Leah, Track 4 - Searching For Answers

Leah, Track 5 - Preparations

Leah, Track 3 - Lunch Interrupted

Leah, Track 2 - Uneasy Feelings

Leah, Track 1 - Lost In Thought

http://musescore.com/arthurbreur/lullaby-for-marquishia

This piece was my reaction to the story of a little girl named Marquishia whose life was too short and tragic. I think she deserved more than her fate, and wrote this lullaby to sooth my own grief after following the developing story in the news, as it happened.

"... Lloyd and Toombs told Culver City police Sept. 22, 1992, that Marquishia had disappeared during a shopping trip at the Fox Hills Mall. In the days that followed, Toombs appeared on television to ask help in finding the missing girl.

"When police summoned Lloyd and Toombs to the Culver City station for further questioning Sept. 28, the women admitted that the first story was a fabrication. They said that Marquishia had drowned accidentally in a bathtub at Toombs' home in Ontario.

"The women told police they panicked after the girl died and Lloyd dumped Marquishia's body beside a lonely stretch of road in the Lucerne Valley. Lloyd directed police to where the body was found and both women were placed under arrest. At that time, Lloyd was booked on suspicion of murder and Toombs was booked on suspicion of being an accessory to the crime."

Lullaby For Marquishia (Live Performance by the Composer)

Piano: Carlos Márquez (@cmdigital)&#13;
Composer: Arthur Breur (@arthurbreur)&#13;
&#13;
Sheet Music available at: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/dance-of-the-monsters-under-the-bed-digital-sheet-music/20702317

Composer Arthur Breur writes about his piece:&#13;
"A piece I originally composed for piano and keyboard ensemble (to imitate a full orchestra and pipe organ). The piece was premiered at Millikin University at my Senior Piano Recital in 1990. It is an homage to movie score composers—including John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, Danny Elfman, Bernard Herrmann—as well as to the sound of the piano performances that would accompany silent movies."&#13;
&#13;
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/arthurbreur/dance-of-the-monsters-under" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Original 1990 performance by the composer, with additional sound effects</a>&#13;
&#13;
Background image by Frank Black Noir www.flickr.com/photos/frankblacknoir/3207913570

Arthur Breur - Dance Of The Monsters Under The Bed - Carlos Márquez, Piano

Piano: Carlos Márquez (@cmdigital)&#13;
Composer: Arthur Breur (@arthurbreur)&#13;
&#13;
Composer Arthur Breur writes about his piece:&#13;
"This piece is an upbeat little rag with lots of personality—very fun to play—composed when I was only 16 or 17."&#13;
&#13;
Sheet Music: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/ragtime-no-1-kiwi-rag-digital-sheet-music/20703018 &#13;
&#13;
Background image by Frank Black Noir www.flickr.com/photos/frankblacknoir/3207913570

Arthur Breur - Ragtime #1: Kiwi Rag - Carlos Márquez, piano

Piano: Carlos Márquez (@cmdigital)
Composer: Arthur Breur (@arthurbreur)

***

Composer Arthur Breur writes about his piece:

A ragtime homage to Scott Joplin's "Solace - A Mexican Serenade" composed between 1993 and 2009 by Arthur Breur.

The piece was composed in reverse order: the final section (D) was composed first, in the early 1990s. About 15 years later I decided the piece needed to be finished, and started working backwards, trying to give each new section its own unique, memorable personality.

The third section (C) was composed with the word "solace" written into the notes, and with an intentionally Mexican feel. I allowed the syncopation to rest in this section to let the melody have its freedom, but intentionally included the parallel chords used in the (D) section.

The (B) section is the "Fred & Ginger" section—I specifically used two parallel notes to get the feel of two people, dancing together first one direction, then another. I also stretched the 2-note harmonies as far as I felt I could to make the section stand out. The second half of the (B) section is my closest reference to Scott Joplin's Solace, with the melody accompanied by steady notes, though I kept the feel of a duet here as much as possible. This section also provided the opportunity to use sliding harmonies as used by Joplin in the original Solace.

