Malcolm Peyton Archive

Please contact David Stevens if you are interested in performing or acquiring any of the unpublished works or if you have helpful info you would like to share.

(Updated 1/24/25)
Works List | Recordings

26. Lyric Meditations (2008)
for tenor voice, flute, bass clarinet, violin, viola, cello, harp/piano

Lyric Meditations was premiered in Jordan Hall by Gregorio Rangel and chamber ensemble.

25. Overture for piano (2005)

Overture for piano was premiered by pianist Katie Reimer.

24. Tango Steps (2005)
for violin and piano

Tango Steps was premiered by Cyrus Stevens, violin and Donald Berman, piano

23. String Quartet No. 2 (2001, rev. 2005) - 19 minutes

String Quartet No. 2 has been premiered by the Ciompi Quartet (Duke University quartet-in-residence) in 2001 and has been performed subsequently by the Fibonacci Quartet (2005) and Monadnock String Quartet (2019).

22. Fantasies Concertante (Concerto for Orchestra) (2002) - 20 minutes

Fantasies Concertante was premiered by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) on January 18, 2003 in Jordan Hall. This work is published by APNM.

21. Sonnets from John Donne (1968-2002) - 17 minutes
for bass-baritone voice, French horn, tenor/bass trombone, viola, cello, and contrabass

I. why are we
II. If Poysonous Mineralls…
III. As Due By Many Titles…
IV. Oh, to Vex me
V. I am a little world
VI. This Is My Playes Last Scene…

Sonnets from John Donne was premiered by bass-baritone Jesse Coston and the New England Conservatory Contemporary Ensemble, conducted by Gunther Schuller. This work is published by APNM. Boston University’s Times Arrow Ensemble performance recording is here.

20. My Glorious Lord (1998)
for chorus

My Glorious Lord premiered on June 5, 1998 at King's Chapel, Boston, MA in honor of Daniel Pinkham, on the occasion of his 75th.

19. Apostroph (1997)
for chorus and orchestra

I. Whispers of Heavenly Death
II. There Was a Child Went Forth
III. Trickle Drops
IV. Chanting the Square Deific

Apostroph was premiered by the NEC Chorus and Orchestra on October 31, 1997, led by conductor Tamara Brooks.

18. String Quartet No. 1 (1991-93) - 30 minutes

String Quartet No. 1 has been performed by the Borromeo String Quartet. This work is published by APNM.

17. Suite nocturnale for solo viola (1978-1991) - 22 minutes

Suite nocturnale was premiered by violist Jonathan Bagg. This work is published by APNM.

16. Songs from T. Sturge Moore (1989)
for soprano and chamber ensemble

I. The Event
II. Love Lies Bleeding
III. A Child Muses
IV. The Dying Swan
V. A Duet
VI. Silence Sings
VII. To Silence

Songs from T. Sturge Moore was premiered by Barbara Winchester, soprano, and Dinosaur Annex Music Ensemble, conducted by the composer.

15. Envoi (or Birthday Greetings) (1985)
for solo flute

Envoi by Malcolm Peyton is one of the sixty-two pieces written by NEC faculty composers in celebration of Gunther Schuller’s 60th birthday. These pieces were performed on the 'Enchanted Circle' birthday concert on November 19, 1985.

14. Two Fantasies for Winds, Brass & Percussion (1982) - 10 minutes
for wind ensemble

Two Fantasies was premiered by the Swedish Wind Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Larry Livingston. The work was featured on Bronze Music (2007), performed by NEC’s Jordan Winds, directed by William Drury. Charles Peltz conduct the NEC Wind Ensemble in a performance here.

13. Concertine (for 17 players) (1981)
for chamber ensemble (1.1.1.bcl.1./1.1.1.1./3perc.pf/1.1.1.1.)

Concertine was premiered by Collage New Music, conducted by Gunther Schuller.

