Mystic Nights

This next composition is orchestrated for a full orchestra and is the largest orchestration I have composed for yet. It is entitled Mystic Nights because of the mystical feeling the listener will feel throughout.

The piece starts off slow with the violins establishing a sad texture and the woodwinds will later build on this texture. The combination between the strings and woodwinds works excellently, but soon the brass will enter, changing the mood from sad to intense. After a rather dramatic buildup, the tempo picks up and the mystical feel cannot be missed.

Throughout this next portion of the piece, many elements are heard throughout: rapid passages as well as slower passages. The higher instruments with the melody followed by the lows taking over. This provides a nice contrast within the piece, always giving the listener something new to listen to.

Following this portion of the composition is the ballad. The melody of this theme is just so beautiful and much different from the beginning of the piece. There are so many moments in this ballad that truly moves the listener. Whereas in the beginning of the composition, the brass provided a dramatic feel, they now show their soft side in this portion.

Following the ballad is a return of the "mystical" portion with a few alterations, and the composition is then concluded with a revisit to the opening between the violins and woodwinds.

Mystic Nights Audio

Eerie Moonlight

So after composing a concert band chart, orchestral piece, and a woodwind quartet score, I decided my next challenge would be fore a string ensemble piece. So its no surprise my next piece, Eerie Moonlight, is orchestrated for a string ensemble (2 violins, viola, cello, and bass) and piano.

Eerie Moonlight is different from any other piece I have composed. It is, as its title states, very eerie. The piano starts off the piece with a small musical phrase being repeated and altered slightly in terms of the chords. The cello and bass provide harmony and the viola enters emphasizing the eerie feel.  The introduction opens this way until a small buildup into the first theme.

The first theme still attains the eerie factor of my piece but delivers a beautiful, yet side to the piece as well. The violins do an excellent job of bringing out emotions of the listener along with the piano doubling it. The theme continues like this for a bit, until a rather dramatic "James Horner" portion. Following this segment is a revisit of my introduction, but more eerie this time as I slowly begin to move into the second theme. A whole note descending pattern on the piano concludes my transition as I enter theme two.

Theme two starts off very similar to Jaws as it has the same half step pattern in it. However, I do add different parts on top of this pattern and begin to build some intensity into the piece. After a large buildup, a moment of chaos enters the piece, but is soon concluded with the next phrase of my second theme. Over here, the violas take the melody, followed by the lead violin, back the viola, back to the violin, and finally, back to the Jaws pattern. I add a small string section on top of the Jaws portion to conclude with the piano retreating to a slower, more sad fragment of the piece which resolves into the return into my introduction; however this time more dramatic.

The bridge portion of my piece is very similar to the beginning of my composition, with only slight alterations. It only changes at the very end to transition into my third theme in the piece.

This third theme is perhaps my favorite portion of the piece. It begins with a piano developing a waltz feel, and if the listener were to close their eyes, one can almost imagine two people dancing in the moonlight. The violin enters in a hemiola, playing in a different time signature, but this is almost unnoticeable. I continue to elaborate on this theme until the cello takes over this theme. It slightly loses the beauty of the theme, but continues to hold the eeriness. The violin joins the cello in what is the last time we hear the melody and is followed by the piano guiding us away from the third theme of the piece to enter the conclusion.

The ending of the piece is similar to the first theme, except for one small twist, including a hint of the previous whole note descending pattern. However, this alteration is short, the song once again returns to its first theme and concludes.

Eerie Moonlight is eerie like the title states, but also has beautiful and intense moments that cannot be ignored. I encourage all to take a listen to the piece and while your at it, close your eyes and feel yourself be lost in the piece!

Eerie Moonlight mp3

Alienus

After doing a couple pieces for larger musical groups, I decided to bring it down a bit by composing for smaller ensembles. My next piece Alienus, the Latin word for unusual, is a contemporary composition orchestrated for a Woodwind Quartet  (Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, and Bassoon) and piano.

This piece is entirely based off the interval the Augmented Fourth, otherwise known as the Tritone. Being one of my favorite intervals, I emphasize this a lot in the piece. It starts off with a moderately slow piano entrance that gives away no hint as to what the rest of the piece will sound like. However, when the clarinet entrance gives the piece a very strange, unusual flavor. A small buildup occurs resulting in a key change and the strangeness still continues. Suddenly, a the excitement begins to build, and right at the climax, all the instruments cut off for a beat and reenter with the tritone interval. As the introduction fades away, I enter the first theme of my piece, which is rather rapid and exciting.