The first section needed to tonally separate the (B) and (C) sections, and, to my mind, needed to include the sliding harmonies to connect to the (B) section. The (A) section also contains reference to my first ragtime, Kiwi Rag. I intentionally pulled the starting chord to C7 to bring the melody one step farther away from the final B-flat key, though still keeping the entire piece as one overall chord progression.

As to why this piece was composed, my sister, Margie, long ago negotiated with me that she got to have one piece that she could play that I would (and therefore COULD) never play. This was because, with my piano training, I could play any piece that I wanted, and she wanted to have a piece that was hers alone. When, years later, she caught me sight reading Solace, she reminded me of this agreement—at which point I thought to myself, "Fine, I'll compose my own." Which brings us back to the (D) section mentioned above. When I created this palendromic melody (the intervals are the same in either direction, up or down) I immediate noticed the Latin feel and decided this was the finale melody for MY Mexican serenade.

***

Sheet Music (free/buy): www.ArthurBreur.com/sheet-music

Background image by Frank Black Noir www.flickr.com/photos/frankblacknoir/3207913570

Arthur Breur - Ragtime #2: Solace - Carlos Márquez Piano

Piano: Carlos Márquez (@cmdigital)
Composer: Arthur Breur (@arthurbreur)

***

Upbeat and fun march, with changing meter in the intro.

***

Sheet Music (free/buy): www.ArthurBreur.com/sheet-music

Background image by Frank Black Noir www.flickr.com/photos/frankblacknoir/3207913570

Recording ℗2014 Carlos Márquez
March of the Robots &copy;1984 Arthur Breur

Arthur Breur - March Of The Robots - Carlos Márquez, piano

Piano: Carlos Márquez (@cmdigital)
Composer: Arthur Breur (@arthurbreur)

***
Composer Arthur Breur writes about his piece:
This is the piano solo version of the theme I composed as incidental music for a theatrical performance of Romeo and Juliet my senior year at Millikin University. The melody was inspired by the words "Romeo, oh, Romeo! Wherefore art thou "Romeo?" On this one, I intentionally used the major 6th opening interval from a number of John Williams' love themes, and used chord progressions inspired by Stephen Foster.
***

Sheet Music (free/buy): 
www.ArthurBreur.com/sheet-music

Background image by Frank Black Noir 
www.flickr.com/photos/frankblacknoir/3207913570

Recording ℗2014 Carlos Márquez
Romeo and Juliet ©1989 Arthur Breur

Arthur Breur - Romeo And Juliet - Carlos Márquez, piano

Piano: Carlos Márquez (@cmdigital)
Composer: Arthur Breur (@arthurbreur)

***

"Composed after my first crush."

***

Sheet Music (free/buy): www.ArthurBreur.com/sheet-music

Background image by Frank Black Noir www.flickr.com/photos/frankblacknoir/3207913570

Recording ℗2014 Carlos Márquez
I Love You ©1986 Arthur Breur

Arthur Breur - I Love You - Carlos Márquez, piano

Piano: Carlos Márquez (@cmdigital)
Composer: Arthur Breur (@arthurbreur)

Sheet Music: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/jodi-s-theme-digital-sheet-music/20702327

***

"A piece written for a high school friend. It is also an homage to the compositional style of the John Williams themes of the 1970s and 1980s (particularly the use of 7ths in the chords and a secondary theme that starts with an upward whole step)."

***

Background image by Frank Black Noir www.flickr.com/photos/frankblacknoir/3207913570

Recording ℗2014 Carlos Márquez
Jodi's Theme ©1986 Arthur Breur

Arthur Breur - Jodi's Theme - Carlos Márquez, Piano

Piano: Carlos Márquez (@cmdigital)
Composer: Arthur Breur (@arthurbreur)

***
Arthur Breur wrote the following description on April 20, 2013:

"Happy birthday, George Takei! 

The first section of this ragtime piece is composed off of the letters of George Takei's name, and is intentionally upbeat and optimistic. The theme is intended to represent his youth, his early family life, and his overall personality. I had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Takei by phone once a few years ago, and it was a delight speaking to him.

