Choral Music by Diane Taraz

I have arranged several of my songs for choral groups of various types, and also written new pieces for women's voices. To purchase any of these pieces, please call me at 781-648-3719 to discuss fees, which are extraordinarily flexible.

Silver the Moon

SATB, with piano accompaniment

Commissioned in 2006 by In Choro Novo, a 30-voice chorus directed by Therese Provenzano. The group has perfomed it three times so far, twice at Boston University's Marsh Chapel, and once in Wellesley. I'm working on placing the first page and a midi clip below; these links don't work yet.

First page of music.

MIDI file of beginning of piece.

Silver the Moon

SSAA, with piano accompaniment

A version for women's voices.

The Pollen Path

SSAA, a cappella

Arranged for women's voices. Hand drum makes a nice accompaniment. A challenging piece. I'm working on a version for SATB.

Tranquillity

SSAA, a cappella

An original written for the UUlations, an eight-voice a cappella group drawn from my church choir. It's great fun, with lots of buzzing. (We suggest wearing deelybopper antennae.) Here are the words (copyright 2006, Diane Taraz):

Like the fuzzy, buzzy bee we
Fly but far from fancy-free, we
Think no one can disagree we
Have too much to oversee!

We wish our days were more carefree, we'd
Like to stop and sip some tea, we'd
Love to but it cannot be, we're
Running late and we must flee!

We're running, running, running, running
Running, running, running, running late!
Oh my Goddess, we're so late!
We're so late, we...

Have so many folks to see, so
Many places we must be, so
Many things to referee, we
Have no time for repartee!

We must be gone just like the bee, we
Must not be an absentee, we
Plan to find tranquillity,
Someday when we're retirees.

Riddles of the Stars

SSA, with piano accompaniment

Written in 2005 as part of The Longest Night, a Solstice poem I wrote and directed at First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington. Three parts, for women's voices, at an easy level. Here are the words (copyright 2005, Diane Taraz):

The stars are dancing in the sky,
They seem so small as they drift by.
But they're not really small at all;
Just try to catch 'em when they fall.

The stars seem new, so clean and bright,
As if they're born fresh every night,
But stars are old, as old can be,
Older than eyes can ever see.

Stars are so very far away
That all the light we see today
Was made so very long ago,
It's just an ancient afterglow.

The stars may always seem the same,
All burning with eternal flame,
But stars are born, grow old and die;
It just takes longer til they fly.

So many riddles in a star,
It's just amazing what they are.
No matter how much more we know,
It only makes our wonder grow.