Evolutions (2007) for solo alto saxophone and alto saxophone ensemble

Instrumentation: solo alto saxophone and 4 or 8 alto saxophones
Commission: John Sampen for the Corfu Festival 2007 Dedication:To John
Premiere: Nathan Nabb, solo alto saxophone. Tristan de Borba, Spiros Grammatikos, Sofia Kaplani, Adam Liddle, Jessica Simms, Jordan Smith, saxophones. Ionian Academy—Corfu, Greece. 7/22/07.
Duration: ca. 5'

Trope (2007) for variable ensemble

Instrumentation: any combination of four or more instruments with a range of f#3 to a#4
Premiere: John Sampen, Emily Bair, Joel Diegert, Kathryn Hachey, Carl Wiggins, alto saxophones. Chiesa Evangelica Battista—Florence, Italy. 6/19/07
Duration: ca. 3'30 – 7'

Trope (2007) for alto saxophone and piano

Dedication:To John
Premiere: John Sampen, saxophone, and Marilyn Shrude, piano. "Voices of Dissent" (Music at the Forefront)—Bowling Green State University. 2/26/07.
Duration: ca. 3'30"–4'

"Trope" is one of four pieces collectively referred to as "Voices of Dissent," all of which are based in some fashion on "We Shall Overcome." The others are "Wedge" for alto saxophone and piano by Elainie Lillios, "Resonances" for soprano saxophone and piano by Mikel Kuehn, and "Beginnings" for alto saxophone and piano by Burton Beerman. These four works can be performed singly or as a group.

Lacrimosa (2006) for alto saxophone and piano

Commission: Sigma Alpha Iota
Dedication: For Robert Samels and Chris Carducci
Premiere: John Sampen, saxophone, and Marilyn Shrude, piano. SAI 44th National Convention—Orlando, Florida. 7/29/06
Duration: ca. 11'
Publication: C. F. Peters
Reviews: "The newest work, 'Lacrimosa' has a wonderfully intimate interplay between the two instruments. Very organic in how the piano and saxophone unfold their duet, the piece is compellingly expressive and filled with poignant imagery, which the two players [Sampen and Shrude] captured dramatically." Deseret Morning News. Salt Lake City, Utah. "'Dreamscape' is striking" by Edward Reichel. September 16, 2006.

Recit (2005) for flute and piano

Commission: Nina Assimakopoulos
Dedication: for the children
Premiere: Nina Assimakopoulos, flute, and Robert Satterlee, piano. Bowling Green State University Faculty Artist Series—Bowling Green, OH. 9/11/05
Duration: ca. 6' "Recit" was part of the "Lullabies for Free Children" initiative organized by Shelley Olson and Joan Yakkey for the Daniel Pearl Foundation's "Harmony for Humanity" radio series. It was broadcast worldwide during October 2005 and 2006.

Fantasmi (2005) for 2 alto saxophones and saxophone ensemble

Dedication: For the transfigured
Premiere: John Sampen and Jessica Simms, alto saxophones. Jeff Heisler, Nathan Mandel and Ryan Muncy, saxophone ensemble. Associazione Musicale Culturale Domenico Sarro. Palazzo Discanno. Trani, Italy. 5/30/05
Duration: 8'

Spirit (2005) for junior high school concert band with optional electric guitar
Co-written with David Sampen

Commission: Joel Gronseth and the McTigue Junior High School Band
Dedication: For Joel Gronseth and the McTigue Junior High School Band
Premiere: McTigue Junior High School Band. Joel Gronseth, conductor. David Sampen, guitar. Toledo, Ohio. 2/22/05
Duration: 4'

Kantada (2004) for alto saxophone and piano

Commission: John Sampen
Dedication: To Yiannis Miralis
Premiere: John Sampen, saxophone, and Marilyn Shrude, piano. Corfu, Greece. 7/12/04
Duration: 2'

