(2015) To my beloved Nancy....

Symphony # 5 is a character portrait of my beloved wife, Nancy.  The themes in each movement depict the many traits that make her the amazing human being she is. 

I   "Complexus"
II  "Gaudium pro vita"
III "Pulchritudinis e Postestas"
IV "Rubro rubrum surrexit"

Movement I, "Complexus", opens with an ethereal passage featuring the harp and the glock.  This leads to the A theme in the low strings.  This theme spawns several subsidiary themes and episodes throughout the 4 movements.  The exposition of A finishes with a four-voice fugue in the first of 2 pizzicato sections in the work.  After all voices have entered, the B theme is introduced as a counter fugue against the A theme fugue.  Eventually, the A theme fades away and the B theme stands on its own, stated in entirety by the trombones against an arpeggiated string background.  After a series of episodes using the B theme, a harp/glock duet emerges with echoes of the opening sequence.  The A motive returns to close the movement in elongation against running 1/16s in the strings.  An extended coda-type passage continuously builds to the closing flourish which leads to an attacca to Movement II.

Movement II, "Gaudium pro vita", is a   Scherzo and Minuet.  The opening in the 4 winds serves as a backdrop for much of the movement.  The faster-paced, flowingly melodic scherzo providing contrast to the rigidity of the more scalar minuet.  The scherzo theme prominently features a 3-note motif which shows up throughout the movements (dotted 1/8, 1/6, 1/4).  The scherzo also contains a variant of this 3-note segment, in particular using it to propel into a return of the scherzo, then closing with a surprise ending.

Movement III, "Pulchritudinis e Postestas", is a rondo.  Following an opening cadenza featuring a solo Trumpet, the A Theme appears as a brass chorale with the muted trumpets taking the lead against alternating shimmering high strings and lumbering low strings.   The B section is the 2nd pizzicato motive in the Symphony.  The delicately arpeggiated theme moves throughout the winds, strings and Celeste leading to a legato/espressivo rendering of the theme in the flutes then followed by flutes and solo violin.  The pizz strings continues for the remainder of the section and carries into the A' in the French Horns with string obligatos.  The pizz accompaniment morphs into a heavier down-bow accompaniment setting the stage for the animated and martial C section which is set against a passacaglia.  This section contrasts the aggression of the down-bows against cantabile duets, first in the flutes, then in the strings.  As the section concludes, it transforms back into the brass chorale of the A section, eventually dissipating into the winds.  The movement is punctuated by 2 rapid timpani strikes.

Movement IV, "Rubro rubrum Surrexit", opens with a flourish trading between winds and strings.  This gives way to a dance-like section with a strong folk feel.  The A Theme features staccatto ascending and descending arpeggios.  Following much interplay using fragments of this theme, the B theme begins abruptly against strong, rhythmic downbows in the upper strings.  The B Theme plays against a quasi-tango rhythm in the percussion which fuses with the folksy dance beat of A.  The B section also features several "delayed" downbeats giving the section a "fits and starts" feeling.  The middle section, from which the movement takes it's name, features a setting of "My love is like a red, red rose".  The playful melody set against a more serene string counter-melody.  The 2 themes take turns centerstage for the remainder of the movement as an extended coda featuring one of the prominent harmonic progressions (an augmented triad pedal chord against chromatic dimished triads) closes out the work in a flurry.  

Symphony #5  "Inamorata"

String Quartet No. 2

(2014) This work is written for my twin sons, William & Thomas.  The 2nd and 3rd movements are portraits of their distinct, almost opposite, personalities.

Movement I opens with a string unison that echoes throughout the movement in various stages of development.  It assumes the function of a "home base" for the movement.  The theme of the movement appears as an English Horn solo.  It is also developed constantly, and yet always turns toward home for completion.

Movement II (William) is deeply introspective.  There's a somber quality to the movement that's established by the opening string slides which lead to the plaintive Viola melody.

Movement III (Thomas) is a wild scherzo.  Following an awkwardly syncopated intro, the main theme enters in similarly awkward 3/4 time.  It goes through a number of permutations; playful, sarcastic, impish, even militaristic...

Movement IV opens with a French Horn fanfare staged against a shimmering string tremolo.  The woodwinds take center stage with much of the melodic content, often reminiscing back to the English Horn of the opening movement.  The movement ends with an elongation of the principle themes set against one another ending in a very dramatic episode.

Movement V acts as a codetta for the entire symphony.  It's main purpose is to bring back the themes of the 2nd and 3rd movement as a final remembrance before concluding in bombastic fashion complete with tubular bells and glocks pounding out counter rhythms against the underlying chaos.

Symphony # 4 - "The Gemini"

(2015) This work is written for my twin sons, William & Thomas.  The 2nd and 3rd movements are portraits of their distinct, almost opposite, personalities.

