René Clausen
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Dr. René Clausen (b. 1953) is an American composer, conductor of The Concordia Choir at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, and founder of the René Clausen Choral School. His works are widely performed by high school and church choirs while his more technically-demanding pieces have been performed and recorded by college and professional choirs.
Clausen is a frequent guest conductor and guest composer/lecturer, both nationally and internationally. He has conducted All-State Choirs in 11 states. Prior to his appointment as conductor of The Concordia Choir, Clausen was director of choral activities at West Texas State University, Canyon, Texas, and assistant professor of choral music at Wichita State University. He also served as senior editor of Mark Foster Music Company and as interim conductor of the National Lutheran Choir of Minneapolis.
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[edit] Education
Clausen graduated in 1974 from St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota, and received a Master of Music in conducting performance and a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, in 1977 and 1987, respectively.
[edit] Composition Style
Clausen's compositional style is varied and electic, and put to both sacred and secular texts. He has created compositions and arrangements that range over many artistic media including choral, orchestral, wind ensemble, film, video, and solo voice.
[edit] Selected Compositions and Arrangements
- All That Hath Life & Breath Praise the Lord
- A Noiseless Patient Spider
- Ave Maria
- Black is the Color of my True Love's Hair
- Deep River
- Hear Me, I Will Live
- How Can You Buy the Sky
- I Thank You God - A setting of E.E. Cummings' celebrated poem "I Thank You God." Dissonance, tone color and texture are ever-changing, chord cluster follows chord cluster and changing meter and tempo further accentuate the unbridled happiness expressed in the text. It has been portrayed as a thanksgiving hymn.
- Jubilant Song
- La Lumiere - Translated as "The Light." As the poet's spiritual perception changes, he views his visual landscape in a new light. In much the same way, Clausen transforms the listener's aural landscape with layer upon layer of changing harmony and musical texture. Written for a cappella choir with division in each voice part.
- Magnificent - Commissioned by the Texas Choral Director's Association, 1988. Scored for SATB double choir.
- O My Luve's Like a Red, Red Rose
- On the Mountain Top Blows the Wind Mild - A Silesian folk tune, scored for SATB divisi.
- O Vos Omnes - Texts from the Holy Bible, Sacred Latin Poems, Lutheran Chorale, "O Sacred Head Now Wounded", and the Latin Mass.
- Peace I Leave With You - Written for the 1991 Concordia Centennial Alumni Choir, Moorhead, Minnesota. Scored SATB divisi.
- Plenty Good Room - Contains jazz elements including a scat soloist (the part is written out in the score)
- Psalm 100
- Quicksand Years
- Seek the Lord
- Set Me as a Seal
- Song at Dusk - Much like a vocal tone poem, the colors brought forth in this piece, along with the soaring melodies, dramatically illuminate the poem by Leigh Haynes, once poet laureate of the state of Virginia. Divisi in all parts, it is recommended for the advanced high school or college ensemble.
- Sweet Was the Song - Written by Clausen on the occasion of his daughter's birth. The melody is based on an Old English Tune, with the second verse by Frankie Clausen.
- The Last Invocation
- The Lord's Prayer - A contemporary setting of the classic prayer, scored in multiple meters and keys by Clausen. For SATB chorus.
- Tonight Eternity Alone - Full of dynamic, expressive passages, soaring soprano solos and simple, but mood-envoking text. A good showcase for moderate-to-advanced skills choir.
- War Song
- What a Wonderful World - Clausen provides a most sensitive arrangement of this timeless standard. Performance Time: Approx. 4:00.
[edit] Discography
NOTE: Clausen’s compositions and arrangements are published by Shawnee Press in the Mark Foster Catalog, Santa Barbara Music Publishing, Roger Dean Publishing Company and Augsburg Publishing House.
- A New Creation
- The Choral Music of René Clausen
- Memorial
[edit] A New Creation
Recorded in 1990 by the Dale Warland Singers, conducted by the composer, this sacred cantata uses both English and Latin texts. "Set Me as a Seal," one of the last movements, has been excerpted and widely performed on its own.
[edit] Memorial
Memorial is a composition for mixed chorus, orchestra and baritone solo, based on subject material which reflets the horrific events of September 11, 2001, in New York City. Though presented as one continuous movement, the composition follows a program that comprises of four sub-sections - Semptember Morning, The Attack, Prayers and Petitions. The baritone soloist is Peter Halverson (a Concordia College Music Faculty member). On this CD, there is also an exceptional performance of Samuel Barber's instrumental piece, "Adagio for Strings," performed by the Concordia College Orchestra.
