Bruce Lazarus

New York City composer Bruce Lazarus characterizes his music as "diverse, concise, architectural, contemporary, and in turn meditative, energetic, humorous, moody, and exuberant." Published here at Swirly Music are his works for

solo piano:
Five Explorations of the Messier Catalogue of Star Clusters and Nebulae

chamber ensemble:
Starry Messenger for brass quintet
Far Corners for flute solo

collections of songs for male or female voice with piano:
A Lewis Carroll Songbook
Going to the Dogs

single songs for voice with piano:
Beautiful Soup
The Mad Gardener's Song

chorus:
Our World - for Adult or High School chorus
Chanukah Candle Blessing
Snowflakes (a capella)
High Clouds, Low Clouds - for Adult or Middle/High School Chorus

science education songs for children's chorus (treble voices with piano):
ROY G BIV: The Colors of the Rainbow
The Sun and the Moon

sacred choral songs in Hebrew and English:
Chanukah Candle Blessing (SATB and piano)
They Shall Not Hurt, by Arthur Lazarus (tenor solo with men's chorus and piano)

Click on the images below to listen to samples and flip through the scores.

www.brucelazaruscomposer.com

Choral Music by Bruce Lazarus

	Title	Voicing	Duration	Language
	Chanukah Candle Blessing SATB Chorus and piano BLS-007	SATB	2'	Hebrew	Info/Listen/Buy »
Chanukah Candle Blessing is an original SATB setting of the traditional Jewish prayer recited before lighting the menorah. Short, not difficult, and sung in Hebrew, this piece is appropriate for winter concerts and synagogue use. Click on Soundcloud above to listen to an excerpt. Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-he-nu Me-lech ha-olam a-sher ki-de-sha-nu be-mitz-vo-tav ve-tzi-va-nu le-had-lik […]
	High Clouds, Low Clouds for SATB Chorus and Piano BLS-008c	SATB	3'	English	Info/Listen/Buy »
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. High Clouds, Low Clouds, drifting, floating – Cumulus clouds of sunny summer days look like puffs of cotton candy in the […]
	Jane Goodall and the Chimps Youth Chorus with piano, optional percussion BLS-008d		3'		Info/Listen/Buy »
Jane Goodall and the Chimps Music and Lyrics by Bruce Lazarus Commissioned and first performed by North Cambridge Family Opera Chorus Jane Goodall went to Gombe to learn about chimps never realizing she would be there to stay. She was told, “stay aloof” but she named them and waited. Oh, Jane Never despair. We see, […]
	Our World (for High School or Adult Chorus) for SATB chorus and piano BLS-006	SATB	approx. 3'3"	English	Info/Listen/Buy »
An uplifting, secular piece about our planet’s place in the universe. Its energy and relatively low difficulty level make this 3-minute piece something to consider for a 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, […]
	ROY G BIV (Science Education Song for Grades 3-6) children's chorus (treble voices) and piano BLS-008a	Unison	2'50"	English	Info/Listen/Buy »
ROY G BIV: The Colors of The Rainbow, for unison children’s chorus (grades 2-8) and piano is 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. Newton found white light splits up […]
	Snowflakes SATB chorus a cappella BLS-004	SATB	2'45"	English	Info/Listen/Buy »
“Snowflakes” is a short, peaceful, wintry song for a cappella SATB chorus, with lyrics by Linda A. Copp. The piece was commissioned by Cantabile Chamber Chorale, directed by Rebecca Scott, for performance in their 2003-04 season. This piece is a great choice for high school and college, and the “Quartet Pack” option makes it ideal for a […]
	The Moon and the Sun (Science Education Song for Grades 3-6) children's chorus (treble voices) and piano BLS-008b	SS	1'30"	English	Info/Listen/Buy »
The Sun and the Moon is 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 […]
	They Shall Not Hurt, by Arthur Lazarus (arr. B. Lazarus) Tenor solo, men's chorus, and piano BLS-010	TB	approx. 2'	English ⋅ Hebrew	Info/Listen/Buy »
They Shall Not Hurt, a short Jewish hymn with a flowing melody, expresses clear-eyed but heart-felt devotion. Sung in Hebrew and English and relatively easy to perform, it is an ideal work for Friday night Sabbath service or concert setting. Arthur Lazarus (1925-1993) was music director for Temple Beth Sholom in New City, New York, […]