12. Fantasy for 14 Players in March Tempi (1978)

11. Songs from Walt Whitman (1978) - 20 minutes
for soprano or mezzo-soprano, piano, and violin obbligato

Ideas based on poems and excerpts from Leaves of Grass have occurred to me as far back as 1965. At the time, the poetry, intriguing as it was, was too overwhelming and diffuse for me to handle. Several projects lie abandoned. These songs are therefore, for me, a coming to terms with Walt Whitman. - Malcolm Peyton

Songs from Walt Whitman was premiered by Bethany Beardslee, soprano; Malcolm Peyton, piano; Eric Rosenblith, violin. The songs were released on Tribute to Bethany Beardslee and CRI’s O’Brien / Peyton. This work is published by APNM.

10. Cello Piece (1978) - 5.5 minutes
for solo cello

I always loved the cello–the queen of instruments. I tried to play it, but I snipped the end of my finger off at a cookout. That ended my cello playing, but I decided that I wanted to write a piece for it. The work flowed rather quickly. It contains memories that I had, such as a police car going by and various other things that were close to me at the time. The ending came very naturally to me, the A harmonic on the D string, and the piece just flowed. - Malcolm Peyton

Written and premiered by cellist Ronald Clearfield, Cello Piece was recorded by Rafael Popper-Keizer on Ibis Camerata’s Boston Diary (2010), released by Albany Records.

9. The Blessed Virgin compared to the air we breathe (1973) - 8 minutes
for mixed chorus a cappella

The Blessed Virgin was premiered by the New England Conservatory Concert Choir, directed by Lorna Cooke deVaron. This work is published by Mobart Music Publishers (via Schott) and is available on CRI SD 482 LP.

8. Choruses from e.e. cummings (1967)
for mixed chorus a cappella

Choruses from e.e. cummings was premiered by the New England Conservatory Chorus, directed by Lorna Cooke deVaron. This work is published by Mobart Music Publishers (via Schott).

7. Four Songs from Shakespeare (1960) - 10 minutes
for mezzo-soprano, 2 B♭ clarinets, violin, viola, and cello

1. Music to hear
2. Orpheus with his lute
3. Blow thou winter wind
4. Lo, in the orient

Four Songs from Shakespeare was premiered by Shirley Suddock, mezzo-soprano and conducted by Gustav Meier. This work is published by Jerona Music (via Schott).

6. Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (1960)

Malcolm Peyton’s Violin Concerto was premiered by the concertmaster Joseph Kovacs and the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Nicholas Harsanyi.

5. Chamber Cantata, Part II (1959)
for soprano and tenor voices, and orchestra

Chamber Cantata, Part II was premiered by Bethany Beardslee, soprano, Ray DeVoll, tenor, and conducted by Gustav Meier.

4. Chamber Cantata, Part I (1958)
for soprano and tenor voices, and orchestra

Chamber Cantata, Part I was premiered by Susan Miller, soprano, Ray DeVoll, tenor, and conducted by Gustav Meier.

3. Suite for Clarinet (1955) - 4 minutes

The Elegy from Suite for Clarinet was premiered by George Jones and was recorded by Shirley Brill on the Donald Martino Memorial Tribute Concert. This work is published by APNM.

2. Two Pieces for String Orchestra (1955)

Two Pieces for String Orchestra was premiered by the Princeton Symphony Orchestra.

1. Two Movements from a String Quintet (1953)

String Quintet (2 movements) were premiered at the Composers’ Forum at Berkshire Music Center, Lenox, MA on August 12, 1953. There is no known score available for this work.

Undated Works

32. For Classmates Departed (Undated)
for tenor and bass voices

31. That Music Always Round Me (Undated)
for soprano, flute, bass clarinet, violin, cello, trumpet, vibraphone and piano

30. A Cradle Song (Undated)
for boys choir, sopranos and altos (and piano)

29. Warble for Lilac-Time (Undated)
for female chorus

28. Little Aria (Undated)
for violin and viola

Performed by Time’s Arrow Ensemble Here.

27. Septet (Undated)
for flute/alto flute, alto/tenor sax, viola, cello, contrabass, vibraphone and piano