Secrets (2004) for soprano and string quartet

Text: Emily Dickinson
Commission: CUBE
Premiere: Julia Bentley and the Azmari String Quartet. South Loop Music
Festival. Sherwood Conservatory. Chicago, IL. 4/30/04
Duration: 12'30"

For Luciano... (2003) for alto saxophone

Commission: Michael Holmes
Dedication: For Michael Homes
Premiere: Michael Holmes. Bryan Recital Hall. Bowling Green State University. 11/8/03
Duration: 1'30"

Revels (2003) for orchestra

Instrumentation: 3(3rd dbl. picc).2.2.2/4.2.2.1/timp.3 perc/harp/piano/strings
Commission: 60th Anniversary of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra
Dedication: for the 60th Anniversary of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra
Premiere: Toledo Symphony Orchestra. Stefan Sanderling, conductor. Toledo Museum of Art Peristyle. 9/19/03
Duration: 1'45"
Review: "a vigorous fanfare for full orchestra..." Steven Cornelius. The Toledo Blade. 9/20/03

Interior Spaces (2003 version) for tuba and piano

Premiere: Velvet Brown and Marilyn Shrude. Auditorium Comunale di Pasian di Prato. Udine, Italy. 6/6/03
Duration: 9'

A Virtual Reality (2003) for orchestra

Instrumentation: 3(3rd dbl. picc).2.3.2.cbn/4.2.2.1/timp.3 perc/harp/piano/strings
Commission: Hofstra University Festival of the Arts
Dedication: To Christine Myers and the Hofstra University Orchestra
Premiere: Hofstra University Orchestra. Christine Myers, conductor. Hempstead, NY. 4/27/03
Duration: 13'

Raining Glass (2002) for violin, cello and piano

Commission: Ohio Music Teachers Association
Premiere: Maria Sampen, Andrea Yun, David Schober. Cincinnati, OH. 11/2/02
Duration: 14'

Memories of a Place... (2003 version) for solo alto saxophone and piano

Dedication: Dedicato "a New York, 11 Settembre" per il Faenza Festival Internazionale del Sassofono e Ravenna Festival
Premiere: Feminist Theory and Music 7. BGSU. John Sampen, saxophone. Marilyn Shrude, piano. 7/19/03
Duration: 9'

Memories of a Place... (2002) for solo alto saxophone and string orchestra

Commission: Faenza Festival Internazionale del Sassofono and the Ravenna Festival
Dedication: Dedicato "a New York, 11 Settembre" per il Faenza Festival Internazionale del Sassofono e Ravenna Festival
Premiere: John Sampen and the Ravenna Festival Orchestra. Massimo Lambertini, conductor. Faenza, Italy. 7/8/02
Duration: 9'

Portraits (2001) for solo piano

Commission: Dawn Glanz
Dedication: for Robert A. Brown
Premiere: Marilyn Shrude, piano. Toledo Museum of Art. 4/7/02
Duration: 18'

Memorie di luoghi...(2001) for violin and piano

Premiere: Maria Sampen, violin and Marilyn Shrude, piano. 22nd Annual New Music & Art Festival. Bowling Green State University. 10/7/01
Dedication: for Maria

Transparent Eyes (2000) for flute, alto saxophone, and 2 pianos

Commission: Selmer France
Dedication: to J. M. Goury and the Quatuor Apollinaire
Premiere: Quatour Apollinaire. TelAviv. 2/20/01
Recording: EROL Records 7030 (2003)

Face of the Moon (2000) for alto saxophone and guitar

Commission: Ryoanji Duo
Dedication: For the Ryoanji Duo
Premiere: Ryoanji Duo. 12th World Saxophone Congress. Montreal. 7/6/00
Duration: 8'50"
Recording: Liscio Recordings LCD-05032 (2003)

La Chanson de printemps . . . (1999) for string orchestra in two sections

Instrumentation: Each section at least 66442
Dedication: To Vladimir Valek and the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra
Premiere: Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra; Vladimir Valek, conductor. Smetena Hall, Prague. 5/3/99
Duration: 6'07"
Recording: MMC Recordings MMC 2101 (2001)