The second section represents the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. It is a sad part of America's history, and George Takei has made it part of his life to bring awareness to a time when America didn't behave so beautifully. The section is composed in a minor key, reflects the melodies of songs of Americana, and is intentionally composed so the melody and the accompaniment are not lined up, as the situation at the time was not in alignment with our country's principles.

The third section is all about Hollywood and George Takei's career as an actor. The melody plays on the many celebratory melodies about Hollywood and show business, right up to the "big finish" cadences that lead the section into...

The fourth section comes as a surprise and suddenly turns a corner into very different places than the earlier sections, while intentionally keeping rhythms and references to other moments in the piece. The melody is classy and sophisticated, even "cool"—the proud protagonist has found his stride, and it's more than just OK to be Takei."

***

Sheet Music (free/buy): www.ArthurBreur.com/sheet-music

Background image by Frank Black Noir www.flickr.com/photos/frankblacknoir/3207913570

Recording ℗2014 Carlos Márquez
Ragtime #3: George Takei Rag ©2013 Arthur Breur

Arthur Breur - Ragtime #3 George Takai Rag - Carlos Marquez, piano

Piano: Carlos Márquez (@cmdigital)
Composer: Arthur Breur (@arthurbreur)

Sheet Music: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/godsong-digital-sheet-music/20702321

***

"One of my early pieces, and one that I'm very proud of from a composition standpoint."

***

Background image by Frank Black Noir www.flickr.com/photos/frankblacknoir/3207913570

Recording ℗2014 Carlos Márquez
Godsong ©1986 Arthur Breur

Arthur Breur - Godsong - Carlos Márquez, Piano

Piano: Carlos Márquez (@cmdigital)
Composer: Arthur Breur (@arthurbreur)

***

Composer Arthur Breur writes about his piece:

"One of my earlier pieces, displaying the fascination I had with the major 7th at that time."

***

Sheet Music (free/buy): www.ArthurBreur.com/sheet-music

Recording ℗2014 Carlos Márquez
Reflections ©1984 Arthur Breur
Background image by Frank Black Noir www.flickr.com/photos/frankblacknoir/7728870164

Arthur Breur - Reflections - Carlos Márquez, piano

Piano: Carlos Márquez (@cmdigital)
Composer: Arthur Breur (@arthurbreur)

***

Composer Arthur Breur writes about this piece:

"This piece was my reaction to the story of a little girl named Marquishia whose life was too short and tragic. I think she deserved more than her fate, and I wrote this lullaby to sooth my own grief after following the developing story in the news, as it happened.

"... Lloyd and Toombs told Culver City police Sept. 22, 1992, that Marquishia had disappeared during a shopping trip at the Fox Hills Mall. In the days that followed, Toombs appeared on television to ask help in finding the missing girl.

"When police summoned Lloyd and Toombs to the Culver City station for further questioning Sept. 28, the women admitted that the first story was a fabrication. They said that Marquishia had drowned accidentally in a bathtub at Toombs' home in Ontario.

"The women told police they panicked after the girl died and Lloyd dumped Marquishia's body beside a lonely stretch of road in the Lucerne Valley. Lloyd directed police to where the body was found and both women were placed under arrest. At that time, Lloyd was booked on suspicion of murder and Toombs was booked on suspicion of being an accessory to the crime."

***

Sheet Music (free/buy): www.ArthurBreur.com/sheet-music

Recording ℗2014 Carlos Márquez
A Lullaby for Marquishia ©1992 Arthur Breur
Background image by Frank Black Noir www.flickr.com/photos/frankblacknoir/7728870164

Arthur Breur - A Lullaby For Marquishia - Carlos Márquez, piano

Piano: Carlos Márquez (@cmdigital)
Composer: Arthur Breur (@arthurbreur)

***

Composer Arthur Breur writes about his piece:

"In college, my friend Kelly Morse asked me to play the theme that would be created by using the composing trick of finding the letters of his name lined up on the keyboard (extending the alphabet up beyond g); at the time, I was a bit stumped to make it sound interesting: d-e-e-e-d-f-a-d-e-e

"Years later, Kelly reminded me that he'd been disappointed that his name didn't make for a good melody — and I decided to prove that I was a good enough composer to make it work.

