The Music of Elizabeth Alexander

Works about Unitarian Universalism

Title

Poet/Lyricist

Voicing/Instrumentation

Level

Be Grateful, My Soul
A passionate testament to life’s worth, even when facing adversity and oppression
Poet/Lyricist: Norbert Čapek
  • SSAA a cappella OR 5-part canon
Level: M
Bells in the High Tower
A beloved Hungarian carol celebrating the cyclical nature of the seasons
Poet/Lyricist: Howard Box
  • SATB, piano
Level: ME
Blessed Be the Flower That Triumphs
A rich meditation on tenacity, resilience, and rebirth
Poet/Lyricist: Michael DeVernon Boblett
  • SATB a cappella
  • SATB, chamber orchestra
Level: M
Cherish Your Doubt
An affirmation of that underrated but vital component of belief: Doubt!
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SSA, soloist, piano, opt. bass
  • SATB, soloist, piano, opt. bass
Level: M
Chosen People
An affirmation of the blessedness of all people
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SATB, piano
  • SATB, chamber ensemble
Level: M
Do Not Leave Your Cares At the Door
A feast of old-time gospel offering welcome and acceptance
Poet/Lyricist: Norman V. Naylor
  • SATB a cappella
  • TBB a cappella
Level: ME
For So the Children Come
An affirmation of the limitless potential of all children
Poet/Lyricist: Sophia Lyon Fahs
  • SATB, piano
Level: MA
Get Curious
A compelling look at how curiosity can nudge anger into something beautiful and transformative
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SSAA a cappella
Level: MA
Go Out! (Concert-Length Work)
A poetic and feisty tribute to liberal religion and freedom of thought
Poet/Lyricist: Centuries of Strong-Minded People
  • A variety of vocal forces
Level: Various
Go Out! (Individual Song)
A rousing song of commission with a message of inclusion and love
Poet/Lyricist: Alfred S. Cole, as inspired by Rev. John Murray
  • SATB, piano
Level: M
Holy One, Source of Radiance and Reason
A luminous affirmation of the unknowable holy presence found “within, among and beyond us”
Poet/Lyricist: Rob Eller-Isaacs
  • Flexible voicing: SATB a cappella OR 2-5 part canon
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
Infant Holy, Infant Lowly
A beloved Polish carol with two different arrangements: “Soulful Close Harmony” and “Classical Chorale”
Poet/Lyricist: Traditional, additional lyrics by Elizabeth Alexander
  • SSA a cappella
Level: ME
Into the Silent Darkness
A searching mediation on facing life’s wild, primeval mysteries with fear, faith and alleluias.
Poet/Lyricist: Richard S. Gilbert
  • SATB, violin, piano
Level: MA
Jó!
A 16th century decree of tolerance, celebrated with Eastern European vitality
Poet/Lyricist: Edict of Torda / King John Sigismund III
  • Vocal trio a cappella
  • SSA a cappella
Level: M
Kindling: Small Reflections on a Limitless Faith
An ecstatic and introspective cantata on the things that inspire, challenge and nourish our religious lives
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SATB, piano
  • SATB, chamber ensemble
Level: MA
Love is the Spirit of this Church
A feast of old-time gospel, with a vision for our time
Poet/Lyricist: Tony Larsen, additional lyrics by Elizabeth Alexander
  • SATB, piano
Level: M
May This Be a Working Alleluia
A “roll up your sleeves” embrace of gratitude, work, healing and joy
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SATB + children’s choir, piano, opt. flute and trumpets
Level: M
No Ordinary Song
A solo or congregational song for healing our wounded world
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • Community / Congregational Song
  • Medium voice, piano
Level: ME
No Other People’s Children
A song of reconciliation affirming the belovedness of all people
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • Flexible voicing: 1-4 pt. choir
Level: E
One More Redeemer
A warm-hearted affirmation of the divine spark in each child
Poet/Lyricist: Rob Eller-Isaacs & Bill Neely
  • SATB a cappella
Level: ME
One More Step
A richly imagined arrangement of a visionary protest anthem
Poet/Lyricist: Joyce Poley
  • SATB, spoken voices, piano
Level: MA
Only a Couple Fishes
An animated retelling of the “loaves and fishes” story, with generosity at its core
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SA, piano
Level: ME
Pages
A clear-eyed look at the world’s challenges, with a contemplative call to action
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SATB, piano
  • SATB, chamber ensemble
Level: M
Pure Light beyond Light
Ancient and modern invocations of the Holy filled with reverence, mystery and illumination
Poet/Lyricist: Mozarabic prayer, Hildegard von Bingen, Rob Eller-Isaacs
  • SATB a cappella
Level: M
So Much Radiance
A tender parable about the wisdom and resplendence of the world’s religions
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SATB, piano
  • SATB, chamber ensemble
Level: MA
Spirit of Life (McDade, arr. Alexander)
A still, small instrumental arrangement of Carolyn McDade’s beloved song
  • Piano solo
Level: ME
Strong Braid
A rhapsodic salute to Faith’s invaluable companions, Science and Reason
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SATB, piano
  • SATB, chamber ensemble
Level: MA
The Chalice of Our Hearts
A graceful canon about wandering, searching, finding and returning
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SATB, chamber ensemble
  • SATB, piano
  • Community / Congregational Song
Level: E
The Eternal One
A tender portrait of the divine
Poet/Lyricist: Ralph Waldo Emerson
  • Low voice, piano
  • Medium voice, piano
  • High voice, piano
Level: M
The Gospel Isn’t Written In the Bible Alone
An expansive embrace of the sacredness of all creation
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • Low voice, piano
  • Medium / high voice, piano
Level: M
Trust the Seeds
A meditation seed-planting, patience and faith
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SATB a cappella
  • SATB, flute, oboe, piano
  • SATB, orchestra
Level: Various
We Lift Up Our Hearts
An intergenerational song of thanksgiving appropriate for religious or secular occasions
Poet/Lyricist: Richard Fewkes
  • SATB + children’s choir, piano
Level: E
We Need Each Other
A down-to-earth celebration of our essential interdependence, well-suited for processionals or recessionals
Poet/Lyricist: Susan Gittler, adapted
  • SATB, djembe or low drum
Level: ME