Robert S. Cohen | composer
SATB Choir, Accompanied
SATB, ACCOMPANIED | SATB, A CAPPELLA | SSA/SSAA | TTBB | CHILDREN’S | MAJOR WORKS
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Celebrate (2024) NEW!
SATB, organ (or piano)(also with brass & percussion)
Duration: c. 8'
Celebrate was written in honor of my later teacher, mentor, and close friend, Ron Nelson. The work for soloist, chorus brass & timpani emulates many of the characteristics of Ron's style, melding it with my own.
Christmas Time (2010)
SATB, piano (also SSA)
Duration: c. 3'
Another of the composer’s setting of Christina Rossetti Christmastide poems about the wonders of Christmas (originally titled “Christmas Eve").
Christmas, A Gift of Love for All (2017)
SATB, piano (also SSAA, TTBB)
Duration: c. 5'
A delightful setting of a Ronald W. Cadmus yuletide poem with collaborative music by Jeffrey R. Smith & Robert S. Cohen.
Come and Follow Me (2015)
SATB, organ (or piano) (also SAB)
Duration: c. 4'
A setting of a beautiful Ronald W. Cadmus church anthem.
Audio by Matthew Curtis.
Connecticut Autumn (2019)
SATB, piano (opt. orchestrated)
Duration: c. 4'
A setting of a beautiful poem by Hyam Plutzik.
Eight: The Story of Hanukkah (2023)
SATB, clarinet, piano (also SSA)
Duration: c. 4'
A work for Chorus, Clarinet & Piano with a text by Nanci K. Bern. Also arranged for clarinet quintet.
To be premiered October 2023 by the Namaste Quintet in Perugia Italy.
Evening Star (2013)
SATB, piano
Duration: c. 4'
Setting of an Edgar Allan Poe of contrasting emotions painted in the hues of nature; a song of the night sky with hints at personification of the harbingers of light in the night sky: the moon and the stars.
Fabric of Gratitude (2023)
SATB, piano (also with youth choir)
Duration: c. 4'
Setting of a poem by Ronald W. Cadmus.
Commissioned by and Premiered November 19, 2023 by Deer Creek Chorale, Marty Banghart conducting.
God’s Whisper (2014)
SATB, piano
Duration: c. 8'
A setting of a poem by Ronald W. Cadmus about how hope whispers to us each moment, of every step we take in this unsteady world. A whisper that summons us to take the guiding hand, to see the bright star, to feel the reassurance that comes from trusting the whisper that guides our heart throughout our wandering. To hear the voice that helps us to trust, to believe eternity is forever.
Performed by the Hobart & William College Cantori, Robert Cowles, conductor.
Hosanna, Hosanna (2023)
SATB, piano (also SSA)
Duration: c. 3'
Using the simple text "Hosanna in excelsis," the musical setting explores styles from classical to modern while playing with syllabic emphasis to create different textures that showcase part independence and musical variety.
I Am A Face (2023)
SATB, Solo, and piano (also TTBB, SSAA)
Duration: c. 5'
I Am A Face conveys the message that there is a story to the faces we see before us. Faces, that yearn to be noticed, accepted, loved, affirmed for the uniqueness of who they are.
Into the Light (2010)
SSAATB chorus, piano, horn, cellos, basses, chimes, glockenspiel, percussion
Duration: c. 6'
A unique choral work for chorus and small ensemble.
Commissioned by the Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale and premiered in June 2010.
Lullaby (2013)
SATB, piano (also SSA)
Duration: c. 4'
This setting of a lovely poem by Louisa May Alcott (“Little Women”) uses lovely images of nature to describe onset of night.
Safe Places of the Heart (2016)
SATB, piano (also SSAA, TTBB, Orchestrated version available)
Duration: c. 5'
Moving anthem with a text by Ronald W. Cadmus written as a tribute to the survivors and victims of the 2016 PULSE Nightclub massacre.
Winner of the Harrisburg Gay Men’s Choir 25th Anniversary composition competition.
Premiered by the Harrisburg Gay Men’s Choir on YouTube.
Serenade (2016)
SATB, piano (also SSAA)
Duration: c. 4'
A setting of am Edgar Allen Poe poem. Also available in an SATB a cappella Premiered May 2016 by Agnes Scott College.
Sleep, Little Baby, Sleep (2010)
SATB, piano (also SSA, SAB)
Duration: c. 3'
A setting of a Christina Rossetti Christmastide poem. Also available in an SATB a cappella version along with SSA, SAB; also arranged for horn, string quartet & chamber orchestra.
