Samples
Though more samples of my music are probably out there somewhere (notably, all tracks from the CD Hard Weather Makes Good Wood are available for purchase online as mp3s), here are a few samples to audition. Be sure to visit the CD releases page for links in case you'd like to purchase a CD. Having recently established a Soundcloud presence, I’ll embed Soundcloud samples here as I post them.
Jane’s History of England
In March 2017, a group of Longy faculty and students teamed up with a couple of great sginers from England to tour my opera, Jane’s History of England. The tour is described on the current projects page. I edited together a video of the performance at Chawton House, using two fixed cameras to get the best composite possible. I offer the result here for your enjoyment.
September
Premiered in September 2015, this is a piece for baroque orchestra with two sopranos. The orchestra includes the usual component of harpsichord and strings, but also two baroque flutes, tenor recorder, and chalumeau. The poem is by Jennifer Michael Hecht.
Lonesome Whistle
The video below is of Sarah Brady performing in the Berlin Chapel at Brandeis University. The video was shot and produced by my old friend Charles Merzbacher, who I met at the Governor’s School of North Carolina in 1974.
Hard Weather Makes Good Wood
Listen to the whole piece on Spotify by searching for Hard Weather Makes Good Wood or John Howell Morrison. The whole CD is available for purchase at Innova, and for no direct charge on YouTube.
And here's a live version, performed by the Hausmann Quartet in San Diego during the pandemic. (I spoke an introduction just ahead of the recorded performance, which sholjd be the start place in this video, at 25:54.)
Rising Blue I
Another track from my CD Hard Weather Makes Good Wood, this one for violin and tape. Troy Gardner is the violinist. An interlude and second large section which complete the piece are not included in this sample. Hear more samples, purchase individual tracks here.
(Listen to the whole piece on Spotify by searching for Hard Weather Makes Good Wood or John Howell Morrison. The whole CD is available for purchase at Innova, and for no direct charge on YouTube.)
Aquarium
A video collaboration with Paul Turano, with footage from various Aquaria, including the New England Aquarium.
Wright Songs
I’ve posted one song out of four from a set entitled Wright Songs. The title gives credit to the poet whose work I set, Charles Wright. The poem is Anniversary, one of my favorites. Stephen Morscheck is the bass-baritone singer.
Notes and Shockwave movie for In God We Trust
In early 2000, I collaborated with a group of people from other disciplines (visual art, theater, dance) to create an evening-length production for which I produced an electronic score. The notes for the production are found here, and here’s a composite video made from the production:
TTC#12: a realization in sound of Tao Te Ching poem 12
Hear a performance of the piece (below). This is a version of the poem I put together as a setting for treble choir; it uses the setting itself to convey the meaning of the text.