Commissioned Works
To commission a work by Mona Rejino click here.
Ocean Tides
Late Intermediate Piano Solo
Format: Digital Download – $4.00 each.
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It was an honor for me to be commissioned to write a piano solo for the studio of Linda Kennedy, which resulted in this composition, Ocean Tides. It was premiered at the “Celebration of Creativity Recital” on May 6, 2023, in Maumelle, Arkansas.
The inspiration for this piece came from my personal attraction to water. I am drawn to the sense of peace, possibilities, and comfort it evokes, especially in the continuous, rhythmic cycle of tides in the ocean. Tides are enormous waves that move across the planet. They are caused by the gravitational pull of the earth, moon, and sun. When the crest of the wave reaches a coast, a high tide occurs. When it recedes, the coast experiences a low tide. Tides are one of the most reliable phenomena in the world. As the sun rises in the east and the stars come out at night, we are confident that the ocean waters will regularly rise and fall along our shores.
I wrote Ocean Tides as a musical interpretation of this marvel of nature. The reassuring and calming effect of the melodic theme returns several times in various registers of the piano and represents a low tide. Measures 15 – 18 are a transition into movement toward high tide. In the Con moto section, you can feel the waves gathering steam in a lyrical, sweeping fashion. The waves in the Piu mosso section are churning, and they ultimately reach their crest around measure 40, before they slowly dissipate. The entire cycle begins anew in measure 44, and in the Coda, peace and harmony are present once again. The final chord represents the gorgeous moonlight glistening on the water as the waves subside.
Thinking of the sounds of different instruments like violin, viola, and cello will help you color the main theme each time it occurs. Using rubato liberally, along with a wide dynamic range, will give the middle section of the piece a beautiful flair. Careful balance, voicing, and phrasing throughout makes for a nuanced and meaningful performance of Ocean Tides.
Music: The Gift to Sing – A Song Cycle for Soprano Voice and Piano
Late Intermediate to Early Advanced
Format: Digital Download – $15.00 complete; songs sold separately for $4.00 each.
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Composer: Mona Rejino
Music: The Gift to Sing (a song cycle) is a set of four art songs based on poems. Each poem depicts a theme that reflects the human condition such as sorrow, hope, despair, youth and happiness, death and legacy. In writing these pieces, my goal was to communicate each poem’s meaning with a musical setting that shows how integral music is as we navigate our common life experiences.
The first song is Sing, Sweet Harp, written by the 19th century Irish poet, singer, songwriter, and entertainer, Thomas Moore, and it comes from his collection of songs titled “Irish Melodies.” The text evokes the sadness and despair artists feel when they are no longer valued and how, after their deaths, they are forgotten and nameless. The bleakness and hopelessness of this poignant poem linger long after the words subside.
To a Young Girl Singing was written in 1911 by Henry van Dyke, an American author, educator, and clergyman. This delightful poem tells the story of a young girl who is praised for her singing ability, although she doesn’t really understand what she’s singing about at all. But once she has lived for a while and has had a chance to mature and develop deeper feelings, she will be able to sing from her heart, and that will make all the difference.
The Gift to Sing was written by the poet James Weldon Johnson, an American writer and civil rights activist who also wrote Lift Every Voice and Sing. The Gift to Sing was published in 1917 as part of the collection titled “Fifty Years and Other Poems.” This poem expresses the profound effect music has on our lives. The poet sings to turn his gloomy day into a cheerful one; to turn his somber moments into ones of gladness. He doesn’t dwell on the past or worry about the future. Singing helps him overcome all the darkness and miseries that come his way.
Percy Bysshe Shelley’s Music, When Soft Voices Die was written in 1821 and published in 1824, two years after his sudden and tragic death at age twenty-nine. Ironically, the poem compares the death of a human to the dying of music. Shelley evokes the feeling that the sound does not merely disappear, and like our loved ones when they die, it does not simply cease to be, but rather continues on in our memory. The poem closes with the notion of eternity of both man and art. It communicates how music lives on through all our life experiences, and how music enriches us all.
This work was jointly commissioned by Texas Music Teachers Association and Music Teachers National Association in 2021 and was premiered on June 20, 2021.
Performances by Ilana Lemke, Soprano and Mona Rejino, Pianist.
Impressions of New York – Piano Trio for Viola (or Violin), Cello and Piano
Intermediate Level
Series: Educational Piano Library
Format: Softcover $14.99 (US)
Composer: Mona Rejino
This three-part work was commissioned by the Music Teachers National Association for the 2019 National Conference in Spokane, Washington. Includes: I. Strolling the Upper West Side; II. Midnight in Brooklyn; III. Grand Central Station.
Click below to listen to a recording.