How Lovely Is Your Dwelling Place (1999) for SATB choir and organ

Commission: Choir of the First Presbyterian Church in Bowling Green, Ohio for Robin McEwen
Dedication: For Robin McEwen
Premiere: 1st Presbyterian Church Choir. Nancy Wolcott, director. Bowling Green, OH. 5/9/99
Duration: 5'

Slapshot (1999) for young pianists

Duration: 1'

Childsong (1998) for treble voices and Orff instruments

Text: Marilyn Shrude
Commission: 10th Anniversary of the Northwest Ohio Orff Chapter
Dedication: For the 10th Anniversary of the Northwest Ohio Orff Chapter
Premiere: Northwest Ohio Honors Orff Festival; Marilyn Shrude, conductor. Springfield HS. Toledo, OH. 3/28/98

Chant (1998) for chamber ensemble

Instrumentation: fl,ob,cl,bsn,hrn,trp,trb,pno,harp,perc,2 vln,vla,vc,cb
Commission: David Stock and the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble
Dedication: For David Stock and the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble
Premiere: Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble; David Stock, conductor. Levy Hall, Rodef Shalom. Pittsburgh, PA. 1/26/98

Continuum (Postscript 1997) for alto saxophone and piano

Commission: John Sampen
Dedication: For John Sampen
Premiere: XI World Saxophone Congress. Valencia, Spain. John Sampen and Marilyn Shrude. 9/30/97
Duration: 2'
Recordings: Albany Troy 442 (2001)
FoxGlove Records 086 (2002)

Seven Bagatelles (1997) for two pianos

Commission: Karen Beres and William Budai
Dedication: For Karen Beres and William Budai
Premiere: Heidelberg College. Tiffin, OH. Karen Beres and William Budai. 3/22/97
Duration: 14'30"

Notturno: In Memoriam Toru Takemitsu (1996) for violin, alto saxophone and piano

Dedication: For Maria Sampen
Premiere: New York Public Library at Lincoln Center. Maria Sampen, violin; John Sampen, saxophone; Marilyn Shrude, piano. 6/10/96
Duration: 9'

Four Chorale Preludes (1996) for organ

Dedication: To my friend and mentor Sister Theophane Hytrek
Premiere: Emma Lou Diemer, organ. Basilica di Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome. July 4, 2000
Duration: 10'
Supported in part by funding from the National Endowment for the Arts

Visions in Metaphor (1996 version) for solo alto saxophone

Dedication: For John Sampen
Premiere: John Sampen, saxophone. SUNY Postsdam. 4/11/96
Duration: 6'30"
Recording: Albany Troy 442 (2001)

Songs of Praise (1995) for soprano and piano

Text: Michael Mott
Duration: 12'

Flight (1995) for alto saxophone and wind ensemble

Instrumentation: solo alto sax/3(picc).2.3+bcl.2asax.tsax.bsax/ 2.4.2.2+btrb.1/pno/cb
Premiere: Interlochen HS Symphonic Band. John Sampen, saxophone. Mark S. Kelly, conductor. 7/22/95
Duration: 6'

Into Light (1994) for orchestra

Instrumentation: 3 (picc).2.3.2+cbn/4.2+btrb.1/hp/pf/timp.4 perc/strings
Commission: Henry Charles Smith for the Interlochen World Youth Symphony Orchestra
Dedication: For Henry Charles Smith and the Interlochen World Youth Symphony Orchestra
Premiere: World Youth Symphony. Henry Charles Smith, conductor. Interlochen Center for the Arts, Kresge Auditorium. 7/3/94
Duration: 3'24"
Recording: Albany Troy 321 (1999)

Reviews: "a modern celebration..." Ann Grauvogl. Argus Leader. Sioux Falls, SD. 11/11/95

"the highlights for me are the Husa Symphony...and Shrude's brief, colorful Into Light, which manages to squeeze a symphony's worth of music into 3-1/2 minutes." American Record Guide. May/June 2000.

