The Cloak with the Stars: Music for Organ, Vol. 6 Erik Simmons

• Carson Cooman (b.1982): 3 St. Francis Legends, Op. 1208:
• 1 3 St. Francis Legends, Op. 1208: No. 1, Chorale. St. Francis Divests Himself of All Worldly Wealth 04:16
• 2 3 St. Francis Legends, Op. 1208: No. 2, Passacaglia. St. Francis and the Sermon to the Birds 03:42
• 3 3 St. Francis Legends, Op. 1208: No. 3, Rondino. St. Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio 04:06
• Piccola fantasia francescana, Op. 1206:
• 4 Piccola fantasia francescana, Op. 1206 06:52
• Entrata festiva, Op. 1189:
• 5 The Cloak with the Stars, Op. 1211 06:08
• 6 Entrata festiva, Op. 1189 03:09
• Diptych for New Life, Op. 1197:
• 7 Diptych for New Life, Op. 1197: I. Aubade (...Frate sole, lo qual è iorno...) 03:52
• 8 Diptych for New Life, Op. 1197: II. Toccata (Ellu è bellu e radiante cum grande splendore!) 02:46
• Gebet, Op. 1205:
• 9 Gebet, Op. 1205 06:19
• Sketch No. 3, Op. 1207:
• 10 Sketch No. 3, Op. 1207 03:26
• Ciaccona angelica, Op. 1194:
• 11 Ciaccona angelica, Op. 1194 04:15
• Variations on a Theme of Andreas Willscher, Op. 1210:
• 12 Variations on a Theme of Andreas Willscher, Op. 1210 08:48
• San Andreas Suite, Op. 1204:
• 13 San Andreas Suite, Op. 1204: I. Carillon (In festo S. Andreae Apostoli) 03:20
• 14 San Andreas Suite, Op. 1204: II. Versets on a Melody from Périgord 07:19
• 15 San Andreas Suite, Op. 1204: III. Pastorale mit einem Orgelpunkt 03:35
• 16 San Andreas Suite, Op. 1204: IV. Toccata périgourdine 05:01
• Total Runtime 01:16:54

Info for The Cloak with the Stars: Music for Organ, Vol. 6

Carson Cooman is many things musical – organist and Composer in Residence at the Memorial Church, Harvard University; writer, critic and consultant, concert organist, and above all a highly prolific composer of music in a wide variety of genres, from orchestral to song.

His organ compositions come in many styles, from liturgical models, to more gritty and substantial pieces such as his organ symphonies and preludes and fugues. Much of the music here, tonal and accessible though never lacking in complex chromaticism, was written for and dedicated to the German composer Andreas Willscher whose works Cooman is also recording for Divine Art.

Erik Simmons is a fine organist, making his sixth Cooman organ album for Divine Art. He is playing the Cavaillé-Coll organ of the Abbey of Saint-Etienne, Caen, France in a live performance recorded through the Hauptwerk system.

Erik Simmons, organ

Erik Simmons
started playing the organ at age 10 when he was a chorister at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Glendale, California. His primary organ teacher was Richard Slater. Erik has furthered his studies by working with Lanny Collins, Barbara Baird, and Lee Garrett, and through master classes with various clinicians, including Harald Vogel.

Erik works at Intel Corporation, where he is involved in new product development and coaches teams in systems and engineering, Agile & Lean product development, and related areas. Erik holds a BA in applied mathematics and MS in mathematical modeling from Humboldt State University. As an organist, he has recorded several CDs of music, including “Magnifique: Selections for a French Organ,” “Nous Dites Marie: A French Romantic Christmas,” “Reflection and Praise,” and several CDs of the music of American composer Carson Cooman.

Booklet for The Cloak with the Stars: Music for Organ, Vol. 6