Compositions
Find all of my compositions at my Gumroad shop here: michellevelvin.gumroad.com
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The Paekākāriki Blues (The Coral Blues) is inspired by both Deborah Henson-Conant’s solo harp work New Blues, and the vibrant and virtuoso harmonica player Coral Trimmer. Coral Trimmer and I first performed together as soloists with the Kapiti Concert Orchestra performing the second movement of Dorothea Franchi’s Concertino for harmonica, harp and strings in 2020.
This piece is approximately grade 8 level |
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A sweet solo for harp to express the joy of the sparrows as they flitter through our garden on sunny days to find material for their nests.
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Music inspired by the coming Winter in New Zealand.
I. The Winter Hideaway https://youtu.be/CbdXlyCTbpQ II. The Waning Moon https://youtu.be/FBFyImX1QFI III. Shadows of the Night https://youtu.be/W_oGXuR8qJU
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I. Watching the Leaves Fall https://youtu.be/UZWkyqThLug
II. Climbing the Crows Nest https://youtu.be/n8RR_9gEyFg The second piece 'Climbing the Crow's Nest' is inspired by folk harp music. It is named after the nickname for the mountaintop near my home. To reach the top of the summit you must climb through thick native bush, then expansive farmland and then brave the super windy narrow paths to reach the top.
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There are three pieces in this collection:
Running to the Hills: https://youtu.be/00scKVUyHfk In the Long Grass: https://youtu.be/_X_sgDbcnUg The Lake Lullaby: https://youtu.be/puVPGuxqdGs
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The Sister to the Sky, for soprano saxophone and harp is a melancholy duet written for Genevieve Davidson (saxophone) and Michelle Velvin (harp).
This download includes alternative parts for flute and oboe. Still Life - trio for alto saxophone, piano and harp (2021)
Michelle Velvin Still Life for alto saxophone, piano and harp is based upon the poem Still Life by Genevieve Davidson. The piano and harp intertwining emotes cloud banks at the front of a storm, whilst the saxophone represents the old smooth sliding banks of the stone river. The deep water sunlight below the kelp is heard in the undulating pulses in the piano and harp in the middle section of the work: imagine looking upwards from under the sea at the dappled light refracting on the surface of the water. Still Life A grey velveteen sky. This is where we met, chestnuts on the green picnic bench. In Autumn, the air clasped sharpley beneath the bone branches of the silver birch. We watch the old smooth sliding banks of the stone river reflect the lowering night. In Spring, all shaded in dark greens, I love you through the beech tree sepia, beneath the deep kelp water sunlight. The inner paintings within the movements of life. We rest together, you and I. A still life in our frame. |
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Still Life - Duet for alto saxophone and harp (2021)
This is a duet version of my trio with the same name. Still Life for alto saxophone and harp is based upon the poem Still Life by Genevieve Davidson. The harp emotes cloud banks at the front of a storm, whilst the saxophone represents the old smooth sliding banks of the stone river. The deep water sunlight below the kelp is heard in the pulses of the harp. Imagine looking upwards from under the sea at the dappled light refracting on the surface of the water. This download includes the original duets harp part and also a revised/alternative version of the harp part. Still Life A grey velveteen sky. This is where we met, chestnuts on the green picnic bench. In Autumn, the air clasped sharpley beneath the bone branches of the silver birch. We watch the old smooth sliding banks of the stone river reflect the lowering night. In Spring, all shaded in dark greens, I love you through the beech tree sepia, beneath the deep kelp water sunlight. The inner paintings within the movements of life. We rest together, you and I. A still life in our frame. |
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Michelle Velvin’s Autumn Nest Building is for soprano saxophone, piano, and pedal harp.
On this unique piece, Velvin says it “is the journey of a small bird from hatchling to full flight. The composition begins with the stillness of the nest amongst the treetops. The saxophone intrudes with moments of cracking and tapping as the bird begins to make its way out of the egg. We hear flitterings and flutterings, and poppings and burstings as the wee bird shakes out its feathers and marvels at the birds eye point of view.” This product includes one transposed score and one score in the key of C. This is a graphic score, to be interpreted and improvised from freely. |
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Harakeke for two harps is a duet about the New Zealand native flax harakeke, used for many things including weaving.
Suitable for advanced beginner or intermediate harpist. Suitable for pedal or lever harp, there are no chromatic changes in the music. Please note this PDF is PDF stamped and it may take a few minutes for the download link to appear in your email inbox. |
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When I was a bird for solo soprano saxophone is inspired by the poem of the same name by Katherine Mansfield. It was first performed at the International Melbourne Saxophone Festival, June 2019 by Genevieve Davidson, in a programme based on the idea of the unifying and universal influence of birds and birdsong in compositions for saxophone.
