I
R E L E N T L E S S

Abstract teardrops
Upside-down world
I pawned air for love and I breathed

II
E P I P H A N Y

White filters through my morning dreams
You awaken a window in me love
Trembling watercolors of dawn tumble across the sky
Pouring behind the darkness of my eyelids
I see you.
You are the flowering vines curling around
the wings of my eyelashes
You are the ocean that I am lost in
You are my tide
This heaviness of water and light gathers at my feet and engulfs my soul
Singing sweet, humming, murmuring memories deep fall asleep
I cling to you in this space of eternity
Dark and whispering blooms of weightless and cradled dreams
currents between our woven hearts
My fingers linger with yours
Our faces swim soft and near
You lift my eyes to yours, and in them find
sorrowful tears of a journey’s end
I float upwards
Without you
into streaming ribbons of light
Spinning and weaving gently along the strands of my heavy watered heart
I sigh
I inhale rays of light
The dawn meets the color of my eyes as it meets its lover horizon
And beside me no longer in the space of my dreams
Entwined within pools of a linen ocean
I am touched by the fresh blooms of your lips, your smile, your bright eternal eyes
Now it is we who are one in the window of me love
And another dawn begins.

III
I N E V I T A B L E

…DESPERATION CORNERS LOVE…
every night we slide along rivers of moonlight you and me coveting darkness as a companion between our electric souls sifting light from our mouths along a weary wire to the tunnels of our senses ringing stinging singing through the veins that connect the hearts that feed the half of what we are to each other skin screaming eyes dreaming when will our void be filled i peer out of my cage to love to people to the reflection of those city lights on those thirsty clouds drenching this churning earth making anonymous my tears and i wonder how my heart ever got so twisted up in this unparallel surrender of flooding drowning love resounding chaos turning me upside down inside out 'til the rain stings and my blood thins and i hear wire from my ear falling limp no longer near your universe summoning my heart my body weeping apart simmering you of my soul save me from these choking bones now what is left and since where have i gone i wonder why my river never merges with the moonlight that converges close against your ey es watery in my sighs nocturnal body spilling her river light to lips of passion's night our souls shifting with her face memory trailing after her grace 'til dawn's traumatizing light stretches his fingers to the sky strings shadows along our lies dark haven of bliss this never never land our moon she kissed now chased erased down my face sore eyes ache your voice he fades tears pour by morning's light clinging to slipping night we're no longer her exception her dual reflection the world's glaring stunning face mocking our deep dark infallible facade intoxicating night where i will find you again where i will find you in a moonlight river spinning wires across depths we turn our eyes away from in this suffocating sea of darkness we're drowning in.
© c l e m e n c i a

Mvt. I - Relentless Sample (Click Arrow to Play)


Mvt. II - Epiphany Sample (Click Arrow to Play)


Mvt. III - Inevitable Sample (Click Arrow to Play)

I
R E L E N T L E S S

Abstract teardrops
Upside-down world
I pawned air for love and I breathed

II
E P I P H A N Y

White filters through my morning dreams
You awaken a window in me love
Trembling watercolors of dawn tumble across the sky
Pouring behind the darkness of my eyelids
I see you.
You are the flowering vines curling around
the wings of my eyelashes
You are the ocean that I am lost in
You are my tide
This heaviness of water and light gathers at my feet and engulfs my soul
Singing sweet, humming, murmuring memories deep fall asleep
I cling to you in this space of eternity
Dark and whispering blooms of weightless and cradled dreams
currents between our woven hearts
My fingers linger with yours
Our faces swim soft and near
You lift my eyes to yours, and in them find
sorrowful tears of a journey’s end
I float upwards
Without you
into streaming ribbons of light
Spinning and weaving gently along the strands of my heavy watered heart
I sigh
I inhale rays of light
The dawn meets the color of my eyes as it meets its lover horizon
And beside me no longer in the space of my dreams
Entwined within pools of a linen ocean
I am touched by the fresh blooms of your lips, your smile, your bright eternal eyes
Now it is we who are one in the window of me love
And another dawn begins.

