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PineTree Music
Roger Lee Hall...
is a composer and arranger who has written over 100 pieces of music for voices and instruments over the past four decades.
Mr. Hall began his career as a pop songwriter in the 1960's. Some of his early songs include: "Dream World"; "The Soho Serenade"; "Peace-Lovin' Blues"and "Free As The Breeze" (all recorded on Come, Gentle Peace CD listed below).
His early studies in piano and composition were with Benjamin Hey Hissem, a highly accomplished teacher.
In 1967, Mr. Hall was awarded a certificate with honors in music theory from the Trinity College of Music in London.
He had composition studies at Rutgers University with Robert Nagel and George Walker (the first African-American composer to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Music in 1996).
Mr. Hall received a Bachelor of Arts degree in music theory and composition from Rutgers University in 1970.
Two years later he received a Master of Arts from Binghamton University in New York. His major focus was on Shaker music and his thesis was titled: "The Shaker Letteral System: A Practical Approach to Music Notation."
He continued his Ph.D. studies at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. His focus was on Shaker music at North Union (later Shaker Heights) Ohio.
He later had a consultation session with the distinguished composer, Aaron Copland, who complimented him on his arrangements of two Shaker songs: "Gentle Words" and "Love is Little" (Op. 7).
In 1985, Mr. Hall became a member of ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers).
One year later, he formed PINETREE PRODUCTIONS, which includes PineTree Music and PineTree Press.
Among his works are two sets of piano variations, chamber music, choral music, solo songs. He has also written many arrangements, especially of Shaker tunes, such as "Piano Variations on a Shaker Marching Tune" (Op. 1b); and the dance song "Simple Gifts" (Op 28).
His choral music has been premiered in various churches, including Plymouth Church in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and Immanuel Lutheran Church in Attleboro, Massachusetts. He has also composed music for community choruses in Massachusetts, Ohio and Wisconsin.
His environmental anthem,"Creator God, We Give You Thanks," received a second place award in a choral music competition in Massachusetts.
His choral suite, titled A Shaker Triptych, received its world premiere in a Concert for Peace in March of 2004, performed by the Festival Choir in Stoughton, Wisconsin.
In addition to his own compositions, he has worked as a music preservationist to revive music from America's past.
For more information see
He has also formed these two web support groups:
Society for Earlier American Music
Mr. Hall has been listed in many directories, including these:
International Who's Who in Music
Who's Who in American Education
Who's Who in America
Who's Who in Entertainment
This New Composers
Web Ring
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Many of the vocal pieces listed below are available on CDs and audio samples can be heard at American Music Preservation.
Each high quality CD is available for these costs (including First Class US postage/ Overseas airmail - add $5.00 extra):
$10.00 for 1 CD
$18.00 for any 2 CDs
These are the current PineTree Music releases with music by Roger Hall:
- PTM 1001: Come, Gentle Peace
- PTM 1002: Creator God, We Give You Thanks
- PTM 1003: The Dark Night is Ending
- PTM 1004: Peace - A Music Sampler
- PTM 1005: Simple Gifts of Shaker Music
To ask about a possible music commission for a special event such as a concert or a music workshop, write to:
Music Arrangements and Compositions
For prices on any of the compositions listed below (except the four pop songs which are only available on CD-R), write to:
1960 - 1970:
"Dream World" (1961) - sung by Jake Smith &
The Potpourris
"The Soho Serenade" (1961/revised: 1964) - sung by Ethel Regan
"Peace-Lovin' Blues" (1962/revised: 1965)
"Free As The Breeze" (1965)
All four pop songs are recorded on
Op. 1a & b: Piano Variations (1968 - 1970)
a. Set 1 - on an Oriental Theme (1968) [ 5 minutes]
Theme (Moderato)/ Variation I (Allegretto)/ Var. II (Allegro con brio)/
Var. III (Adagio)/
Var. IV (Vivace scherzando)/ Var. V (Andante)/
Var. VI (Presto)/
Var. VII (Largo e maestoso)
b. Set 2 - on a Shaker Marching Tune: A
Study in Compositional Styles (1970)
[9
minutes]
Theme (Shaker Marching Tune)/ Variation I (Classical)/ Var. II (Romantic)/
Var. III
(Impressionistic)/ Var. IV (Bi-tonal)/ Var. V. (Quartal)/ Var. VI
(Bi-modal)/
Var. VII
(Twelve-Tone)
These two sets of piano variations were published in 1984 and are recorded on these CD-R releases:
Op. 2: Percussion Quartet (1969)
For xylophone, suspended cymbal, snare drum and timpani [about 8 minutes]
In three movements: I. Allegro/ II. Andante/ III. Allegro
The third movement (Allegro) is recorded on these CD-Rs:
1970
- 1979:
Op. 3: six haiku songs (1970)
For soprano and piano. haiku poems written by Roger Hall.