"Here is the result."

***

Sheet Music (free/buy): www.ArthurBreur.com/sheet-music

Recording ℗2014 Carlos Márquez
Kelly Morse Theme ©2008 Arthur Breur
Background image by Frank Black Noir www.flickr.com/photos/frankblacknoir/7728870164

Arthur Breur - Kelly Morse Theme - Carlos Márquez Piano

Composer Arthur Breur writes about this piece:

"This piece was one of the first pieces I composed after college, and is highly influenced by Danny Elfman. This piece was composed for my friend Steve McQuiston."
***
Piano: Carlos Márquez (@cmdigital)
Composer: Arthur Breur (@arthurbreur)
***

Recording ℗2014 Carlos Márquez
Love Too Soon, Love Too Late ©1990 Arthur Breur
Sheet Music (free/buy): www.ArthurBreur.com/sheet-music

Background image by Frank Black Noir www.flickr.com/photos/frankblacknoir/7728870164

Arthur Breur - Love Too Soon, Love Too Late - Carlos Márquez, Piano

Composer Arthur Breur writes about this piece:
An interlude composed by request for a Jewish wedding; elements influenced by "Sunrise, Sunset" from Fiddler on the Roof.
***
Piano: Carlos Márquez (@cmdigital)
Composer: Arthur Breur (@arthurbreur)
***
Recording ℗2014 Carlos Márquez
Dance ©1987 Arthur Breur
Sheet Music (free/buy): www.ArthurBreur.com/sheet-music
***
Background image by Frank Black Noir www.flickr.com/photos/frankblacknoir/7728870164

Arthur Breur - Dance - Carlos Márquez, piano

Dedicated to my friend Gerry Busch, who is the amazing composer of numerous delightful pieces for guitar and other instruments. The accompaniment in this piece was inspired by Gerry's compositions, and the melody was derived from the word "painting" (B-A-B-G-F-B-G-G). I think it turned out to be quite charming, and has my own style while giving a firm nod to Gerry's works.

Arthur Breur - The Painting - Carlos Márquez, Piano

Arthur Breur, Concert March No. 1, "Faithful Companion" (MuseScore digital performance). Dedicated to my sister, Margie, & my brother-in-law, Mike, in memory of their beloved faithful companion, Maisie.

This composition is a full "classic" concert ("military") march, with just a few rules broken in the form for the sake of interest and entertainment.  The piece is mostly through-composed on the idea of the 4 note descending bass in the final strain (which was the first strain composed).  The piece also includes the letters of the name "Maisie" as the elements in one of the melodies.

I very much enjoy composing within a "traditional" structure, so the idea of a 3-strain military march was very appealing to me.

Concert March No. 1 - Faithful Companion Original Composition (MuseScore digital performance)

A theme I composed for my friend Francine Gobel while still in high school. It includes references to "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "I'm in the Mood for Love".

℗2016 Carlos Márquez
http://soundcloud.com/cmdigital

Francine’s Theme
©1985 Arthur Breur
Sheet music (free/buy):
http://arthurbreur.com/sheet-music

Background image by Frank Black Noir 
http://flickr.com/photos/frankblacknoir/7728870164

Arthur Breur - Francine's Theme - Carlos Márquez, piano

Sheet music: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/sky-in-motion-digital-sheet-music/20702712

Notes from the composer:

Composed for and dedicated to my composer friend, Sepehr Keyhani (https://musescore.com/keyhani). I first named the piece "In Motion" because of the left hand elements, and added "Sky" to the title because "Sepehr" means "Sky", so it seemed appropriate. The feel is very movie score, and once I knew that the piece was going to have that feel, I ran with it--even "finishing" the composition by adding a solo intro line that (in a movie) would be played over the last two clever spoken lines from the two protagonists. Note: The "S-E-P-E-H-R" motif (E-E-B-E-A-D)appears 42 times in the piece, not including partial or modified appearances.

