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The Music of Michael Reid Winikoff

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When words leave off, music begins. - Heinrich Heine

 

 

 

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 by Michael Reid Winikoff - Graphic Link to Wedding Music Site

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 & Synagogue by Michael Reid Winikoff - Graphic Link to Psalms Site

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 by Michael Reid Winikoff - Graphic Link to Jewish Chral Music Site 

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.