Six song titles:
1. "sing ye joyously"
2. "innocent spring bud"
3. "grieve not spring flower"
4. "gentle morning mist"
5. "so small the brook sounds"
6. "imagine...tall trees"
These songs have been recorded on this CD-R:
Op. 4: Three Festive Carols (1970)
Female or Youth Choir (SA) and organ.
a. French: Leaping and Dancing
b. German: He Whom Shepherds Once Came Praising
c. English: The Holly and the Ivy
Op. 5: Three Organ Preludes (1970-1972)
a. "Out of the Depths" - November 1970
b. "All Creatures of Our God and King" - July 1971
c. "For All The Saints" - October 1972
"For All the Saints" is recorded on the CD-R:
Creator God, We Give You Thanks
Op. 6: Tricinium - for flute, oboe, bassoon (1971)
Introduction
Song: "Insbruck ich muss dich lassen" (Innsbruck, I must leave thee)
Finale
Op. 7: Two Shaker Humility Songs (1976)
a. "Gentle Words" (LG70-439)
b. "Love is Little" (LG70-440)
Both songs are for SATB a cappella. They were originally published by Lawson-Gould (now owned by Warner/ Chappell Music Inc).
To order copies, use the LG numbers above and write to:
Warner/Chappell Music Inc, 10585 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90025. FAX: 310-470-4634.
Web site: www.warnerchappell.com
These two song arrangements are available on these CD-Rs:
Creator God, We Give You Thanks
Op. 8: Requiem Canon - In Memory of Benjamin Britten (1977)
A canon for two to five voice parts.
Op. 9: Celebrate, Rejoice and Sing! (1979)
Nine Christmas carols for SATB and piano or organ.
1. "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" - 15th century French processional tune
2. "Bereden, Vag For Herran (Prepare the Royal Highway)" - Swedish and English
3. "Es Ist Ein Ros'Entsprungen (Lo, How a Rose)" - German and English
4. "Natal Night" - Shaker poem/ music by Roger Hall
5. "Rise Up, Shepherds, and Follow" - Afro-American spiritual
6. "Leaping and Dancing" - Catalan folk tune
7. "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing" - Bartholomew Brown, 19th century American composer
8. "Quem Pastores Laudavere (He Whom Shepherds)" - Latin and English
9. "Celebrate, Rejoice and Sing!" - 16th century German tune/text by Roger Hall
Three of these carols ("O Come, O Come Emmanuel"/ "Prepare the Royal Highway"/ "He Whom Shepherds") are on the CD-R:
"He Whom Shepherds" is also available on:
See also Celebrate, Rejoice and Sing! A Guide to Christmas Music in America
Op. 10: Season's End, Op. 12 (1979)
Four seasonal songs for SATB chorus a cappella:
1. "Thaw" (poem by Edward Thomas)
2. "Spring Bluets" (poem by Sara Teasdale)
3. "Indian Summer" (poem by Emily Dickinson)
4. "Lovely Hill Torrents" (poem by Walter Turner)
Three of these songs ("Thaw"/"Spring Bluets"/"Lovely Hill Torrents") are included on the CD-R:
1980 -
1989:
Op. 11: The Pleasures of Variety - Homage to William Billings (1980)
For narrator and solo quartet or SATB chorus a cappella. Text by William Billings.