"Only four minutes long, but making up for duration with grandeur of orchestration, the work is a study in texture. Shimmering, even searing sounds from the orchestra's upper timbres are juxtaposed against more brooding tones from below. One has a sense of a continual unfolding or, perhaps, a musical blossoming." Steven Cornelius. The Toledo Blade. 4/21/01.

Fanfare for Brass and Percussion (1994)

Instrumentation: 4.3.2.1 bs trb.1/timp.4perc
Commission: Emily Freeman Brown for the 75th Anniversary of the Bowling Green Philharmonia
Dedication: For Emily Freeman Brown and the Bowling Green Philharmonia Premiere: BG Philharmonia; Emily Freeman Brown, conductor. Kobacker Hall. BGSU. February 13, 1994
Duration: 7'

Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Wind Ensemble (1994)

Instrumentation: solo alto sax/3(picc).2.3+bcl.2asax.tsax.bsax/ 2.4.2.2+btrb.1/pno/cb
Commission: Dana School of Music on the occasion of its 125th anniversary
Dedication: For James Umble and the Dana School of Music Wind Ensemble
Premiere: 2/28/94 in Powers Auditorium in Youngstown, OH; Stephen L. Gage, conductor; James Umble, saxophone
Duration: 14'
Recording: CARNIVAL. Youngstown State University Wind Ensemble (2003)

Supported in part by funding from the Dana School of Music and the National Endowment for the Arts

A Gift of Memories (1992) for chamber orchestra

Instrumentation: fl.ob.cl.bn/hn.trp.trb/2 perc/pno/strings (at least 54331)
Commission: Cleveland Chamber Symphony
Dedication: to my mother
Premiere: 5/4/92 by the Cleveland Chamber Symphony; Edwin London, conductor; Drinko Hall. Cleveland, OH
Duration: 13'

Reviews: "interesting unfolding textures and tender ideas..." Donald Rosenberg. The Cleveland Plain Dealer. 9/29/93

"It is a profound and beautiful work, marked by subtle shadings, shifting color floes, and compelling counterpoint within the percussion battery." Nadine Hubbs. Perspectives of New Music. Summer 1994

. . . and they shall inherit (1992) for saxophone ensemble (SSAATTBB) Premiere: World Saxophone Congress. Pisaro, Italy. September 1992 Duration: 10'

Silent Night (1991) for SATB choir

Commission: Toledo Masterworks Chorale
Premiere: Masterworks Chorale. Donna Tozer Wipfli, director. Blessed Sacrament Church. Toledo, OH. 12/9/91
Duration: 7'
Review: "the standout was Shrude's version of ÔSilent Night,' a moving piece that was little more than an elongated tone cluster, shimmering and shifting from one gorgeous cloud of sound to another.... a style that expresses emotion vividly through the simplest constructions and manipulations of notes and time, and this is yet another gem from her pen." Willa J. Conrad. The Toledo Blade. 12/9/91

A Window Always Open on the Sea (1990) for cello, percussion and piano

Commission: Aequalis
Dedication: for my father
Premiere: Aequalis. From Series at Harvard University. 1/27/91
Duration: 18'
Recording: New World Records 80559-2

Reviews: "an attractive and delicately wrought piece..." Scott Cantrell. The Kansas City Star. 11/11/91

"a grippingly emotional and elegantly crafted work..." Willa J. Conrad. The Toledo Blade. 10/7/91

"even its more angular and formally organized materials were deeply emotional." Allan Kozinn. New York Times. 11/30/91

"the individual sections are dexterously written and often eloquent." Joshua Kosman. San Francisco Chronicle. 2/27/92

"an enchanting variety of textures..." Thomas May. The Washington Post. 11/16/96

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud (1989) for SATB choir

Commission: Toledo Masterworks Chorale 1989
Dedication: For Terry Eder and the Masterworks Chorale
Premiere: Masterworks Chorale. Terry Eder, conductor. Toledo, OH. 6/11/89
Duration: 7'
Publication: Thomas House

