Chamber
Duets, Trios, Quartets, Quintets, &c.
Violin Sonata No. 1
Instrumentation: Violin (1), Piano (1)
15’
On different shades of the Finnish "ruska," or color-changing of the leaves.
Sonatina
Instrumentation: Clarinet in A (1), Piano (1)
11’
Originally a set of songs for alto and piano written over two days, this now stands as a sonatina for clarinet (in A) and piano in five movements. It is subtitled Greenstone.
Piano Trio No. 1
Instrumentation: Viola (1), Violoncello (1), Piano (1)
10’
Subtitled “Conference of the Birds,” this work was crafted using a variety of personal methodologies. In addition, the work drew initial inspiration from the composition Kor ərəbin mahnısı (“Song of the Blind Arab”), by Azerbaijani composer Fikret Amirov from the musical setting of the play Sheikh Sanan, while at the same time incorporating its melody. The subtitle of my work is in reference to the Sufistic text Conference of the Birds, itself the basis of the play Sheikh Sanan, which is also utilized. Moreover, the music is reminiscent of the traditional sonata form, with diametric A and E-flat as harmonic zones of import.
The music is a combination of two of my compositional methods: my Eddaic mode, which translates both the names of the birds mentioned in the Conference of the Birds & the names of Sanan and Khumar (the main lovers of Sheikh Sanan) into pitch, harmonic, and rhythmic information; and, my Akkadian mode, which uses 88 rhythmic figurations formed through my ornithological analysis of Sumero-Akkadian cuneiform and its syllabary. This is dependent on the phonemic information of, here, the “birds.”
Over time—just as in the text Conference of the Birds—certain “birds” (i.e., their themes) fade from the music, until only the worthy remain to form the mythical “simurgh.”
There are four sections to this work. First comes Yer (“Earth”). It is dronelike in the style of muğam, and it evokes improvisatory, loamy textures—harmony is firm like stone.
In Boşluk (“Void”), Amirov’s melody begins to crystalize (around fig. 5), and a number of birds are introduced musically—in general, this section has a mournful tint. Lyricism and fluidity are valued here.
Kənar (“Edge”) returns to the stability of the opening muğam-style, as it opens with a piano solo. Warm and cold extremes duel for control of the narrative, and the Sanan and Khumar Theme forms at fig. 14.
Symbolic of both the lovers Sanan and Khumar, and of the unity gifted by the simurgh, Əbədi (“Eternal”) concludes the work. Only those birds mentioned in the text—as well as the lovers—are cited here, and the harmonic struggles between the A—E-flat tritone is resolved.
The final image is that of the simurgh, which shines in a fiery heat whilst also drawing inspiration from the “Song of the Blind Arab.”
Performed at the Bruno Walter Auditorium, Lincoln Center in New York City at the Gala Concert of the National Music & Global Culture Society. The concert was a celebration of the Azerbaijani composer Fikret Amirov, and Piano Trio No. 1 placed second in the composition competition featured therein.
Awen
Instrumentation: Soprano saxophone (1), Piano (1)
5’ 30’’
Based on the Welsh embodiment of poetic inspiration - awen - this piece is for soprano saxophone and piano, and it is in three clear sections. The first is a gentle introduction that meanders between flowing lines and pointed stops. The music enters a slow, vacuous world in the second section, and the piece concludes with a jovial dance.
Performing on the soprano saxophone is my friend Kathy Clarke, and her instructor at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.
Cassation, “Canalside Dances”
Instrumentation: Guitar (4)
13’
Four dances/poems based on my hometown, commissioned by my friend Conn Sullivan. They are based loosely on Italian Renaissance poetic/dance forms, and they each are accompanied with a poem. These works are also known as “Canalside Dances.”
C O R R E N T E
"Corrente" is a flowing, contrapuntal dance that follows the winding path as if walking alone a canal.
P A V A N A
"Pavana" is a steady, regal dance that is contrasted with a graceful counterpart, continuing with the flowing theme.
V I L L A N E L L A
"Villanella" is a dreamy depiction of the countryside in a glassy introspective tone. The piece ends with a humble, provincial display from the first guitar.
P I V A
"Piva" is the most energetic of the set, and is rife with both fiery clusters of chords carried throughout the lines and longer, flowing melodies, all over a constant ground-bass.
Epitaph
Instrumentation: Flute (2), Harp (1)
3’ 30’’
Composed for the Junior Conservatoire (at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama), this work is based on the Seikilos epitaph: a stele containing the oldest complete musical composition.
The piece begins with the image of gently rocking waves. The pace quickens, and the two flutes pass gull calls between each other before the first flute introduces the main theme of the Seikilos tablet. Briefly, an image of the sea returns before the hypnotic central section begins. The polymetrical lines blur the sense of time in the music, as if looking ahead whilst remembering the past. The work concludes with one final sighing gesture by the sea.
Duet No. 1
Instrumentation: Flute (1), Piano (1)
5’
A short duet for flute and piano based on sketches from juvenilia.
Englyn
Instrumentation: Flute (1), Piano (1)
3’ 30’’
Composed for the Junior Conservatoire at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, this work is written in a way that emulates the Welsh traditional poetic form, the 'englyn penfyr'.
The structure of the music—including the elements of rhyme, repetition, and proportionality/duration—corresponds directly to the poetic form. Also accounted for is the concept of cynghanedd (“harmony”), which defines the location and repetition of consonants, rhyme, and stress.
There are three lines, with the first having ten syllables, the second having six; and the third having seven. The first two lines use 'cynghanedd groes' (where consonants, which equal rhythmic and spatial figurations in the music, are repeated in a certain order); the last line uses 'cynghanedd sain' (an even more complex form that also includes internal rhyme within the line).
