A children's lullaby intended to allay the fears of a child.  Originally written for a 92 year old man, Joe Ingemi, in a nursing home who would cry before going to bed.  He missed his wife who had pre-deceased him.  Arranged and performed by Jim West.

Instrument replaces vocals.

No vocals (except for background vocals) or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

Sung by Patty Vellucci and arranged by Joe Laquidara.

A high energy contemporary sounding song sung by Trish Costa.  It  expresses the foolishness of thinking that she could have been in love with somebody when in reality she was just deceiving herself.  Words and Music by Bernard Leclerc and arrangement by Shahe Sinanoglu.

This is a warm, nostalgic tribute to this author/composer's father who was alcoholic, a very hard worker, lived for his family, and showed his love through his works, not his words.  Style of music falls somewhere between pop and country.  Arranged and performed by Jim West.

Instrument replaces vocals.

No vocals (except for background vocals) or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

Based on images of refugees fleeing their country during war stricken Kosovo back in 1999, this instrumental expresses the despair and sadness of people having to leave their homes and all their belongings because of the killing and destruction.  At the same time, however, it evokes a bit of hope for something positive to arise from the ashes.  Arranged and performed by Bill Cronin.

Easy-going, folk song about a childhood friend who passed away from lymphoma. He was the class clown who always made people laugh and brightened up their day. He had joined the military, sobered up, straightened out his life, married, and had young children at the time of his death.  Arranged and performed by Jim West.

Instrument replaces vocals.

No vocals (except for background vocals) or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

This song is for those interested in scriptural accuracy.  It's a "Hail Mary," except that I call it "Most Exalted One."  I do so because it is more scripturally accurate.  In the second Catholic edition of the revised standard version, Gabriel addresses Mary not by her personal name but by a title - "Hail (or rejoice), full of grace."  The expression "full of grace" is rooted in Catholic tradition and traced to St. Jerome's translation in the Latin Vulgate.  Although fundamentally accurate, it lacks some of the depth of the Greek original.  Luke could have described her with the words "full of grace" (Gk. pleres charitos) as he did of Stephen in Acts 6:8, yet here he uses a different expression (Gk. kecharitomene) that is even more revealing than the traditional rendering.  It indicates that God has already "graced" Mary previous to the annunciation, making her a vessel who "has been" and "is now" filled with divine life.  Alternative translations like "favored one" or "highly favored" are possible but inadequate.  Because of the unparalleled role that Mary accepts at this point in salvation history, the best translation is "most exalted one."  I found this information in a footnote on Luke 1:28 in the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 2001 edition, page 105.

Marco Atanackovic, aka Nemesh and from Serbia, did the musical arrangement.  The recording engineer is Mike Clark from Amherst, New Hampshire, and the wonderful singer's name is Michaela Catapano from the NYC area.

A light jazz song sung by Trish Costa that expresses exactly what the title says, that she is much better off on her own as opposed to being in a relationship with someone who is less than honorable, to put it kindly.  Words and Music by Bernard Leclerc and arrangement by Shahe Sinanoglu.

A touching song about this composer/author's older brother, Marc, who is living with terminal brain cancer. Despite many obstacles and uncertainties during his life, he had the courage to pursue and accomplish his goals - educationally, personally, financially, and professionally.   His odyssey began in a paper mill town in western Maine and it eventually took him to the San Francisco area where he currently resides with his lovely wife, a woman of courage herself who escaped Vietnam back in the 1970s and made her way to the USA.  Arranged and performed by Jim West.

Instrument replaces vocals.

No vocals (except for background vocals) or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

A cry on behalf of the unborn.  A cry for help to be allowed to live when, in the minds of many, one's address, i.e. a womb, one's level of development, and one's inability to defend oneself apparently diminish one's value and, as a result, constitute sufficient cause for one's murder.  Arranged and performed by Jim West.

