Choral Music — Caroline Mallonee

Vocális Chamber Choir — CHORAL MUSIC

by Caroline Mallonee

Caroline Mallonee’s choral music has been performed across the country and abroad. Known for writing inventive pieces in English as well as motets in Latin inspired by early polyphony, Mallonee has been commissioned recently by the Cecilia Chorus of New York, the Baltimore Choral Arts Society, the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, and the Buffalo-Niagara Youth Choir, among others. Light Through Windows was recorded by Seattle choir Vox16 (now Radiance) and included on their 2018 CD, Locally Sourced.

Mallonee sings in Vocális Chamber Choir, a professional group of 24 singers based in Buffalo, NY. Vocális has performed much of Mallonee’s catalog and commissioned the four-movement cycle, Songs of Crystal, for their 15th season. In 2023, they commissioned the six-movement cycle, Ask The Wind.

Mallonee also sings in Harmonia Chamber Singers. Watch their 2021 performance of Snow Globe Upon a Sill here.

Mallonee was chosen to participate in VocalEssence’s Essentially Choral workshops with I Saw A Peacock With a Fiery Tail and was named the winner in the Yale Glee Club’s Emerging Composers Competition for Wind Songs. One of her earliest choral pieces, The Carolers At My Door, won a Christmas carol contest on “A Prairie Home Companion."

One of her most ambitious pieces is “Episodes for a Star-Dripped Night.” A 17-minute piece for four voices first heard on the New Music New Haven series, “Episodes” showcases the experimental nature and astonishing versatility of the human voice. For this piece about the mysteries of the night sky and for many of the others in her catalog, Mallonee wrote the words as well as the music.

Her choral music is available from Boosey & Hawkes, Swirly Music, and JW Pepper. To buy scores, see below.

I Saw a Peacock With a Fiery Tail

SATB Music in English:

Songs of Crystal (10’) (SATB) (Swirly) Buy in print. Buy a download license.

In four movements. Words by Sara Teasdale. Commissioned by Vocális Chamber Choir.

Search (7’) (SATB or SSAA) (Swirly) Buy in print. Buy a download license.

What happens when you type “why” into Google? Autofill provided the lyrics for the three movements of this set. Commissioned by the Young People's Chorus of New York City.

O Lux (3’) (SSAATTBB) (Swirly) Commissioned by Friends School of Baltimore. Buy

Ask the Wind (18’) (SATB) Buy a download license.

In six movements. Words by Sara Teasdale, Christina Rossetti, and Robert Louis Stevenson. Written for Vocális Chamber Choir.

Look For Us Again (4’) (SATB) (Swirly) Buy

Words by Carl Sandburg. Commissioned by the Baltimore Choral Arts Society.

I Saw a Peacock With a Fiery Tail (4’) (SSAATTBB) (Swirly) Buy in print. Buy a download license.

Based on a 17th century riddle poem. Premiered by VocalEssence.

Light Through Windows (4') (SATB) (Swirly) Buy in print. Buy a download license.

Draws a parallel between an illuminated manuscript and a stained-glass window. Words by the composer. Premiered and recorded by Vox16.

When I Am Dead, My Dearest (3.5’) (SATB) (Swirly) Buy in print. Buy a download license.

Words by Christina Rossetti. Premiered by Vocális Chamber Choir.

Like Softest Music (5’) (SSAATTBB) Buy in print. Buy a download license.

For double choir. Words by William Shakespeare.

Dona Nobis Pacem (2’) (SATB) (Boosey & Hawkes) Buy

Wild, Sweet Bells (4’) (SATB) Premiered by Cantori New York, 2021.

An Infinite Storm of Beauty (5’) (SSAATTBB) Words by John Muir. Watch

Sonnet LV (3.5’) (SATB) Words by William Shakespeare. Buy a download license.

Come To Me In Dreams (6’) (SATB with divisi) (Swirly) Buy

A meditation on life and death. Words by Christina Rossetti.

SATB Music in English:

With Streaks of Light (30’) for SSATB chorus, tenor soloist, violin, bass clarinet, and harp. For a perusal score, contact the composer.

In 17 movements; can be excerpted. Commissioned by the Cecilia Chorus of New York City.

