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Music

Here is sheet music for some of my compositions. I'm not a particularly good composer, nor very prolific, but I enjoy it. Files are generally available as PDFs. For some reason, some files look funny when viewed in Acrobat Reader; they all seem to print just fine. Some compositions are described but not available yet; shamefully, I've managed to lose the computer files (but not the printed scores or originals) for a number of compositions. The moral to this story is never trust computers.

The Early Period

The "early period" is a polite term used by music historians to refer to that period of time in a composer's life when he is busy writing bad music. Assuming this period ends at some point, it is called "early".[ If it does not end, then the composer is forgotten and no one calls him anything. ] Some of these pieces were written before I had any formal training in music theory and composition. Some were written during my college years, but before I discovered the joys of dissonance. But still, I'd hate to lose these old works, no matter how bad they are.

Bravoure

Bravoure was the first work that I was really proud of; it has a recognizable theme, definite music form (ABA), and reasonable (albeit simple) chordal structure. There are a couple of different versions in existence; the version posted here has a frivolous introduction (which may be omitted by skipping everything up to the 5/8 time signature) and the "difficult" ending. To get the "easy" ending, simply play the upper notes only in the right hand in the last measure. (There is also another alternate ending that is shorter by one beat.)

Morceau

Morceau is a short piece for three violins, 'cello, and piano. (It was going to be a quartet, but I didn't want to go to the trouble of writing the viola part.) It was first performed in July of 1998 at my church by myself on piano and a quartet of friends (all of whom, sadly, no longer play; tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in illis). I don't really like this piece any more. But, it was a notable event, and I don't write much instrumental music, so here it is. This is the full score; if someone really wants it, I can post the individual parts.

Lullaby

I wrote this piece for a friend's birthday. I'm kind of ashamed of it now. It's not very good; but from the way I treated it you'd think it was some kind of masterpiece. But I suppose it was a unique homemade gift, and it's the thought that counts.

Les Montagnes de Gloire

Les Montagnes de Gloire ("The Mountains of Glory") was written at my cousin's house in Oregon, during a summer vacation visit. It shows some elements of a newer style: it favors "large" chords, ninths, elevenths, and thirteenths, and it has a modal (Phrygian) melody. It's also loud. I guess it's an OK piece.

Other Exercises

Finally, here is a folder containing almost everything I wrote up to about 1999 (as mentioned above, some files from this period have been lost). The majority of these files are actually first-year music theory exercises. (After the first year it was no longer worthwhile to do the homework on the computer. There were only three of us in the class, and we never turned our homework in, we just wrote it on the chalkboard and critiqued each other. I was cut down a few notches on more than one occasion.) In addition to homework, there are a variety of fragments, horrific parodies of counterpoint, and general mayhem.

The Instrumental Works

In the summer of 1999 I took an independent study composition class with Larry Warkentin, then Professor of Music Composition at Fresno Pacific University (he has since retired to compose and travel full-time). The emphasis of the course was orchestration; I was to write three pieces, each first for solo piano, and then later arrange them for brass quintet, wind quintet, and full orchestra, respectively. I'm not sure how much I learned about orchestration (an orchestra-director friend of mine pronounced my orchestral work "unplayable, except maybe by the Chicago Symphony") but I certainly expanded my compositional skills. I wrote more music during those three months than during the three previous years. (Pressure does marvelous things for one's creativity.) Everything I written since then has been in a similar style.

Marche Funebre

Marche Funebre was the first assignment; it exists as a piano solo and a brass quintet. The piano version was definitely written with the final product in mind; there are several unplayable chords that will have to be broken. The quintet score is untransposed.

Pavane

The second piece is a pavane, sort of. I don't know whether it conforms to the traditional "pavane form", if, indeed, there is such a thing. It exists in two versions (besides being available for piano or wind quintet); at the advice of my teacher, I cleaned up some of the themes and moved some elements around. Both the first and second revisions are available below, for both piano and wind quintet. Note that the quintet score is untransposed.

Prelude to a Sunrise

Prelude is the final work from this class. (In the orchestra score the title is given in French: "Une Prelude a Lever de Soliel".) It did not have a proscribed form, but incorporates themes from the previous two pieces. Even reusing material, I was unable to finish the orchestral version in time (my teacher was forgiving). This piece is available for piano and full orchestra (transposed).

