WHAT IS NEW
Please visit frequently to view new scores, listen to recordings, and consult available works!
December 8 - Happy Winter's Eve, friends! (I know, I know, I don't always update here for months at a time!) Work continues in my teaching life with live instruction, and several successful band-related events this fall season. All of which has left me with less time to be writing than imagined, however there are several updates to my catalogue.
I have been revising my Requiem for Winds and Percussion since the summer. Many long-hand sketches have been edited and re-orchestrated in order to reflect a chamber wind ensemble, perhaps in better proportion to the voices. At times the choir is scored in 8-part harmony and/or counterpoint textures, so the reduction in wind and percussion forces ought to blend better with transparency of simultaneous texts being sung.
The premiere of Symphony No. 3 from January of 2020 is now uploaded on the Wind Ensembles page. Have a watch and/or listen!
I have begun some work on a two-movement composition entitled "Foundations in the Sky." The title casts imagery of how the sky, particularly the night sky, can represent both the beginning and the ending of something. It is meant to evoke the power of human emotion in the night, and the bonds that we forge through shared experiences. More to come as the piece takes shape.
May 26 - Happy Summer's Eve, friends! These last few months have been hectic to say the least. Recently we have had to adapt to a healthy mix of virtual and live music instruction, and fortunately a "return to normal routines" may very well be in the near future for all performers that I work with.
My compositions have been evolving. My fourth symphony is taking shape as five interrelated movements that address emotive qualities throughout various timbres and instrumental demands. My post from January (below) still represents the core content of the piece, but like my third symphony, I am writing the music with the hopeful intent that the musicians themselves experience the emotion behind each of the composition styles, not just to create a piece using such and such a tone collection, or such and such a structure. And my apologies, friends, but it will be unlikely that I will use flexible instrumentation.
I am also hoping to conclude working on my Requiem for Winds and Percussion this summer. The loss of a dear friend of mine several years ago initially inspired this work. I have pondered the true depth of my feelings about my relationship with this person, and find myself in a new creative space removed from the rawness of my initial gut reaction to loss. Though I myself am not Catholic, I believe the work I am producing will symbolize all that was wonderful about our friendship through the well-known texts associated with the Latin ordinary.
I will also soon be switching platforms and purchasing my domain, so keep an eye out for a new website in the near future.
January 4 (2021) - Happy New Year! As the calendar turns to a new year, so have a few compositions of mine been foraying into new territory.
I have outlined substantial material for Symphony no. 4. Not a commissioned work, and with no deadline for a performance, I have taken allowances in formal design and harmonic language. Decidedly, I am bridging elements of tonality and triadic harmony with atonal structures. An extended solo rooted in the [02347] pentachord (and its retrograde-inversion at the tritone, which forms a 10-tone "wide scale") begins one of the movements. That material then returns in a 5- and 6-part chorale setting employing various transpositions of the wide scale, paired with free chromaticism. The attempt with my works, whether tonally grounded or ambiguous, is to retain some degree of aesthetic, or affect, so that even those moments of harmonic "instability" maintain a sense of color and direction, where the listener can emote perceivably beyond the use of atonality in itself. The outlines have been a fun challenge to sustain.
Another movement has been inspired by the works of Olivier Messiaen, a long-standing favorite composer of mine. Employing the same pentachord and wide scale, an arduously slow-moving chorale "rises from the abyss," spanning from D1 to Ab7 over nearly two minutes of music, where overlapping "chord progressions" combine to form an ascension of sound that embodies the finality of a dreamscape ending in the mind of a dreamer, and bursting into a waking sense of rejoicing.
December 7 (2020) - It has been a while since I have updated savgamusic32, and I hope that my "followers" and fellow musicians have found themselves in good health and spirits. What a time it has been. With a worldwide health crisis, social movements in America, and reevaluation of everything related to the performing arts, it has certainly been a time and place for composers to be creating their craft-works in new and nuanced ways.
January, 2020 brought me a wonderful premiere of Symphony no. 3 by the Bridgewater-Raritan High School Wind Ensemble, with soloists Evelyn Fu, violin, Diana Scafuto, vocalist, Thomas Stranick, guitar, and Jaclyn Lenox and Amanda Osborne, choreographers and dancers. The poetry underlined a great deal of the tumult represented by the symphonic music, and all musicians and artists were integral not only to the creation of the work, but the continual modifications to the work itself. It was a memorable experience to design this music for these musicians, and to conduct the work for our "home" audience.
