From Balsam Bells & Leaves (2014)

Scored for string quartet with harp. Advanced; about 6:30. This takes its title from a line penned by John Muir (1838-1914), founder in the late 19th and early 20th centuries of the Sierra Club and America’s first conservationist. This music was composed under the influence of words from his writings that I found particularly potent:

A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease. Every hidden cell is throbbing with music and life, every fiber thrilling like harp strings, while incense is ever flowing from the balsam bells and leaves.

The piece incorporates melodies of the Native Americans he encountered in the region of Yosemite, as well as a melody of Muir’s native Scotland. $20, including piano score, parts, and demo disk; order here.