So You Say (7’) (SATB) Listen To buy the score, contact the composer.

In three movements. Words by Mark Strand. Premiered by Vocális Chamber Choir.

Wind Songs (5’) (SATB) (Boosey & Hawkes) Listen/Buy

In four movements. Words by the composer. Premiered by the Yale Glee Club.

Moon Madrigals (4’) (SATB or SSAA) In three movements. To buy the score, contact the composer.

Words by Christina Rossetti.

Wow! Aha! Wow! Palindromes for Chorus (SATB with divisi)

Ten humorous pieces that can be performed as a set or individually.

Gather the Stars (3’) (SATB) Watch
Words by Carl Sandburg.

SATB Winter Music:

The Carolers At My Door (2’) (SATB) (Boosey & Hawkes) Buy

Words by the composer. Premiered by the Gregg Smith Singers. Also available for SATB and orchestra. To buy the score/parts, contact the composer.

Hodie/Today on Earth (4.5’) (SATB) (Swirly) Listen/Buy

Words by the composer. Commissioned by A Prairie Home Companion.

O Gift of Glorious Sunrise (4‘) (SATB) (Swirly) Listen/Buy

Words by the composer. Premiered by Vocális Chamber Choir.

Snow Globe Upon a Sill (3’30”) SATB Watch Buy

Words by the composer. Premiered by the Fairfax Choral Society.

A Star for a Wish (The Great Conjunction) (4‘) (SATB) Watch/Buy

Words by the composer. Premiered by Vocális Chamber Choir.

Christmas Comes Again (5’) SATB Watch

Words by Elizabeth Drew Stoddard. Commissioned by San Francisco Choral Artists.

One Silver Star (3’) (SATB)

Words by the composer. Commissioned by San Francisco Choral Artists.

The Kings They Came (3’) SATB Watch

Words by Sara Teasdale. Premiered by Vocális Chamber Choir.

SATB Latin motets:

O Lux (3’) (SSAATTBB) (Swirly) Commissioned by Friends School of Baltimore. Listen/Buy

Dona Nobis Pacem (2’) (SATB) (Boosey & Hawkes) Premiered by Duke University Chorale. Listen/Buy

Da Pacem Domine (5’) (SATB) Premiered by Florilegium Chamber Choir. To buy the score, contact the composer.

Music for Treble Voices:

Our Eyes Are Upon You (10’) for treble voices and percussion (mba, vib). In four movements. To buy the score, contact the composer.

Words by Greta Thunberg (used with permission; a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the music will be donated to Ms. Thunberg’s foundation)

Commissioned and premeired by Buffalo Girlchoir.

Paint Chips (3’) (SA with piano) (Swirly) Listen/Buy

All words are Martha Stewart paint colors. Premiered by Immaculata Academy.

Shine On, O Moon of Summer (SSA with piano) (Swirly). Listen/Buy

Words by Carl Sandburg. Premiered by Women’s Voices Chorus of North Carolina.

Twelve Opposites (9’) (SSAA with violin, viola and bass clarinet) Watch the version with solo voice here.

Words by Richard Wilbur. Commissioned by Monadnock Music. To buy the score, contact the composer.

Like a Bird (3’) (SSA) (Swirly) Listen/Buy

Words by the composer. Commissioned by Vox Caecelia.

Sister, Walk With Me (3’) (SSA) Listen Watch Buy

Words by the composer. Premiered by the Buffalo Women’s Chorus.

This is What Sisterhood Means (3’) (SSAA) To buy the score, contact the composer.

Words by the composer. Commissioned by Ladies First.

The Right And True (4’) (SSAA) To be premiered in 2021. Listen Buy

Words by Emily Dickinson and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Commissioned by Concentus Women’s Chorus.

Search: Three Google Searches (7’) (SATB or SSAA) (Swirly) Listen/Buy

What happens when you type “why” into Google? Commissioned by the Young People's Chorus of New York City. Three movements.

I Wonder Why (2’) (SA and piano) Listen

The third movement of “Search,” in a stand-alone arrangement for treble voices with piano.

I Wonder Why

It’s now a book! Sung and illustrated by members of Buffalo Girlchoir. Buy it here!