The Modern Period

My music output has diminished in recent years, not due to lack of desire, but lack of time. Larry Warkentin told me that it takes him at least two continuous hours to "get into the mood" for composing. That is, two uninterrupted hours, not of composing, but simply playing with ideas on the piano; after that period the real composing begins. I've found that the same is true for me; I need a continuous block of at least three hours (preferably more) to get anything done. Up until recently I haven't had this kind of time; I'm hoping that now that my scheduled has settled down I'll be able to get back into it.

Allegro con fuoco

This "Allegro" was intended to be the fourth movement of a piano suite; at present, it is the only movement. Each movement was to be based on a quotation. The five movements were going to be

  1. “Exegi monumentum aere perennius” (“I have built a monument more lasting than brass”), Horace, “Odes”, III xxx 1
  2. “Tempora mutantur, nos et mutanut in illis” (“Times change, and we change with the times”), Roman saying
  3. “She moved gracefully, she seemed to have part with all pleasant and gracious things.”, H.G. Wells, “A Dream of Armageddon”
  4. “Thrice to thine, and thrice to mine,
    And thrice again to make up nine.”
    Shakespeare, Macbeth, I, iii, 36-37
  5. “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God”, Revelation 21:2a

I like this little piece; it's fast and loud, but with a contrastingly quiet and odd middle section.

Men at Work

Men at Work it a short piano piece that was intended to be part of a suite based on road signs. The rest of the suite never materialized, but this piece remains. It's a bit strange; I don't think I had my two hours of prep time before I started on this.

Wachet Auf

This short little piece is a piano setting of the German hymn tune "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme", perhaps most recognizable as the subject of a J.S. Bach organ chorale (Schübler Chorales, no. 1). Someone suggested that I could play a short, quiet piece during the silent prayer time at church, so I wrote this. I was hoping to do more hymn tunes like this, but we've stopped having silent prayer in church, so there's no longer a need for it.

M.A.S.

M.A.S. is a long piece for piano and violin. It isn't particularly good (or even finished). I wrote it for fun, based on the common trick of transcribing a person's name into music notes. (Simply map the letters A through G to the music notes of the same names; for letters H and beyond, repeat back to A. So H equals the note A, I equals B, and so forth.) This was based on my cousin Matthew's name. He later used this same trick for a composition of his own. I'm not sure whose is better, but mine is certainly longer.

A Pirate Christmas

This piece is completely out of place. It claims to be a "traditional pirate Christmas carol". I wrote it for a Christmas talent show/party; my brother and I sang (dressed in full pirate regallia) while my grandfather accompanied on the piano. There is a short skit that goes along with this piece. I really like this piece, even though it has nothing to do with my "mature style"; it was fun to write and it's fun to perform.

Romance, arr. for Violin and Piano

This Romance is from Morceaux de Salon by Rachmaninoff. I made an arrangement for violin and piano so I could play it with my cousin. I'm fairly certain that the original is in the public domain, but I want to check before I post it.

  • Romance, arr. for violin and Piano coming soon?

A Work of Fiction, Chapter the First

I remember picking this title (again, part of a suite), but I don't remember writing this piece. It's pretty short, and doesn't do very much. It appears to be an attempt at Copland-like harmony.

Impromptu No. 1

This impromptu really was an impromptu; I wanted to see what I could come up with without any planning or forethought. I wrote it down (with a just a bit of elaboration) later. This piece is unfinished.

Other fragments

Here are some other fragments of pieces, undeveloped ideas, themes, etc. Don't ask for details, I have none to give.

  • Fragment No. 1 (LilyPond source). An odd little one-page piano piece that just stops. This may have been an attempt at the "monument of brass" movement from the above piano suite.
  • Fragment No. 2 (LilyPond source). Another short strange piece that appears to be some kind of march.
  • Theme in C Minor. Not really a piano piece, this little theme is more suited to an instrument with sustain, such as a pipe organ.

The Future?

One area in which I really need work is development; there is almost none in my past compositions. The general form of all my works can be summed up as

  1. Introduce theme "A".
  2. Repeat theme "A" until I get sick of it.
  3. Introduce contrasting theme "B".
  4. Repeat theme "B"
  5. Return to theme "A". If we're feeling adventurous, play both themes at the same time.
  6. Coda.

I need to work on the art of developing musical material, whether through a "theme and variations" form, or a traditional sonata-allegro development section, or the "continuous development" of Franz Liszt. I've been studying the works of Liszt, particularly looking at how he develops his themes.

I'm planning on taking some of the better material from my existing compositions and using it as the basis for a set of developmental exercises. These would be pieces that do nothing but develop a single theme in every way possible. I doubt they'll be very good musically but hopefully this will improve my skills. (I'd also like to work on my counterpoint, but first things first.)