Alfred Publishing recently posted new recordings of this year's new music and, as usual, they're spectacular. The sheet music isn't ready just yet, but you can listen online for free and you can buy each song for just $.99 USD.
This year, all three pieces are written for the beginner end of the spectrum, mostly for intermediate and late beginners.
March of the Wood Elves: The pizzicato pulse and sly melody set up the imagery of rows of tiny soldiers marching across the forest floor. The music builds and breaks into a rustic dance before returning to the regimented, military rhythms and quietly stomping into the distance.
Listen here
Winstride: This is a sunny, optimistic piece that offers beginners some fun counting challenges. The middle section goes into a minor key and includes some call-and-response before returning to the main theme.
Listen here
Zuma Breakers: Named for a popular Southern California surf spot, this piece is a rollicking tribute to the surf rock scene of the 1960's and artists like Dick Dale, The Ventures, and Jan and Dean. Everyone gets a shot at the fun melodies and this piece would make the perfect encore at your next concert!
Listen here
Showing posts with label new music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new music. Show all posts
Monday, March 24, 2014
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
New Music Selected for 2014
I'm thrilled to announce that Alfred Publishing has picked up three of my pieces for their 2014 String Orchestra catalog! Back in March I sent them nine selections of varying styles and ability levels and they took all of the beginner pieces. Here's what to look forward to:
March of the Wood Elves starts with a minor-key pizzicato pulse and a sly melody, builds in intensity, and then quietly marches off into the distance. I think the influence of Shostakovich's Leningrad Symphony is pretty apparent in this one.
Winstride is a sunny, vibrant piece with a bit of a rock feel. Easy syncopations and simple, sparkling 8th note accompaniments give way to a contrasting minor key middle section before returning to the main themes and an exciting conclusion.
Zuma Breakers pays tribute to classic surf rock artists of the 1960's like Dick Dale, The Ventures, and Jan & Dean. It's a fast-paced zip down the beach with a focus on the second finger pattern and G-string notes. This one includes an optional drum kit part for extra rock & roll flair.
I'm excited about these three selections and I'll be sure to update their progress here on the blog when they go through the editing, recording, and publication phases.
March of the Wood Elves starts with a minor-key pizzicato pulse and a sly melody, builds in intensity, and then quietly marches off into the distance. I think the influence of Shostakovich's Leningrad Symphony is pretty apparent in this one.
Winstride is a sunny, vibrant piece with a bit of a rock feel. Easy syncopations and simple, sparkling 8th note accompaniments give way to a contrasting minor key middle section before returning to the main themes and an exciting conclusion.
Zuma Breakers pays tribute to classic surf rock artists of the 1960's like Dick Dale, The Ventures, and Jan & Dean. It's a fast-paced zip down the beach with a focus on the second finger pattern and G-string notes. This one includes an optional drum kit part for extra rock & roll flair.
I'm excited about these three selections and I'll be sure to update their progress here on the blog when they go through the editing, recording, and publication phases.
Monday, July 18, 2011
New Music Selected: Samba Del Sol
My third piece selected for the 2012 - 2013 Alfred String Orchestra catalog is Samba Del Sol, an appropriately sunny tune for beginners. It's all in pizzicato and all on the D string, making is super-easy and it features optional percussion parts and back-and-forth melodies, making it super-fun.
Not much else to say about this one, other than to mention that it's the latest of many Latin-themed pieces I've had published. The others include "Las Mariposas Exoticas," "Violet's Tango," and "Mambo Incognito." I'd bet a good concert could be put together with just my Latin numbers.
Not much else to say about this one, other than to mention that it's the latest of many Latin-themed pieces I've had published. The others include "Las Mariposas Exoticas," "Violet's Tango," and "Mambo Incognito." I'd bet a good concert could be put together with just my Latin numbers.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
New Music Selected: Harrowland
The second of my pieces that Alfred Publishing selected for their 2012-2013 catalog is Harrowland. It's a fast, minor-key piece for beginners in the same "sturm und drang" style as Gauntlet, Avatar, Agincourt, and Elementals. And those are some of my best-sellers.
As always, I write string orchestra music as instructive etudes, so directors can reinforce important skills with their concert music. With wide leaps between notes, Harrowland is designed to give young musicians practice with string crossings.
This one was actually a re-submission. About two weeks after I finished Harrowland, I brought it along with me when I was invited to guest-conduct at the 2007 String Day concert in Philadelphia, where the piece was premiered. Each year, string students of Bucks County, PA volunteer a Saturday to sightread a few selections in the morning, rehearse them for a few hours, and put on a show that same evening. I was asked to conduct the advanced group, made of middle school students and a few ringers. We opened with Gauntlet, played a few other pieces, and closed with the world premiere of Harrowland (which, at the time, was called "Voyage of the Queen Anne's Revenge"). It was a great time and an exciting day of music-making! We had a great turnout of participants and it's great to see a school district where students are given opportunities to shine.
As always, I write string orchestra music as instructive etudes, so directors can reinforce important skills with their concert music. With wide leaps between notes, Harrowland is designed to give young musicians practice with string crossings.
