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Music

Composition class

Photos by Andrew Arbetter and Bridgette Buckley.

Dave (far right) can’t believe the junk Seth (standing at left) is talkin’ about his piece!

About the class
Spring 2009
Fall 2008
Winter 2007-2008
Fall/winter 2007
Summer 2007
Press
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About the class

Since my earliest memories as a child sitting under the piano playing while my mom played above, or sitting in a square on the Fourth of July hearing brass bands, I’ve been enthralled with music.

I had begun to think I wanted to make a life in music, maybe even trying my hand at music composition, but in my junior year of high school I decided to capitalize on my lifelong drawing skills and go into architecture. After starting in the architecture program at Virginia Tech, I knew I’d have no time to devote to composition, but I did keep up with playing violin in orchestra as I had since 4th grade.

Being brought up surrounded by music has always held me a little in awe of what composers do, and some things you simply cannot avoid, so…

Finally, at last, in summer 2007, I enrolled in Accessible Contemporary Music (ACM)’s composition class, taught by Executive Director Seth Bousted. This wonderful organization works very hard to do just what their name implies, and the composition class helps people of all skill levels express themselves.
It’s perfect for me - excellent teacher, laid back, inspiring, great classmates, and real, live musicians who are brought in from time to time to help us hear how our pieces are beginning to sound.
I’ve never had so much fun and gotten so much out of gathering around a piano and pieces of paper with lines on it!

Pieces from this class are periodically posted here (scroll to the bottom to Listen)

Spring 2009

Music for string quartet.

String quartet - 1st movt.
String quartet - 2nd movt.
String quartet - 3rd movt.

Fall 2008

Granada for clarinet, piano, cello, and percussion.

AUDIO COMING SOON…

Winter 2007-2008

Watercolor by Atsushi Kikuchi. I printed this image at the top of the score for “like a drop of blood…” to keep me in a mind of winter. Read more about the deconstruction of the Kikuchi House, with which I helped.

like a drop of blood against the snow (recorded February 28, 2008)
Scored for piano, violin, cello, and bass.

When I was a kid in North Carolina and it snowed enough to get a day off from school, I remember Mom looking out towards the orchard behind the house and saying “look, there’s a cardinal sitting on that branch. It’s so beautiful. It’s like a little drop of blood against the snow.”

Fall/winter 2007

rhythmic (final version - Dec. 19, 2007)
Scored for piano (three hands), violin, and clarinet

The results are in…
Compare with earlier versions below.

rhythmic-ver. 121307 (Dec. 13, 2007)

Gee, this sure sounds like 3 distinct ideas slammed together, but maybe it’s getting somewhere…
This version is actually built from three independent sections: one of me on piano and violin, a section of multitracked violin and piano, and finally a section realized in Garageband.

rhythmic-cells 1 and 2 (Dec. 5-12, 2007)

Some sketches for the fall/winter class.
I’ve got these rhythmic (and somewhat melodic) “cells” in my head that could go on and on developing forever or maybe they latch onto other ideas or get overlaid by others. Not sure how they’ll be resolved, or if they will be at all.
Let’s see what happen at the final class December 19.

Summer 2007

Samarra (2007)

A late-night listen to a chord progression in a Mahler symphony I hadn’t heard in years became the harmonic kernel for the first movement.
Inspired by the fall (and hopefully the future rebuilding of) the Golden Mosque, this three-movement piece is scored for flute, clarinet, horn, cello, piano (and percussion, not present in this recording).

Press

‘Net Gain for Composers, Chamber Music America, November 1, 2008

Listen