No vocals or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

No vocals (except for background vocals) or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

Tender and heart warming song of thanks to one's mother for the gifts of life, love, and family.  Originally sung at author/composer's mother's funeral by Lorraine Louvat in December of 1982.  Arranged and performed by Jim West.

Instrument replaces vocals.

No vocals (except for background vocals) or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

Arranged and performed by Jim West.

Instrument replaces vocals.

No vocals (except for background vocals) or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

Lush and elegant children's song, male vocal, wondrous synth work.  A song about a dad talking to his daughter trying to find out why she is so sad.  Arranged and performed by Jim West.

Instrument replaces vocals.

No vocals (except for background vocals) or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

Written with my sister Louise in mind.  After the loss of her husband, Constantine Taleas, she needed to downsize and to move elsewhere.  This proved to be very difficult for her and was in need of a little divine intervention, hence this prayer/song.  Arranged and performed by Jim West.

Instrument replaces vocals.

No vocals (except for background vocals) or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

Tears of the Heart is about the loneliness and sadness that some people never overcome due to the loss of a loved one.  Arranged and performed by Jim West.

Instrument replaces vocals.

No vocals (except for background vocals) or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

A tribute to Armand Dumoulin, a member of the Knights of Columbus,  a man of patience, fairness, generosity, compassion, high moral virtue, and truly a very noble man.  Arranged and performed by Jim West.

Instrument replaces vocals.

No vocals (except for background vocals) or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

A warm, touching song based, with some changes, on a poem of an unknown author.  The song is not a farewell, but rather a "see you later" type of song.  It expresses thanks for the love and joy he was given in life and a sense of consolation for those mourning.  I first heard this poem read at the funeral of my brother-in-law, Constantine Taleas, and was truck by the tenderness of the words.  From these words the composed melody just seemed to flow.  Arranged and performed by Jim West.

Instrument replaces vocals.

No vocals (except for background vocals) or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

Country/Pop tune with great female vocals.  The song questions at what point a relationship is over. Is love an illusion? A game of pretend?  The singer would prefer to be alone rather than be involved in a lukewarm love affair.  Arranged by Shahe Sinanoglu and sung by Trish Costa.

No vocals or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

Based on a dream the author/composer had a few months after the passing of his mother.  In the dream she was being waked in a funeral parlor, got up from the casket looking perfectly healthy, and went over to her son, i.e. me, who was talking with someone to tell him that she was okay.   Arranged and performed by Jim West.

Instrument replaces vocals.

No vocals (except for background vocals) or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

This is the French version of "To Those I Love."  Paroles adaptées d'un poème d'auteur inconnu originalement en anglais.  Musique composée par Bernard Leclerc © 2013.  Arrangement par Jim West.  Chant par Bernard Leclerc.  Voix de fond par Elena Ravelli et enregistrement par Mike Clark. Traduction française par Yann Marc. © 2022

No vocals or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

No vocals (except for background vocals) or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

This is a song about my great aunt and uncle, Regina and Gerard Dufour.  In talking with them one day (I think it may have been the summer of 1971 when I was 15 and was walking back home after having played basketball at an outdoor court), I asked why they married one another.  Regina said it was because she was at that stage in her life when it was time to get married and because Gerard "was a nice guy."  That response has always bothered me as it sounded cold.  Whereas Gerard married Regina because she was the girl of his dreams, an answer that I found much warmer and more passionate.  For the purposes of rhyming, I changed what he said to "apple of his eye."

The arrangement was done by Gustavo Eiriz of Argentina.  The background vocals were done by Chris Bates of New Zealand.  And the recording was done by Mike Clark of Amherst, New Hampshire.

No vocals (except for background vocals) or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

No vocals or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

I originally wrote this back in 1998 and re-recorded it in February of 2022.  It's a marriage proposal.  The name of the woman doing the background vocals  is Anastasia.  She's from Ottawa, Canada.  I don't know her last name.  I found her on airgigs.com.

