The Music of Elizabeth Alexander

Works about Brokenness

Title

Poet/Lyricist

Voicing/Instrumentation

Level

Blessed Be the Flower That Triumphs
A rich meditation on tenacity, resilience, and rebirth
Poet/Lyricist: Michael DeVernon Boblett
  • SATB a cappella
  • SATB, 2 horns, harp, strings
Level: M
Calm the Tempests of My Heart
A prayer for peace within one’s own heart
Poet/Lyricist: Søren Kierkegaard
  • Flexible voicing: 2-4 pt choir
  • SSA a cappella
Level: E
Chosen People
An affirmation of the blessedness and belonging of all people
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SATB, piano
  • SATB, chamber ensemble
Level: M
Conversation on a Train
A courageous conversation across a deep divide
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SA or SSAA, piano
  • low voice, high voice, piano
Level: ME
Create a Song Once More
St Cecilia invites King David to imagine a restorative path beyond guilt and shame
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SATB a cappella
Level: MA
Doors
A sweeping embrace of heart-opening things: poems, mistakes, rain...
Poet/Lyricist: Dawna Markova
  • SSA, cello, piano
Level: MA
Even a Fist Was Once an Open Palm
A tender vision of the possibility and promise of peace
Poet/Lyricist: Yehuda Amichai
  • SATB a cappella
Level: A
Fighting Over What We Believe
A bold reflection on facing conflict with courage and compassion
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SSA + SAB youth, piano
  • SSA, soloists, piano
  • SATB + SAB youth, piano
  • SATB, soloists, piano
Level: M
Finally On My Way To Yes
A gutsy celebration of life’s rough lessons
Poet/Lyricist: Pesha Gertler
  • SSATB, piano
Level: MA
Grace
A reflection on the mystery and bounty of grace
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • Low voice, piano
  • Medium voice, piano
  • High voice, piano
  • SSA, piano
  • SATB, piano
Level: ME
In the Lonely Midnight
A Christmas carol bearing both mourning and hope, with a lyric written on the eve of World War I
Poet/Lyricist: Theodore Chickering Williams
  • SATB, piano
  • SATB, orchestra
Level: ME
Intertwined
A warm, down-to-earth ballad about deep connection
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SA, opt. descant
  • SSA
Level: ME
Kindling: Small Reflections on a Limitless Faith
A wide-ranging exploration of the touchstones that bring meaning, inspiration, and wonder to our lives
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SATB, piano
  • SATB, chamber ensemble
Level: MA
Let it Matter
An urgent call to deep listening across cultural and class divides
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SSA, piano
  • SATB, piano
Level: M
Life is Not a Garden
An open-eyed and open-hearted view of this complicated world, acknowledging both disappointment and hope
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SSAA, piano, opt. bass
  • SATB, piano, opt. bass
Level: M
Pages
A clear-eyed reflection on the world’s challenges, with a purposeful call to action
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SATB, piano
  • SATB, chamber ensemble
Level: M
Sing Me Awake
A tender and rhapsodic meditation on our return to life after grief and loss
Poet/Lyricist: Gregory Orr
  • SATB, piano, string quartet or string orchestra
Level: MA
What’s Keeping You From Singing?
A soulful reminder of music’s power to lift the heart
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SSA a cappella
Level: M
When the Song of the Angels Is Stilled
A rhythmic and relevant best-seller about the true “work of Christmas”
Poet/Lyricist: Howard Thurman
  • SATB a cappella
  • SATB, flute
  • SSAA a cappella
  • TTBB a cappella
Level: M