Music Compositions & Arrangements

Music for Brass Quintet
For 2 Trumpets, French Horn, Trombone, & Tuba

Music for Brass Quintet was composed in Kingston, RI. The two movements, titled In the City and A Country Dance, are studies in contrast. The first movement is an attempt to create an image of city life through the use of different effects to imitate the sounds and pitches that one might hear in the city. The second movement is meant to evoke the feeling of a rustic dance through the use of folk-song like melodies and harmonies.

Movement I - In the City Movement I - In the Country

Piano Quartet
For Violin, Viola, Cello, and Piano

This quartet was composed during Kingston, RI. The first movement is composed in a free-flowing, fantasia-like variation form. The second movement is also in a variation type of form, but also contains elements of rondo and sonata forms. The melodic elements of the work are based loosely on the Lydian mode, and it is through this coloring that the harmonic texture is often developed. The piece as a whole is cyclic, and much of the material grows out of motivic development and variation.

Movement I - Adagio espressivo Movement II - Allegro agitato

String Quartet No.1

This quartet was begun in Rhode Island, was continued in England, and was completed upon return to the United States. The quartet is in a cyclic form and is intended to explore the possibilities of sonata form.

Movement II - Adagio

Consolation
For Violin and Piano

Consolation was composed for a very close friend in Kingston and Johnston, Rhode Island. The title refers to the role the that the music is intended to play.

Movement I - Prelude: Grave Movement II - Adagio Movement III - Postlude: Lento lamentando

Variations on Carol of the Bells
For String Quartet

"Carol of the Bells" (also known as the "Ukrainian Bell Carol") is based on a Ukrainian folk song called "Shchedryk". The original Ukrainian folk song was written as a winter well-wishing song and tells the tale of a swallow flying into a household to proclaim the plentiful year that the family will have. The title is derived from the Ukrainian word for "bountiful." In Ukraine, the song is sung on the eve of the Julian New Year (January 13th). It is somewhat unusual among Christmas carols for its minor key, fast pace (the lyrics are sung very quickly, often to the point of being difficult to understand) and brevity. My set of variations, based on a more moderate tempo, are intended to mix the traditional melody with harmonic variations of key and texture.

Single Movement - Variations on Carol of the Bells

Please Note - The preceding recordings were created electronically using virtual instruments created by Garritan Libraries. See www.garritan.com for more information.