This work was first performed in 1980 in a concert titled: "Music from Massachusetts."
It was revised in 2000 and published in this monograph:
The 1980 original version is recorded on
Op 12: Six Shaker Rounds, Op. 14 (1985)
Rounds for 2, 3 or 4 voice parts a cappella:
1. "Christian Love" - poem by Elvah F. Collins, 1881
2. "A New Year's Prayer" - poem by R. Mildred Barker, 1921
3. "Morning Bells" - David A. Buckingham, 1873
4. "Let Us Endeavor" - David A. Buckingham, 1873
5. "Welcome, Welcome" - Rosetta Cummings, 1869
6. "We Will All Go Home With You" - Author unknown, 1862
The last two rounds (Nos. 5 and 6) are published in the Music Supplement of
They are recorded on this CD-R:
Op. 13: Six Carols for Christmastide (1983)
For soprano and alto recorders.
1. Vom Himmel Hoch (From Heaven Above)
2. Es Ist Ein' Ros'entsprungen (Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming)
3. Joseph Lieber, Joseph Mein (Joseph, O Dear Joseph Mine)
4. Rise Up, Shepherds, and Follow
5. Away in a Manger
6. Joy to the World
Op. 14: Hymns for the Church Year (1973 - 1983)
1. Christmas: "Hail to the Joyous Day" - 1973
2. Christmas: "Good news! Great joy to all the earth!" - 1976
3. Epiphany: "A New Year's Prayer" - 1983
4. Lent: "Father Supreme! Eternal God!" 1973
5. Lent: "O God of Love" - 1973
6. Easter: "Praise the Savior" - 1973
7. Pentecost: "They Who Seek the Throne of Grace" - 1979
8. Pentecost: "Come, Join in One Accord" - 1980
9. Pentecost (for baptism): "Bless, O Lord This Child of Thine" - 1977
10. Pentecost: "Lord Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word" - 1983
11. Advent: "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" - 1977
12. Advent: "Prepare the Royal Highway" - 1978
Several of the hymns are recorded on these CD-Rs:
Creator God, We Give You Thanks
Op. 15: Three Choral Responses (Based on Themes by J.S. Bach)(1985)
Choral responses based on instrumental themes by Johann Sebastian Bach for unison chorus and organ:
1. "Psalm"
2. "Prayer"
3. "Benediction"
Composed for the 300th anniversary of the birth of J.S. Bach.
Recorded on these CD-Rs:
Creator God, We Give You Thanks
Op. 16: Three Choral Responses (based on themes
by George Frideric Handel and Domenico
Scarlatti)(1985)
For unison chorus and organ
1. Introit (Air from the Trumpet Suite from Water Music) - G.F. Handel
2. Agnus Dei (Sonata in A minor for harpsichord) - Domenico Scarlatti
3. Dona nobis pacem (Musette from Concerto Grosso, Op. 6, No. 6) - G. F. Handel
Op. 17: Four Commemorative Songs
(1989)
For mixed chorus and piano.
1. "Bicentennial Hymn" (Tune: OLD HUNDRED) - 200th anniversary of Stoughton Musical Society
2. "The Grand Constitution" (Tune: HEART OF OAK) - 200th anniversary of Stoughton Musical Society's Constitution (1987)
3. "Yankee Song" (Tune: YANKEE DOODLE) - 200th anniversary of Stoughton Musical Society's Constitution (1987)
4. "Ode to George Washington" (Tune: GOD SAVE THE KING) - 200th anniversary of First US Presidential Inauguration (1989)
Op. 18: Two Russian Rounds
(1988)
Two rounds written for the Russian tour of Sharing A New Song in 1988.
The rounds are SAB a cappella in Russian and in English.