No vocals (except for harmonies/background vocals) which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

A song about a guy singing the praises of his wife who he finds beautiful.  It's about no one in particular and is total fiction.

The arrangement was done mostly by Ethan Hyatt of Philadelphia, PA.  Nino Chikviladze of the Republic of Georgia (formerly of the Soviet Union) played the violin.  The recording, mixing, and mastering was done by Mike Clark of Amherst, NH.

No vocals (except for background vocals) to allow the listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

No vocals, no background vocals, and no instrumental melody line in order to allow the listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

Written with my brother-in-law, Fern Cayer, in mind.  He died of brain cancer on July 11, 2019 after a five year battle. He was 55.  The words express what I imagined he would have wanted to say to his loved ones.  This song was also written, in part, to respond to the notion that people in heaven can't hear our prayers.  To prove otherwise, I borrowed from the words expressed in Revelations 5:8 and 8:3-4 which tell us that saints in heaven mediate the praises and prayers of those of us on earth.  They wouldn't be able to do that if they couldn't hear us.  Arranged by Shahe Sinanoglu and sung by Bernard Leclerc.

No vocals or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

"Diamond in the Dust" is a tribute to Susan Boyle.  Susan was a contestant on Britain's Got Talent in 2009.  Unattractive and idiosyncratic, the expectations of both the judges and the audience were very low.  However, she stunned them all with an incredible rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" from the musical, "Les Miserables," and talent shows from then on have never been the same.  Susan essentially re-wrote the rulebook.  Because of her, unattractiveness, age, or some sort of disability are no longer disqualifying factors for one's chances of winning.

Gustavo Eiriz of Argentina did the arrangement.  Yann Marc of France did the backing vocals.  And Mike Clark of Amherst, New Hampshire did the recording.

No vocals (except for background vocals) or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

No vocals or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

A simple song about hope, specifically, hope that loved can be rekindled.  Not based on anything going on in my life (lol).

No vocals or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

"Give It Up" is a Christmas song intended to acknowledge and honor the reason for the season.  It's catchy, upbeat, and has a 1980s feel to it.  The lead vocals were done by yours truly, Bernard Leclerc, and the backup vocals were done by Gaston Loizeau.  The arrangement was done by Shahe Sinanoglu and the recording was done by Mike Clark.

No vocals or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

A popular liturgical hymn of unknown origin.  In Latin it is called Ave Maris Stella.  It can be dated back to at least the 9th century for it is preserved in the Codex Sangallensis, a 9th century manuscript now in the Swiss Monastery of St. Gallen. Its appearance in the Codex points to a composition in possibly the 8th century. The hymn is frequently attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) and sometimes has been attributed to King Robert (1031), both of whom are too late to have authored it.   In reading the English translation, a melody seemed to emanate from the words.  So I just put the two together to make a song.   Arranged by Marco Atanackovic, aka Nemesh.

No instrumental melody line but includes background vocals which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

No vocals whatsoever and no instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

An expression of faith and hope in the innocence, goodness, and promise of a child.

No vocals, no background vocals, and no instrumental melody line in order to allow the listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

This song is about the love and fidelity of someone whose spouse no longer recognizes him/her due to some form of dementia.  Back in the summer of 1976, I was taking care of a man, Maurice Goodridge, who had Parkinson's disease.   Occasionally he would hallucinate and not even know his own wife, Eleanor, of many, many years.  She, in response to his lack of recognition, would try to jog his memory by saying, "Maurice, I'm Eleanor, your wife.  I love you as you love me and that is where we both agree."  Hence, the background and opening line to this song.

The arrangement was done by Nemesh of Serbia, the backing vocals were done by Yann Marc of France, and the recording was done by Mike Clark at his studio in Amherst, New Hampshire.

