Writing for Wind Quintet I wanted to create a more homogenous ensemble whilst ensuring stylistic, rhythmic and harmonic variety. Composing these Bagatelles allowed me to explore this across five short pieces.

March 2013, Note Performer Recording.

Five Bagatelles For Wind Quintet

Playing some recent 'run and jump' platform games brought back fond memories of older 16-bit music. This prompted me to write a composition with reference to and inspiration from my early video game history. The piece itself is similar in structure to
a rondo, with a principal theme which develops and reoccurs in different moods and forms.

February 2014, Live Recording by the Edinburgh Contemporary Music Ensemble (also commissioned by the ECME).

Super Special Bonus World

It is very easy to procrastinate. I often look information up on a website such as Wikipedia only to discover something else interesting further down the page. I therefore click on this and read it instead. This process repeats and I gradually get further and further away from where I started. Open link, new tab is based on this concept where, after delving deeper into a subject, a new window is suddenly opened. This is similarly followed by another window, with each new subject/material unfolding in a different way. The piece finishes far from the initial material, though the other tabs still linger in the background.

December 2014, Live Recording by Red Note Ensemble.

open link, new tab

Gameshow Format is inspired by the generation of TV challenge programmes I watched whilst growing up, such as Fort Boyard
and Crystal Maze. The choice of instruments, alongside the chordal harmony and repeating rhythms are inspired by this distinct sound world. Structured in small sections, the initial theme gives way to 'adventure rooms' based on snippets of the opening material and focused on individual instruments. These are interspersed with a returning 'base' theme where all the instruments contemplate. This all culminates in an emphatic finale where the individual ideas from the 'adventure rooms' come together. 

Exploring sound with Drake Music Scotland has been a fascinating process of creation and learning, with a refreshing and
inspiring outlook on music.

May 2015, Live Recording by Wind Trio and Drake Music Scotland. Instrumentation of Oboe, Clarinet in Bb, Bassoon, Skoog (Timpani and reedy sounds), Soundbeam (Synth Brass), iPad (Trombone sounds) and Notion (Cor Anglais, Bass Clarinet in Bb and Contrabassoon).

Gameshow Format

This is an example performance of Cardboard Creations featuring Introduction (Fast), Robot, Forest, Castle and Finale (Slow) alongside Link Passages.

Cardboard Creations is inspired by my inherent fascination with
cardboard boxes, which, particularly as a child, seemed to hold
endless possibilities in what they could be made into. It is this idea
that I wanted to capture, to create an engaging and visual piece that
stimultates the imagination. Writing for inclusive audiences, I
endeavoured to create a varied, flexible work which could be widely
understood, related to and appreciated in some form.

Small movements focus on specific cardboard creations, each with
different characteristics related to their concept, such as encouraging
dance and movement, challenging listening and expectations or
changing the music's interaction with the audience. The selection and
order of these movements are dependant on a number of factors,
therefore a performance could begin with the 'Fast' Introduction to
excite, end more calmly with the 'Slow' Finale or purely feature one
movement individually.

Cardboard Creations was commissioned by Live Music Now Scotland
for Sirocco Winds as part of the 2015 Kimie Composition Prize
presented in collaboration with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
and funded by Kimie Trust.

April 2016, Live Recording by Sirocco Winds.

Cardboard Creations (example performance)

Finale (Slow) is one movement from Cardboard Creations.

Cardboard Creations is inspired by my inherent fascination with
cardboard boxes, which, particularly as a child, seemed to hold
endless possibilities in what they could be made into. It is this idea
that I wanted to capture, to create an engaging and visual piece that
stimultates the imagination. Writing for inclusive audiences, I
endeavoured to create a varied, flexible work which could be widely
understood, related to and appreciated in some form.

Small movements focus on specific cardboard creations, each with
different characteristics related to their concept, such as encouraging
dance and movement, challenging listening and expectations or
changing the music's interaction with the audience. The selection and
order of these movements are dependant on a number of factors,
therefore a performance could begin with the 'Fast' Introduction to
excite, end more calmly with the 'Slow' Finale or purely feature one
movement individually.

Cardboard Creations was commissioned by Live Music Now Scotland
for Sirocco Winds as part of the 2015 Kimie Composition Prize
presented in collaboration with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
and funded by Kimie Trust

Finale (Slow)

Introduction (Slow) is one movement from Cardboard Creations.

Cardboard Creations is inspired by my inherent fascination with
cardboard boxes, which, particularly as a child, seemed to hold
endless possibilities in what they could be made into. It is this idea
that I wanted to capture, to create an engaging and visual piece that
stimultates the imagination. Writing for inclusive audiences, I
endeavoured to create a varied, flexible work which could be widely
understood, related to and appreciated in some form.