Review: "no bombast here, no tricks, just a fine piece of music." Boris Nelson. Toledo Blade. 6/12/89

Amish (1989)

Theme music for the nationally-syndicated PBS series Cooking from Quilt Country, Cooking From the Heartland, Marcia Adams' Kitchen

Drifting Over a Red Place (1988 version) for WX7 wind controller

Commission: John Sampen
Premiere: Cincinnati Composers' Guild. Contemporary Arts Center. Cincinnati, OH. 3/19/88
Duration: 10-12'
Recording: Capstone Records (1997). CPS-8636

Renewing the Myth (1988) for alto saxophone and piano

Commission: John Sampen
Dedication: For John Sampen
Premiere: 9th World Saxophone Congress. Tokyo. John Sampen, saxophone; Marilyn Shrude, piano. 8/13/88
Duration: 9'30"
Publication: Editions Henry Lemoine #26827 H.L.
Recording: Neuma Records 450-80 (1992)
Albany Troy 526 (2002)

Reviews: "Renewing the Myth is an outstanding work that certainly lives up to the title." Saxophone Journal. Nov/Dec 1993

"This is enjoyable virtuoso music, superbly played." James H. North. Fanfare Magazine. June 1993

"...this is certainly an important addition to the saxophone repertoire. The beautifully idiomatic writing for saxophone and piano as well as the maintaining of a look back to the nineteenth century through the lens of atonality give the work a satisfying stylistic integrity." Linda Dusman. Computer Music Journal. Spring 1994

Required work for 150 participants of the International Adolphe Sax Competition (October-November 2002)

Perfect Timing (1988) for solo harp

Commission: Ruth Inglefield
Dedication: For Ruth Inglefield
Premiere: Res Musica. Ruth Inglefield, harp. Baltimore, MD. 3/13/88
Duration: 9'
Review: "a masterfully virtuosic work for solo harp...full of fanciful harp effects and difficult emotional undercurrents." Willa J. Conrad. The Toledo Blade. 3/21/91

Interior Spaces (1987 version) for bass and piano

Commission: St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Leonard Slatkin, Music Director. Joan Tower, Composer-in-Residence for Carolyn White, Associate Principal Double Bass
Dedication: For Carolyn White
Premiere: St. Louis Orchestra Onstage Series. Carolyn White, bass. Joan Tower, piano. Sheldon Concert Hall. St. Louis, MO. 2/10/88
Duration: 9'
Review: "strongly-put statements...the resultant mood is one of warm, controlled lyricism."James Wierzbicki. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 2/10/88

Passage of Years (1987) for orchestra

Instrumentation: 2(picc).2.2.2.asax/4.2.2.1/timp.2 perc/pno/cel/hp/strings
Commission: Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra
Dedication: For Kate Tamarkin and the Fox Valley Symphony
Premiere: Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra. Kate Tamarkin, conductor. Appleton, WI. 4/27/87
Duration: 8'30"
Recording: MMC Recordings MMC 2101 (2001)

Reviews: "a substantial work, original and distinctive in style....Would-be publishers take note. This is something special." Paul Hollinger. Appleton Post-Cresecent. 4/28/87

"a well-spun, coloristic work..." Boris Nelson. Toledo Blade. 1/16/89

"the most impressive voice was that of Chicago-born Marilyn Shrude....Her Passage of Years (1987) is full of bright, shimmering sounds, keenly imagined and freshly argued. She is a composer to watch." John von Rhein. Chicago Tribune. 4/28/90

Visions in Metaphor (1986 version) for clarinet and dancer

Commissioned by Burton Beerman

Splintered Visions (1985) for small chamber ensemble

Instrumentation: 2fl.cl.asax.pno.hp.perc.2vln.vla.vc.cb
Premiere: 6th Annual New Music Festival at BGSU. Blake Walter, conductor. 11/9/85
Duration: 9'20"

