We’ll be performing these in an upcoming concert.  Enjoy:

Princess Leia’s Theme

Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme)

Let us know if you’d like to be notified about the concert.

We’ve just finished recording the first two movements of Chris Sainsbury’s wonderful “Symphony of Birds” and it’s quite a treat.  [Chris Sainsbury's website]

Listen: First movement –

Chris Sainsbury on his intriguing and delightful piece:

This piece was commissioned by Chris Bearman, Musical Director of the Central Coast Symphony Orchestra and Conservatorium in Gosford City, Australia. The brief was to ‘keep it local’ which was great as it is in keeping with my thinking. I’d been increasingly concerned about the global focus in all aspects of life. To achieve this ‘local idea’ I used local bird sounds of the region (at latitude 33 on the east coast of Aust) as source material for the piece.

Having grown up in the same region I’ve lived with these birds and they’ve got their claws into me (not always metaphorically)!

This work was conceived and realised using my concepts of:

1. Ground Sounds
2. Sky Sounds
3. Near-melodies

The terms are original (as far as I know) and deliberately uncomplicated. They are Australian as far as I’m concerned. I am now thinking and hearing under these ‘elements’ of music, which of course cross-over with the various elements of music that we know. The difference is really in the hearing – in the genesis of ideas and the working of material, and in the thinking.

Ground sounds are characterised by sustain, repetitive device, ‘melod-ercussion’, and the non-development of idea (in a Western sense). These are present through sustain, subtle convergences, absence of dramatic interpolations, veiled ostinati, use of tone- scenes (the dominance of particular colour combinations), and subtle melod-ercussive device (melodic thumps, scratchings, breaks and bumps).

Sky sounds are simply the phenomenon of sky reverb and sky amplification, which vary in the natural environment with landscape, weather and time of day. At various points I set out to orchestrate reverb and amplification into the work (as in the first half of movement two).

Near-melodies are the melodic fragments of birds. They sound short songs and calls, often fantastic tunes which they abandon as soon as they’ve begun. Of course they are entire (probably for birds), but we need something longer to call ‘a piece’. In this light I strung them together end on end at times (for major themes), ‘classicising’ them. There are however, many near-melodies that are left in tact in the work, abandoned as soon as sounded.

I use some fifty bird sounds as motives in the work, with all melodies and chords stemming from those. With this amount of ‘tunes’ rolling one can see the need to be careful about Western developmental thinking. It could become too big and messy! Indeed I don’t dramatically ‘develop’ any bird sound melodically, but leave them always intact. There is no augmentation of interval, nor inversion of tune, nor fragmentation or such device. I have used simpler treatments such as transposing up a step and have at times expanded the rhythm of the near-melodies. Basically I suspended part of me the composer and I didn’t mess too much with the birds!

Some near-melodies in the work are clearly identifiable bird sounds, down to the species. Some are ‘my good rendition’ of a bird sound I heard and whilst it works for listeners as bird sound, it would be difficult to identify the species (especially some of the parrots). The species include parrots (Lorikeets, King Parrots and others), Wattle-birds, Butcher-birds (my favourite), the Koel, Plovers, Gulls, Various Finches, and more. Some I didn’t even see, but notated.

All the notations are classicised into a twelve note system. Birds have a syrinx, rather than a larynx, and make complicated sounds. It was my primary intention to write music, not completely emulate bird sounds. In this light the various movements are basically Western in format. It is a vehicle which assists the listener to ‘hear my local environment’, essentially enabling a visit!

I hope you enjoy the work. Don’t listen too closely for the various birds, just take wing yourself!”

We performed Jeremy’s “Animated Watercolor” at Brandeis University in October.

Animated Watercolor

About the music

Animated Watercolor is inspired by a particular painting of Kandinsky which I find quite fantastic. While it appears to have a few different names depending on the source, the one that appears most frequently, and the one I personally like the best, is Bustling Aquarelle which translates to Animated Watercolor. It is the goal of my piece to bring to life the elements of Kandinsky’s painting musically via rhythmic energy, distinct musical lines, and colorful orchestration.

Of all visual artists I am familiar with Wassily Kandinsky has mad the most significant impression upon me. While Kandinsky has a number of stylistic periods, it is his abstract works, especially the “Compositions”, that greatly catch my attention. I have always been quite fond of brilliant, bold colors and sharp, rigid lines, both of which occur frequently in his works. For whatever reason, when I am stuck writing a piece, Kandinsky aids me in generating motives, melodies, and harmonies for my ear; often I obtain more ideas than I can deal with.

From JeremySpindler.com

“Jeremy Spindler, born 1979, currently resides in Boston, MA where he is the Irving Fine Music Fellow and a Ph.D. candidate in music composition at Brandeis University. A former trumpet player, Jeremy has studied composition with Martin Boykan, Eric Chasalow, David Rakowski and Ladislav Kubik. His focus is primarily on chamber music; however he has an ever growing interest in electronic media and music for large ensembles.”

Performed live at Brandeis University, October 4, 2009, Paul Henry Smith, conductor

Beethoven, Symphony No. 2 in D, III – Scherzo

The Fauxharmonic Orchestra recently recorded Ricci’s “Chamber Symphony” Here is the second movement:

“Lulin”

James Ricci was born in New York City in 1954. He began his career as an all-around musician, studying with jazz guitarist Steve Khan, and performing in a wide variety of musical styles from atonal free-form jazz to psychedelic rock. This eclecticism spurred a wider interest in the multifaceted world of contemporary music – fired by the crosscurrents and experimentation of the 1960’s and 70’s era avant garde. [from JamesRicci.com]

After his initial training at Juilliard in 1972, Ricci moved to Boston and attended the Berklee College of Music where he obtained a degree in music composition (B.M.1976). Further studies and advanced degrees followed at the New England Conservatory (M.M. 1980 with distinction) and at Brandeis University (M.F.A. 1986, Ph.D. ABD).

We performed Edgard Varèse’s “Ionisation” – the first percussion ensemble piece in Western art music – live at Brandeis University on October 4, 2009.

Ionisation, for percussion ensemble

Special thanks to Jay Bacal for permission to use his digital orchestra arrangement.

Second movement, andante cantabile con moto, from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21
Conducted by Paul Henry Smith. Recorded live, in concert, May 20, 2009.

Third movement, menuetto: allegro molto e vivace, from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21
Conducted by Paul Henry Smith. Recorded live, in concert,  May 20, 2009.

]]> http://www.fauxharmonic.com/2009/06/12/beethoven-symphony-no-1-in-c-op-21-iii-menuetto-allegro-molto-e-vivace/feed/ 0 http://www.fauxharmonic.com/2009/06/03/castlerigg-stone-circle-by-larry-shackley/ http://www.fauxharmonic.com/2009/06/03/castlerigg-stone-circle-by-larry-shackley/#comments Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:29:06 +0000 Paul Henry Smith http://www.fauxharmonic.com/?p=197 Castlerigg Stone Circle
For concert band
By Larry Shackley