"Study in Black and Green" had been drafted and scored in part by February in preparation for a premiere by the William Paterson University Concert Band in April. However, due to academic centers turning to remote instruction, this project was delayed indefinitely. It is a single-movement adagio based on the emotive qualities found in the original portrait by John White Alexander. The composition references folk and popular songs that include the colors green and black in their texts, surrounded by an 11-tone row passacaglia in seamless variation form.
Work has begun on Symphony no. 4. During the early months of the quarantine, I found myself reading and running more than usual, returning to a degree of introversion for long periods of time. I finished many books that held book marks for years, as well as dug up old fragments of music I had written two years ago. For some reason I also started paying more attention to song lyrics, old and new, and one Led Zeppelin lyric remained:
"Vixen in my dreams, with great surprise to me,
Never thought I'd see your face the way it used to be."
-Ten Years Gone (Physical Graffiti: Swan Song, 1975)
For as long as I can recall, I have been fascinated with dreams and the symbolism within them. This line was especially profound to me, and I found that much of the little compositions from years ago lent well to this text theme. With some experimentation and improvisation, new life was given to the older music, and an expansive large-scale form is budding.
Anyone seeing or reading this post, feel free to share thoughts on the music you have been creating during these past few months. Sorry for the delayed updates, but I hope that all who read this message are in good health.
October 2 - Hugely productive night working on Symphony no. 3. Trying to craft music from so many points of influence is exciting and truly rewarding...so far.
September 27 - All prices have been removed from the website. Philosophically, I am much more interested in sharing music and experiencing live performances and collaborations with students, conductors, and ensembles, and not trying to sell my music to those parties. I'm happy to send music anywhere (please submit an interest form if so!), and if hard copies of anything is requested, I will invoice the amount for copying, binding, and shipping. Thanks for your continued support of my music!
June 17 - The premiere of my latest young band work "Shoebox Sinfonietta" is now available for viewing! Find it on the Wind Ensembles tab on savgamusic32.
May 6 - Check out the Wind Ensembles tab for video uploads of the premiere of (after) January Mist and the first live performance of Vision de Nuit!
May 4 - Money isn't everything! I will be perusing through my catalogue of available works and pricing all publications 20% lower than originally labeled. I am happy to modify the price of my compositions for purchase as my insight into public school budgets, accessibility of new compositions, and up-front surficial monetary dynamics of a self-publisher lend a more conservative dynamic to my desire to share my works beyond their commissioning parties. Music speaks volumes, and new music budgets don't have to absorb as much!
I have been focusing much of my energy on teaching and conducting this past year, and have not taken advantage of the website platform as much as I should be. This academic year has featured two premieres, one newly-composed work, an additional performance of the Dubois transcription, as well as several promotions of my Bacoustics catalogue with university ensembles. One new work for the Bridgewater-Raritan Concert Band, entitled "Shoebox Sinfonietta," will be completed soon and premiered on Thursday, May 30, at 7:00 PM.
As always, I adore visitations to savgamusic32. Thank you for your continued support of this art!
February 1 - William Paterson University's Concert Band students will be rehearsing and performing two Savgamusic32 compositions.
My transcription of Dubois' "Au Jardin" has been rescored with care taken to original timbres and keeping with the turn-of-the-century French chamber wind style. I believe this piece to be of exceptional quality, and could be issued as a flexible instrumentation work based on the requirements of groups looking to perform it.
"Vision de Nuit" will receive its first full public performance at our concert in the spring. An initial reading was completed in 2017 at its first engraving, and has since been edited to reflect a more cohesive orchestration and overall musical effect.
Come and hear these two works at WPU's Shea Center for the Performing Arts on April 25, 2019, 8:00pm, in Wayne, NJ!
Thank you for your interest and support in Savgamusic32!
July 28 - Live performance of Wedding Scene from l'Orfeo is available under the Wind Ensembles tab. The premiere was made by the Senior SYMS Brass Choir in Durham, New Hampshire. Have a listen!
July 15 - A new transcription of music from Claudio Monteverdi's "l'Orfeo" is now available for brass choir (3.1.2.1.1 + optional percussion). This new work is an arrangement of music from the wedding scene in Act I of Monteverdi's famous opera, between Orpheus and Eurydice. It features two soloists (trumpet at trombone) in a recitative style followed by an imitative full ensemble answer. Next is an immediate transition into the virtuosic instrumental ritornello (originally scored for recorders, lutes, and continuo instruments), which immediately progresses into the scene's final chorale. A majority of the brass part writing is based solely on the original baroque instrumental and choral voice-parts, is scored for an accessible ensemble of players, and explores all of the unique Baroque styles and textures found in Monteverdi's writing.