III
I N E V I T A B L E

…DESPERATION CORNERS LOVE…
every night we slide along rivers of moonlight you and me coveting darkness as a companion between our electric souls sifting light from our mouths along a weary wire to the tunnels of our senses ringing stinging singing through the veins that connect the hearts that feed the half of what we are to each other skin screaming eyes dreaming when will our void be filled i peer out of my cage to love to people to the reflection of those city lights on those thirsty clouds drenching this churning earth making anonymous my tears and i wonder how my heart ever got so twisted up in this unparallel surrender of flooding drowning love resounding chaos turning me upside down inside out 'til the rain stings and my blood thins and i hear wire from my ear falling limp no longer near your universe summoning my heart my body weeping apart simmering you of my soul save me from these choking bones now what is left and since where have i gone i wonder why my river never merges with the moonlight that converges close against your ey es watery in my sighs nocturnal body spilling her river light to lips of passion's night our souls shifting with her face memory trailing after her grace 'til dawn's traumatizing light stretches his fingers to the sky strings shadows along our lies dark haven of bliss this never never land our moon she kissed now chased erased down my face sore eyes ache your voice he fades tears pour by morning's light clinging to slipping night we're no longer her exception her dual reflection the world's glaring stunning face mocking our deep dark infallible facade intoxicating night where i will find you again where i will find you in a moonlight river spinning wires across depths we turn our eyes away from in this suffocating sea of darkness we're drowning in.
© c l e m e n c i a

Mvt. I - Relentless Sample (Click Arrow to Play)


Mvt. II - Epiphany Sample (Click Arrow to Play)


Mvt. III - Inevitable Sample (Click Arrow to Play)

I
R E L E N T L E S S

Abstract teardrops
Upside-down world
I pawned air for love and I breathed

II
E P I P H A N Y

White filters through my morning dreams
You awaken a window in me love
Trembling watercolors of dawn tumble across the sky
Pouring behind the darkness of my eyelids
I see you.
You are the flowering vines curling around
the wings of my eyelashes
You are the ocean that I am lost in
You are my tide
This heaviness of water and light gathers at my feet and engulfs my soul
Singing sweet, humming, murmuring memories deep fall asleep
I cling to you in this space of eternity
Dark and whispering blooms of weightless and cradled dreams
currents between our woven hearts
My fingers linger with yours
Our faces swim soft and near
You lift my eyes to yours, and in them find
sorrowful tears of a journey’s end
I float upwards
Without you
into streaming ribbons of light
Spinning and weaving gently along the strands of my heavy watered heart
I sigh
I inhale rays of light
The dawn meets the color of my eyes as it meets its lover horizon
And beside me no longer in the space of my dreams
Entwined within pools of a linen ocean
I am touched by the fresh blooms of your lips, your smile, your bright eternal eyes
Now it is we who are one in the window of me love
And another dawn begins.