No vocals (except for background vocals) or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

No vocals which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

Here's the background to this song.  On my kitchen table I have a pamphlet that has on the inside a list of benefits of Eucharistic Adoration.  Here's the list:  Everyone on earth is graced.  Souls who are about to die and on the precipice of going to hell are influenced to have a conversion of heart in order to go to heaven instead.  Men and women are influenced to enter religious life.  Families are brought closer together.  Evils of the world are repaired or atoned for.  The floodgates of God's mercy are opened.  It helps to convert America and save the world.  And it helps to prevent abortions.  On the back side of the pamphlet are the words of Jesus to St. Padre Pio in 1923: "They leave me alone by day, they leave me alone by night.  No one comes to see their Divine Prisoner in the Tabernacle.  I am abandoned in the Eucharist."   In this song I substituted the words "bedroom window" (four syllables) for the word "tabernacle".  I figured that most people don't even know what a tabernacle is and have an anti-religious bias, so that is why I used the metaphor of a window.   On the front side of the pamphlet is a picture of the Blessed Sacrament held in a monstrance, the monstrance that holds the Eucharistic miracle of Lanciano, Italy from 750 AD.  The consecrated host had turned to flesh and blood.  Above the monstrance are the words, "I wait for you always.  Come and see me, I am here..."  These are the words from which this song was inspired.  They tell us that Jesus likes our company and that He wants us to go visit Him.  For those of you who do not believe that a consecrated host is truly the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus or think that His presence might only be spiritual, metaphorical or symbolic, check out this article which proves otherwise.  The Science of Recent Eucharistic Miracles: A Message from Heaven? (ascensionpress.com).  Also see The Eucharistic Miracles of the World, a catalogue of miracles compiled by Carlos Acutis, which also  proves otherwise.

Marco Atanackovic, aka Nemesh, did the arrangement.  He's a classically trained pianist who resides in Serbia.  Recorded by Mike Clark of Amherst, NH.

No vocals (except for harmonies/background vocals) which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

Marco Atanackovic, aka Nemesh, did the arrangement.

I originally wrote "I Wonder" as a jazz tune back in 1999 entitled "We Still Survive" and never recorded it. Then back in June of 2020 I re-wrote it as an adult contemporary song.  Musical arrangement done by Shahe Sinanoglu and sung by yours truly.

No vocals or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

A song about a guy who is friends with a woman with whom he would like something more.  Not based on anything going on in my life.  Haha!  Arranged by Alireza Vejdah and recorded by Mike Clark.

No vocals (except for background vocals) or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

No vocals or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

For years I had wanted to write a song similar to what Paul McCartney of the Beatles did in 1966 when he wrote "Michelle," a song that incorporated a little bit of French into primarily English lyrics.  And so finally I have - Isabella.  The song is about no one I know.  I chose the name because it's pretty and because I needed a name to rhyme with "French Canada," two of the words in the lyrics.

The arrangement was done by Gustavo Eiriz of Argentina.  The backing vocals were done by Yann Marc of France.  And the recording was done by Mike Clark of Amherst, New Hampshire.

No vocals (except for background vocals) or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

No vocals or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

Arranged by Jim West who also does the background vocals.  The lead is sung by Bernard Leclerc.  Even though I much prefer Jim's voice to mine, I thought it was important for my own healing that I sing the song given that it's about my father and not Jim's.

Cette chanson parle de l'amour et de la fidélité de quelqu'un dont le conjoint ne le reconnaît plus en raison d'une forme de démence. À l'été 1976, je m'occupais d'un homme, Maurice Goodridge, atteint de la maladie de Parkinson. De temps en temps, il avait des hallucinations et ne connaissait même pas sa propre femme, Eleanor, depuis de très nombreuses années. Elle, en réponse à son manque de reconnaissance, essaierait de lui rafraîchir la mémoire en disant: "Maurice, je suis Eleanor, ta femme. Je t'aime comme tu m'aimes et c'est là que nous sommes tous les deux d'accord." D'où le fond de cette chanson.

L'arrangement a été fait par Nemesh de Serbie, les choeurs ont été faits par Yann Marc de la France, et l'enregistrement a été fait par Mike Clark dans son studio à Amherst, New Hampshire.

