Diane Clark, Composer/Arranger Diane Clark has been composing music since her early twenties, when she wrote educational songs for the children's choirs that she directed. Encouraged by her mentor Catherine Ann Middleton, director of music at the Westminster Presbyterian Church of Mobile, AL, Clark also composed a sacred duet for soprano and tenor to perform with a fellow choir member at the church.
Fast-forward a couple of decades, when Clark was a member of the music faculty at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN. During two of her sabbatical leaves from the college, she undertook composition projects. The first composition was a song cycle entitled Eve: Reflections on Womanhood. This work is a setting for voice and piano of seventeen of Clark's senryu poems (similar to haiku), and she performed the cycle on her annual faculty recital that following year. She appreciated receiving mentoring for this project from her University of Memphis colleague, composition professor Dr. John Baur. During her next sabbatical, Clark wrote another song cycle entitled Memphis Voices. This work is a setting for voice and piano of five diverse poems by Clark's fellow members of the Poetry Society of Tennessee. These songs were performed by five of Clark's voice students at her sabbatical recital the following semester. During that same sabbatical Clark also wrote her first SATB anthem Holy Ground, with a text inspired by the book title Every Bush is Burning. This work was performed on the sabbatical recital by the Rhodes College Singers, and later by the choir of the Evergreen Presbyterian Church. Last but not least, the sabbatical recital included two of Clark's women's barbershop arrangements (See barbershop page) performed by a quartet from the Memphis City Sound Chorus of Sweet Adelines International. For several years Clark was a member of the Mid-South Composers Forum, where she often performed the vocal works of her fellow composers. Since becoming a member of the Central United Methodist Church of Traverse City, MI, Clark has renewed her interest in composing church music. Her anthem Holy Ground has been performed by the CUMC choir, and she has written six benedictions for use in worship, which were performed during the 2018-2019 season. Her newest anthem, Breathe on Me, Breath of God, is slated for its premiere on March 12, 2023. Clark also has two SSA arrangement of Christmas carols for women's voices. The first, I Saw Three Ships, was written for the Rhodes College Women's Chorus, which Clark founded and directed. The second, Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming, was commissioned by the choir of the Church in the Hills of Bellaire, MI. Both these works are now available online through Sheet Music Plus (SMP). https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/publishers/diane-m-clark-sheet-music/3010054?isPLP=1 Deciding to try her hand at writing a Christian contemporary song, Clark composed Jesus is the Answer, which is now available via SMP. As a new student of jazz piano, Clark has aided her jazz studies by writing jazz piano arrangements of traditional jazz songs. Several of these are now available on SMP. Below is a list of Clark's music and where it may be obtained: CHORAL MUSIC ORDER FROM: SATB Breathe on Me, Breath of God SMP Holy Ground Diane M. Clark Six Benedictions for Worship, Vol. 1 SMP SSA I Saw Three Ships (arr Clark) SMP Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming (arr Clark) SMP CHRISTIAN CONTEMPORARY Jesus is the Answer -- Lead Sheet SMP Jesus is the Answer -- Full Piano Accompaniment SMP SONG CYCLES Eve: Reflections on Womanhood Diane M. Clark Memphis Voices -- also available separately from DClark SMP October Shiloh Shadows Lost Among the Copper Umbrellas Lavender Thoughts We Shall Toss Music JAZZ VOCAL It's Winter in My Heart SMP JAZZ PIANO Beautiful Dreamer (Stephen Foster) SMP Embracable You (George Gershwin) Diane M. Clark Let's Call the Whole Thing Off (George Gershwin) Diane M. Clark The Shadow of Your Smile (Johnny Mandel) SMP BARBERSHOP ARRANGEMENTS (WOMEN & MEN) Please see the BARBERSHOP page of this website for a listing of Diane Clark's barbershop arrangements. |
|
|