March 31 - Through joint efforts put forth by Eryn Oft, Christopher Wickham, and the RU BACOUSTICS ENSEMBLE, all commissioned arrangements for mixed bassoon ensembles are now FREE for download. Visit the "Other Ensembles" page for a complete list of available products. Performance parts will be made available upon request through the interest form available through this website.
March 21 - It has been a while since I have updated this site's content and shared new work and projects. My teaching has kept me occupied this school year, so I have not put out as much music as I am normally able to. I am currently completing a young band piece entitled "Moons of Jupiter," which is a short rondo for young band. It opens with a "rocket" or "lift-off" theme which then transitions into various contrasting sections that emulate the Roman names and descriptors of four of the prominent moons of our largest planet. The work is roughly a grade II composition, and showcases all sections of a middle school band!
A major work that is well underway is my Requiem for Winds and Percussion. I have taken the traditional Latin Requiem Mass text and interspersed modern poetry in English, at times replacing the Latin, at others juxtaposing in real time with the Latin. The Kyrie is set with a nod to a well-known Kyrie by Mozart by using the fugue as an expressive device. The Dies Irae features Latin and English text simultaneously. The inclusion of In Paradisium at the work's conclusion is especially moving. The inclusion of Psalm text from the NIV Bible is also something I wished to include, as many passages include references to death of a loved one, and how to experience coping and healing through Christian stories and symbolism. The losses I have incurred in recent years have inspired much of this music.
June 26 - Work has begun on the third and final installment of my trilogy of brass ensemble compositions designed for the Senior SYMS Brass Choir. Two years ago I hastily composed a brass ensemble piece (Echoes and Canons) for this group due to the incredibly large quantity of trumpet players (20, I believe) relative to the other voices, and wanting to provide a unique experience for an ensemble in proportion to its constituents. Consulting with my colleagues, not only did this piece become an antiphonal work with two of the trumpet parts being staged in the balconies in Johnson Theater at the University of New Hampshire, but it was recommended that I "continue a series" of these works that focus on antiphonal effects.
The second work, And There Were Angels, featured a similar ensemble size with antiphonal trumpets, and was written in memory of a dear colleague who passed away in 2016. It is a meditation on some of my own feelings of loss and loneliness that resulted from this event in my life, and while generating musical echoes in the hall itself, the content of the composition echoes these feelings.
The third work in this series will feature an antiphonal brass quintet, and is entitled All Around And Back By Daybreak. It is, if nothing more, a happy ending to the journeys I have found myself taking personally and musically since 2015. If anyone is around Durham, NH in late July/early August, feel free to attend its premiere!
June 17 - Thank you for your patience during a hiatus of activity! Thanks to the volunteerism of my students in the Bridgewater-Raritan Wind Ensemble, two professional demos of my beginning/developing band pieces "Curls of Christmastime" from 2016, and "Tow Path Tarantella" from 2017 are now available. If looking for a unique holiday selection or a fun and spirited dance piece for your elementary band, check these two compositions out!
Work has begun on my "Requiem for Winds and Mixed Chorus" which will combine traditional Latin texts with modern English poetry. Will be completed by the end of this year and premiered by students in the choirs and wind bands at Bridgewater-Raritan High School in May, 2018.
January 29 - "Vision de Nuit" is currently available for purchase. While a previous post outlined that the piece was a "work in progress" it is decidedly complete!
The title, a paraphrase in French on "Night Visions," elicits the feeling of a night piece, a combination of the feelings of darkness and solitude, but not necessarily sadness or loneliness. Two musical characters scored in the flute and trombone voices (relatively extensive solos for both instruments) function like narrators during the night where musical visions, sometimes real and sometimes dreamlike, are had. The first section is lyrical and harmonically lush, while the second section thus far is uptempo and emphatic, creating a fantastic escapist scene. This section climaxes in a cacophony of musical images that appear to engulf the listener beyond recognition, however a recapitulation of the two slow-tempo solo voices in flue and trombone return the musical "sense" to the piece.
The French translation of the title also refers to the French augmented 6th chord making frequent appearances in this piece. Be sure to check it out on the Wind Ensembles tab under grade IV-VI composition.
