Joseph Hollings

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Duration: approx 3:15

Medb's Meditation was written for Kailani Farivar, an advanced, young violinist student, and first performed in August 2020 as part of the Cleveland Composers Guild's Creativity: Learning through Experience program.

Medb (often anglicized as "Maeve") is the Irish Connaught warrior queen who features in a group of legends from ancient Irish literature called the Ulster cycle. This piece is intended to represent a reflective moment for the legendary Irish queen and begins calmly. The serenity is disrupted in the violin as the piece progresses against a piano accompaniment that remains deliberately steady. The more the violinist can exaggerate the increasing freneticism the better.

Medb's Meditation

Violin Solo

This expressive original work for two violins opens with a lyrical, searching dialogue and builds into a spirited jig with strong rhythmic drive. Written at an intermediate to early-advanced level, Music of a Forgotten People offers both musical and technical interest for each player.

Composed for a talented young violinist and her teacher, the piece was premiered as part of the Cleveland Composers Guild's Creativity: Learning through Experience program in 2023 at The Music Settlement in Cleveland, Ohio. It is well-suited for recitals, festivals, and student-teacher performance pairings. The piece is a rewarding choice for violinists seeking meaningful duet repertoire with both lyrical and upbeat moments.

For two violins
Approx. duration: 3 minutes
Includes score and parts
Level: Grade 4

Composer Joseph Hollings is an ASCAP-affiliated composer and educator whose works have been performed internationally.

Music of a Forgotten People

Violin Duet

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Bring the Irish folk ballad Paddy’s Green Shamrock Shore to your next concert with this expressive SATB and piano arrangement for capable high school, community, and college choirs. This 4:20 setting features four varied verses, optional soprano and alto solos, flowing 6/8 and 9/8 meters, modal folk-influenced harmonies, and engaging writing for all sections. The independent piano accompaniment maintains steady motion while supporting ensemble phrasing and rhythmic clarity. Ideal as a substantial mid-program selection that offers both accessibility and musical depth.

Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore - Irish Folksong

SATB Octavo

The Rose of Tralee – SATB Choir (Optional Piano)

Bring the charm of Irish song to your next concert with this SATB arrangement of the beloved folk ballad The Rose of Tralee. Arranged for four-part choir with optional piano accompaniment, this gentle 2:45 setting is ideal for St. Patrick’s Day, Irish-themed concerts, festivals, or as a lyrical contrast in general programming.

Written with intermediate choirs in mind, the arrangement features warm, flowing voice-leading and expressive lines that allow each section to shine. The melody moves gracefully between soprano, bass, and tenor voices, creating variety and balance. The independent piano part adds color and support without overpowering the voices, and the piece may also be performed a cappella for a more intimate effect.

Accessible yet expressive, this setting offers high school, college, and community choirs the opportunity to explore rich choral textures while celebrating one of Ireland’s most beloved melodies.

Duration: Approx. 2:45

Rose of Tralee - Irish Folksong

SATB

I Once Loved a Lass – SAB Choir with Piano | Scottish Folk Song

This expressive arrangement of the Scottish folk ballad I Once Loved a Lass offers an accessible yet musically rewarding option for SAB choirs with piano accompaniment. Ideal for middle school, high school, and community ensembles, it provides a lyrical contrast to upbeat repertoire while remaining well within the reach of developing voices.

The arrangement features flowing vocal lines supported by a piano part that is both independent and complementary, enhancing the folk character with modern harmonic color. The melody is carried by the sopranos in most verses, with added interest in the middle verses where solos are given to a soprano (or alto) and a baritone. This creates expressive variety and ensures all sections are engaged.

With clear part-writing, comfortable ranges, and opportunities for expressive singing, this setting works beautifully in folk-themed concerts, festival performances, or as a poignant moment in general programming. The timeless melody and haunting text bring warmth, intimacy, and emotional depth to any program.