℗2016 Carlos Márquez
http://soundcloud.com/cmdigital

Sky in Motion
©2014 Arthur Breur

Background image by Frank Black Noir 
http://flickr.com/photos/frankblacknoir/7728870164

Arthur Breur - Sky In Motion - Carlos Márquez, piano

℗2014 Carlos Márquez
@cmdigital

Tema Triste
©2012 Arthur Breur
Sheet music: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/tema-triste-in-c-digital-sheet-music/20702737

Background image by Frank Black Noir 
flickr.com/photos/frankblacknoir/7728870164

Arthur Breur - Tema Triste - Carlos Márquez, piano

Note from the composer:

Mia: Thank you for warming our laps and our hearts for ten wonderful years. You were the prettiest cat at the Tampa Humane Society, and you were the sweetest pet anyone could ever wish for. No more hurting, no more fear.

Mia: 2002(?)-2013

This piece is a little bit theme, a little bit song, and a little bit requiem.

While I'm a little embarrassed by how emotional I've been over the loss of a pet, I also recognize how close we become to our animals, and how we both invest and are rewarded with love and emotion because of having them.

This was composed in an effort to try to get my emotions out during a sad but necessary time, and to create a memorial for a beloved pet. At first I fretted (no pun intended) over the ridiculously simple chord progression and repetitive melody—until I realized that my emotions were likewise stuck in a simple, repetitive loop, rehashing again and again our sadness and loss. I find myself humming the melody as a representation of my feelings, repeating it far more often that it would be played in a single performance of the piece... that makes me think I got it right.

℗2015 Carlos Márquez
http://soundcloud.com/@cmdigital

Tema Triste
©2013 Arthur Breur
Sheet Music: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/mia-digital-sheet-music/20703012

Background image by Frank Black Noir 
http://flickr.com/photos/frankblacknoir/7728870164

Arthur Breur - Mia - Carlos Márquez, piano

Composer Arthur Breur writes about this piece:

A quick composition based on the letters of a new friend's name: Abdul from Saudi Arabia.

℗2016 Carlos Márquez
http://soundcloud.com/cmdigital

Nostalgia
©2014 Arthur Breur
Sheet music (free/buy):
http://arthurbreur.com/sheet-music

Background image by Frank Black Noir 
http://flickr.com/photos/frankblacknoir/7728870164

Arthur Breur - Nostalgia - Carlos Márquez, piano

Commissioned 2016 by Vincent J. Tedesco Jr, COL (ret.), USA
Honorary Colonel 44th Air Defense Artillery

Music by Arthur Breur (BMI)

Performed July 27, 2016 by the 77th Army Band.

Lyrics by Douglass R. Hemphill, LTC (ret.), USA

SINGLE VERSE LYRICS
From the bat-tle-fields of Eu-rope, Ko-re-a, Viet-nam
To I-raq and on to Af-ghan-is-tan;
Each time hos-tile for-ces threa-tened, Per Ar-dua was there
And cou-ra-geous-ly fought on, un-til the en-e-my ran!
When ad-ver-si-ty con-fronts us, and e-vil ap-pears,
Air De-fense Ar-til-ler-y saves the day –
Our Per Ar-dua makes the diff-‘rence, a-gain and a-gain,
As the For-ty Fourth Ar-till-‘ry leads the way!

FULL LYRICS
Per-shing called for his ar-till-‘ry, Per Ar-dua came through –
For-ty Fourth Ar-till-er-y led the way!
Through the San Mi-hiel Of-fen-sive, and through Meuse-Ar-gonne,
For-ty Fourth Ar-till-‘ry fought un-til the bat-tle was won!
When Per Ar-dua stood years la-ter, be-side 4th I-D, 
As they fought from U-tah Beach to St. Lo,
For-ty Fourth Ar-till-‘ry bat-tled till vic-t’ry was won,
There was no-where our Per Ar-dua could-n’t go!

To the D-M-Z and I Corps, Per Ar-dua next came,
As in Vi-et-nam a new war raged on;
Man-ning Dus-ters with their bro-thers in Search-lights and Quads
Hel-ping save Ma-rine de-fen-ders at the Siege of Khe-sanh!
In the blood-y am-bush sprung near Dong Ha, on Route 9,
With Camp Car-roll un-der en-‘my at-tack,
For-ty Fourth with their guns bla-zing stormed in-to the fight,
And Per Ar-dua drove the N-V-A force back!