Odyssey Flights of the Imagination (1984) for brass quintet

Commission: Tower Brass Quintet
Dedication: For the Tower Brass Quintet
Premiere: Tower Brass. Toledo, OH. August 1984
Duration: 13'18"
Recording: Ohio Brassworks (1984)
Supported in part by funding from the Ohio Arts Council

Lines from Tennyson (1984) for SATB chorus, soprano solo, baritone solo, 4 flutes and percussion

Text: excerpts from Ulysses by Alfred Lord Tennyson
Commission: Carol Poolman and the Toledo Masterworks Chorale
Dedication: For Carol Poolman and the Toledo Masterworks Chorale
Premiere: Masterworks Chorale; Carol Poolman, director. Covenant United Presbyterian Church. Toledo, OH. June 9, 1984
Duration: 13'30"
Recording: Access Records (1985). JRC 85042
Supported in part by funding from the Ohio Arts Council

Review: "Marilyn Shrude, who teaches at Bowling Green State University, is a composer of rare insights and unusual tastes. Having heard some of her musicÑno two pieces are even near alikeÑthe premiere of her Chorale-commissioned "Lines from Tennyson," from "Ulysses," proved to be a huge success. Using percussion, four flutes, baritone (Keith Smeltzer) and soprano (Joan Eckermann) soloists, and the Chorale, the music is an elegiac exploration in sound, and the text is reflective, thoughtful. The music seemed to have a strong oriental influence in the use of percussion and some other effects, such as whispering, chanting, unison, and so on. But it is more than just being different. It holds together very well, and it was performed with much empathy." Boris Nelson. The Toledo Blade. 6/11/84.

Psalms for David (1983) for orchestra

Instrumentation: 3(alto fl; picc).2.3.2.1+cntrbn/4.3.3.1/timp.3 perc/cel/hp/pno/strings
Dedication: For Yuval Zaliouk and the Toledo Symphony Orchestra and a very special David
Premiere: Toledo Symphony Orchestra. Yuval Zaliouk, conductor. Masonic Auditorium. Toledo, OH. 3/18/83
Duration: 18'30"
Winner: 1984 Kennedy Center Friedheim Awards for Orchestral Music, 3rd Prize

Reviews: "...a carefully worked out fabric, a solidly organized structure that introduces very personal idioms that attach themselves to the moods of hymns, entreaties, and thanksgivings from the Psalms." Boris Nelson. The Toledo Blade. 3/20/83.

"A single movement, the music is a series of scenes, each colorful, rhythmically vibrant and forcefully expressed." Daniel Webster. The Philadelphia Inquirer. 10/16/84.

"an evocative combination of Hebraic and jazz idioms that had more flavor than the other works." Jerry Floyd. The Washington Times. 10/16/84.

"a series of subtly colored, exotic-sounding and sometimes ecstatic wordless meditations deeply rooted in the poetry of the Old Testament." Joseph McLellan. The Washington Post. 10/15/84.

"moments of great power and lushness." Richard Brooks. Musical America. February 1984.

"projected an aura of fantasy and sensuous beauty which had great appeal...Shrude's composition was captivating, exhibiting good taste and refinement." Robert Hall Lewis. Musical America. February 1985.

Shadows and Dawning (1982) for soprano saxophone and piano

Commission: Theresa Witmer
Dedication: For Theresa Witmer
Premiere: 7th World Saxophone Congress. Nurenberg, Germany. Theresa Witmer, saxophone; Marilyn Shrude, piano. July 9, 1982
Publication: Verlag Neue Musik Berlin. NM 2708
Recording: ATMA Records (1998). ACD 2 2154
Albany Records (2002). Troy 526
Orion Masterworks (1983). ORS 85487

Reviews: "a one-movement chamber tone poem depicting the gradual transformation of nature's darkness to lightÑnighttime to dawning. Moods of mystery and modernistic performance techniques are usedÑmultiphonics, timbral trills, and the like. Eventually the piano begins passagework reminiscent of shimmering---the first traces of light are apparent; the saxophone trills excitedly and the picture is complete." S.W.E. Fanfare. Nov./Dec. 1986