Duration: Approx. 2:45

I Once Loved A Lass - Scottish Folksong

An elegant and expressive arrangement of John Dowland’s Come Again, Sweet Love for trombone solo with piano accompaniment. This version retains the emotional clarity and Renaissance character of the original madrigal while allowing the soloist to showcase musical sensitivity, phrasing, and slide technique.
Appropriate for UK Grade 7–8 / Advanced High School to Early College level performers, this piece is ideal for:
Solo and ensemble festivals
Recital programs
Graduation or jury performances
The trombone part features a lyrical melodic line, well suited for developing tone and dynamic contrast, while the piano part is intentionally supportive and accessible, making it perfect for student or teacher accompaniment.
Duration: Approx. 2:45
Includes: Trombone solo part and full piano score

Come Again, Sweet Love

Trombone Solo with Piano

Shady Grove
2-Part Treble Choir with Piano | American Folk Song | arr. Joseph Hollings
Duration: approx. 2 minutes | Level: Easy / Beginning Choir

Lively, quick to learn, and fun to sing, this fresh 2-part arrangement of the traditional Appalachian folk song Shady Grove is ideal for elementary and developing choirs. Arranged with young voices in mind, it features a manageable vocal range, accessible rhythms in 2/4 meter, and a bright, rhythmic piano accompaniment.

The two vocal lines sing in unison and simple harmony and simple canon until a final divisi four-part canon section brings added energy and excitement to the close. With an emphasis on clear diction and steady rhythm, Shady Grove offers strong curricular connections for teaching canon singing, folk style, and ensemble precision in a fun, performance-ready format.

Perfect for:
- Elementary, early middle choir classes and general music classes
- Fall, Spring concerts and folk-themed programs
- Developing part independence through canon singing
- Building stage confidence with a joyful American classic

Key features:
- Accessible 2-part writing with brief 4-part canon at the end
- Ideal for upper elementary and early middle school choirs
- Great for teaching diction, rhythm, and vocal independence
- Strong audience appeal with familiar folk melody and lively pacing

Shady Grove - Appalachian Folksong

Two-Part Octavo

This evocative original work paints a soundscape of dawn breaking across a frosted spring landscape. Written for piccolo, three flutes, alto flute, and bass flute, the piece features overlapping melodic fragments that rise and recede, creating a shimmering texture that shifts from quiet stillness to radiant light.
 
With gentle lyricism and tonal harmonies, Spring Morning, Frost. Before Others Awake (Duration: 3:20) is both atmospheric and accessible, making it a beautiful addition to concert programs for advanced high school, college, professional, and community flute ensembles. It may be performed on its own, or paired with the companion piece Spring Morning, Mist Rising (Duration: 4:50) for a longer, unified set.

Spring morning, frost. Before others awake.

Sextet

Duration: approx. 4:00

The Cry of Beltane was written for Leo Sherwood, an advanced, young oboe student, and first performed in May 2017 as part of the Cleveland Composers Guild's Creativity: Learning through Experience program.

Beltane is the anglicized name of the Celtic festival held on May Day, a pagan festival signifying the beginning of summer. The piece is intended to evoke a ritualistic, call to summer; a crying out and calling forth of sun and growth. The piece should sound aggressive and the oboe should aim to make the most of its harder-edged timbre, rather than its lyrical qualities. While the notation is precise, the piece should sound as if the performer had improvised it. The bigger the contrast in dynamics the better.

Cry of Beltane

Oboe Solo

DURATION: approx. 7m30s

Awaken the dawn was written for and dedicated to Shachar Israel, Assistant Principal Trombone of the Cleveland Orchestra. Mr. Israel commissioned the work and worked closely with the composer during the composition process. The piece is demanding for both trombonist and pianist.

Naming the piece was relatively straightforward, as the composer intended from the outset to use the English translation of the Hebrew word and Mr. Israel's first name 'Shachar' (in Hebrew, 'shachar' means 'dawn'). The title, taken from a passage in the Book of Psalms, is intended to represent the energy and beauty present in the few moments before dawn breaks.

The piece begins with a lyrical trombone line, floating over a minimalistic piano accompaniment. Making the most of the trombone's pitch and dynamic range, the trombone becomes increasingly agitated and the piano accompaniment more fragmented. A frenetic passage leads into a fast, aggressive section before returning to the opening melodies.