Performed by Albany Pro Musica, David Griggs-Janower, Conductor.
Spirit of the Winding Water (2017)
SATB, flute, hand percussion
Duration: c. 5'
This setting of a Ronald W. Cadmus poem channels Native American themes and rhythms while integrating actual Navajo language into the texture.
Stardate 101 (2018)
SATB, piccolo, piano, synth (or harp), glockenspiel, vibraphone, percussion (also SSAA)
Duration: c. 6'
Commissioned by the Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale, Stardate 101, with an original text by the composer, is a cautionary tale of what the future of the Earth may be if we do not heed environmental concerns.
Premiered at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia June 24, 2018.
Stay In Time (2013)
SSAATTBB, piano, woodblocks (also SSSSAAAA)
Duration: c. 5'
This exciting and energetic show piece with a text by the composer explores a myriad of references to time employing both pitched and non-pitched vocal sounds.
Still (2023)
SATB, piano
Duration: c. 4'
A work for Chorus & piano on a text by Ronald W. Cadmus.
Sunburst (2024) NEW!
SATB, piano
Duration: c. 4'
A setting of a text by Ronald W. Cadmus that is part of our Sun, Moon & Stars trilogy.
The Gift of Advent Waiting (2021)
SATB, piano
Duration: c. 6'
A setting of an Advent poem by Ronald W. Cadmus that uniquely focuses on the feeling of anticipation for the birth of Christ.
The Gift of Dreams to Dream (2020)
SATB, piano (also SSA)
Duration: c. 3'
Setting of a lovely text by Ronald W. Cadmus about the gift of dreams to dream.
The Milkman (2023)
SATB, piano (orchestrated version available)
Duration: c. 3'
A setting of a poem by Hyam Plutzik.
The Moon (2024) NEW!
SATB, piano
Duration: c. 4'
Part of my Celestial Trilogy, this moving tribute to our celestial neighbor was inspired by Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" with a stunning text by Ronald W. Cadmus. Performed by the Rocky Mountain Chamber Choir.
The Peaceful Sound of Silent Stars (2024) NEW!
SATB, piano (also SSAA)
Duration: c. 5'
This is a choral setting of a wonderful poem by Ronald W. Cadmus about the birth of stars and looking to the beauty of the heavens to find inner peace.
The Promise of Three Moments (2017)
SATB, piano (also with horn, bass, percussion)
Duration: c. 9'
A poetic vision by Ronald W. Cadmus in which the past, present and future intertwine to shape our perception of what is to come. Commissioned by the Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale Jeffrey R. Smith, cond.
Premiered at the Kimmel Center, Philadelphia June 24, 2018.
The Road Back (2015)
SATB, piano
Duration: c. 4'
A poem by the often overlooked late 19TH century Kentucky poet Madison Julius Cawein, describes how our memories of the past remain pure, pristine and timeless in our mind.
Walkin’ to School (2000)
SATB, piano
Duration: c. 4'
A choral arrangement of a number from the Off-Broadway Musical “Suburb.” Music by Robert S. Cohen Lyrics by David Javerbaum arranged and conducted by Jeffrey R. Smith. Performed in a virtual choir video by the Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale.
We Can Change the World (2019)
SATB, piano
Duration: c. 4'
This stirring work with a lyric by Ronald W. Cadmus, dedicated to the faculty and students of Stoneman Douglas High School of Parkland Florida, explores the need to take action on the issues and inequities of the day.
We Lift Our Voices (2023)
SATB, organ (or piano)
Duration: c.
Church anthem setting of a text by Ronald W. Cadmus.
Premiered at Ocean Grove Choir Festival Summer 2023.
Wind (2014)
SATB, piano (also SSAA)
Duration: c. 4'
Setting of an original text by the composer that uses picturesque musical elements underscored by a propulsive piano accompaniment to express the nature and importance of wind.
Winter Time (2019)
SATB, 2 handbells, vocal sounds (also SSAA)
Duration: c. 4'
This beautiful poem by Robert Louis Stevenson employs a myriad number of images to evoke the sights and sounds of winter. To add to the setting, the composer uses vocal and physical sound effects: whistling for wind and crumbled paper for fire.
Zombie Apocalypse (2017)
SATB, piano (also TTBB)
Duration: c. 5'
A setting of a humorously twisted text by the composer about the undead.