Pearl
Instrumentation: Flute (2), Harp (1)
5’
Composed for the Junior Conservatoire at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, this work stood originally as a work for SATB and piano. The piece was completely rewritten, and it is loosely inspired by the fourteenth-century poem "Pearl," about a father mourning the loss of his daughter.
Trio, “Golden Hour”
Instrumentation: Flute (2), Harp (1)
10’
Composed for the Junior Conservatoire at the RWCMD, this set of three pieces was inspired by the work of contemporary painter Shaun Hughes, as well as folk music. It was the first of three trios written for the Junior Conservatoire.
Légende
Instrumentation: Guitar (1), Harp (1), Piano (1)
13’ 30’’
In five brief movements, the inspiration of this set is from medieval Occitan literature. The organization of the movements depicts a "legend," or some sort of story which one recounts to another, beginning in the morning and ending in the evening. There is one guitar part, but this should be at least doubled for a performance, for the sake of balance.
A L B A
Similar to an aubade – a morning love poem – the alba serves as an introduction to the legend, and it depicts a sunrise amongst lovers.
R E V E R D I E
From the haze of the first poem, this movement projects a sense of dance, life, and energy. The reverdie, traditionally, is a poem that celebrates the arrival of spring.
K Y R I E L L E
The most pensive and introverted, the kyrielle is a solemn reflection of the self; here, represented by the harp. The piece concludes with a quotation of the “kyrie.”
E S T A M P I E
A fiery dance, this poem counteracts the serious nature of the previous movement with intense momentum. The troubadour estampie ends swiftly and with a scent of wit.
S E R E N A T A
Utilizing all the previous thematic material, the serenata (or serenade) completes the course of the “day” in the legend. It is particularly similar to the aubade as both poems have traditionally functioned in the same way, only at different times of the day. As such, the serenata can be compared to the back-binding of a book closing shut.
Flower Suite
Instrumentation: Flute (5)
13’
Commissioned by the Junior Conservatoire of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, Wales, this suite is a set of four dances for flute quintet. In addition to being inspired primarily by late-Renaissance dance forms, each work is a portrait of a flower. The work was used by both the younger students and the older students of the conservatoire/college for teaching purposes under the direction of Joanne Abson.
L I L A C M A D R I G A L (00:05)
While not technical a dance form, this piece is based on my favorite flower – the lilac. Alternating between chordal blocks and sparsely polyphonic passages, this madrigal is a faithful portrait of the lilac in color and in fragrance. It ends with a gesture of grace.
F O X G L O V E T O U R D I O N (05:03)
Marked “cardial” – in reference to both the vivacious energy of the music and to the flower’s utility in heart medication – this dance is in fiery contrast its predecessor. Splotched throughout are fragmentary fughettas and spritely counterpoint. The piece concludes with a final recitation of the opening theme in the first flute.
M A R I G O L D C A R O L (07:08)
A tender depiction of the marigold in its garden. In accordance with the traditional use of the carol as a round-dance, the lines of this dance pass between the quintet in a circular manner. The crux of this movement is a duet between the first and fifth flute, leading to the combination of both the duple and triple time themes.
T U L I P P A S S E P I E D (11:01)
The most energetic of the set, this finale is for the tulip – bright and rife with color. The music playfully wanders from the opening theme – one that is somewhat confused in its time signature – to a confident countertheme. The piece ends with these themes married in joyous content.
Chevrefoil, “Honeysuckle”
Instrumentation: Trumpet in B-flat (2), Tenor Trombone (1),
Horn (1), Tuba (1)
3’ 30’’
Meaning “honeysuckle,” this piece is loosely based on the eponymous lai by the medieval poet Marie de France. The title is in reference to the honeysuckle as a symbol of love that runs throughout her writing of the story Tristan and Iseult.
Therein, the honeysuckle is intertwined with the hazel to such a point that, if ever they were to be separated, the both of them would perish. This is emblematic of the love between Tristan and Iseult and their unwillingness to leave each other’s side.
Performed by the Emerald Brass of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
String Quartet No. 1
Instrumentation: Violin (2), Viola (1), Violoncello (1)
17’
Composed in three movements (with the final two being conjoined), this work for string quartet is my first in the genre. The work is predominantly fiery and intense, much like storm-filled midsummer during which it was composed.
Concerto Grosso
Instrumentation: Violin solo (1); Violin (2), Viola (1), Violoncello (1), Double Bass (1), string orchestra or doubled/tripled; Harpsichord (1)
11’ 30’’
In four movement, this work is inspired by sketches from my Piano Suite No. 6. It includes a continuo part, comprised minimally of a harpsichord, in addition to an obbligato solo violin part, and ostensibly stands as a concerto grosso.
Viola Concertino No. 1
Instrumentation: Viola solo (1); Violin (2), Viola (1), Violoncello (1),
Double Bass (1), string orchestra or solo
12’
Originally composed on three poems by Georgian-era English poet and soldier William Kerr, this work is a three-part concertino for viola solo and string quintet (or string ensemble). It was originally sketched as a set of art songs for tenor and piano.
Throughout, the music is inspired by the folk music that was contemporaneous to the time of Kerr (the early Twentieth century in the UK).
I. Nocturne, on "The Trees at Night"
II. Eclogue, on "The Apple Tree"
III. Coronach, on "In Memoriam D. O. M."
Novel No. 1, “American”
Instrumentation: Violin (2), Viola (1), Violoncello (1), Double Bass (1), string orchestra
9’ 30’’
Composed using several previous versions—including one for theremin—this work for string orchestra was composed for the celebration of Juneteenth.