Mr. Israel recorded the piece in 2018 at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio with the marvelous Martha Locker on piano. The recording was produced by the Grammy award-winning Elaine Martone. The recording is currently available on Amazon, Spotify and Apple Music.

Awaken the dawn

Standing on the Bank of the River Pant
Solo for Horn in F | Joseph Hollings
Level 5 (Advanced) | Duration: ~6 minutes
A powerful, expressive work for unaccompanied horn in F, Standing on the Bank of the River Pant offers advanced high school, collegiate, and professional horn players a chance to showcase their full musical range.
From its lyrical opening to its rhythmically intense, dissonant middle section, this solo captures the emotional complexity of memory and reflection—perfect for recital, contest, or jury settings. Inspired by the River Pant in the composer’s hometown of Great Sampford (Essex, UK), the piece uses contrast and color to evoke a landscape both tranquil and turbulent.
Ideal for:
- Solo Ensemble contests
- Recital and jury repertoire
- College-level horn studio literature
- Horn teachers seeking fresh, modern material
Highlights:
- Solo horn in F (unaccompanied)
- Contemporary, expressive style
- Emphasis on phrasing, dynamic shaping, and rhythmic precision 
Premiered by Greg Hillis at Cleveland State University as part of the Cleveland Composers Guild concert series.

Standing on the bank of the River Pant

Horn in F Solo Unaccompanied

Duration: 3m45s

This short, fun rag-like piece is ideal for a young (or not so young), talented pianist who wants a challenge. A witty, contemporary piano piece with plenty of character, Rag and Roll is tonal with dissonant elements. The piece sounds best played strictly in time with extreme dynamic contrasts. It's a great way to invigorate any recital!

The piece should be played strictly in time with the contrasts in dynamics becoming ever more extreme. Rag and Roll is based on two short, repetitive ideas - the first is four quarters + one sixteenth in length, the second contains varied short phrases - in contrasting harmonic sections. These ideas are developed in the right hand while the left hand accompaniment remains steady and even. The metronomic drive continues until the last page, where the piece concludes in a frantic flurry and final stomp.

Rag and Roll

Piano Solo

Duration: approx. 3m00s. Tchaikovsky's beloved Nutcracker Suite Miniature Overture is arranged here for brass quintet. Includes the full score and parts for trumpet 1 in B flat, trumpet 2 in B flat, french horn in F, trombone, and tuba. Originally for orchestra, the Christmas and holiday season classical favorite will brighten any concert. Written for professional, college or conservatory level brass players, this arrangement is demanding of all musicians. The melodic lines are often shared between members of the quintet, especially between the two trumpets and between french horn and tuba, although there's interplay and conversation with different pairings throughout.

Overture miniature from The Nutcracker Suite

Brass Quintet

Duration: 15'30"

SCORE &amp; PARTS (Trumpet 1 in B flat, Trumpet 2 in B flat, Horn in F, Trombone, Tuba)

Dive into the heart of Leos Janacek's evocative musical landscape with this arrangement for brass quintet of five pieces from the second set of piano pieces, "On An Overgrown Path." This arrangement blends the composer's intense emotional depth and the vibrant, resonant qualities of the brass quintet ensemble. This collection includes Set 2/1 Andante, Set 2/2 Allegretto, Set 2/3 Allegretto, Set 2/4 Vivo, and Set 2/5 Allegro, each piece a testament to Janacek's masterful musical storytelling.

At various points through the arrangement, each instrument is featured in solo sections. Designed for advanced players, this arrangement presents a compelling challenge worthy of professionals and high-level college musicians alike. The arrangement was recorded by the renowned Onyx Brass Quintet in 2015.

Intended primarily for concert performance, this arrangement invites brass quintets to explore the depths of Janacek's emotional landscapes, bringing a fresh perspective to these timeless pieces. Whether you're looking to captivate an audience, challenge your ensemble, or explore new dimensions in brass repertoire, this arrangement will enrich your ensemble's repertoire and engage your audience.

On An Overgrown Path

Global Sections - CORE [DO NOT TOUCH]*

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