These are the English translation titles:
1. "We give you a gift of our songs"
2. "May you live many years"
The first round is included in
It is also recorded on the CD-R
Op. 19: Bellamy's Musical Telephone (1988)
a.. "Telephone Tune" - for keyboard
b. "Simple Gifts" - for soprano and keyboard
c. "The Dark Night is Ending" - for soprano and keyboard
All three are recorded on
1990 -
1999:
Op. 20: A Prayer - In Memory of Sister Mildred Barker (1990)
For mixed chorus and organ or piano.
This prayer song is available in:
Op. 21: Two Old Stoughton Songs (1990)
Two songs for SATB chorus a cappella:
1. Fuging Tune: "DEDICATION" - words by William Billings, 1794
This tune was composed for the 175th anniversary of The Musical Society in Stoughton in 1977. Performed again in a 200th anniversary concert of the Old Stoughton Musical Society in 1986. Revised in 1990.
2. Patriotic Ode: "PEACE" - words by Esther Talbot, 1814
This anti-war song was composed for the centennial of Stoughton Town Hall in 1981 and included in the pamphlet, Music in Stoughton.
It was revised for solo quartet, flute and piano, and first performed in A Stoughton Musicfest in 1990.
Both songs are recorded on these CD-Rs:
"PEACE" is also featured in the one hour video program:
Op. 22: A Little Theatre Music (1990)
For solo flute. Written in memory of Dorothy Woodward, founder of The Little Theatre of Stoughton.
This piece is performed by flutist Donna Hieken in this video program:
Op. 23: Three Shaker Songs (1990-1991)
For string quartet. Written in memory of Sister R. Mildred Barker.
First performance by The Portland String Quartet in the Shaker meeting house at Sabbathday Lake, Maine, in 1990 and 1991.
1. "Mother Has Come With Her Beautiful Song" (Alfred, Maine, 1887)
2. "Love is Little" (South Union, Kentucky,1834)
3. "We Will All Go Home With You" (Canterbury, New Hampshire, 1862)
Op. 24: Credo: Walt Whitman
(1992)
For soprano and piano.
Poem by Ruth E. Winn, based on lines from "Song of Myself" in Whitman's Leaves of Grass, 1855.
Written for the centennial of the death of Walt Whitman.
This piece is available on:
Op. 25: Creator God, We Give You Thanks (1993)
Hymn and Anthem for SATB chorus with organ.
The hymn and two different versions of the anthem are recorded on the CD-R:
Creator God, We Give You Thanks
Op. 26: Two Shaker Songs (1994)
For mixed chorus a cappella
1. May I Softly Walk (1976/ revised 1994)
2. The Prince of Peace is Come (1980/ revised 1994)
Op. 27: Three Shaker Poems - Mixed Chorus and Keyboard (1996)
For mixed chorus and piano or organ.
1. A Prayer (1978/ revised 1996)
2. A New Year's Prayer (1983/ revised 1996)
3. Our Shaker Home (1987/ revised 1996)
Op. 28: Simple Gifts (1998)
Shaker dance song arranged for solo voice and piano (or piano solo).
It is available in the Music Supplement of
This song is recorded, both in original and arranged versions, on the CD-R:
Op. 29: The Humble Heart
(1999)
Shaker hymn arranged for soloist and keyboard or SAB chorus a capella.
This hymn is recorded on the CD-R:
2000 -
Op. 30a & b: Benjamin Franklin's Armonica (2000/2006)
This work was written in 2000 and has been expanded for the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary in 2006.
What follows is information about the 2000 performance:
This is a memorial tribute to Gerhard Finkenbeiner (1930-1999), a world-renowned glassblower who had his own business in Waltham, Massachusetts. He was also a skillful maker of the glass harmonica using Benjamin Franklin's design. Gerhard had many talents but was above all a gentle man of rare curiosity and inventiveness. He was always willing to help out in any way possible.
To Gerhard, I dedicate these two pieces with my respect and gratitude.
