for two alto saxophones in unison and prepared piano

Eliot Gattegno, Alex Mincek- alto saxophones
Eric Wubbels- prepared piano

This is This is This is [2009-10]

As winners of the St Martin-in-the-Fields Chamber Music Competition 2012, the www.jacquintrio.com are emerging as persuasive advocates of music for the distinctive combination of clarinet, viola and piano.

Trio Jacquin by Simon Rowland-Jones

first performance

Huw Morgan, organ

mainly slow organ music
All Saints Clifton, Bristol (UK)
April 15, 2023

Dante Boon - (Huw) (2023)

Performed by the <a href="http://www.taleaensemble.org/Talea_Ensemble.html">Talea Ensemble</a>. Recorded at The Roger Smith Hotel, NYC on April 24, 2011.

Inter was composed for <a href="http://dalniente.com/">Ensemble Dal Niente</a> in collaboration with the painter <a href="http://www.brettbakerpaintings.com/">Brett Baker</a>, my brother. Brett’s text pieces (displayed behind the ensemble) manipulate words by stretching out their visual presentation. Each page contains a single small, typewritten letter or punctuation mark. A word that is three letters long, for example, is spaced out over three pages. As a result, a single sentence of prose may span the length of a wall. A statement that typically appears well within one’s peripheral vision, now requires the viewer to physically move alongside the letters. It is also noteworthy that, from a distance, one cannot make out the existence of the typewritten letters. It appears to be a simple grid of blank newsprint pages. One must move within close proximity to discern the written thought.

In composing Inter, I sought to create a musically analogous scenario. The way in which I began to do this could be summed up as follows: Recitation, Dictation, Rhythmic Prolongation. I recorded myself reading aloud the opening line of Proust’s Swann’s Way. I then took rhythmic dictation from the recording. Finally, I stretched out the rhythm, making each sixteenth note a whole note. The final version forms the rhythmic framework for Inter. Just as Brett’s spacial allotment of letters impacts one’s own ability to recite, the durational augmentation similarly stretches the rhythm of the recited text beyond the periphery of one’s ear. Equally significant is the overall texture that defines much of the piece. Monolithic chords are stated and separated by varying amounts of silence. This creates a surface level analogy to Brett’s pieces in that like a single letter floating in the middle of a blank page, each sonority is given a similar degree of breathing space via silence. The idea of stretching or expanding also pertains to the harmonic content. The first two-thirds of the piece involve a unison D expanding out microtonally a whole step in either direction to C and E. A very small amount of intervallic space is covered in a generous length of time. It is important to return to the idea of physical orientation. As previously noted, the small size of each letter in the text pieces requires one to draw near. I have always been interested in a sort of “close listening,” or creating slowly evolving sound worlds that allow for and even demand that the listener zero in on the nuances of each sound.

Finally, the title Inter refers to the constant state of fluctuation that exists within the piece: deliberate microtonal movement between pitches, the slow expansion of register, the ever- changing orchestration of each chord.

Please visit <a href="http://www.drewbakermusic.com">drewbakermusic.com</a> for additional information.

Inter for flute, bass clarinet, violin and cello

I wrote What I Cannot Say for the incredible pianist (and person) Amy O'Dell. 

Here's a recording we made a few days ago in Snellville, Ga. Video coming soon!

What I Cannot Say (for toy piano and field recording)

This piece is an entry into a category of composition referred to as plunderphonics. That is, a composition that “plunders” material from other pieces to create its own. In the case of My Father Knew Roger Waters, the original material is extracted exclusively from tracks by the band Pink Floyd. While much of the sampled material comes from unfamiliar songs and is obscured by substantial processing, certain hallmarks of the band’s output can be immediately identified in the work. The discourse of this piece, then, explores the role that reference plays in electronic composition and creates new meanings through context. 

The title pays homage to not only Pink Floyd – Roger Waters served as the principal songwriter of the band – but also the American composer John Adams, whose title My Father Knew Charles Ives was “plundered” for the purpose of this project. This piece is dedicated to my father, John Allen, to whom I owe my taste in music, and who – regrettably – does not know Roger Waters.

http://johnclayallen.com/my-father-knew-roger-waters.html

My Father Knew Roger Waters

A quirky piece for an interesting combination of instruments. Premiered on October 11, 2015 at the University of Nebraska Kearney. This recording is from a performance at the University of Louisiana-Monroe, as part of the New Music on the Bayou Festival. 

Caitlin McKeighan - Oboe
Lawrence Gibbs - Alto Saxophone
Louie Eckhardt - Trumpet
Oliver Molina - Vibraphone and Bongos
Jason Rinehart - Conductor

Quartet

The title Charon refers to the boatman who ferries dead souls across the river Acheron to the shores of Hell. The music itself isn’t intended to be expressly programmatic, but the otherworldly qualities brought about by the unison timbres of the clarinet, violin and cello as well as the slowly ascending melodic patterns, provide subtle allusions to the title. Perhaps equally relevant is the manner in which the piece gradually and methodically morphs from the five-note pattern of the opening to a very different ending point. Charon was written for the ai ensemble.

Charon for clarinet, violin and cello

Cory Bracken, Robby Bowen - vibes
Karl Larson, Hitomi Honda - pianos


http://www.corybracken.com
http://www.hitomihonda.com
http://karllarsonpiano.com



THE HEART IS NO PLACE FOR WAR_excerpt_live_2.12.16

Live Performance, March 7th, 2016
New Music Series, University of Nebraska-Kearney
9th of 9 Preludes composed for Holly Roadfeldt's Preludes Project
Poetic, beautiful

Anthony Donofrio: Prelude IX

Anthony Donofrio currently teaches composition, theory, and new music at the University of Nebraska Kearney. His artistic influences include the relationship between literary structure and music, evening-length pieces, and the music of Morton Feldman. More information can be found at www.donofrio-music.com. Photo credit: Aleksandr Karjaka/Karjaka Studios. www.karjaka.com

Quartet

anthonydonofrio