Music for Solo Voice by Bruce Lazarus

	Title	Voice	Duration
	The Mad Gardener’s Song (male voice) male voice and piano	Baritone ⋅ Tenor	approx. 3'30"	Info/Listen/Buy »
Lewis Carroll’s Mad Gardener, often mistaken for a nonsense poem, is actually a series of humorous metaphors relating to the minor disappointments and hassles of everyday life, a list of complaints still relevant now in the 21st century. While the protagonist attempts to peacefully cultivate his garden, e.g. live his life, his relatives overstay their […]
	The Mad Gardener’s Song (female voice) female voice and piano	Mezzo-Soprano ⋅ Soprano	–	Info/Listen/Buy »
Lewis Carroll’s Mad Gardener, often mistaken for a nonsense poem, is actually a series of humorous metaphors relating to the minor disappointments and hassles of everyday life, a list of complaints still relevant now in the 21st century. While the protagonist attempts to peacefully cultivate his garden, e.g. live his life, his relatives overstay their […]
	Going to the Dogs for female voice and piano	Soprano	approx. 10 minutes	Info/Listen/Buy »
An affectionate tribute to dogs and the humans who love them, Bruce Lazarus’ song-cycle Going to the Dogs is a setting of five diverse, funny, and poignant poems by Dylan Thomas (“Song of the Mischievous Dog”), Alexander Pope (“Engraved on the Collar of His Highness’ Dog”), Herbert Asquith (“The Hairy Dog”), Jonathan Swift (“Advice to […]
	Going to the Dogs for male voice and piano	Baritone	approx. 10 minutes	Info/Listen/Buy »
An affectionate tribute to dogs and the humans who love them, Bruce Lazarus’ song-cycle Going to the Dogs is a setting of five diverse, funny, and poignant poems by Dylan Thomas (“Song of the Mischievous Dog”), Alexander Pope (“Engraved on the Collar of His Highness’ Dog”), Herbert Asquith (“The Hairy Dog”), Jonathan Swift (“Advice to […]
	Beautiful Soup (Male Voice) male or female voice and piano	Baritone ⋅ Tenor	approx. 2'	Info/Listen/Buy »
Beautiful Soup, so rich and green, Waiting in a hot tureen! Who for such dainties would not stoop? Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup! Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup! Beau–ootiful Soo-oop! Beau–ootiful Soo-oop! Soo–oop of the e–e–evening, Beautiful, beautiful Soup! Beautiful Soup! Who cares for fish, Game, or any other dish? Who would not […]
	Beautiful Soup (Female Voice) male or female voice and piano	Mezzo-Soprano ⋅ Soprano	approx. 2'	Info/Listen/Buy »
Beautiful Soup, so rich and green, Waiting in a hot tureen! Who for such dainties would not stoop? Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup! Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup! Beau–ootiful Soo-oop! Beau–ootiful Soo-oop! Soo–oop of the e–e–evening, Beautiful, beautiful Soup! Beautiful Soup! Who cares for fish, Game, or any other dish? Who would not […]
	A Lewis Carroll Songbook – Male Voice for male voice and piano	Baritone ⋅ Tenor	approx. 25' if performed complete	Info/Listen/Buy »
A celebration of Lewis Carroll’s wit, loopy logic, and love of the world of children, “A Lewis Carroll Songbook” includes settings of favorite poems such as Beautiful Soup, Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat, and The Mad Gardener’s Song. Also included are Pen & Ink, Voice of the Lobster, Salmon Song, Speak Softly to Your Little Boy, […]
	A Lewis Carroll Songbook – Female Voice female voice and piano	Mezzo-Soprano ⋅ Soprano	approx. 25' if performed complete	Info/Listen/Buy »
A celebration of Lewis Carroll’s wit, loopy logic, and love of the world of children, “A Lewis Carroll Songbook” includes settings of favorite poems such as Beautiful Soup, Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat, and The Mad Gardener’s Song. Also included are Pen & Ink, Voice of the Lobster, Salmon Song, Speak Softly to Your Little Boy, […]
	“I shot an arrow into the air…” female voice and piano	Mezzo-Soprano	3'30"	Info/Listen/Buy »
This setting of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1845 poem on the theme of enduring friendship, The Arrow and the Song, was commissioned by the composer’s dear friend Mary Ittelson in 2016. The poem is beloved by adults and children alike, and Ittelson requested that the song be dedicated to her “friends and their friends.” The Arrow […]

Music for other instruments by Bruce Lazarus

	Title	View	Instrumentation	Duration
	Far Corners for flute alone		Flute	4'30"	Info/Listen/Buy »
A showpiece for the solo flutist, Far Corners is a set of five variations which explore unexpectedly interesting aspects of the opening musical idea. To this end I exploited harmonics, quick changes of register, and my own quirky sense of humor. Several listeners have mentioned that the second variation tricked them into thinking there were really two […]