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Welcome to MRWinikoffmusic.com -
The Music of MICHAEL REID WINIKOFF
I invite you to explore my collection of new musical compositions in a variety of classical styles, for sacred and ceremonial purposes - wedding music, funeral and memorial settings, Psalm settings for general worship, choral music for the synagogue, including works suitable for concert and recital use.
Music of beauty and
practicality, dignity and substance, with a classical
sensibility.
Hear MP3 audio samples of instrumental selections; see and hear
vocal selections via MP4 video links.
About Playbacks Each work is available for purchase as
sheet music in downloadable digital (PDF) format, ready to
print. (Digital download only - Sorry, no sale or shipment
of hard copies). Instrumental wedding works are also available for
purchase as MP3 audio files for ceremonial use in lieu of live
performance.
Click on a banner below to link to its home page.
New
Music for Weddings. See and hear this catalog of
stunning new
wedding music in a range of styles including stately "royal" Baroque, charming,
beguiling Modern, exotic Middle-Eastern, nostalgic
American folk and pathos-infused European folk, with instrumental and solo vocal works.
Your wedding ceremony is one of the great opportunities in life
to use music to set a monumental mood and celebrate your joy in
an ineffable fashion.
Psalm
Settings for Church and Synagogue. A handful of compelling Psalm works,
including a tranquil and consoling reading of Psalm 23
for solo voice with quiet organ or piano. Solo settings of
Psalm 93, Psalm 117 and Psalm 122 feature solo instrument obligato. Choral settings,
featuring an alternate setting of Psalm 23, a thrilling anthem
setting of Psalm 24, a majestic Psalm 29, and
large-scale settings of Psalms 113 and 150, ideal for thrilling concert
performance.
Choral Music for the Synagogue. A large and wide-ranging collection of Jewish sacred choral works - practical, adaptable, in a variety of styles and ease-levels. Included are new hymn settings of Yigdal (for the Days of Awe) and Ma-oz Tzur; a beguiling "Chanukkah Meditation" (Haneirot Halalu) for choir and solo violin; soul-stirring renditions of Hashkiveinu, Uv'shofar Gadol, V'al Y'dei (Zichronot) and Ya-aleh; congregation-friendly settings of V'shamru and Yism'chu.
The Transcendental Power of Music
Well-crafted music, no matter
its particular mood, possesses a synergistic power stemming from
the dramatic context of its linear form, the sonorities and
expressive inflections of its harmonic progressions, the
complexities of its counterpoint that arrouse at once both
sensual and intellectual
appeal. Composing offers a profound sense of gratification
in being allowed to create this synergy.
We've all had the experience at some time of remembering a
long-forgotten song from our youth, and the sudden encounter
awakened an instant wave of nostalgia for a very specific time
in our past. Perhaps only the sense of smell posesses an
equally potent power of evocation. Music
is the aural equivalent of fragrant spices, of incense, of
lovely spring flowers - it is deeply sensual and evocative.
It can convey any of an infinite array of moods, scenes or
sentiments in our hearts and minds, and transport us to lofty
spiritual realms.
At the same time, music can appeal to our more intellectual sense,
through its formal thematic and harmonic contexts. We may
recall listening to a song or piece and feeling the curious sense of
gratification at that certain point where the music seems to "come home again" as the main theme returns.
Some of us have the experience of having become so well-acquainted with a complex
musical work that we feel an ability to discern every
nuance, every twist and turn, almost before it happens.
We are able to recognize a melodic or harmonic theme as it is
transformed, disguised or combined in some powerful way with
another theme or motif. A symphony or concerto unfolds for
us like a poetic stream of consciousness. A densely constructed Bach
keyboard fugue takes on its own impetus, a vehement energy of
inevitability that galvanizes us.
This transcendent(al) power makes music a compelling tool for
our various ceremonial occasions. Here is hoping you will find these
compositions worthy of that purpose, and of your appreciation
and satisfaction.