In the Mid-dle East, years la-ter, a new threat ap-peared,
Sprea-ding fear and ter-ror o-ver the land;
And once more the For-ty Fourth stood to ans-wer the call
From Ku-wait in-to Iraq and then to Af-ghan-is-tan!
For Per Ar-dua is our mot-to, and our bat-tle cry
And no dif-fi-cul-ty keeps us a-way –
When our Na-tion calls Per Ar-dua re-mains close at hand
And Per Ar-dua, For-ty Fourth will lead the way!

"Per Ardua" - 44th Air Defense Artillery March

Composed for the Tualatin Valley Symphony.

Audio by North Pacific Music.

The overture was premiered on May 21, 2017 by the Tualatin Valley Symphony, Mark Perlman conducting, at the Living Savior Lutheran Church in Tualatin Oregon.

On June 26, 2017, the Overture was proclaimed to be the official overture of the City of Tualatin by Mayor Lou Ogden and the City Council.

Tualatin Overture

Tualatin Overture - Tualatin Valley Symphony, Mark Perlman conducting

The orchestral arrangement I did of the traditional Indonesian lullaby, Nina Bobo.

(Note that the muted trumpet is optional, and is an "in joke" in reference to the lyrics of the lullaby, which tell the child to sleep so they won't get bitten by a mosquito.)

©2018 Arthur Breur, All Rights Reserved.

Family Concert

Nina Bobo - Traditional Indonesian Lullaby, orchestral arrangement by Arthur Breur

My first ragtime, "Kiwi Rag" is an 8-bar rag with the standard AA-BB-A-CC-DD structure. This recording was made in 1986 on my family's Gulbransen upright piano. Music © Arthur Breur.

Kiwi Rag

Produced for and presented at the PricewaterhouseCoopers 1999 Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles, CA. Music composed and arranged by Arthur Breur, heard here in the digital preview for the concert band arrangement by the composer, created July 2018. (Associated video by Arthur Breur.)

Reunion

Composing since the late 1970s! Quirky movie-score style pieces and songs.

Bio:

Arthur Breur started seriously studying piano after his grandmother, Jocelyn— his grandfather’s second wife—passed away when he was eight.  They had been very close, and his weekend stays at her home inevitably included him asking her to play piano for him.  

At ten he started taking lessons, having already taught himself a variety of music, including various movie score themes and ragtime pieces—but he gradually discovered that he enjoyed composing and playing his own music more than playing what was assigned to him by his piano teacher.

From the start, his compositions were very affected by the music in movies and on television.  It is not in jest that he points to the music performed on such television shows as “Sesame Street”, “The Electric Company”, and “The Muppet Show”—not to mention the superb songs of “School House Rock”—as sources of inspiration.  Further, many excellent scores for movies of that time, such as Escape to Witch Mountain, Close Encounters, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Trek, and others, fascinated him and formed his ideas on how music should “work”—with accessible, easily remembered themes that can be associated with specific things, people, or feelings.  His music was also heavily influenced an excellent music program at church.

He studied piano performance and composition and got his bachelor’s degree from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. By that time he had been studying piano for eight years, had composed more than a dozen pieces, and had previously lied about his age to get into a college-level music theory course.  His college piano instructor worked with his desire to compose by assigning him works by composers that inspired him.  Prokofiev and Ravel in particular influenced his compositional tone and style considerably.  Around this time, Danny Elfman’s film music also came to Arthur’s attention and provided yet another dimension of sound to pursue.

In the early 1990s, Arthur collaborated with lyricist, comedian, and singer, Cristopher Blake.  Between them they wrote more than twenty songs, many of which they performed live in various Los Angeles venues.

Over the more than 36 years he has been composing, he has written more than 140 individual pieces, including works for five weddings, two Christmas revues, numerous videos, and one short film.

Popular tracks by Arthur Breur - Composer