Growth of a composer

This quartet was written over a period for 27 years. The first two movements were written in the summer of 1993, and the final two movements were written in the winter for 2020-21. I've been facinated by the Appalachian hymn tune Wonderous Love since I first played it in a Norman Luboff song book. Each movement is based loosely on the tune. The entire quartyet is a mediation on Love as it is expressed through nature, juman sociaety, romance and through Divine Love. 
1. Allegro non troppo - Sonata Allegro Form
2. Scherzo - Presto - Fugue
3. Andante affetuoso - Song Form surrounding a modified chaconne. 
4 Moderato - Double Fugue and Chorale

String Quartet (Wondrous Love)

Ballade For Bassoon And Orchestra

Fluteology

Sonata For Cello And Piano

Symphony In One Movement Final Audio

Attempt to understand techniques of Morton Feldman

Kairos

The Power Of Ten

The first Tableaux from my Ballet Suite - The Sea Lion based on the Ken Kesey children's book. The opriginal ballet was commissioned by the Chicago chapter of the American Composers Forum and the Chernin Center for the Arts and premiered in 2002. It is being extensively recomposed.

First Tableaux - The Legend

This piece was written 39 years ago as part of my composition portfolio for graduation at Berklee College of Music. I was seriously influenced by late romantic music including Mahler, Bruckner and Scriabin. The piece marries those sensibilities with expressionist harmonies from Berg, Bartok and particularly Bernard Herrmann.

The title is Scots Gaelic for Tragedy....because I like Scots Gaelic!

Bron Chluich; a Dramatic Poem

Composed for the Lesbian and Gay Chorus of Washington 

Based on a Passamaquoddy text

08 song of the stars.wav

Three songs based on texts by James Joyce for high voice and piano

joyce songs.wav

roadrage character songs.wav

violin sonata (1983).wav

This was my first full orchestral piece. It was commissioned by the Cannon Valley Orchestra in 1980. I was 19. 

Each movement of the piece was inspired by a different early 20th century technique and composer. 
I. Brass Chorale - inspired by Stravinsky and using "wrong note" harmony. 
II. Nocturne - Inspired by Ives and using twelve note chords. Scored for strings and solo trumpet. 
III. Scherzo - inspired by Bartok (maybe too literally) and using modalism and more wrong note harmony.

Three Bagatelles For Orchestra

Cummingscapes 2

Pastorale for Mixed Ensemble Audio

Pavane for Mixed Ensemble Lento

Brass Quartet (1981)

Romanza for Piano

Written in 1981, when I was 19 years old, this piece was commissioned by the Cannon Valley Orchestra in Rice Country Minnesota. It was the first larger scale composition I wrote and the beginning of my first stylistic period.

Growth of a composer

Christopher Gordon Forbes