January 27 - My newest beginning/developing band piece is now available.
Tow Path Tarantella is a light dance for a beginning or developing band. It is cast in 6/8 time and plays out in characters that emulate people learning how to perform the dance. Nearly all wind and percussion instruments have a primary melodic passage in various sections. The mallet part is interchangeable with any keyboard instrument, and the tambourine part can be performed with other drums ad libitum, harkening back to the percussive improvisation that this particular Medieval/Renaissance dance often had originally. Feel free to check out the score and the demo recording under Grades I-III on the Wind Ensembles tab.
January 11 - An arrangement of Mozart's Divertimento No. 4 (K 186/159b) has been re-scored for pairs of oboes, clarinets, alto clarinets, horns, and bassoons. Similar to an expanded harmonie ensemble common at the time, the additional English horns in the original create a unique timbre, but yet require six double reed players even for modern performances. The technical demands of this work are modest when compared with other harmoniemusik, therefore the English horn parts have been written for alto clarinets in this arrangement in order to better facilitate school ensembles' programming of this otherwise obscure but high quality chamber piece by Mozart. While the color of the alto clarinet is preferred and will provide a warm balance in this arrangement, other instruments can also be scored. Be sure to check out this work under "Arranging" on the Other Ensembles tab above.
December 29 - Happy Holidays to all visitors, subscribers, and parties who have supported my music...and of course, to my friends and family!
Work on a new piece for wind ensemble has begun entitled Vision de Nuit. The title, a paraphrase in French on "Night Visions," elicits the feeling of a night piece, a combination of the feelings of darkness and solitude, but not necessarily sadness or loneliness. Two musical characters scored in the flute and trombone voices (relatively extensive solos for both instruments) function like narrators during the night where musical visions, sometimes real and sometimes dreamlike, are had. The first section is lyrical and harmonically lush, while the second section thus far is uptempo and emphatic, creating a fantastic escapist scene. Check back for updates on the progress of this new and evocative composition.
September 12 - If looking for a lighthearted feature for an advanced soloist in your middle school band, Jester's Ballet is now available. This composition was originally composed for a middle school band with tenor saxophone soloist playing at an advanced level, however, the solo voice can be performed by nearly any member of the ensemble (a part for any transposition can be provided by the composer). Extended techniques make this piece fun and spontaneous for many sections in the band - the soloist is asked to improvise using a modified blues scale, the clarinets are asked to perform using only mouthpieces and barrels, and the flutists can perform percussive wind tones using only head joints. There is also a unique part for any combination of traditional African drums! Be sure to check this composition's full score on the Wind Ensembles tab.
August 24 - Two works for brass ensemble (4 trumpets, horn, 2 trombones, euphonium, tuba) are now available. These two compositions are the first installments of a series of brass choir pieces composed for that ensemble at the Summer Youth Music School at the University of New Hampshire, featuring the ensemble on stage and two additional antiphonal trumpet parts cast in various forms of imitation. A description of both works can be found on the Wind Ensembles tab.
August 20 - "Curls of Christmastime" is a new composition for beginning band that echoes familiar Christmas music while portraying a traditional holiday concert. If looking for a composition that is truly an "original" selection for an upcoming holiday program, be sure to have a look and listen to this selection.
If looking for a new version of Piazolla's "Libertango," an edition for flute, clarinet, and piano is now available through the chamber winds page.
July 15 - If looking for an exciting and eclectic piece to program with the saxes and trombones in your jazz band as soloists, take a look at "Through a Fractal on a Breaking Wall" - score is currently uploaded.
Demo recordings are now available for "I'll Meet You in Savannah." This highly emotional work features cello and piano, who both add a unique color to the wind band. Aleatoric passages for several players and "free" bars where the ensemble may insert vamps add a unique opportunity to pace the performance at the will of the conductor/players.
"A Triumphant Overture" and "As The Winter Clears..." now have demo recordings posted.
July 4 - Full score to my masters composition, "Romeo and Juliet for Symphonic Wind Ensemble," is now available! Two movements have been premiered by the UNH Wind Symphony; cursory read-throughs were recorded by the same ensemble; the remaining (4th movement) is available as MIDI.
Several major scenes from Shakespeare have been set to music in this composition, and the work could be a unique cross-discipline concert piece, perhaps with dialogue acted out or paraphrased, or interpretive dance incorporated into a performance.