Small movements focus on specific cardboard creations, each with
different characteristics related to their concept, such as encouraging
dance and movement, challenging listening and expectations or
changing the music's interaction with the audience. The selection and
order of these movements are dependant on a number of factors,
therefore a performance could begin with the 'Fast' Introduction to
excite, end more calmly with the 'Slow' Finale or purely feature one
movement individually.

Cardboard Creations was commissioned by Live Music Now Scotland
for Sirocco Winds as part of the 2015 Kimie Composition Prize
presented in collaboration with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
and funded by Kimie Trust

Introduction (Slow)

Boat is one movement from Cardboard Creations.

A cardboard boat glides over water, swaying with the waves.
This is a calm movement with a gentle and obvious flowing rhythm,
particularly good for those who are adverse to change. It could also
encourage sleep or slow movement.

Cardboard Creations is inspired by my inherent fascination with
cardboard boxes, which, particularly as a child, seemed to hold
endless possibilities in what they could be made into. It is this idea
that I wanted to capture, to create an engaging and visual piece that
stimultates the imagination. Writing for inclusive audiences, I
endeavoured to create a varied, flexible work which could be widely
understood, related to and appreciated in some form.

Small movements focus on specific cardboard creations, each with
different characteristics related to their concept, such as encouraging
dance and movement, challenging listening and expectations or
changing the music's interaction with the audience. The selection and
order of these movements are dependant on a number of factors,
therefore a performance could begin with the 'Fast' Introduction to
excite, end more calmly with the 'Slow' Finale or purely feature one
movement individually.

Cardboard Creations was commissioned by Live Music Now Scotland
for Sirocco Winds as part of the 2015 Kimie Composition Prize
presented in collaboration with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
and funded by Kimie Trust

Boat

Robot is one movement from Cardboard Creations.

A cardboard robot learns how to dance.
This is a fast, energetic movement which could encourage dancing as
well as animate and enliven the audience. The extended techniques
may also interest and excite.

Cardboard Creations is inspired by my inherent fascination with
cardboard boxes, which, particularly as a child, seemed to hold
endless possibilities in what they could be made into. It is this idea
that I wanted to capture, to create an engaging and visual piece that
stimultates the imagination. Writing for inclusive audiences, I
endeavoured to create a varied, flexible work which could be widely
understood, related to and appreciated in some form.

Small movements focus on specific cardboard creations, each with
different characteristics related to their concept, such as encouraging
dance and movement, challenging listening and expectations or
changing the music's interaction with the audience. The selection and
order of these movements are dependant on a number of factors,
therefore a performance could begin with the 'Fast' Introduction to
excite, end more calmly with the 'Slow' Finale or purely feature one
movement individually.

Cardboard Creations was commissioned by Live Music Now Scotland
for Sirocco Winds as part of the 2015 Kimie Composition Prize
presented in collaboration with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
and funded by Kimie Trust

Robot

Tower is one movement from Cardboard Creations.

Cardboard boxes of different shapes and sizes create a precariously
balanced tower.
This movement uses suspensions to create tension which only fully
resolves at the end. This could be challenging to listen to, particularly
for those with autism or learning difficulties, while it can also be a
learning experience in being able to wait for the resolution.
Space permitting, Tower should be performed from inside the
audience, with those listening surrounding and perhaps moving
around the ensemble. Moving location may stretch some listener's
comfort zones due to a new, close proximity and change to normality.

Cardboard Creations is inspired by my inherent fascination with
cardboard boxes, which, particularly as a child, seemed to hold
endless possibilities in what they could be made into. It is this idea
that I wanted to capture, to create an engaging and visual piece that
stimultates the imagination. Writing for inclusive audiences, I
endeavoured to create a varied, flexible work which could be widely
understood, related to and appreciated in some form.

Small movements focus on specific cardboard creations, each with
different characteristics related to their concept, such as encouraging
dance and movement, challenging listening and expectations or
changing the music's interaction with the audience. The selection and
order of these movements are dependant on a number of factors,
therefore a performance could begin with the 'Fast' Introduction to
excite, end more calmly with the 'Slow' Finale or purely feature one
movement individually.

Cardboard Creations was commissioned by Live Music Now Scotland
for Sirocco Winds as part of the 2015 Kimie Composition Prize
presented in collaboration with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
and funded by Kimie Trust


Tower

I have many fond memories of carvanning whilst growing up. This piece is about a recurrent family holiday experience. Flies, bugs and insects are all a typical part of campsite life, however it is nighttime that these really come into their element. They provide frequent and varied interjection and irritation, with an evening fly hunt needed to ensure an undisturbed sleep. This is not as easy as it may seem; flies escape once captured, gang up together and appear from where you least expect them. Like 'a fly in the ointment', these interjections are often sudden, hidden annoyances that can spoil a situation. On the other hand camping wouldn't be the same without them, with the satisfaction of finishing off a particularly evasive swarm or the relief when finally catching that last fly.

