As this semester drew to a close, I had put far too much effort into all of the various papers I had to write to just have them sit on a shelf. So I am posting most of them here. I am backdating them so they fit in the flow as they were written. Here… Read more »
Posts Tagged: My Compositions/Arrangements
Fugue No. 1 in D Minor
I finally wrote a fugue. I have loved the style and wanted to be able to for a long time, but finally learned enough about counterpoint to achieve it. The fugue is in three voices and is arranged for organ although no particular instrumentation is suggested. The middle voice switches between bass and treble clef… Read more »
Theory III Listening Assignment – Richard Strauss: Tod und Verklärung (Death and Transfiguration)
Richard Strauss was born in Munich, Germany in 1864. His father, an excellent horn player, provided a comprehensive musical education to the young Richard. He was influenced early by the music of Richard Wagner, thus elements of Wagner’s style pervade Strauss’s music. His two primary compositional genres were Opera and Tone Poems. He was a… Read more »
Cloudburst
Another piece for composition class. This time I tried to make the most of very little melodic and harmonic material, minimalism if you will. Anyway, I found it to be very evocative of a cloudburst. Cloudburst – MP3 from Finale Cloudburst – PDF Score
Roman Legion
Another piece I wrote for composition class. This time I had to write a piece using a specific interval. I chose a fourth and thought that the result was very evocative of an Ancient Roman army marching past. The piece is basically tonal, but not really harmonic in any way. It is scored for piano…. Read more »
Theory III Listening Assignment – Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection” – 5th Movement
Gustav Mahler was born in Kaliště, Bohemia in 1860. His musical talent was apparent early, and he graduated from the Vienna Conservatory in 1878. A part time composer, his primary livelihood was derived from conducting opera and concerts. He wrote many art songs and nine symphonies, leaving a tenth incomplete. His music stretched tonality, but… Read more »
Theory III Listening Assignment – Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, Op. 95 “New World”
In 1841, Antonin Dvorak was born in the Bohemian village of Nelahozeves near Prague. He was influenced by German harmonic tradition, writing symphonies that were based on Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Brahms. He also explored elements of his own culture, becoming one of foremost Bohemian nationalist composers. In the late 1800s, he came to the United… Read more »
Solo for Horn
My first composition for the 2010 UWRF Beginning Composition class. The assignment is writing a solo for a monophonic instrument. I chose the French Horn. The form is ABA`. In retrospect, the beginning theme sounds like a mix between the Horn solo in the final movement of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 and the Eintritt… Read more »
Theory III Listening Assignment – Liszt’s Piano Sonata in B minor, S. 178
Franz Liszt was born in Hungary in 1811, but lived most of his life in Paris, moving there as a teen. He was a huge success as a concert pianist and is still considered one of the greatest pianists since the instrument’s invention. In his thirties, he retired from concertizing and focused on composition. He… Read more »
Dies Irae for chamber ensemble
This is the piece I arranged for the 2010 MYS Summer Composition Workshop. It is the result of two different attempts to harmonize the Dies Irae using standard voice leading rules. The Dies Irae is a hymn/plainchant written by Thomas of Celano, an early Franciscan monk, in the mid 1250s. It is a beautiful modal… Read more »