The following list, current as of October 18, 1997, is in alphabetical order by the composer's last name. The timings, estimated by Barry Drogin, are probably minimums, since any Lullaby can be sung slower as the mood seems appropriate.
Most of the biographical information below was adapted from material submitted by the artists themselves. Any characterizations of the works are by Mr. Drogin.
Beth Anderson set lyrics by Stephen Paul Miller for her modal "Lullaby." Ms. Anderson, a long-time friend, is an accomplished composer of minimalist Romantic music, including a series of "swales" for string quartet and other instruments.
Dane Barlow has written a syncopated "Lullaby (for Max Drogin)." A Michigan-based amateur composer with a strong interest in MIDI gear, Mr. Barlow is currently writing an opera based on Aesop's Fables.
Canary Lee Burton contributes a simple "American Lullaby." Ms. Burton has her own contemporary classical music radio show in Cape Cod, and is an accomplished keyboardist, composer and writer.
H. Raul Dominguez has written the impressive "Lullaby to Max" especially for the Project. An Argentinian-born composer currently living in Cremona, Italy, Mr. Dominguez has also enjoyed an extensive career as a music director and conductor throughout South America and Europe. Special thanks to Mr. Dominguez for his assistance with the Spanish and Italian translations of the Project's "Call for Scores."
Donald J. Hagar has submitted the flowing "Lullaby for Max." Although now living in Queens, NY, Mr. Hagar has had a strong Boston connection, with premieres by the New Boston Composers Collective, the Wellesley Symphony Orchestra and at the New England Conservatory. He studied with Karel Husa and Bernard Rands, among others.
Linda Holland, an accomplished flautist and composer, has written the modal "Lullaby for Max." She is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of California Santa Barbara, and has graciously sent Not Nice Music a CD and cassette of her works.
Carol Jochnowitz, a NYC-based family friend, transcribed "My Grandma's Lullaby is Soothing To The Max." Carol's daughter, Eve, successfully put Max to sleep with an old Yiddish lullaby, but this tune by Carol's grandmother didn't do the trick.
Joseph Klein submitted vocalises from a stage work, "dreaming the dark down slowly." Dr. Klein is an Assistant Professor of Composition at the University of North Texas, and also has a son named Max.
Barbara Kolb got together with poet Sharon Mesmer while both were at the MacDowell Colony to write "Hummingbird Lullabye." Ms. Kolb, the first American woman composer to win the prestigious Prix de Rome, continues to enjoy a distinguished career full of major commissions, awards and positions too numerous to cite here. Not Nice Music is honored to have her original contribution, easily one of the best pieces in the collection.
Lori Laitman of Enchanted Knickers Music penned "Sleep, Little Max" especially for the project. Ms. Laitman is a member of BMI from Potomac, MD.
Barbara Martyska wrote 4 verses of "A Song for Max." A professional composer living in Allentown, PA with 20 published works to her credit, Ms. Martyska was a 1996 recipient of an ASCAP award.
David Moore, from Rochester, NY, submits a waltz lullaby, "Where Are You Going?"
Panaiotis (pronounced "pah-nah-YO-tees") collaborated with his wife, Michele Spiro, on the metrically interesting "Lullaby for Max." A professor teaching World Music in Florida, a world-wide performer of computer-assisted performance electronics, with two operas, incidental music for 26 plays, and seven new music CD's to his credit, it is amazing that Panaiotis had the time to contribute to the Project.
James Quick enlisted the help of his wife, Lisa, on "Slumber Trail (a lullaby)." The musical family (composer, arranger, conductor, bassoonist) now includes baby Devon. Reminiscent of "Happy Trails," with adorable lyrics, their contribution is a Drogin family favorite.
Paul V.H. Safar mailed in the rhythmic "Lullaby." A piano teacher in Eugene, OR with a toddler of his own, Mr. Safar's first CD, "Gemini Dreams," a collection of 13 original songs, is now available.
Baruch Skeer's "Sleep", with silly words by Max's father, Barry Drogin, is the only lullaby in the project that actually put Max to sleep. The melody was taken by Drogin from the opening aria of Skeer's Jewish opera, "Love and Idols."
Serge Suny set words by his wife, Joan Edmondson Suny, for their lilting "Lullaby." Mr. Suny recently retired from the Music Department at Suffolk Community College, and has been a long-time officer of the Long Island Composers Alliance. His wife has been professionally involved in theatre, film, and the literary scene.
Eva Wiener has written a short waltz, "Lullaby for Max." Ms. Wiener, living in the Bronx, NY, is a self-described "eclectic" composer, a member of BMI, and recently had her two piano composition, "Prism," performed at the Bang On A Can Marathon.
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