The first theme begins with the clarinet offering the melody. At the end of that phrase, the flute offers some accompaniment and following the flute is the oboe repeating the melody. Soon, the oboe, bassoon, and clarinet are all playing the melody, when suddenly the bassoon ends the phrase. The next part of this first theme is complete insanity! Each instrument is rapidly playing notes creating an extremely chaotic feel. As all the instruments are trying to squeeze in all the notes they have, the flute and clarinet perform an accented whole note of a tritone interval, abruptly concluding this insanity. The rapidness then retreats to a new, unexpected phrase of one note being followed by another a tritone apart. This phrase ends with a few piano trills leading into the second theme, of my piece.

The second theme is also rather quick and exciting, but not as insane. The clarinet once again has the melody but it is quickly lost several times, and it becomes rather challenging to hear the melody. Once again, the listener is left to just absorb the strangeness of the piece. Later, a development is heard again, but once again, this development is not concluded as it leads to empty silence. After a few more moments of unusualness, a chromatic scale is played to lead us into the next fragment of the piece.

The third theme starts off rather similar to the introduction, with a few alterations. However, this suddenly changes, as the piano has a short solo portion that is new to the rest of the piece. This section gives the piece a flavor that is not experienced earlier in the piece and soon the rest of the woodwinds enter, slowly crescendoing until there is an evident ascension, but this is of course, finished with empty silence. Following the empty silence is the introduction of my piece. The ending is very similar to my introduction with the exception that is is unconcluded.

Alienus is a very contemporary piece and is very different from most compositions by composers today. Sometimes, it takes one listen to like it, whereas others it may take a couple. Give it a listen, and let me know what you think.

Audio for Alienus

Passage to Wonders

Today, in the music world, there are more orchestras out there than you or I could even imagine. So I thought why not compose an orchestral composition for my next piece? Who knows, this piece might just end up going to the London Symphony orchestra. Well, probably not, but it was still worth the effort. The next piece I composed was orchestrated for an orchestra and is entitled Passage to Wonders.

This piece begins very dramatically with the stringed instruments attacking on the same note. As they decay, the flutes enter very mysteriously. And then, before you know it, the brass enters, along with the strings, and we are talking intensity! Within not even a minute into the piece, there is a dramatic, mysterious, and intense feeling within the listener. As the intensity decays, I establish a phrase with the bassoon and cello. As they repeat this phrase, more instruments enter and the passage continues to build. The flute and violin finally give the listener the melody to the piece in a beautiful manner. Another sudden moment and the brass enters with the melody, but once again back in the intense feel. The french horn will follow in after the trumpets and replay the melody, until a small moment of dissonance is created and a short reprise of my opening statement. An unexpected timpani solo enters and leads up into the second portion of my piece.

The second theme to my piece begins with a bassoon and viola ostinato of a rather arabic feel. The flute enters emphasizing the arabic feel, with the oboe providing a countermelody. Once the oboe decays, the french horn will enter building up into a small return back into my first theme. However, this is only short as I return to the arabic feel once again, but I slowly lose that feel for a more soothing one. Suddenly, the soothing dies to be replace with intensity, but before you know it, it's back to relaxing, and then a crescendo into yet another timpani solo! The solo ends with a powerful entrance into my first theme, and now I keep replaying my initial theme with just different instruments. I build up each time by adding new instruments providing different harmonies until by the end, the piece is at its most intense, exciting, and dramatic all at the same time. I end the piece the same way I started it: the strings attacking the same note, except with the rest of the orchestra joining them.

Passage to Wonders is an extremely exciting, intense, and versatile composition of mine with a lot going on. Take a listen to it and while you're at it, close your eyes, and let your mind take you on a passage to wonders!

Passage to Wonders mp3

Seasons of the Ocean

After months of theory and composition study, I've finally decided to undergo the task of composing an actual piece of mine. I chose a concert band instrumentation because being a member of a concert band, this is a familiar ground for me. This piece is entitled Seasons of the Ocean.

It begins nice and slow as I give a small introduction of my main theme with the woodwinds. A drum break enters picking up the tempo and a quick chromatic run with the saxophones open my main theme with an exciting entrance by the rest of the winds. After expanding on this melody a few times, I move on to my ballad portion with a luscious trumpet solo. The rest of the winds enter reciting my second theme. A small woodwind part enters followed by the brass later, and slowly I start to leave the ballad. A horn solo is brought to revive the listeners of the first theme, in addition with a few new ideas, but before you know it, you're back with a powerful reprise of my first theme! A small twist is added in the reprise, and a small amount of dissonance is created, but is soon resolved with a powerful, exciting ending!

Here is the link to my first composition, Seasons of the Ocean. I hope you enjoy!

Seasons of the Ocean Audio