SCORES
|
Welkin - 2015
For Horn and 2 Percussionists The term ‘Welkin’ is often defined as the sky, clouds, or the vast space of the firmament. This piece, composed as an exploration of percussion timbres and how they blend with the full, rich tone of the horn, journies through the different stages of what the sky can bring us. The piece begins with a calm, clear feel, with a bit of wind, and maybe a few snowflakes falling here and there. Soon the tempo rises, reminding us of the battering winds of the strongest storms. There is a brief, beautiful lull where the horn has a chance to shine in its quiet, mid-high register. Soon, the storm picks up again, taking us nearly to the end before the winds abate. |
|
Scoundrels - 2014
For Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone and Piano I. Fool's Bargain II. Spectre of the Past III. The Last Command This piece and its movements share titles with some of the most famous books of acclaimed science fiction writer Timothy Zahn. “Scoundrels” is a rhythmically driving piece for tenor saxophone and piano. Written in the fall of 2014, this piece was an attempt to combine modality and polyphony. Taking emotive characteristics from the titles alone, each movement phases in and out of a more polyphonic texture, along with moments of togetherness that, when layered upon one another, create the sense of two different musical images: one of rhythmic consistency and one of unpredictability. This piece is an attempt to understand the relationship between said spontaneity and consistency, and how the two can work in harmony. |
|
Forever to Remain - 2013
For Soprano Voice and Piano Text by Anonymous Program notes from FIRMAMENT- Senior Composition Recital - Fall 2015 Grief and loss are far too familiar to us at Wheaton College. This year, we mourn the loss of two beloved professors; mentors who guided us; artists who inspired us; men who implored us think deeply about the written and spoken word, about faith, and about life as a whole. This song reflects on the complexities of grief, and how we show that grief to the world. The soprano tells a poeticized story of one whom she’s lost, almost managing to keep distance from the pain of the grief. Eventually, she turns to the one the angels have taken to heaven, asking her loved one to protect her ‘from hurt and pain,’ as if pleading for the pain of her grief to cease, but her words fail her, and she lets out a deeply saddened cry. The poem ends with a declaration that their memory will live on in the singer’s heart ‘until we meet again.’ This text setting comes from an anonymous poem that is often read during funerals or celebrations of life. The angels looked down from heaven one night They searched for miles afar, And deep within the distance They could see a shining star. They knew that very instant That the star was theirs to gain, So they took you up to heaven Forever to remain. Look down on us from heaven Keep us free from hurt and pain, You'll always be within my heart Until we meet again. |