PUBLISHED WORKS
CHAMBER MUSIC
Six Explorations of Messier Star Clusters and Nebulae
for solo piano
​Composed between 2004 and 2011, Musical Explorations of Messier Star Clusters and Nebulae is Bruce Lazarus’ series of fourteen piano pieces based on the work of Charles Messier (1730-1817), a French astronomer who compiled a list of approximately 110 diffuse objects in the night sky, objects which in Messier’s day were often confused with comets but now are recognized as familiar objects such as the Andromeda Galaxy, The Pleiades, Orion Nebula, and the Globular Cluster in Hercules. Recent Hubble telescope photos of Messier Objects reveal vistas of extraordinary beauty and also great variation in energy patterning – spiraling, floating, exploding, diffusing – which strongly suggest musical variations in rhythm, texture, formal design, and melodic elements.
Published at Universal Editions
Webpage: https://www.brucelazaruscomposer.com/messier
Album: https://www.ebay.com/itm/126090008057​
Streaming: https://open.spotify.com/album/3lMiYgclmRjjxRSJms0Dva?si=P-p6dV5WTeO4i3ecFTvVlQ
Messier 31 - The Andromeda Galaxy
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Trio for violin, cello, and piano
("He Said, She Said")
​Bruce Lazarus’ Piano Trio (“He Said She Said”) is an entertaining
yet serious twelve-minute single-movement piece based on musical elements which - at times - seem to suggest the sound, emotion, and intensity of male/female conversations and friendly disagreements. The piece progresses as a set of free variations on these materials in a variety of textures and moods which come to agreement in the end.
"He Said She Said", sample
Starry Messenger
fanfare for brass quintet
​Starry Messenger, an eight-minute fanfare for brass quintet, was inspired by a quote from Galileo Galilei’s first book of astronomical observations, The Starry Messenger (Sidereus Nuncius, 1610):
"I have seen stars in myriads, which have never been seen before, and which surpass the old, previously known, stars in number more than ten times...”
Starry Messenger, demo
Far Corners for solo flute​ "A showpiece for the solo flutist, Far Corners is a set of five variations which explore various aspects of the opening musical idea. To this end I exploited harmonics, quick changes of register, and my own quirky sense of humor. Listeners have mentioned that the second variation tricked them into thinking there were really two flutists playing at once; exactly the illusion I had aimed to create." (B. Lazarus)
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Album: Laurel Zucker - Inflorescence 3- Music for Solo Flute
Trio Serenade (2019)
1. Chaconne
2. Last Spring
3. Sleeping Dalias
4. Murmurations
Trio Serenade performed by Emily Ferguson, oboe, Kurt Kaufman, cello, and Bruce Lazarus, piano.
String Quartet (2020), demo
Sonata for Solo Cello "When I commissioned composer Bruce Lazarus for this two-movement cello sonata, I asked that they be written so that cellists of relatively modest accomplishment could play them without too much difficulty. I am happy to see that he has succeeded in this sonata while maintaining variety and scope. From the opening of the pensive "Romance" to the more cheerful "Scherzo", with its darker middle section, the stylistic breadth and accessibility of this sonata will appeal to cellists and audiences alike." - Kurt Kaufman, cellist
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Concerto for Two Pianos
for two pianos, four hands
Single movement
​Duration: about 10:45
Sonata for Cello and Piano
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in three movements:
1. Simple and Direct
2. Theme and Double
3. Toccata​​
​Duration: about 17 minutes
SONGS FOR VOICE AND PIANO
"I Shot an Arrow..."
for female voice and piano
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Also called "Friendship Song," this is a setting of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1845 poem on the theme of enduring friendship, The Arrow and the Song, which begins:
I shot an arrow into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where...​
A Lewis Carroll Songbook
for male or female voice and piano
The complete set of eleven songs for voice and piano which celebrate Lewis Carroll’s wit, loopy logic, and love of the world of children. Includes settings of favorite poems such as Beautiful Soup, Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat, and The Mad Gardener’s Song as well as numerous less-known poems
Published at SwirlyMusic female voice or male voice
Webpage: https://www.brucelazaruscomposer.com/carrolling
Soundcloud music samples: https://soundcloud.com/the-lewis-carroll-project
Mad Gardener's Song
for male or female voice and piano
Lewis Carroll's Mad Gardener is a series of funny, clever metaphors which ponder the difficulties of life. Our Gardener's marriage is unhappy, debts have eaten away his savings, and the future is murky at best.
Beautiful Soup
for male or female voice and piano
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Beautiful Soup, so rich and green,
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop
Soup of the evening, Beautiful Soup!
Going to the Dogs
for male or female voice and piano
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An affectionate tribute to dogs and the humans who love them, Going to the Dogs is a song-cycle of five short, diverse, funny, and poignant poems by Dylan Thomas, Alexander Pope, and others. Cover art and video by Jennifer Winn, soprano.
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Central Park
song-cycle for male & female voices with piano
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A collaboration between poet Ezra Wasserman Mitchell and Bruce Lazarus, Central Park is a unified cycle of five tender, dramatic, and adoring poems descriptive of New York City's most beloved park. Themes include Bethesda Fountain, the Maine Memorial at Columbus Circle, and inscriptions on park benches.
Central Park awaits its first performance! Contact the composer at brucelazarus2k@yahoo.com if you are interested in presenting the world premiere.
