Today's Composers

You're So Loved

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 00:35:14 -0400

DLP.CA presents several years experience in music composition, instruction and performance. His music is a variety of ambient / jazz in classical form including a few upbeat tracks. Although quite diverse, his music is significantly telling of a fondness for complex harmonic structure within syncopated rhythms. Even so, melody is an important element within his music. He uses contrary, at times conflicting, melodic patterns, employing tension and release in interchanging dissonant and consonant chordal passages. He is member of the American Association of University Professors, The American Composers Forum, The Association of Independent Music Publishers and is recently awarded recognition with Who's Who Among American Teachers and Educators.

Commotion

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 22:22:53 -0400

A stereo electro-acoustic piece involving sounds all related to movement and motion.

Psalm 23

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 15:36:03 -0400

Full and Empty

Fri, 25 May 2007 00:6:30 -0400

Along with trying to focus on the nuance of sounds by timbre shifting and blending, what I want to present in full and empty is the spiritual concept of playing Guqin (an ancient Chinese instrument). Sometimes the sound from the instrument is so soft and even barely audible; the player feels the sound physically by having gestures on the string. The string players need to have a lot of interaction to each other while playing this piece, though, the emphasis of exact rhythm and pitch is less important.

Rondo

Mon, 07 May 2007 00:13:15 -0400

True Rondo form;ABACABA. Moto Perpetuo bass line with driving rythms remeniscent of early 20th century works. Finishing CODA taken from 'B' section material.

Cradle Song

Sat, 14 Apr 2007 13:33:44 -0400

Jennifer Bates, voice, Dawn Chambers,piano

sink

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 00:27:11 -0500

Sink, for instrumental nonet, was written for the 2006 National Arts Centre Young Composers Programme, and was performed and recorded in Ottawa in June, 2006. In this work, I wanted to explore the possibilities of creating very quiet instrumental textures, to further my exploration of musical processes, and to explore a variety of aspects of rhythm. Sink reflects several different aspects of the work. First, some of the gestures in the piece sink, that is, they descend slowly in pitch, often by glissandi. Second, some of the staccato textures in the work were meant to vaguely resemble the sound of a faucet dripping into a kitchen sink. Finally, the musical ideas in the piece are based on the shape of waves, representing the water in a sink basin. The overarching process used in this piece focuses on register. The pitches used gradually expand outwards as the piece progresses, eventually eliminating the middle register after the climax and focusing on the two outer extremes of register. Other processes in the piece focus on rhythm; for example, the transformation of one rhythmic ostinato into another. Additional specifically rhythmic ideas that are explored in the piece include creating rhythms through the release rather than attack of pitches, and creating rhythm through beating between two pitches that are very close together.

Cloudsplitter

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 15:21:42 -0500

Rollerchant

Sun, 22 Oct 2006 16:39:45 -0400

In July of 1998 in Oslo's Frogner Park, I suddenly saw a group of athletes weave through the crowd, improvising leaps and pirouettes on roller skates. The impressions I formed of the contrast between their Dionysian, athletic art and the more Apollonian, static art of Vigeland's hundreds of sculptures reminded me of the contrasts in the intensely athletic yet strictly constructed improvisatory melodies of sitarist Ali Akhbar Khan and others. In 2002, I drew upon these notions to write this virtuoso showpiece for solo cello. --Matthew H. Fields, http://www.matthewfields.net

Cenotaph

Tue, 17 Oct 2006 12:00:00 -0400

An annual Remembrance Day service is held at the Cenataph in honour of the servicemen and women who died for their country. The service has changed little since it was first introduced in 1921, hymns are sung, prayers are said and a two minute silence is observed. This piece is a musical representation of those two minutes of silence.

Out of the Depths

Sat, 07 Oct 2006 14:17:33 -0400

Jovian Moons

Mon, 06 Feb 2006 20:56:33 -0900

Jovian Moons is a set of four tone poems intended to evoke imagery of the four greater moons of Jupiter, each of which is named for a paramour of Zeus. The movements are titled Callisto, Europa, Io, and Ganymede; each offering a contrasting musical perspective on the love and relationships between immortals and the omnipotent.

The work is scored for standard symphonic wind ensemble/concert band, yet includes passages where select members of the ensemble are asked to sing. In concord with the mythology, the melodies and harmonies are based on Greek modes. The textures vary from two-part polyphony to complex contrapuntal passages, and the scoring provides contrast from full ensemble tuttis, to percussion alone, to unaccompanied saxophone quartet. The formal structure of each movement is a somewhat fluid version of simple tertiary form. This contrast between instrument and vocal color is meant to evoke the contrast between the mortal body and the immortal spirit

Eighty-Four

Mon, 02 Jan 2006 02:00:00 -0900

Eighty-Four is a minimalist piece for disklavier (computer-controlled player piano) written and performed by the composer in 2003. The piece focuses on subtle variations of texture within a limited set of pitches and rhythms. The score consists of instructions such as "Every quarter of a second ask : Should I play this note? How hard should I play it?" Each question uses a probability table to determine the answer. The form of the piece derives solely from the slight modification of the questions and their probable outcomes. The middle section consists of three questions "phasing" at different speeds where the answer is always "yes." Eighty-Four is available on "so the light came / to contain numbers," a set of compositions for disklavier which is available through the SHINKOYO record label. www.shinkoyo.com Benjamin Kamen is a composer and artist living in Ohio. He received a Bachelors Degree in Technology in Music and Related Arts (TIMARA) from Oberlin College and a Masters of Music from Goldsmiths College, University of London

