Rat, Cat and Ox (Carnival of the Chinese Animals)

It's Sunday, so here's to hanging out in Woolloomooloo Bay working on the story and some rice paper rolls. And wine 😀

Complete lil chamber opera thing

I've completed scenes 4 & 5 of my still-to-be-finally-titled Away with the fairies piece. It's about 13 minutes long and now that this phase is done I'm going to leave it for a loooong time.

Score Here

Mum song

Hey guys,

Just something little today. I told my sister about month of music and she said “ohhh you have to write a song for mum!” So I’ve kind of been writing something that I’ll sing with my siblings tomorrow with my sister on guitar. This whole “writing songs for people as quasi gifts” is actually proving to be super draining. It was a cute idea but being asked to do it has made this one a bit less fun to write. 

I wrote this bit down just so I don’t wake up and forget the melody. Still some lyrics to tidy up. 

Buddha nature (Carnival of The Chinese Animals)

This sketch is part of the Buddha Nature theme.

It requires quarter tones and I still haven’t decided which notation style to use. So I’ve tried a couple in the above page: both the arrow on its own as well as a natural sign with attached arrow mean the same thing.

I personally prefer the former but the latter is more conventional. However I don’t like the accidental for 'quarter-tone flat' because it is a flat sign with an arrow pointing UP which is counterintuitive for a flat note. So I avoid it and I will use an enharmonic quarter tone accidental to replace it.  

off with the fairies scene 3

it needs a better title
any suggestions?

Score here

This is more of a guide than anything, the intention is to record and edit the heck out of this, so everything is liable to change.

Piano Concerto

Hey everyone :) Here’s a little snippet of a scherzo for piano and orchestra I did today. There’s more stuff I wrote but this is what I have that’s legible haha... I’ve always had difficulty writing fast pieces but this all came quite easily!
Piano 2 is orchestra

To invoke Pan, god of the summer wind

Once again, I get around to properly notating a piece that's already recorded…

Alicia Crossley and Acacia Quartet are about to release an album that includes my Three Bilitis Movements for recorder and string quartet.

The third movement is of indeterminate length but lasts 30 seconds on the recording. I had simply given verbal instructions to the 5 players during the recording so this movement has not been notated till now. 

Yes I am channeling John Cage's handwriting.

two poems | LORD it's more than a week in I'm late hello everyone

[small content warning]

here are two poems that I'm trying not to think too much about and just write, one of which I'm about to set for children's choir. Most of my time here will be dedicated to text this time around, but I might set other bits of it as well.

it's a commission for a thing, and essentially what I'm trying to communicate is:

this place is different, and beautiful
I am with you here
and soon we will go home.

#1

the sky is smaller here
the air is thick with stranger's chatter
choked by smog and busy streets
far away from home
the noisy ocean crashes in
on steaming sand and man o' war sting
and sweat and grit adheres to skin

the sky is starved of stars
but shoreline through to bitumen
is glinted with familiar shards,
stubs, stubbies, broken glass
far away from home
on streets spilled out from throbbing clubs
and roaring sounds of screeching cars

the ocean blackens with the sky
but stepping out a silence starts
to dim the chaos left behind
the waters lap a further inch
and waves reach out to brush beside
so far away from home
where no such waters swell and slide

and with this moonless sky
a quiet peace descends at last
when waves roll high and gently guide
a body floating in its pass
the cooler air is soft and thin
as salted wind flows clear and fast

I won't be setting that one


#2

far away
from home

you and I, running wild under endless sky
our soles stained with ochre red sand
and our hearts free to wander far
.

.

.

.

.
you and I, side by side by the ocean's shore
our bodies sprayed by breaking waves
our minds free to chart their course

far away
from home

I will be setting that one


sorry I've not posted until now, my routine's been out of wack.
can't wait to read all youses work <3

Figment 3

Ode to civilization for Viola

I thought I may as well continue my viola trend and add more movements to the etude.  Here’s my ode to civilization.

Typesetting The River (Carnival of the Chinese Animals)

I finally got around to typesetting the theme I'm calling The River! 

