A dynamic a cappella setting of the Latin mass. An excellent recording of the Agnus Dei is available on Welcome Home (CD).

“Chris imbues every page with structure and craftsmanship and careful planning…”
Dr. Gary D. Cannon, director Emerald Ensemble & Cascadian Chorale
Thank you for stopping by!
Enjoy your time exploring my music and looking through my scores. Please reach out if you have any questions or if you would like to work together on a project!
If you are interested in talking, we can meet one-on-one over Zoom! Just make a reservation on my Calendly page.
Guest on “Moveable Do” Podcast!
Listen here:
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The Movable Do podcast (October 27, 2020) “Composer and conductor Steve Danielson interviews other living composers to learn about their journeys, successes, and learning experiences.
“This week, Hawaii-based composer Chris Fraley discusses how his background as a math and science wiz influences his love for counterpoint. Featured in this episode: Eire’s Call, The Plains, Hine Ma Tov, and the premiere of the recording of A Light Exists In Spring. Plus, experimentations with Just Intonation.”
For more information about any of the featured pieces, click below:
- Eire’s Call (Tone Poem No. 3)
- The Plains (SATB)
- Hine ma tov (SATB, SATB & Piano, SAA & Piano)
- A Light exists in Spring (SATB)
Pitch Matters
Learn how music works, focusing on an experiential approach to how sounds combine. Visit PitchMatters.com and learn why pitch matters!
A Random Sampler
Missa Cantus (Missa Brevis No. 3)
A Third Mass Setting I did not intend to write a third mass—at least not yet! But upon finishing the Kyrie from Missa Dramatica, another Kyrie just poured out of me. Thus, Missa Cantus was born. The name reflects both the shorter, song-like structure employed in each movement as well as the more overt use […]
a cappella, Latin, Mass, Sacred, SATBBreak, Break, Break
Tennyson’s poem opens with rather conventional imagery (crashing sea, coldness, grayness). So, too, the music starts with a texture that mimics the endless crashing waves—a cascade of falling voices resolving suspensions only to create new ones: “break, break, break, …” The main narrative is then taken up by the choir in a style that is thick with suspensions that reflect the narrator’s yearning…
a cappella, English, Lord Tennyson, SATB, SSAATTBBStories (Recording)
Stories, performed by the Byrd Ensemble, directed and produced by Markdavin Obenza. Released both on CD and as digital downloads from on iTunes and Amazon, also available directly from this website—thereby directly supporting this composer.
Byrd Ensemble, CD, RecordingMissa Dramatica (Missa Brevis No. 2)
Missa Dramatica (Missa Brevis No. 2) borrows its intensity from the Agnus Dei of my first mass. While still a work-in-progress, I’ve completed both the Kyrie and the Agnus Dei, and have prepared a video score for the Kyrie so that you can listen to this beautifully dramatic setting while following along with the music.
a cappella, Latin, Mass, PROJECT:ENCORE, Sacred, SATB