III
S E D U C T I O N

Zingy glow hanging love’s electricity in a
glance between you and I

A blazing light
billow spires
Vaporous night
high

III
I N E V I T A B L E

…DESPERATION CORNERS LOVE…
every night we slide along rivers of moonlight you and me coveting darkness as a companion between our electric souls sifting light from our mouths along a weary wire to the tunnels of our senses ringing stinging singing through the veins that connect the hearts that feed the half of what we are to each other skin screaming eyes dreaming when will our void be filled i peer out of my cage to love to people to the reflection of those city lights on those thirsty clouds drenching this churning earth making anonymous my tears and i wonder how my heart ever got so twisted up in this unparallel surrender of flooding drowning love resounding chaos turning me upside down inside out 'til the rain stings and my blood thins and i hear wire from my ear falling limp no longer near your universe summoning my heart my body weeping apart simmering you of my soul save me from these choking bones now what is left and since where have i gone i wonder why my river never merges with the moonlight that converges close against your ey es watery in my sighs nocturnal body spilling her river light to lips of passion's night our souls shifting with her face memory trailing after her grace 'til dawn's traumatizing light stretches his fingers to the sky strings shadows along our lies dark haven of bliss this never never land our moon she kissed now chased erased down my face sore eyes ache your voice he fades tears pour by morning's light clinging to slipping night we're no longer her exception her dual reflection the world's glaring stunning face mocking our deep dark infallible facade intoxicating night where i will find you again where i will find you in a moonlight river spinning wires across depths we turn our eyes away from in this suffocating sea of darkness we're drowning in.
© c l e m e n c i a

Mvt. I - Relentless Sample (Click Arrow to Play)


Mvt. II - Epiphany Sample (Click Arrow to Play)


Mvt. III - Seduction Sample (Click Arrow to Play)


Mvt. IV - Inevitable Sample (Click Arrow to Play)

"Affirmation shocked the audience – they were on their feet right after the performance!” – Da Ji Yuan News

"Andrew Beall's percussion concerto is a piece with great passion. It received a standing ovation from the audience!” – Global Times

I. DRIVEN
Every soul is driven to discover its purpose in life - to affirm its worth. For a few lucky ones, the purpose is revealed at a young age; for others the search can be a long, anxiety-filled, sometimes even frenzied journey. Full of confusion, panic, and the insistent "get on with your life" from well-meaning people, the search can quickly spiral into depression, overwhelming pressure, and ultimately complete exhaustion.....

II. DREAM ADAGIO
And then, almost organically, a ray of hope breaks through the depths of gloom. A glimpse of passion, a dream manifesting, one's purpose begins to dawn. Tears dry and energy is reborn. Hope rises forth as the dream begins to develop with a clear meaning. The feeling is euphoric.

III. DANCE OF IDENTITY
The journey is not over. A struggle remains as the soul learns how to embrace its new-found passion. Courage and perseverance must blossom to sustain through the new frightening risks encountered along this un-chartered path. But, as hope promises, a defining moment finally arrives, as the soul calls this identity its own. Feeling truly alive, perhaps for the first time, a celebration bursts forth! The search is over! The soul dances with meaning, passion, identity! Value, triumph, affirmation!

Mvt. I. Driven
Sample 1 (Click Arrow to Play)


Sample 2 (Click Arrow to Play)


Sample 3 (Click Arrow to Play)


Mvt. 2 - Dream Adagio
Sample 1 (Click Arrow to Play)


Sample 2 (Click Arrow to Play)


Sample 3 (Click Arrow to Play)


Mvt. 3 - Dance of Identity
Sample 1 (Click Arrow to Play)


Sample 2 (Click Arrow to Play)


Sample 3 (Click Arrow to Play)

CLICK HERE for video on

"Affirmation shocked the audience – they were on their feet right after the performance!” – Da Ji Yuan News

"Andrew Beall's percussion concerto is a piece with great passion. It received a standing ovation from the audience!” – Global Times

I. DRIVEN
Every soul is driven to discover its purpose in life - to affirm its worth. For a few lucky ones, the purpose is revealed at a young age; for others the search can be a long, anxiety-filled, sometimes even frenzied journey. Full of confusion, panic, and the insistent "get on with your life" from well-meaning people, the search can quickly spiral into depression, overwhelming pressure, and ultimately complete exhaustion.....

II. DREAM ADAGIO
And then, almost organically, a ray of hope breaks through the depths of gloom. A glimpse of passion, a dream manifesting, one's purpose begins to dawn. Tears dry and energy is reborn. Hope rises forth as the dream begins to develop with a clear meaning. The feeling is euphoric.