Completed Song

Hey everyone!
This is a very special one for me that has taken a lot of emotional energy to create. Turns out writing meaningful lyrics is very hard to do without relying on cliches. As I mentioned in my previous post, this song is to my closest friend Loni, a harpist, and the song is about us as kids, playing, singing, and standing by eachother forever. It's a very gentle, lullaby like melody, meant to be evocative of a song to be sung going to sleep.

Score:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/aglxzo9uwonc80w/Forever%2C%20Until.pdf?dl=0

Recording of me singing with the midi file:
https://youtu.be/vAkPnzKR-uE

Lyrics:

Come with me and step inside,

We’re going on a magic ride,

Look around and look at me,

And tell me, whisper, what you see,

Take my hand, let’s play a game,

Forever is the name.

Will you play with me, ever, forever?

Let’s meet at the tree at the top of the hill,

Passing the time, as the time stands still,

Will you play with me when no one else will?

I’ll play with you, forever until

Forever until

Sing this song, sing it light,

Sing it softly to the night,

Hum along and feel its heart,

You know you’ve known it from the start.

Take my hand, I’ll sing to you,

Forever sung anew,

Will you sing with me, ever, forever?

Let’s meet at the tree at the top of the hill,

Passing the time, as the time stands still,

Will you sing with me when no one else will?

I’ll sing with you, forever until

Forever until

Monsters may come look for you

And fill your head with thoughts untrue

But here I am, and time I’ll spend,

To turn the monsters into friends.

Take my hand, I’ll squeeze it tight,

I promise it’s alright

Minutes turn to hours and days into dust,

Silver and gold will not rust

Let’s meet at the tree at the top of the hill,

Passing the time, as the time stands still,

Will you stand by me when no one else will?

I’ll stand by you, forever until

Forever until

Will you stand by me,

I will stand by you

Ever, forever until.

Two mini scenes from a mini audio-only chamber opera. Scored for voice, choir, harp and electronics

LINK FOR SCORE :)

Chromatic Stupidity for Viola

This is my first attempt at writing for Viola and without sitting at a piano which is quite important for me as I’m always used to referring to the piano. Recording coming soon

Canon and song

Hey everyone,
two posts for today/yesterday.

Yesterday I wrote a canon about my favourite food: Fried Chicken. Can be displaced by full or half bar. If you're curious: I don't eat chicken beaks

I'm also writing a new song for my best friend whose birthday was yesterday. I'm scoring it for harp and her voice. The song is called "Forever, Until" and is about us as kids and remaining as kids forever as we get older. The structure and piece aren't complete but I thought I would post some lyrics.

Come with me and get inside,

We’re going on a magic ride,

Look around and look at me,

There’s nowhere we would rather be,

Let’s meet at the tree at the top of the hill,

Passing the time, as the time stands still,

Will you play with me when no one else will?

I’ll play with you, forever until

Forever until

Sing this song,

Sing it light,

Sing it softly to the night,

Hum along,

And feel its heart,

You know you’ve known it from the start.

Let’s meet at the tree at the top of the hill,

Passing the time, as the time stands still,

Will you sing with me when no one else will?

I’ll sing with you, forever until

Forever until

'Final cadence' for "Andante moderato" (string quartet)

Today's music is just one measure.

This is the final measure of 'Andante moderato', an 8-min string quartet performed several times by Acacia Quartet across NSW and Victoria last year and also on ABC Classic FM.

Despite all these performances, however, I never properly notated the final measure, which I instructed verbally at rehearsals. It requires two special effects. I finally did it today because someone asked to see the score.

And though I refer to it as a 'final measure', it also functions as the start of the next section of my perpetual work-in-progress String Quartet. 

figment 2 - for clarine

Good morning from NYC!
Today I have a cadenza I wrote for Mozart’s Piano Concerto K.491 in c minor.
The cadenza morphs into some quotations from Mozart’s piano music.
I was really inspired by a piece Frederick Rzweski write for my teacher Jerome Lowenthal called cadenza. And the point was to be able to perform the cadenza as a separate entity to the concerto.  Here’s my take.