MUSIC FOR CHORUS, ACCOMPANIED AND ACAPELLA
StarSongs
SATB Chorus
with flute, cello, harp
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"I have been fascinated by stars and galaxies as far back as I can remember. My youthful imagination was fed by a mixture of science fact and fiction. Decades later I continue to feel a sense of oneness to distant planets, stars, galaxies, and the universe in its entirety, an ongoing experience of awe and wonder which has often found expression in my music, especially in pieces such as StarSongs." – Bruce Lazarus
Currently in preparation for publication at SwirlyMusic
StarSongs
Version for Youth Chorus (SSA)
with flute, cello, harp
StarSongs is a cantata for youth chorus (boys and girls age 13-18), with flute, harp, and cello. Composed between August and November 2001, the 18-minute, six-movement work expresses my feelings of connection with distant planets, stars, galaxies, and the universe as a whole." (B. Lazarus) Please visit the StarSong page.
Snowflakes
SATB unaccompanied
Snowflakes is a short, peaceful, wintry song for a cappella SATB chorus, with lyrics by Linda A. Copp, a great choice for high school and college choruses.
Snowflakes spill from heaven’s hand
Lovely and chaste like smooth white sand
A veil of wonder laced in light
Falling gently on a winters night.
Our World
SATB with piano
An uplifting, secular piece about our planet’s place in the universe with lyrics by the composer. Its energy and relatively low difficulty make this three-minute piece an excellent choice for high school or community group.
You and I share a single place
A private universe, tiny point in space.
Complex world of water, stone, and air…
Necessary water, stone and air
Turning while we whirl around the sun…
Spinning as we whiz around the sun.
Boethius said
SATB unaccompanied
A musical tribute to the Roman philosopher Anicius Manlius Severinus Boëthius (477–524 AD).
Boethius said:
In celestial revolution, motions of great bodies are sounded in their courses.
And some are higher, and some are lower
some faster, some slower,
some bigger, some smaller.
And these extremely rapid motions could not be completely without sound.
The Isle is Full of Noises
SATB with piano
Adapted from The Tempest, this is a dramatic, 8-minute cantata on Shakespeare’s eloquent meditation on dreams and music.
The isle is full of noises, sounds, and sweet airs
that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
will hum about mine ears
and sometimes voices will make me sleep...
SCIENCE SONGS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE'S CHORUS
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*"My sincere thanks to the kids and grown-ups of North Cambridge Family Opera Chorus for commissioning, performing, and creating the accompanying slide-shows for almost all of these entertaining and educational songs about science which are such a joy to compose." - B. Lazarus
All music and lyrics by Bruce Lazarus unless otherwise noted.
Jane Goodall and the Chimps
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​To the sound of piano imitating an African kalimba or "thumb piano," this song follows Jane Goodall's career as British leading primatologist, ethnologist, and anthropologist. She is still considered to be the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees.
Sally Ride: The First American Woman in Space
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In the style of early 1960s “surfer rock & roll,’ the chorus sings about how astronaut Sally Ride was not only the first American woman in space but also a role model for innumerable girls interested in careers in space flight and science. California-born, free-spirited, Ride also liked rock and roll, tennis, and turning somersaults in space.
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ROY G BIV: The Colors of the Rainbow
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An easy, fun, upbeat, and educational song about the visible part of the spectrum. The title stands for “red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet”; the conventional mnemonic for the colors of the rainbow.
The Sun & the Moon
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A short, fun, tango-ish, and scientifically accurate choral song for children’s chorus (grades 2-8) with music by Bruce Lazarus and lyrics by Bobbi Katz, noted poet of children’s educational verse. The chorus is divided into two groups representing “Sun” and “Moon” and sing apt descriptions of each. Written for two-part treble voices; boys can sing an octave lower if needed.
The Moondust Footprint
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June, 1969. It seemed as though nearly everyone was sitting glued to their televisions to witness the landing of Apollo 11 and the first humans walking on the surface of the Moon.
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Lyrics by Bobbi Katz.
High Clouds, Low Clouds
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​Ideal for middle school, high school, or adult chorus, High Clouds, Low Clouds is an fun and accurate description of the most common cloud formations while evoking the 1970s in an entertainingly retro-pop style.
How Beautiful is the Rain
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A setting of a lovely poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
How beautiful is the rain!
After the dust and heat,
In the broad and fiery street,
In the narrow lane,
How beautiful is the rain!
Telstar: A Tower in Space
​An optimistic song about Telstar, the first active communication satellite. Launched into orbit in July of 1962, Telstar could receive, amplify, and transmit radio and television programs from space. It was hoped that vastly improved communication between nations would lead to global friendship and peace. A Tower in Space includes quotes from President John F. Kennedy's speech on Telstar which can be spoken by members of the chorus, or a recording can be used.
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ARRANGEMENTS
They Shall Not Hurt
for men's chorus with piano
Arthur Lazarus' setting of They Shall Not Hurt is a short hymn with a flowing melody which expresses clear-eyed but heart-felt devotion. Sung in Hebrew and English and relatively easy to perform, it is an ideal work for devotional service or concert setting. Arranged for men's chorus by the composer's son.
The Green Golly Collection
9 Classic Favorites
for Flute Quartet or Flute and Piano
Through their Green Golly Project (a Parents’ Choice Gold Award winner), Barbara Siesel and Keith Torgan have created an entertaining and captivating first introduction to classical music for young children. In telling the story of Green Golly and Her Golden Flute, children hear, perhaps for the first time, a selection of classics that will stay with them for a lifetime. The performances inspire children to listen and learn to play, as well. We are pleased to present The Green Golly Collection of 9 classic favorites, arranged by Bruce Lazarus, in two versions: Solo Flute with Flute Ensemble and Solo Flute with Piano. The solo flute part is identical in both versions.