No vocals (except for background vocals) or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.  Yann Marc did the background vocals.

No vocals which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

Composed and sung by Bernard Leclerc.  Musical arrangement by Jim West.

This is a song about a guy talking to his girlfriend who heard some unflattering remarks about him.  He doesn't know what was said, but senses that her attitude towards him may have changed and he's trying to convince her to view him as he is and not as he was.

Arrangement done by Alireza Vejdani of Sweden and recorded by Mike Clark of Amherst, New Hampshire, USA.

No vocals or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

Originally written in the early 1980s to the tune of the Pachelbel Canon, I changed it a bit in 2022 to make it a little more upbeat.  I would consider it a children's song.  One might say that the "Little Star" is a metaphor for the Baby Jesus.

Arranged by Nemesh of Serbia and recorded by Mike Clark of Clark Creative Studios in Amherst, New Hampshire.

No vocals or melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the singer.

This is the French version of "When Saint Michael Arrives."  Yann Marc did both the translation and the backing vocals.

No vocals (except for background vocals) or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

A Christmas song inspired by my father who used to make Christmas mangers.  He gave them to all of his eight children and to many of our relatives.  Just by way of full disclosure, however, the lyrics say that he used to provide the figurines as well as the manger itself.  That is not true.  We were on our own for that.  That would have been way too expensive for him.

No vocals or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

This song is for those interested in scriptural accuracy.  It's a "Hail Mary," except that I call it "Most Exalted One."  I do so because it is more scripturally accurate.  In the second Catholic edition of the revised standard version, Gabriel addresses Mary not by her personal name but by a title - "Hail (or rejoice), full of grace."  The expression "full of grace" is rooted in Catholic tradition and traced to St. Jerome's translation in the Latin Vulgate.  Although fundamentally accurate, it lacks some of the depth of the Greek original.  Luke could have described her with the words "full of grace" (Gk. pleres charitos) as he did of Stephen in Acts 6:8, yet here he uses a different expression (Gk. kecharitomene) that is even more revealing than the traditional rendering.  It indicates that God has already "graced" Mary previous to the annunciation, making her a vessel who "has been" and "is now" filled with divine life.  Alternative translations like "favored one" or "highly favored" are possible but inadequate.  Because of the unparalleled role that Mary accepts at this point in salvation history, the best translation is "most exalted one."  I found this information in a footnote on Luke 1:28 in the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 2001 edition, page 105.

The arranger for this song is Nemesh from Serbia and the recording engineer is Mike Clark from Amherst, New Hampshire.

In my opinion, this is not one of my better songs, but it came to me so I went ahead and wrote it and recorded it.   Arranged by Renzo Martinez of Paraguay and recorded by Mike Clark of Amherst, NH.

No vocals, no background vocals, and no instrumental melody line in order to allow the listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

"No Need to Cry" is a song about someone who has passed away and is speaking to a loved one in an attempt to console that person.

The background vocals were done by Chris Bates of New Zealand and the arrangement was done by Gustavo Eiriz of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

No vocals (except for background vocals) or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

No vocals or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

Usually, when I write a song, it relates to something I've experienced.  However, such is not the case for this particular song.  I was listening to a song on youtube called "You Say" by Lauren Daigle.  The lyrics of that song have nothing to do with the sudden death of a loved who used to take a lot of photographs.  Nevertheless, the mood and melody of her song is what inspired me to write this song.  It was nothing that actually happened in my life.

No vocals or instrumental melody line which allows for listener to sing with the arrangement as if he/she were the vocalist.

This is a song that takes place in the evening as the sun is going down during which time a guy is appreciating, with his wife by his side, the sound of silence and the sound of their love.

Gustavo Eiriz of Buenos Aires, Argentina played the acoustic guitar and Mike Clark of Amherst, NH played the bass and shaker.  He also recorded, mixed, and mastered the song.