Category: Classical

Emmanuel: God with us

My wife and I have just finished our Christmas carols album, “Emmanuel: God with us”. On it, you’ll find brand new orchestral arrangements of ten great carols.

It’s available for digital download now at bandcamp. You can listen to each of the tracks in full above, and decide whether or not you want to help support poor starving musicians like ourselves. 🙂

Each track is going for around $1 (or more, if you’re so inclined!), and you can pick up the whole album for $5 or more. You can also get your hands on a physical CD if you like — just let me know!

[Music] Lament

About a month ago, I was playing around on the piano, and I came up with a fragment of melody that I couldn’t get out of my head. I played with it, twisting it around, pushing it in different directions, seeing what I could do with it. Ultimately, I turned it into a full piece of music, and this is the result.

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Like this track? Buy it at thesixtyone, and help feed an impoverished (well, not really) programmer.

You can also listen to one of the (early) improvisations I played on this theme by downloading the recording I made on my phone here.

Dauntless

As you might have noticed, if you listen to much of my orchestral music, I really like writing epic, syncopated scores with great big horn melodies (and little flute ones) that float above rapid, percussive strings and brass. Well, here’s another example of that. 🙂

This piece is a rondo in D minor. Let me know what you think!

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Songpack #1

[Download archive]

I’ve uploaded an archive of my music for easier download. This archive currently contains eighteen tracks, eight of which are no longer available anywhere else! The tracks included in this pack are:

I may well create other ‘songpacks’ for download, so keep checking back. There’ll always be a couple of exclusive tracks in each pack, so it’ll be worth your while. I hope. 🙂

Download all eighteen tracks now!

Ink and parchment

Composed: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 (Download)

I have wrapped my heart in ink and parchment,
and cast it into your sea.

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Nightfall

Composed: Monday, August 18, 2008 (Download)

A companion piece to “Drifting”. Also in 7/8, with many of the same stylistic elements. It’s much more brooding, however, and simpler in its execution.

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Perdition

Composed: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 (Download)

Him the Almighty Power/Hurl’d headlong . . . /To bottomless perdition, there to dwell — John Milton

(Although it wasn’t inspired by that quotation, it fits well with the track, in my opinion.)

This is an orchestral piece in loose ternary form (you could argue for a loose rondo form, too). There are lots of time signatures all mixed together, and often layered on top of each other. It’s scored for a Romantic-sized string section, flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, french horn, trumpet, timpani, tam tam, cymbals, snare, bass drum, and harp.

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Hold me close

Composed: Tuesday, May 13, 2008 (Download)

A very simple waltz which crescendoes throughout.

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Drifting

Composed: Sunday, May 11, 2008 (Download)

Dawn. Another day at sea. He’s lost count how many days it’s been. Fifteen? Sixteen? Not much water left now.

He lies on his back in the lifeboat, listening to the rhythm of the boat: the splash of the waves, the idle flapping of the hastily rigged sail, the ropes on the mast.

The sun climbs higher.

His vacant eyes stare up at the harsh blue sky, the angry white of the sun burning his pupils unnoticed. An albatross hangs in the air in the distance, turns towards him, circles his boat.

The hours pass, and the albatross is gone. Just him, the sun, and the rhythm of the boat.

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