This one was actually a re-submission. About two weeks after I finished Harrowland, I brought it along with me when I was invited to guest-conduct at the 2007 String Day concert in Philadelphia, where the piece was premiered. Each year, string students of Bucks County, PA volunteer a Saturday to sightread a few selections in the morning, rehearse them for a few hours, and put on a show that same evening. I was asked to conduct the advanced group, made of middle school students and a few ringers. We opened with Gauntlet, played a few other pieces, and closed with the world premiere of Harrowland (which, at the time, was called "Voyage of the Queen Anne's Revenge"). It was a great time and an exciting day of music-making! We had a great turnout of participants and it's great to see a school district where students are given opportunities to shine.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
New Music Selected: Beale Street Strut
I recently heard from my editor and I'm thrilled to announce that Alfred Publishing will release three of my new pieces in their 2012-2013 String Orchestra catalog! They're ahead of schedule this year, as I usually hear from them in late July or early August.
The first new piece to look forward to is Beale Street Strut, a major-key, intermediate-level piece. For those of you outside the United States (which, I understand to my delight, is a growing number), Beale Street is a stretch of road in the city of Memphis, Tennessee, famous for having a lot of jazz and blues clubs and it is considered the epicenter of Southern jazz.
As you might expect, the piece has a jazzy style and features some "blue" notes. Specifically, F-F# and C-C# chromatics. The basses and 'cellos get to play some classic bass lines as well as some broad-shouldered melodies. As usual, there's lots for the violas to do as well.
I think this is one that students will be humming in the hallways of their schools and that audiences will remember after the curtain goes down.
The first new piece to look forward to is Beale Street Strut, a major-key, intermediate-level piece. For those of you outside the United States (which, I understand to my delight, is a growing number), Beale Street is a stretch of road in the city of Memphis, Tennessee, famous for having a lot of jazz and blues clubs and it is considered the epicenter of Southern jazz.
As you might expect, the piece has a jazzy style and features some "blue" notes. Specifically, F-F# and C-C# chromatics. The basses and 'cellos get to play some classic bass lines as well as some broad-shouldered melodies. As usual, there's lots for the violas to do as well.
I think this is one that students will be humming in the hallways of their schools and that audiences will remember after the curtain goes down.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Heist Music & Opera
I haven't written here in a while, so I thought I'd give an update on what I'm working on right now.
At present, I'm in the middle of writing a piece for intermediate-to-advanced groups. I enjoy a good "heist" movie like Oceans Eleven, The Italian Job, and the grandfather of them all, Rififi, so I thought it would be fun to write a faux soundtrack to a heist movie. Musically telling the story of an elite group sneaking into a building, evading security, cracking the safe, and getting out with the loot has yielded some good things and has given me the opportunity to include some fun special effects.
I have a "main" theme and a "secondary" theme written and now it's just a matter of arranging them to tell the story - building suspense in certain places and depicting the events of the heist.
I'm also at work on my second opera, Heart Mountain. My plan is to go back and forth between writing a number for the opera and writing a piece for school orchestras. that way, I'll have enough music to send to my publishers each year while still making steady progress on the opera. At present, I've finished the opera's short intro, two of the twelve arias, and the ensemble-finale. There will be four singers (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone) and the arias I've finished are for Soprano and Tenor. I'll write an Alto aria, then one for the Baritone, and another ensemble (perhaps the opening chorus, but I haven't decided for sure). After that, I'll be one third of the way done.
The opera is coming along slowly, but I have the time and want to make sure I have nothing but spectacular melodies throughout. in fact, I've worked out a method where I write all the music to a piece first, then write the lyrics to fit the rhythms and melodies. Writing music to fit the lyrics never worked for me - The melodies tend to fall flat at the expense of staying true to the words. the new system is working much better.
I'll write more about the lyrical process later.
At present, I'm in the middle of writing a piece for intermediate-to-advanced groups. I enjoy a good "heist" movie like Oceans Eleven, The Italian Job, and the grandfather of them all, Rififi, so I thought it would be fun to write a faux soundtrack to a heist movie. Musically telling the story of an elite group sneaking into a building, evading security, cracking the safe, and getting out with the loot has yielded some good things and has given me the opportunity to include some fun special effects.
I have a "main" theme and a "secondary" theme written and now it's just a matter of arranging them to tell the story - building suspense in certain places and depicting the events of the heist.
I'm also at work on my second opera, Heart Mountain. My plan is to go back and forth between writing a number for the opera and writing a piece for school orchestras. that way, I'll have enough music to send to my publishers each year while still making steady progress on the opera. At present, I've finished the opera's short intro, two of the twelve arias, and the ensemble-finale. There will be four singers (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone) and the arias I've finished are for Soprano and Tenor. I'll write an Alto aria, then one for the Baritone, and another ensemble (perhaps the opening chorus, but I haven't decided for sure). After that, I'll be one third of the way done.
The opera is coming along slowly, but I have the time and want to make sure I have nothing but spectacular melodies throughout. in fact, I've worked out a method where I write all the music to a piece first, then write the lyrics to fit the rhythms and melodies. Writing music to fit the lyrics never worked for me - The melodies tend to fall flat at the expense of staying true to the words. the new system is working much better.
I'll write more about the lyrical process later.
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