III. DANCE OF IDENTITY
The journey is not over. A struggle remains as the soul learns how to embrace its new-found passion. Courage and perseverance must blossom to sustain through the new frightening risks encountered along this un-chartered path. But, as hope promises, a defining moment finally arrives, as the soul calls this identity its own. Feeling truly alive, perhaps for the first time, a celebration bursts forth! The search is over! The soul dances with meaning, passion, identity! Value, triumph, affirmation!


Mvt. I. Driven
Sample 1 (Click Arrow to Play)


Sample 2 (Click Arrow to Play)


Sample 3 (Click Arrow to Play)


Mvt. 2 - Dream Adagio
Sample 1 (Click Arrow to Play)


Sample 2 (Click Arrow to Play)


Sample 3 (Click Arrow to Play)


Mvt. 3 - Dance of Identity
Sample 1 (Click Arrow to Play)


Sample 2 (Click Arrow to Play)


Sample 3 (Click Arrow to Play)

CLICK HERE for video on

"Strong, honest, and musically sincere" - Gordon Stout

"Beall has found the key to composing for marimba and soprano" - PAS News

"Song of 'Almah really got to me during the concert. I got all teary during the final movement and had to keep blinking to see the music" - Dr. Karl Seigfried, Music Institute of Chicago, Principal Bass of the premiere performance

The text is taken from the Old Testament book, Song of Solomon, written c. 945 BC. King Solomon, known for writing over 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs, called this composition his Shir Hashirim – his most exquisite “Song of all Songs.” It is an incomparable celebration of romantic love in all aspects.

In the entirety of Solomon’s 700 marriages and 300 additional maid-servant relationships, his search for true love led him to one ‘almah, one young girl, one maiden, who captured his heart like no other. She is called a Shulamite, from the city of Shunem which was located southwest of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. The residents were descendents of Issachar, one of Jacob’s twelve sons, and they were known for their strength, humility, and desire to serve unconditionally.

From the Song of Solomon we learn that ‘Almah grew up with harsh brothers who forced her to labor in her family’s vineyards. She viewed herself as a common girl, like the common meadow flowers “a rose of Sharon” and “a lily of the valleys.” Yet, ‘Almah’s life changed forever when the most powerful ruler known to man fell deeply in love with her, making her his only beloved. Like a shepherd, Solomon gave her rest. Like an oasis, he gave her water and safety. Like an apple tree in the forest, he stood out broadly among men. Such are the beginning images in the Song that describe her new life with the king.

In Hebrew, 'Almah means “young girl, maiden, or damsel”. A variation on the word is the Hebrew musical term 'alamoth, which can be translated "soprano." So the Song of ‘Almah is the composer’s duet for marimba and 'alamoth. It was commissioned by Charles Beall, who also chose the Song of Solomon as the text. Although the Song of Solomon contains parts spoken by the King and parts by the Chorus (the Daughters of Jerusalem), the composer only selected key passages spoken by the beloved 'Almah.

In the fall of 2008 the Erato Chamber Orchestra of Chicago commissioned this duet to be complimented with strings.

Love's intensity ... love's heartbreak ... powerful physical attraction ... this is the Song of 'Almah…

The following clips feature Andrew Beall on marimba and Amanda Lynn Dunning, soprano, at the premiere performance in Chicago:

Song of 'Almah Mvt. I (Rose of Sharon)
Sample 1 (Click Arrow to Play)


Sample 2 (Click Arrow to Play)


Song of 'Almah Mvt. II (Yearning For)
Sample 1 (Click Arrow to Play)


Sample 2 (Click Arrow to Play)


Song of 'Almah Mvt. III (Cedar of Lebanon)
Sample 1 (Click Arrow to Play)


Sample 2 (Click Arrow to Play)

CLICK HERE for video

The DOUBLE CONCERTINO FOR TIMPANI AND PERCUSSION was commissioned by the Greenwich (Connecticut) Symphony and premiered in April 2006. The 3-minute piece showcased the talents of Glenn Rhian on timpani and myself on xylophone. It's subtitled When Professor Rhianini Met Lorenzo Spuccini, nicknames Glenn and I have for each other. Each soloist plays several toys, whistles and sound effects, and there is an improvised cadenza. If I had to describe it in one word, it would be zany.