Full Fathom Five

Thu, 29 Dec 2005 02:00:00 -0900

The text of this piece is also known as "Ariel's Song", from Act I, Scene Two of William Shakespeare's play, The Tempest. Ariel, an "airy spirit", sings this deceptive song to young Ferdinand, who mistakenly believes his father, Alonso (the King of Naples), has been drowned in the same shipwreck that marooned Ferdinand on a deserted beach. In addition to wanting to create an overall sense of the cold, dark depths of the ocean, I also tried to represent the number "5". In addition to being scored for 5 voice parts, the song has harmonic and melodic 5ths sprinkled throughout, and is organized into 5 thematic parts. After a short introduction, which hints of a slow and steady descent into the depths, comes the first "section". This should be taken at face value- it represents Ariel's revelation of Alonso's apparent drowning. (This theme returns in the fourth section, augmented by a Soprano solo representing Ferdinand's lament.) The second section is the transfiguration "into something rich and strange", which ends with the sea-nymphs ringing their death knell. The third and fifth sections expand on the tolling bell idea. Here, the "ding-dong"s are structured to suggest an eerie and fluid undersea funeral procession, augmented by Ariel's mock lament ('fa la la's).

Introversion Extravertie

Sat, 03 Dec 2005 02:00:00 -0900

After the Casse-tete de l'Existence, I naturally wanted to continue in the same line (futuristic epic songs), but this time with an emphasis on melody and with a certain primal energy. Synthetic atmosphere and electroacoustics effects are still numerous, but were less important in the composition of this album. They are hiding behind a greater harmony and a cleaner chaos. I learned to select the best ideas. I do think I got a lot better at singing. The album works well to document the recent evolution of my voice : strange androgyny lately (a lot of female singers in my mind). Also, transitions between tracks was a new preoccupation. This time, the lyrics (some english this time) have precise meanings (fighting against nostalgia and in favor of the outsiders of this world) - Vincent...Van Gogh is based on real facts in the painter's life. Also, right now, I'm writing music with a vocal in mind. Sometimes, this vocal never appeared because of my personal preference for the instrumental. It happens two times : Machiavelisme Magnifique and Introversion Extravertie.

Night Scene

Fri, 25 Nov 2005 02:00:00 -0900

A lush, reflective musical portrait of a rising moon written for wind band, written entirely at night

The Cylindrical Sea

Sun, 30 Oct 2005 02:00:00 -0900

The Cylindrical Sea is a serial work I wrote in 1998 for a mixed chamber ensemble consisting of Alto Saxophone, String Quartet and Xylophone. The piece is based on a twelve tone row and it's various permutations. A brief passacaglia is used in a brisk section and agressive rhythmic mixed meters are present. The saxophone acts as soloist with accompaniment through most of the piece. Some mirroring with the row occurs in a section for the quartet alone. My desire was to write an exciting and challenging dissonant work and it seemed appropriate to harmonize some of the row explored while not adhering to strict twelve tone rules. Just as the performers would find themselves back where they started after completing the sequence of a tone row the same would occur if they were to be sailing on a "cylindrical sea" of notes. Brandon Moore was born in north east Texas where he studied trombone and graduated with a music composition degree from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. After graduating in 2000 from the film scoring program at the University of Southern California he now resides in Los Angeles and continues to write music for film.

Guilt Ridden mvt. 2

Sat, 29 Oct 2005 02:00:00 -0800

An evocative, atonal string quartet which comes "from a world, which haunts me, although I rely on this world as an escape from actuality."

Guilt Ridden mvt. 1

Sun, 25 Sep 2005 02:00:00 -0800

An evocative, atonal string quartet which comes "from a world, which haunts me, although I rely on this world as an escape from actuality."

Prelude No. 2

Mon, 25 Jul 2005 02:00:00 -0800

Prelude No. 2, from Tim Brace's "Music for Solo Guitar," is the second of a set of five preludes for solo classical guitar. This is a short character piece inspired by the composer's son Conor, a jazz instrumentalist and composer. Beginning with a somewhat mysterious chromatic introduction, the piece settles into a beautiful, lyrical melody with harmonies containing a hint of jazz. Emotionally, the piece conveys a slight, but not overly melancholy feel and a wonderful lyricism that points to depth of character. Opposing the melancholy is a calmness that reaches over the different feelings and sections of the piece, bringing them together, before finally settling into an ending that brings back the mystery of the opening bars.

Toccata

Wed, 06 Jul 2005 02:00:00 -0800

This Toccata was composed in 2001 by Nathan Wright Shirley. It is a piece built around the quick repetition of a single note which sets the perpetual motion that drives the piece from beginning to end. The music is a seamless blend of two seemingly polar opposites, containing both smooth lyrical melodies, and harsh mechanical rhythms, often simultaneously.

Agnus Dei

Sun, 03 Jul 2005 02:00:00 -0800

Written by Benny Martinson, Agnus Dei is a melancholy choral setting from the Catholic Mass. The words, latin for the famous prayer "Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us," are set to solemn, subdued, prayerlike music, with anguish at Christ's sacrifice and a haunting cry for mercy. This particular recording is of a performance in Christ Church in Dublin.