December 2015, performed by BBC SSO. Note Performer Recording. 

a fly in the ointment

I used to be an early morning person, but as I have become older I
appreciate sleep a lot more. Every morning I wake up to a number of
staggered alarms, set the night before with intentions of prising me from my bed the next day. Once stirred, there is always the inner conflict of 'do I get up?'. Part of me knows I should rise and be productive, yet the other side of me wishes nothing more than to remain in bed. Fluctuating between the two, I drift in and out of sleep. How long can I continue to doze? Have I got enough time to get sorted? Just ten more minutes...

Ultimately I always have to wake up.

May 2016, performed and recorded by Ensemble Modern. Conducted by Toby Thatcher.

Morning

I am obsessed with thrillers - the typical combination of espionage,
suspense and political intrique, with a healthy dose of moles, sabotage
and double agents proving continuously engaging. Co[operative] explores the tense relationship between the viola and cello, where neither really trusts each other. Their interactions reflect this, at times collaborating while at others disjointed or conflicting. Through alternating slow, strained moments and faster, more frantic sections their intentions are like operatives: unpredictable, fluctuating and often ambiguous.

May 2016, NotePerformer recording.

Co[operative]

When embarking on this project, I wanted to create a relevant, relatable and accessible work which explores a community of different people who come together to sing. The piece delves into what it’s like to be a part of a community choir, highlighting and sharing the other elements off-stage that the audience don’t usually see; from membership change to organising lifts, performance nerves to finding a place to rehearse. The entering/ending videos, produced by Alan Cameron, encapsulates this, expanding the bounds of the work to go outside the concert while also allowing for reflection.

The text comes from and is inspired by a series of poems by Joyce Begg, one of the founding members of the Strathendrick Singers. Written for the choir at different stages throughout its history, these are conversational and personal, which is reflected in their setting, with interplay between parts, melancholic harmonies and shifting rhythms.

I endeavoured to create a challenging yet approachable work incorporating ideas including falsetto, slides/glissandos, a more independent piano part and frequently changing time signatures. Getting to know the choir really informed this and allowed the work to become more collaborative – a piece created with the Singers, about the Singers and for the Singers. A quiet life follows their story from its ‘casual beginnings’ to its thriving present and future – another ‘ten more years at least!’

This work was developed for Strathendrick Singers as part of the Adopt a Composer scheme, funded by Creative Scotland and the Philip and Dorothy Green Music Trust, and run by Making Music, in partnership with Sound and Music and BBC Radio 3.

a quiet life

Aran Browning [b. 1994] is a composer based in Glasgow, UK. He is influenced by personal experiences, everyday life and pop culture. He strives to create more relatable, accessible and inclusive work, often in collaboration with others.

In 2016 he graduated with First Class Honours from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland under the tutelage of Professor Rory Boyle and Dr Gordon McPherson. He has worked with a variety of groups and artists including Ensemble Modern, Mieko Kanno, Elmvale Primary School, Red Note Ensemble, the ECME, Toronto-based visual artist Tong Lam, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, London-based director Jack Lynch, NonZeroSum and through Leeds Lieder, poet Ian Harker. He was involved in the project Inclusive Creativity in Orkney and Derry and his work ‘Gameshow Format’, a collaboration with Drake Music Scotland incorporating different technologies alongside acoustic instruments into a combined ensemble, lead to him being awarded the Kimie Composition Prize, through Live Music Now, to create a new work for inclusive environments. The resulting piece, ‘Cardboard Creations’, was premiered as part of the St Magnus Festival in 2016 and is regularly performed by Sirocco Winds. Selected as the ‘Adopt a Composer’ Scottish pairing through Making Music, Creative Scotland and Sound and Music, he collaborated with the Strathendrick Singers to create a new work, ‘a quiet life’, which was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in January 2018.

Recently; Robot, for learner pianists, was shortlisted by Colchester New Music for their Piano Project 2018 and Genuine Trope, commissioned by trumpeter Mark James, was performed at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in May.

His series ‘musicbits’ aims to share, discuss and listen to unfinished pieces, short introductions, unsure middle bits and interesting snippets – those sound combinations or tunes that never made it into something deemed complete or useful. Composer crumbs are so easy to forget, neglect and waste that revisiting and polishing these musicbits is enjoyable and insightful.

AranBrowning

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