Drifting Over a Red Place (1982 version) for Bb clarinet, echo, slides and dancer

Slides by Dorothy Linden
Commission: Burton Beerman and Celesta Haraszti
Dedication: For Celeste and Burton Beerman
Premiere: 5/28/82. Piccolo Spoleto Festival. Charleston, SC. Burton Beerman and Celesta Haraszti
Duration: 10-12'

Masks (1982) for saxophone quartet

Commission: BGSU Saxophone Quartet
Dedication: For the BGSU Saxophone Quartet
Premiere: 7th World Saxophone Congress. Nurenberg, Germany. BGSU Saxophone Quartet. 7/9/82
Duration: 8'

Solidarnosc...a meditation for solo piano(1982)

Premiere: 2/82. Marilyn Shrude, piano. Bryan Recital Hall, BGSU
Dedication: For my parents

Review: "an affectionate perusal of favorite forms..." Andrew Adler. The Louisville Courier-Journal. 3/23/93

Infinity (1981) for symphonic wind ensemble

Instrumentation: 4 (picc).2.1 Ebcl.3 Bbcl.1 bcl/3asax.tsax.bsax.2 bsn+cbn/4.3.3.1/cel/cb/4 perc
Dedication: For John Paynter
Premiere: Northwestern University Symphonic Wind Ensemble; John Paynter, conductor. Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Evanston, IL. November 1983
Duration: 20'

B.E.R.G. (1980) for two horns

Commission: Herbert Spencer and Andre van Driessche
Dedication: For Herbert Spencer and Andre van Driessche
Premiere: 4/13/82. Herbert Spencer and Andre van Driessche, horns. Bryan Recital Hall, BGSU
Supported in part by funding from the Ohio Arts Council

Enuma elish (1980) for mechanical action organ

Commission: Karel Paukert
Dedication: For Karel Paukert
Premiere: 4/24/81. Karel Paukert, organ. 2nd Annual New Music Festival. Bowling Green State University.
Duration: 10'45"

Supported in part by funding from the Ohio Arts Council

Reviews: "Three of the most compelling works for instruments alone took their inspiration from cultures either historically or anthropologically remote from our own. Marilyn Shrude's Enuma Elish for mechanical action organ (1980), which received its first performance at the Festival, is a programmatic work based on the ancient poem of the same name. The poem relates the Babylonian myth of creation. The masses of sound exploring shifting densities and registration are reminiscent of parts of Ligeti's Volumina, but are used here in new ways and in a fresh context established by the work's program. The gradual build-up of sonority that opens the work, emerging out of silence, had an effect on me similar to that in the "creation" represented at the beginning of Das Rheingold. The unconventional performance techniques involved are fascinating in themselves and, for me, served to enhance the program: numerous small wooden wedges were used to hold down keys to create sustained sonorities. Two assistants to guest organist Karel Paukert were needed to insert and remove the wedges. These activities bore resemblance to what one could imagine as the rather cumbersome performance techniques used for ancient and early medieval organs with sliders. Through the information supplied in the program notes, the sonorities and unusual performance activities themselves evoked visions of antiquity, but I suspect that the full impact of the work will only be felt by comparing the score with the poem that inspired the music's creation. The score for this work should be especially interesting, and I hope it will soon be available." Lance Bruner. Perspectives of New Music. Fall-Winter 1980. Spring-Summer 1981.

"It is highly pictorial in a space-saga sort of way, and exploits the organ's resources most skillfully." Finn, Robert. The Cleveland Plain Dealer. 10/12/81.

