Transdialect is a piece for a mixed ensemble consisting of violin, flute, alto saxophone, bass clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, piano, bass, drum set, and auxiliary percussion. The connection of distant ideas and styles is explored in this piece as chamber music and jazz are unified. Tone, energy, and metric drive are ever-evolving components which take the opening material to unexpected places.

The opening material is presented as chamber music, but gradually evolves until it is suddenly turned on its head. Halfway through the piece, though the material is familiar, the tone is very different. This parallels the reality of translation: in some languages, dialects are quite different from one another, and though something may be communicated and understood, its tone or meaning may be skewed in translation. Such is the evolution of the musical material presented in Transdialect. Despite the similarities in musical content, translation between musical dialects drastically alters how it is received.

The recording featured on this page was made possible by generous students at Whitworth University.

Transdialect

During the fall semester of Blake’s final year of undergraduate studies, he studied abroad at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. After the semester ended, he joined a few friends on a road trip around the south island and composed Matara while traveling. The south island of New Zealand is known worldwide for its scenic beauty. Living in a country so far from home and hiking, climbing, and camping across the wild and fantastic terrain of the south island were formative to the substance of this piece.

Matara is a word from the Maori language (the Maori are the native people of New Zealand). It has several meanings, including “to be distant” and “to be untangled”. This is a fitting commingling of ideas in relation to Blake’s experiences in New Zealand, while the word itself is tied to the place which allowed for its creation.

Matara was selected as the winner of the 2020 Whitworth University Concerto Competition in the composition area. The performance recording on this page was made at the piece’s premiere, which was possible thanks to the Whitworth University Music Department, Philip Baldwin, and the Whitworth Orchestra.

Matara

"Phases of the Moon" is a piece I composed for reduced jazz ensemble during the Summer at Cornish Jazz Composition, Theory, and Arranging course taught by Wayne Horvitz. This is a live recording from the concert and features both student and professional players in the ensemble.

Phases of the Moon

In the Bleak Midwinter by Gustav Holst is my absolute favorite Christmas carol, so I decided to try to capture what it means to me in an arrangement for SSAATTBB choir.  This recording was made possible thanks to the Edmonds Community College Symphonic Choir of Fall 2016.  I'd also like to thank Kirk Marcy for his mentorship and guidance and Joey Mircea for recording and producing the audio recording.  Thanks everyone!

A live recording of the premier performance can be found at the following link (at about the 21 minute mark): https://vimeo.com/196024217

In the Bleak Midwinter

I wrote The Cricket Sang in 2016 for my high school graduating class using the text of a poem of the same name by Emily Dickinson.  I intended for this piece to express both gratitude and bittersweet feelings at the end of a phase of life.  I would like to thank Kirk Marcy and my peers at Edmonds Community College for recording this piece, and of course for the wonderful opportunities and friendships that have made my time at the college so wonderful.

The Cricket Sang

Sara Teasdale’s poem “A Fantasy” strikes me as a meditation on the transcendence of the natural world. The evocative imagery of the poem inspired me to set the text to music. Writing a melody and development of harmony that is intended to mimic the beauty of the natural world seemed a perfect way to pair the text with music and is the source of the Arabesque portion of the title. An Arabesque is a design containing many interweaving, flowing lines, which create a rhythmic, dense texture that imitates the growth of vines or foliage. The flowing, colorful, dense textures of this piece are intended to reflect an intrinsic human oneness with nature.

Fantasy Arabesque

This is a live recording of my Trio in B Major for violin, cello, and piano from my junior composition recital at Whitworth University in April 2019. Thanks to Sarah Fazendin (violin) and Leah Meyer (cello) for making this performance and recording possible.

Autumn Verge for violin, cello, and piano

This is a live recording of Fantasy Arabesque from my junior composition recital at Whitworth University in April 2019. Thank you to the student musicians who made this performance and recording possible. I composed Fantasy Arabesuqe in 2017 and it was awarded the Robert Scandrett Memorial Composition Award in 2019, receiving an additional performance in Seattle thanks to Loren W. Pontén and the Opus 7 Vocal Ensemble.

Fantasy Arabesque - live recording

My name is Blake Clawson, and I love nothing more than composing and arranging music.  Here you'll find recordings of my work.

Blake Clawson

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