--Roger Hall
Op. 30a (2000):
1. Opening remarks by Dr. Benjamin Franklin on his "Armonica."
2. "Agnus Dei" (based on Adagio for Glass Harmonica by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1791
3. "Auld Lang Syne" (based on an Old Scottish Air with New England text, 1855)
[This work was given its world premiere by Alisa Nakashian-Holsberg at the International Glass Music Festival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 27 April 2000. The arrangements are for voice and glass harmonica.]
These two arrangements (keyboard instrumentals without vocals) are available on this CD-R:
For more information, go to:
See also this e-group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/glassmusic
======================================================
Op. 30b (For the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary in 2006):
Music compiled and arranged by Roger Hall.
Opening remarks by Dr. Benjamin Franklin on his "Armonica."
1. "I Sing My Plain Country Joan" (tune: The Hounds are all out," Henry Carey, 1734/text: Benjamin Franklin, 1740s)
2. "The King's Old Regulars" (tune: "The Queens' Old Courtier"/text: Benjamin Franklin, 1776?)
3. "Auld Lang Syne" (based on Old Scottish Air, New England text by Albert Laighton, 1855)
Op. 31: Canon in Four Parts - "Come Let Us Sing" (2000)
Words by William Billings (1746-1800).
This canon was composed in 2000 for the 200th anniversary of the death of Billings. It was published in this monograph:
This canon was first performed by Roger Hall and the other singers attending the 200th anniversary William Billings observance at Kings Chapel in Boston, Massachusetts on 26 September 2000.
Op. 32: Six Shaker Spirituals (2001)
For Two, Three or Four Part Chorus a cappella, or with keyboard accompaniment.
1. "Rights of Conscience" - Issacahar Bates, 1810
2. "Come Life, Shaker Life" - Issachar Bates, 1835
3. "Almighty Savior" - Issachar Bates, 1836
4. "The Millennium" - Tune by Issachar Bates
5. "The Earthquake" - Daniel Mosely, 1811
6. "Reflections on Mother Ann's Birthday" - David Austin Buckingham, 1840
These six spirituals are available on the CD-R (keyboard only):
Op. 33: Fifteen Shaker Spirituals (2002)
All fifteen spirituals are included in the reference book, A Guide to Shaker Music.
Unless otherwise indicated, these are arrangements of Shaker tunes for soloist, SAB or SATB chorus, either a cappella or with piano/organ accompaniment:
1. "Welcome, Welcome" - Enfield, New Hampshire, 1869 (a round in 4 voice parts)
2. "We Will All Go Home With You" - Canterbury, New Hapshire, 1862 (a round in 4 voice parts)
3. "Holy Habitation" - Harvard, Massachusetts, ca. 1848 (SATB hymn)
4. "The Humble Heart" - Harvard, Massachusetts, ca. 1820 (hymn for soloist or SAB)
5. "Voyage to Canaan" - Union Village, Ohio, ca. 1810 (hymn for soloist or SAB)
6. "Celestial Praises" - Canterbury, New Hampshire, 1840 (SATB hymn)
7. "Christian Love" - Mt. Lebanon, New York, 1881 (round in 4 parts - music by Roger Hall)
8. "My Shepherd" - Alfred, Maine 1926 (soloist and keyboard - music by Roger Hall)
9. "A New Year's Prayer" - Alfred, 1921 (soloist and keyboard - music by Roger Hall)
10. "A Prayer" - Alfred, 1922 (soloist and keyboard - music by Roger Hall)
11. "May I Softly Walk" - Mt. Lebanon, New York, ca. 1869 (SAB song)
12. "Simple Gifts" - Alfred, Maine, 1848 (soloist and keyboard)
13. "A Welcome Song" - Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, 1869 (two soloists)
14. "Invitation to Zion" - Watervliet, New York, 1846 (two soloists)
15. "Invitation to Souls" - Whitewater, Ohio, 1846 (two soloists and SAB)
All fifteen spirituals are recorded on the CD-R accompanying the music book:
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To order any of
the above compositions, CDs, or to ask about a music commission, write
to:
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