Arctic Desert (1979) for chamber ensemble

Instrumentation: fl (dbl picc), ob, cl, bsn, hrn, pno (dbl celesta), harp, perc, 2 vlns, vla, vc, cb
Commission: Gamma Omicron Chapter, Sigma Alpha Iota
Dedication: For the Gamma Omicron Chapter, Sigma Alpha Iota
Premiere: 10/6/79. The BGSU New Music Ensemble. Marilyn Shrude, conductor. AKI '79, Second Biennial Festival of New Music, Cleveland Museum of Art
Duration: 8'

Review: "a well-crafted and evocative piece for chamber ensemble by Marilyn Shrude, Arctic Desert. Apparently concerned with poetic impressions of the far north, it is a serious, expressive and appealing piece." Robert Finn. The Cleveland Plain Dealer. 10/8/79.

Invocation, Antiphons, and Psalms (1977) for solo percussion

Premiere: 7/24/80. Steve Elkins, percussion. Regenstein Hall, Northwestern University
Duration: 12'

Evolution V (1976) for solo alto saxophone and saxophone quartet

Commission: John Sampen and the Chicago Saxophone Quartet
Dedication: To John Sampen and the Chicago Saxophone Quartet
Premiere: 7/29/76. John Sampen and the Chicago Saxophone Quartet. 5th World Saxophone Congress. Royal College of Music, London
Duration: 14'
Recordings: Albany Records (2002). Troy 526
Centaur Records (1991). CRC 2086
Orion Masterworks (1983). ORS 85487

Reviews: "a well-constructed, demanding piece for everyone involved...." Roger Greenberg. The Saxophone Symposium. Winter 1989

"...genuinely new and substantially valuable..." James Hill. The Saxophone Symposium. Summer 1977

"pits the soloist in a concerto-like mode, as he finds himself in a highly charged, sonically replicated environment that challenges him to keep his identity." S.W.E. Fanfare. Nov./Dec. 1986

Four Meditations: To a Mother and Her Firstborn (1975) for soprano and chamber ensemble

Instrumentation: sop,hp,pno,cel,3cb,perc
Text: Psalm 24:1-3, Lamentations 1:12, Lamentations 1:21, Psalm 54:23
Premiere: Ann Corrigan and the BGSU New Music Esemble. Marilyn Shrude, conductor. 5/78.
Duration: 9'30"

Genesis: Notes to the Unborn (1975) for orchestra

Instrumentation: 3.3.3.3asax.2/4 hn/4 perc/org/pno/hp/strings (at least 12.12.12.12.6)
Dedication: For Maria
Premiere: 6/5/77. Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra. Fred Ockewell, conductor. Pick-Staiger Concert Hall Duration: 10'30" Winner: Northwestern University Honors Concert

Music for Soprano Saxophone and Piano (1974)

Commission: John Sampen for the 4th World Saxophone Congress
Dedication: to John Sampen for the Fourth World Saxophone Congress
Premiere: World Saxophone Congress. John Sampen, saxophone. Marilyn Shrude, piano. Bordeaux, France. July 1974

Review: "She and her incredibly talented husband, John Sampen (who had given the best kind of saxophone recital on the Piccolo series the afternoon before), began the concert with an exquisite performance of an avant-garde work for piano and soprano saxophone that had the audience frozen in fascination, a state in which they remained throughout most of the rest of the concert of her works. And when you can that kind of uncompromising music and hold most of your audience in a major, though mostly conservative festival, that is a real compositional accomplishment. " David Maves. Piccolo Spoleto Festival. May 1982.

Quartet (1972) for Saxophone Quartet SATB

Commission: John Sampen
Dedication: to John Sampen
Premiere: Northwestern University Saxophone Quartet. Evanston, IL. 5/72
Duration: 5'
Publication: Southern Music ST-130

Review: "Its brevity, variety, and effects make this an excellent introduction to the contemporary saxophone quartet repertoire." Steven Mauk. MLA Notes. June 1981

Mass for Voices and Organ (1972)

Premiere: Northwestern University. Alice Millar Chapel. 6/72
Duration: 10'

Six Pieces for Piano (1972)

Dedication: to Wanda Paul
Premiere: Northwestern University. Lutkin Hall. Marilyn Shrude, piano. 4/72
Duration: 10'