daugherty’s Numinous Ignotus was obvious.

Nell Hirschberg, The News and Observer, Raleigh, NC, Monday, August 5, 1987

“…eminently embraceable.”

“R. Michael Daugherty’s body of choral works is eminently embraceable. Many specimens are moving, others are whimsical, each presenting its own degree of challenge and nearly all rewarding to both listener and performer.”

Robert Palmer, music critic Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (retired)

“melodic flavor of works by Vaughan Williams and Eric Coates”

Conductor Hugh Partridge chose Ancient Voices by R. Michael Daugherty, an accomplished contemporary composer. The titles of the three movements are quotes from Caesar, Lucretius, and Horace. This piece calls for large forces, including harp. The overall effect was pleasantly romantic, with bits of modernity marbled in. The beginning Caesar movement bore resemblance to the melodic flavor of works by Vaughan Williams and Eric Coates, no minor accomplishment.

Paul D. Williams, CVNC, an online arts journal in North Carolina, May 8, 2011

“…honest songs that you can wear for a life time!”

R. Michael Daugherty’s songs for soprano are delightful, whether it be a woman’s journey through life in Passages, or Emily Dickinson settings of Wagtail dances, Emily in Love, or Songs of Eternity. Tuneful inspiring melodies, thought provoking texts, honest songs that you can wear for a life time!

Alice Pierce, soprano

“A delightfully varied work…”

Michael Ching appeared again on stage to accompany clarinetist James Williams for R. Michael Daugherty’s Numinous Ignotus. A delightfully varied work in three movements, the 1987 piece explores the clarinet’s unique register shifts. Ching began with percussive chords, while the clean-toned Williams played snatches of high treble melodies. In the meditative movement that followed, the piano adopted an engaging waltz rhythm and the clarinet played liquid runs. The third movement brought both instruments together. Suddenly the tempo paused, as the clarinet struck a few experimental high notes, and then dashed to the closing.

Lee Lourdeaux, Durham Morning Herald, Tuesday, August 4, 1987

“…a festive work…”

Celebration Overture is “a festive work…embodied in a bold, positive new score.”

John W. Lambert, CVNC, an online arts journal in North Carolina

“…the songs seem practically to sing themselves.”

The Authentic Cadences of Gerard Manley Hopkins for baritone and organ by R. Michael Daugherty is certainly deserving of mention. The poems are “Let Me Be to Thee,” “Pied Beauty” and “The May Magnificat.” Registrations are apt and helpful. The manuscript is clear and easy to read, the organ part lies well under the fingers, and the songs seem practically to sing themselves. This set of pieces would be a welcome addition to a recital program, and the texts are also appropriate for worship use.

Mary Ann Dodd, “The Fourth Biennial Holtkamp/AGO Award in Organ Composition 1989-1990” published in The American Organist, October 1990

Testimonials

“…spirited and interesting score…”

I admired the smooth playing and superior rhythmic sense of James Williams…and Michael Ching. Their ability to cope with the spirited and interesting score of R. Michael Daugherty’s Numinous Ignotus was obvious.

Nell Hirschberg, The News and Observer, Raleigh, NC, Monday, August 5, 1987

“…an incredible friend to the Philharmonic Association…”

You (R. Michael Daugherty) have been an incredible friend to the Philharmonic Association for so many years. I have enjoyed hearing your many compositions, and Hugh (Partridge) and the young musicians have enjoyed performing them. It has been a special collaboration that we treasure. Thank you for providing this celebratory piece (Celebration Overture) for the 30th Anniversary and Hugh’s final formal concert.

Margaret Partridge, Philharmonic Association Executive Director

“…a festive work…”

Celebration Overture is “a festive work…embodied in a bold, positive new score.”

John W. Lambert, CVNC, an online arts journal in North Carolina

“…eminently embraceable.”

“R. Michael Daugherty’s body of choral works is eminently embraceable. Many specimens are moving, others are whimsical, each presenting its own degree of challenge and nearly all rewarding to both listener and performer.”

Robert Palmer, music critic Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (retired)

“melodic flavor of works by Vaughan Williams and Eric Coates”

Conductor Hugh Partridge chose Ancient Voices by R. Michael Daugherty, an accomplished contemporary composer. The titles of the three movements are quotes from Caesar, Lucretius, and Horace. This piece calls for large forces, including harp. The overall effect was pleasantly romantic, with bits of modernity marbled in. The beginning Caesar movement bore resemblance to the melodic flavor of works by Vaughan Williams and Eric Coates, no minor accomplishment.

Paul D. Williams, CVNC, an online arts journal in North Carolina, May 8, 2011

“…the songs seem practically to sing themselves.”

The Authentic Cadences of Gerard Manley Hopkins for baritone and organ by R. Michael Daugherty is certainly deserving of mention. The poems are “Let Me Be to Thee,” “Pied Beauty” and “The May Magnificat.” Registrations are apt and helpful. The manuscript is clear and easy to read, the organ part lies well under the fingers, and the songs seem practically to sing themselves. This set of pieces would be a welcome addition to a recital program, and the texts are also appropriate for worship use.

Mary Ann Dodd, “The Fourth Biennial Holtkamp/AGO Award in Organ Composition 1989-1990” published in The American Organist, October 1990

“…locals marveled at the seemingly perfect mating of language and Michael’s reaction to it.”

I have immense admiration for the work of R. Michael Daugherty.  As a conductor I have been especially blessed with Michael’s fifteen contributions to the repertory of The Denison Singers.  An inspired craftsman, always aware of the needs of the designated performers, astute in his choice of texts and response to them, those skills extend to the cycles of pieces he wrote for tours to Romania and Spain, where the locals marveled at the seemingly perfect mating of the local language and Michael’s reaction to it.  I hope that others will become acquainted with and perform the work of this immensely gifted composer.

William Osborne, Distinguished Professor of Fine Arts Emeritus, Denison University

“A delightfully varied work…”

Michael Ching appeared again on stage to accompany clarinetist James Williams for R. Michael Daugherty’s Numinous Ignotus. A delightfully varied work in three movements, the 1987 piece explores the clarinet’s unique register shifts. Ching began with percussive chords, while the clean-toned Williams played snatches of high treble melodies. In the meditative movement that followed, the piano adopted an engaging waltz rhythm and the clarinet played liquid runs. The third movement brought both instruments together. Suddenly the tempo paused, as the clarinet struck a few experimental high notes, and then dashed to the closing.

Lee Lourdeaux, Durham Morning Herald, Tuesday, August 4, 1987

“…honest songs that you can wear for a life time!”

R. Michael Daugherty’s songs for soprano are delightful, whether it be a woman’s journey through life in Passages, or Emily Dickinson settings of Wagtail dances, Emily in Love, or Songs of Eternity. Tuneful inspiring melodies, thought provoking texts, honest songs that you can wear for a life time!

Alice Pierce, soprano
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