Today I present my original composition, A KISS FROM BROTHER.  I completed this piece in 1989 and scored it for violin, celesta, and synthesizer.  Below is a screenshot of the title page from the autograph score:

This is a lullaby I wrote for my beloved sister.

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A KISS FROM BROTHER, Copyright©1989 DamonMusic by Sean Damon Rohde.  All rights reserved

Today I present my original composition, DIRGE.  I completed this song in 2019 and scored it for soprano and guitar.  Below is a screenshot of the title page from the autograph score:

This song for soprano voice and guitar is another of my atonal efforts.  A setting of one of my father’s poems, I try to do justice to the ideas and sentiments expressed in these haunting words through use of totally unrelated harmonic progression.  Notice that although the guitar and voice are not bound in harmony, they do share theme and motive.

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DIRGE, Copyright©2019 DamonMusic by Sean Damon Rohde.  All rights reserved

Today I present my original composition, APPLESEED JOHN.  I completed this piece in 2001 and scored it for French horn (John), piano, string quartet, harmonica, banjo, steel-string acoustic guitar, and full choir.  Below is a screenshot of the title page from the autograph score:

Appleseed John is another of my secular cantatas.  Again set to my father’s words, this piece tells the story of John Chapman “Johnny Appleseed”; an American folk hero from the early 19th century.  This highly condensed tale seeks to illuminate some of John’s most enduring qualities.  Musically, I strove for a rather quaint “American” sound that would be in keeping with the man, his time, and place.

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APPLESEED JOHN, Copyright©2001 DamonMusic by Sean Damon Rohde.  All rights reserved

Today I present my original composition, WE ARE THE WAY.  I completed this piece in 2018 and scored it for orchestra and choir.  Below is a screenshot of the title page from the autograph score:

Our gift to all who struggle for justice!  WE ARE THE WAY was designed to be a march for freedom from tyranny; a song of solidarity in the face of universally increasing iniquity.  This work is scored for full orchestra and choir with the addition of two snare drums.  May this piece help bring victory over evil!  Remember, the power is OURS!

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WE ARE THE WAY, Copyright©2018 DamonMusic by Sean Damon Rohde.  All rights reserved

Today I present my original composition, SKIPPING.  I completed this piece in 2017 and scored it for guitar.  Below is a screenshot of the title page from the autograph score:

One day, while sitting in a local park, I observed a couple of jovial juveniles as they skipped by, giggling as they went.  The vision of those two girls set me thinking on skipping.  It occurred to me that we only seem to engage in such activity when we are very young; a motion I dare guess few adults can even manage!  Children, on the other hand, seem to have an innate ability to move in this way.  Additionally, skipping seems to be a universal expression of childhood joy.  Oh, for a moment of such elation!  In recognition of the scene as well as an attempt to capture some of that joy, I composed this little piece for guitar based on the rhythmic pattern of their gestures.

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SKIPPING, Copyright©2017 DamonMusic by Sean Damon Rohde. All rights reserved

Today I present my original composition, THE LIGHT OF THE SON.  I completed this piece in 2018 and scored it for clarinet and guitar.  Below is a screenshot of the title page from the autograph score:

In this piece I contemplate my relationship with my beloved father.  I try to express in purely musical terms my feelings about the man who has tirelessly supported me in so many ways while patiently enduring my troubled personality.  Here, I am represented by the clarinet while he by the guitar.

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THE LIGHT OF THE SON, Copyright©2018 DamonMusic by Sean Damon Rohde. All rights reserved

Today I present my original composition, WEDDING GIFT.  I completed this piece in 1992 and scored it for viola and cello.  Below is a screenshot of the title page from the autograph score:

Many years ago, a violist asked if I would compose a piece of music for use at a wedding; something brief, bright, and of a spirit befitting the occasion.  This little duet for viola and cello was the result of my effort.  For this rather unusual combination, I composed a theme and a couple of variations.

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WEDDING GIFT, Copyright©1992 DamonMusic by Sean Damon Rohde. All rights reserved