Semester of Graduation

Spring 2026

Degree

Master of Music (MM)

Department

School of Music

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Fruits of the Spirit is a ten-movement song cycle for baritone and piano that is sure to bring inspiration, comfort, education, and even some laughter! The first ever song cycle by any composer that is exclusively about the fruits of the Spirit (found in Galatians 5:22-23), the first nine movements each go into more detail about an individual fruit of the Spirit, and the last movement ties all of the fruits together as a way to sum things up.  All ten movements include at least one Scripture that talks about the fruit(s) in question to help reinforce what that fruit means.  The text also includes famous quotes and original text.  Each of the first nine movements are in a different key that seemed to properly depict the fruit in question, and the music blends together styles akin to classical, jazz, and gospel.  Each movement is written in a way that they can be performed individually or altogether.

I have come to find that of all the options I have for compositional topics, writing about the Bible and God feels like “home”.  Purpose and intentions behind this song cycle can be attributed to my church upbringing.  Part of that upbringing was learning songs that housed Scriptures.  In a way, this song cycle thanks those composers who wrote songs so well that I still carry those melodies and Scriptures with me today, including a song about the fruit of the Spirit.  Through searching for Scriptures that talked about each fruit as I worked on this song cycle, I learned more and was encouraged, and I hope that these songs bring encouragement to its listeners and performers as well.

Date

3-26-2026

Committee Chair

Brian Nabors

LSU Acknowledgement

1

LSU Accessibility Acknowledgment

1

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Available for download on Thursday, April 15, 2027

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