The work is scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 3 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba and strings. The timpanist uses 4 drums and also plays hi-hat, snare drum, cowbell, alarm bell, triangle, low wood block, ratchet, sandpaper blocks, nightingale whistle, whip and bulb horn. The percussionist plays xylophone, flexatone (solo!), high wood block, police whistle, siren whistle, cuckoo, train whistle, slide whistle, duck call, champagne pop and The Cymbal Guy. (This is the very first piece scored for my co-invention, a foot-activated cymbal crashing machine.)

Audiences and critics loved the piece. Mary Jo Heath in Greenwich Time called it:

"...a highly entertaining work whose musical language, orchestration and sense of humor would have made Leroy Anderson proud. It was full of dialogue between the two soloists and included every percussion instrument except the kitchen sink. The kids laughed and rocked along with every note and effect. I hope it gets played past its premiere. It's just right for its intended audience. As a note in the program said, kids love percussion."

Linda Phillips wrote in the Greenwich Citizen: ¦an array of instruments not seen since vaudeville included whistle, kazoo, xylophone, train whistle, a whirrer, and a popper, all played by hand, to wonderful comic and musical effect. Backed by the orchestra in a jazzy tempo, with syncopation, Spivack played like a Broadway band, ably backed by tuba and kettledrum. This work was more fun than, well, a barrel of rhinoceroses.

It was so successful that I recently completed a piano reduction of the orchestra part to make it performable at percussion concerts and recitals. I am proud to have Bachovich as my publisher for t his piece.

- Larry Spivack

Sample (Click Arrow to Play)

The DOUBLE CONCERTINO FOR TIMPANI AND PERCUSSION was commissioned by the Greenwich (Connecticut) Symphony and premiered in April 2006. The 3-minute piece showcased the talents of Glenn Rhian on timpani and myself on xylophone. It's subtitled When Professor Rhianini Met Lorenzo Spuccini, nicknames Glenn and I have for each other. Each soloist plays several toys, whistles and sound effects, and there is an improvised cadenza. If I had to describe it in one word, it would be zany.

The work is scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 3 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba and strings. The timpanist uses 4 drums and also plays hi-hat, snare drum, cowbell, alarm bell, triangle, low wood block, ratchet, sandpaper blocks, nightingale whistle, whip and bulb horn. The percussionist plays xylophone, flexatone (solo!), high wood block, police whistle, siren whistle, cuckoo, train whistle, slide whistle, duck call, champagne pop and The Cymbal Guy. (This is the very first piece scored for my co-invention, a foot-activated cymbal crashing machine.)

Audiences and critics loved the piece. Mary Jo Heath in Greenwich Time called it:

"...a highly entertaining work whose musical language, orchestration and sense of humor would have made Leroy Anderson proud. It was full of dialogue between the two soloists and included every percussion instrument except the kitchen sink. The kids laughed and rocked along with every note and effect. I hope it gets played past its premiere. It's just right for its intended audience. As a note in the program said, kids love percussion."

Linda Phillips wrote in the Greenwich Citizen: ¦an array of instruments not seen since vaudeville included whistle, kazoo, xylophone, train whistle, a whirrer, and a popper, all played by hand, to wonderful comic and musical effect. Backed by the orchestra in a jazzy tempo, with syncopation, Spivack played like a Broadway band, ably backed by tuba and kettledrum. This work was more fun than, well, a barrel of rhinoceroses.

It was so successful that I recently completed a piano reduction of the orchestra part to make it performable at percussion concerts and recitals. I am proud to have Bachovich as my publisher for t his piece.

- Larry Spivack

Sample (Click Arrow to Play)