More fast music (Carnival of the Chinese Animals)

Today I wrote more fast music for the animals' dance party finale and it sure is fun to write.

This section leads right into the Irish/Chinese sounding music from yesterday. At least today's music sounds less Celtic … 

Also I’m taking advantage of having 2 pianos. Here I have one of them play the tune in octaves (à la Schubert primo parts) while the other plays octaves tremolos, which evokes the strumming of a Chinese pipa.

Invention 2

Click HERE to have a liss 

Hi everyone!
So excited to be joining this illustrious group of composers.
Here is my song I wrote based on a Robert Frost Poem for Baritone and piano.

The Carnival (from Carnival of the Chinese Animals)

Today I wanted to write some fast music. 

Here is music for the finale, where all 12 animals have successfully crossed the River and are having a party. (The Buddha quietly crosses to Nirvana while the animals are living it up.)

So what is amusing here is that my 'Chinese' music sounds a little like Irish music. I'll just go with it.

Toothbrush Duet

Hey guys, here's a duet I wrote for two toothbrushes. I did a little recording, it had to be split over two files. It's called "Brush Your Teeth"

Part 1
https://mixcord.co/acapella/p/HKtsTkbxgY8uEqR6vOdKmw/?fbclid=IwAR2kwpFmRjCBar1_xJ---GQ2BhmBEhbmtd-tDE8G7THifo5RKWgVOEtDEx8

Part 2
https://mixcord.co/acapella/p/xjlyuw5MqR0WzT-bKNxpRw/?fbclid=IwAR3jmAWPuA328xR2Ixb4pR1wqTTBNcnACxQvHYZ4FfAcg37gtwz7ssiH3mU

Sheet Music
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7nzofaax18rmmuk/AACwNUGqcKoWJsiRhKPzrF1Ga?dl=0

a little airplane thing, v tired will post more tomorrow

Mena song and violin piece

Hey everyone! I forgot to post my piece from yesterday, but I wrote a song for a close friend of mine who was feeling a bit down.

And my composition today is a small improvisationary piece for solo violin (the score is called Neue Datei). I don’t have a lot of experience writing for strings (especially double stopping) and wanted to try out something nice and easy. 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7nzofaax18rmmuk/AACwNUGqcKoWJsiRhKPzrF1Ga?dl=0

Mena lyrics

When you’re getting in a pickle

And you’re feeling blue

She’s the hammer and the sickle

That’ll pull you through,

She’s a buddy she’s a pal

and she’s here for you

It’s Mena Mena Mena!

Her tongue’s really big

But it moves quite quick

She’ll stick it in your mouth

Like a Bolshevik

This chick’s thick tongue’s

Like a magic trick

It’s Mena Mena Mena!

Chorus

Mena my friend it’s all ok,

You’ll fight to live another day

You’ve got the strength,

Let’s hear you say

I’m Mena Mena Mena!

She’s a sassy little lassy

And she’ss speak her mind

She’ll rip your ass in two

If she’s so inclined,

Her tongue is sharp

But her heart is kind

It’s Mena Mena Mena

Mena takes nine naps every day,

She’s a connoisseur of naps

She’s a sleep gourmet

If she’s hungry or thirsty

Back away

From Mena Mena Mena

Chorus x 2  

The Orchestrated Path (from Carnival of the Chinese Animals)

Happy Sunday everyone!

Today I orchestrated a few measures of the piano score from a couple of days ago. 

I’m finding it very interesting to have 2 cellos but no viola. 

Here I’m voicing them in very close dyads, but I’ll double the lower cello with the violin one octave above. 

It’ll be like the right-hand of a Brahms piano piece, just at lower pitches.  This should add a Brahmsian richness as long as the dynamic is soft, otherwise it’ll sound thick.

Incidentally today is Richard Gill’s birthday. Thank you Andrew for your post a few days ago honoring Richard. I didn’t know he was the inspiration behind your Month of Music project. Richard and I worked most closely together on the unique ABC reality TV show Operatunity Oz where he was a judge and I was a producer of the soundtrack album. Happy birthday Richard.