New Soundtrack – Homecoming – Short Film by Josiah Signor

I recently finished scoring a short film by Josiah Signor – Homecoming. I attempted to illustrate the emotions of this intimate and moving film with the simple instrumentation of clarinet, viola, cello, piano, harp, and percussion.

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New Soundtrack – Original Music Score to Freaks

The enclosed is a scene from the 1932 film “Freaks” I scored recently. Those of you who follow my whereabouts might know that I am currently studying scoring for film and multimedia at the New York University. Expect more projects to be posted here soon.

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Glass – Electronic Soundtrack – New Music for Dance

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This past winter I was invited by a fellow composer and my former teacher James R. Carlson to participate in the annual Art Moves, a collaboration of original art, music, and dance inspired by artwork at the Knoxville Museum of Art.
I was commissioned to compose music celebrating A Visionary [...]

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Three Laments of Heloise – New Music for Chamber Orchestra

Queens Envied Me My Joys
If Not With You, My Heart is Nowhere
My Most Wretched Soul
I am very excited to introduce my new composition for chamber orchestra entitled Three Laments of Heloise. The Laments were inspired by the Letters of Abelard and Heloise I read this spring. I was deeply [...]

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Two Moods – New Music for Clarinet and Piano

1. Haunted
2. Wind Chimes
(Samples from a live performance by Jeffrey St. John Sherwood, clarinet and Melony Maness, piano, March 29, 2009.)

I am happy to unveil Two Moods – my latest composition for clarinet and piano, written for clarinetist Jeffrey St John Sherwood.
Jeffrey and I discussed collaboration on a piece as [...]

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Hail the Emperor – New Music for Orchestra

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I am happy to unveil my latest composition for orchestra: “Hail the Emperor”. It is about 9 minutes long and is scored for woodwinds in pairs, brass, timpani, 4 percussionists, harp, and strings.
If you think the title is a little on the grandiose side, [...]

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New Music – Flute Concerto “The Espionage”

I am happy to announce the completion of my latest composition for flute – the long-awaited Flute Concerto. If you are a faithful reader of my blog, you might remember my references to writing a flute sonata. I originally thought I would write a respectable sonata for flute and piano, but as [...]

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New Music – Free Scores and Sheet Music in PDF Format

I have decided to conduct an experiment related to the distribution of my music. For a limited time, in addition to the professionally bound scores which you can purchase on my website, I am making available free PDFs of my music.
If you would like to obtain any of my scores, I ask that [...]

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Jubilance and Lament – New Compositions

I am enclosing links to my latest compositions: The Jubilance and the Lament. Both works were composed to satisfy the final requirement of a counterpoint course in my undergraduate studies and both draw inspiration from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Das Wohltemperierte Klavier.
In their initial version, the Jubilance and the Lament were written for [...]

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Making Music Making Love

Several years ago I was in need of some mindless decompression and so I went to the movie theater to see a popular at that time chick flick The Devil Wears Prada. Perhaps the Prada story itself could serve as a topic for another post, but for now I would like to focus [...]

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Prelude and Fugue – New compositions for piano solo

Lest you think I only write poetry these days, I am encolsing links to my latest music compositions.
Inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach’s Das Wohltemperierte Klavier in style and form, and influenced by the colorful progressions of the Impressionists, I wrote a Prelude and a Fuge in 3 voices. This time I ventured [...]

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Color Me Blue – new music for soprano saxophone, 2 vibraphones, and double bass

What happens when counterpoint meets jazz? Lot’s of interesting things. Colorful progressions, virtuoso solo passages, and a little bit of a “mood” are all found in my new composition Color Me Blue for soprano saxophone, 2 vibraphones, and double bass. This is not quite a standard set of instruments, but an interesting combination nevertheless.
Since, [...]

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Kronos Quartet, Early Music: Lachryme antique – Review

The Kronos Quartet, one of the premiere American chamber ensembles, has pushed the boundaries of genre, style, and interpretation for over 30 years. From its conception, ever since violinist David Harrington heard John Crumb’s “Black Angels”, a work inspired by the Vietnam War, featuring bowed water glasses, spoken word passages, and electronic passages, the [...]

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New Music for Cello and Piano – the Triptych

Farandole
Legend
Carousel
(Samples from a live performance by Matt Wilkinson, cello and Melony Maness, piano, March 29, 2009)

I am pleased to unveil my latest composition for cello and piano. The Triptych paints three pictures influenced by the elements of the French culture. The first movement entitled Farandole is a spirited circle dance [...]

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Inspector Bergen Returns – New Music for Percussion

I love British drama on PBS, especially the detective series, such as The Prime Suspect with Helen Mirren, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries with Nathaniel Parker, Second Sight with Clive Owen, and Touching Evil starring Robson Green.
The present work Inspector Bergen Returns seeks to paint a similar suspenseful mood as the soundtrack to the adventures [...]

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Submerged – New Music for Piano Solo

(A sample from a live performance by David Pegel, piano, March 29, 2009.)

When I was in ninth grade my friend played for me “The Submerged Cathedral” by Claude Debussy. I remembered the feeling of calm and mystery the piece evoked. I was hoping to create the same emotion in my new piece for piano solo, [...]

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Midnight Butterflies – New Music for Piano Solo

Midnight Butterflies, a piece for piano solo, was inspired by my own painting by the same title. A whimsical and stuttering melody grows bolder until it reaches a point of freedom, abandon, and transformation. It makes me think about moths who are drawn to the light at night. Perhaps at midnight, when no one is [...]

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Song of the Seraphim – New Choral Music

I went to King College in Bristol, Tennessee to witness the premiere of my Song of the Seraphim. Dr. Pat Flannagan and the Chamber Choir performed the piece in a very moving and spirited way. After the concert I was able to chat with a few members of the choir. They told [...]

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Danse Macabre – New Music for Piano Trio

(A sample from a live performance by Paula Farias Bujes, violin, Pedro Huff, cello, and Eva Elizabeth Holder, piano, March 29, 2009.)

I am pleased to announce a new composition for violin, cello, and piano entitled “Danse Macabre“.
Danse Macabre, a dance of death, is a late medieval allegory of the universality of death. Ravished [...]

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Tango for a Rainy Day – New Music for Piano Solo

I have finished writing a pice for piano solo called “Tango for a Rainy Day”. Rich and mellow jazz harmonies as well as dissonant counterpoint meet in the Tango, a dance of passion and tension. Although at times melancholy and introspective, the Tango engages with its restless pulse, as if in an attempt to [...]

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