Commissioned note: Commissioned by Genevieve Davidson Performance history 30 Jun 2019: Performed by Genevieve Davidson at Melbourne International Saxophone Festival 22 Sep 2019: SMP Ensemble | Reflections |
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A collection of 10 pieces for beginner to intermediate harpist, inspired by my favourite childhood summers.
Contents 1. Floating Down the River 2. Haze 3. Looking Down Through the Still Water 4. Tickling Fish 5. Skimming Stone 6. Oruatua 7. Fetching the Milk 8. Shaping Pumice 9. Tui in the Red Hot Pokers 10. Under the Milky Way
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Three Dances of the Ocean, Sky and Forest is a suite of three dances to be performed by harp ensemble, with live dancers interwoven into the performance. Each movement has a unique character for the musicians and dancers to explore:
Contents I. Of the Ocean (A lyrical dance) II. Of the Sky (A slipjig) III. Of the Forest (A tango) |
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A suite of five short tunes written for the Wellington Harp Orchestra in 2018. Each tune was created to capture a snippet of a mood or a feeling.
Suitable for beginner to intermediate ensemble. Dedication note: for the Wellington Harp Orchestra Contents: 1. A Quiet Morning 2. Clockwork 3. Catch the Ice-cream Truck! 4. Wavelet 5. Look Through the Rain |
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Into the Forest is a short piece for harp duo or harp ensemble.
Suitable for beginner and intermediate harpist. Into the Forest evolved from musing upon the following words while they were swirling around and around in my mind: "Light came out of the forest One more step You and I; I wanted to see you I wanted to see you" |
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Under Watchful Eyes – A walk through the Tudor Gardens, for harp trio, was written for Harpenz 2015.
Suitable for intermediate harpists. Harpenz is a four day harp ensemble workshop which is run every odd-numbered year in Auckland. Run since 2001 (when it was known as 'Harp Weekend'), it has survived the hatchings, matchings, and dispatchings of the organisers and attendees and has organically grown into an exciting event on the NZ harp calendar. Commissioned note: written for Harpenz 2015 Dedication note: for Harpenz 2015 Performance history: 18 Apr 2015 - Performed by Harpenz 2015 participants in Auckland |
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These 51 songs have been composed as a collection to support the development of new harpists.
This collection follows on from volume 1 of the same name. The first 26 songs are all in C major and fit within a 28 string harp. The majority of the rest of the collection also fit within a 28 string range. Inspired by my past and present students.
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This collection consists of 10 short solo harp pieces for beginner to intermediate harpist, which are set to capture a snippet of time and a moment of feeling. Based around modes and delicate motifs, each piece is entirely different in character and style. Inspired by a favourite composer of mine, Bernard Andres, I have tried to capture a sense of colour and light into each piece, whilst also keeping the technical difficulty suitable to beginner and intermediate harpists.
Contents: 1. Mood 2. Reflections 3. Meditation 4. Ebony 5. The Texture of Trees 6. Dust on the Fireplace 7. Underside 8. Origami Cranes 9. Underground 10. Garden of Green |
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This collection consists of 10 short solo harp pieces for beginner to intermediate harpist, which are set to capture a snippet of time and a moment of feeling. Based around modes and delicate motifs, each piece is entirely different in character and style. Inspired by a favourite composer of mine, Bernard Andres, I have tried to capture a sense of colour and light into each piece, whilst also keeping the technical difficulty suitable to beginner and intermediate harpists.
Contents 1. Droplets 2. Stepping on Mossy Rocks 3. The Night is for Dreaming 4. Light 5. Nym 6. Sinking 7. Porcelain 8. Tauranga Taupō in Summer 9. Shimmer 10. Catching Fish Under the Bridge |
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This collection consists of 10 short solo harp pieces for beginner to intermediate harpist, which are set to capture a snippet of time and a moment of feeling. Based around modes and delicate motifs, each piece is entirely different in character and style. Inspired by a favourite composer of mine, Bernard Andres, I have tried to capture a sense of colour and light into each piece, whilst also keeping the technical difficulty suitable to beginner and intermediate harpists.
Contents 1. Floyd the Budgie 2. Hail on My Window 3. Arrow 4. Travelling down the Old Road 5. Opening Spaces 6. Feathering 7. Swirling 8. Cathedral 9. Catching the Lambs in Springtime 10. Digging in the Sand |
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This collection consists of 10 short solo harp pieces for beginner to intermediate harpist, which are set to capture a snippet of time and a moment of feeling. Based around modes and delicate motifs, each piece is entirely different in character and style. Inspired by a favourite composer of mine, Bernard Andres, I have tried to capture a sense of colour and light into each piece, whilst also keeping the technical difficulty suitable to beginner and intermediate harpists.
Contents 1. Don't Look Behind 2. Plants on my Windowsill 3. Vessel on the Water 4. Gentle Breeze 5. Stars in the Sky 6. No Clouds Today 7. Translucent Veins 8. Scrape 9. Black & White 10. When it Never Arrives |
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