Navona Records recently released the album “Percipience,” featuring music composed by Missouri State University professor of music Dr. Michael Murray.

“Percipience” consists of four song cycles for different solo voices and instrumental combinations, using poetry of Thomas Hardy, William Blake, John Donne and the Bible. Murray’s inspiration for his music comes directly from that poetry.

Murray said once he finds the right poetry for a project, the composition of the music tends to progress easily. He is constantly looking for poetry that will work well for any music he writes and that appeals to him musically.

One song cycle, “Neutral Tones,” was featured on the 25-hour marathon program “Viva 21st Century” on WPRB radio in Princeton, New Jersey last ecember. The program, a special edition of Classical Discoveries, connected with thousands of live listeners on the east coast.

The marathon is nationally recognized and the composer must have written the piece within the last four years. After each piece is submitted the producer selects which music will be aired during the live event.