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Compositions by Barbara Harbach

​The Soul of Ra for String Orchestra

The Soul of Ra has two contrasting movements: In Memoriam and Phoenix Rising. In Memoriam portrays all our lost loves, loved ones and the many war dead. The throbbing pulse of pain alternates with the soaring melody of hope and heart’s ease. Phoenix Rising personifies...

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Confluencity for Bassoon and Piano

Confluencity for Bassoon and Piano begins as a fantasy-rhapsody followed by a playful imitative section where bassoon meets piano, intermingles, and then go its separate way. A calm theme enters, reminiscent of the tunes from the Sacred Harp, and provides the canvas...

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Echoes from Tomorrow for Chamber Ensemble

Echoes from Tomorrow was inspired by Adolf Mérei’s 1915 Hungarian-Jewish silent film Simon Judit (Judith Simon), based on the nineteenth-century ballad by Jewish poet József Kiss. Judith Simon is the sad and poignant story of a young woman who fell in love with a...

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Nights in Timisoara for Organ

Nights in Timisoara for Solo Organ evokes the essence of the Romanian people in eastern city of Timisoara. Over the years many cultures have influenced and left their mark in the neighborhoods throughout the city even to the present time. Nights in Timisoara strives...

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Come, Join the Dance: Folktunes and Spirituals for Organ

Come, Join the Dance is a collection of seventeen arrangements in a variety of styles from trios to toccatas to fugues. Although I Speak with Angel's Tongue; As Saints of Old, Blessed Be the God of Israel; Bless Now, O God, the Journey; Canticle of the Turning; Come,...

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Emily! For Soprano, Trumpet, and Piano

Emily! for soprano, Eb trumpet and piano is in three movements, based on the poetry of the great American poet, Emily Dickinson (1830-1886). The first movement is I Taste a Liquor Never Brewed, portraying a mystical state of experiencing the soul’s awareness, an...

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Freeing the Caged Bird for Woodwind Quintet

Freeing the Caged Bird is a four-movement tribute inspired by the literary works of four native St. Louis women who struggled to give voice to their creativity. The first movement or portrait, Maya, is based on the book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou...

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Carondolet Caprice for Chamber Ensemble

Carondelet Caprice for Chamber Ensemble was inspired by pioneer American director Lois Weber’s 1913 silent film How Men Propose.  The moods and themes range from vibrant to nostalgic and feature a distinctly American idiom.  The whimsical interaction between the...

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