Movement I opens with a string unison that echoes throughout the movement in various stages of development.  It assumes the function of a "home base" for the movement.  The theme of the movement appears as an English Horn solo.  It is also developed constantly, and yet always turns toward home for completion.

Movement II (William) is deeply introspective.  There's a somber quality to the movement that's established by the opening string slides which lead to the plaintive Viola melody.

Movement III (Thomas) is a wild scherzo.  Following an awkwardly syncopated intro, the main theme enters in similarly awkward 3/4 time.  It goes through a number of permutations; playful, sarcastic, impish, even militaristic...

Movement IV opens with a French Horn fanfare staged against a shimmering string tremolo.  The woodwinds take center stage with much of the melodic content, often reminiscing back to the English Horn of the opening movement.  The movement ends with an elongation of the principle themes set against one another ending in a very dramatic episode.

Movement V acts as a codetta for the entire symphony.  It's main purpose is to bring back the themes of the 2nd and 3rd movement as a final remebrance before concluding in bombastic fashion complete with tubular bells and glocks pounding out counter rhythms against the underlying chaos.

Symphony #4  Movement V

Symphony #4  Movement IV

Symphony #4  Movement III

Symphony #4  Movement II

Symphony #4  Movement I

Fifth Symphony

I   "Complexus"
II  "Gaudium pro vita"
III "Pulchritudinis e Postestas"
IV "Rubro rubrum surrexit"


Symphony #5  - Movement IV  Rubro Rubrum Surrexit

Symphony #5  - Movement III Pulchritudinis E Postestas

Symphony #5  - Movement II Gaudium Pro Vita

Symphony #5  - Movement I Complexus

StringQuartet2 - Movement 3

StringQuartet2 - Movement 2

StringQuartet2 - Movement 1

(2016) Impression of "City Life" by Mark Schiff

When I first viewed this painting, I was struck by the energy; the freneticism bordering on chaos which makes the work seem in constant motion.
I set out to depict 4 elements which I interpreted from the work:
	1. The underlying kineticism which provides the energy - the life force -  permeating the canvas.
	2. The seeming randomness of the whistling curves that flow in front of and behind the rest of the painting, giving it a 3-dimensional sense.
	3. The building structures that make up the background.  These act as a backbone, giving the surrounding activities a feeling of stability and a "home base".
	4. The "red line" imagine.  This held great interest and importance to me because it took a second viewing of the painting for me to absorb it.  At first glance, all I noticed was the horizontalness of the image; traversing the canvas as foreground and background relative to the other activities.  My first impression was that it somehow represented the thread of the Fates weaving its way in and out of the life of the work.  My second viewing picked up the vertical off-shoots which I saw as interesting potential from a musical perspective.

As I set out to create my motifs, I started with the red images since they fascinated me to such an extent.  I immediately heard a rapidly repeated "E".  I wanted this E to go throughout my work --foreground, background, important, insignificant.  I wanted it to show up and interject freely making its presence felt without detracting from the other ideas.  To create the vertical sense, I stayed with E but changed the registrations of the repeated notes.  The sense of E is never lost but it has a feel of travelling up and down.  The constancy of the E tone makes for interesting crashes of dissonance and consonance against the harmonic structures throughout.
Next, I needed the foundation of energy which would support the piece.  I chose to use the piano in running arpeggios which served to shape the harmonies and create the sense of forward progression I was looking for.
The curves, lines and circles translated easiest since they seemed to fit perfectly into the concept of "bird song" -- with a natural feel as flute melodies.  The flute provided the lightness and rapidity I needed; whistling and darting in and out of the work in a never-ending bustle -- like the constant foot traffic and street traffic that is commonplace in the city.
The buildings needed to provide both contrast and a sense of stability -- the perfect props to be used by the other musical elements.  I opted for a Horn here, using figurations that had much sharper edges than the other instruments.  The longer note values, with emphasis on melodic leaps rather than steps, give a sense of scale and grandeur in the background.  To make them appear in motion as they do in the painting, there are subtle crescendos and decrescendos which are exaggerated on the longest notes.  
As far as the musical form goes.....none of the traditional templates seemed to fit my purpose here.  Contrary to my fallback Exposition-Development-Recap approach, I felt it necessary that all 4 elements existed simultaneously as they do in the painting.  The 4 thematic elements coexist --none taking on the role of a true melody -- though each is repeated and developed to a certain extent.  Each comes to the forefront on occasion, but the majority of the piece has them sounding together in a meshed texture -- individual but one, independent but unable to exist alone.
The ending/non-ending of the work is my quasi-philosophical statement of the perpetual nature of city life, leaving the impression of much more life to follow.

Impressions City Life

(2017) This is a prayer based on the text "Mitis mater, conplectere pace. Solacium noctis silentio".  It's a reflection back to the moment of my mothers' passing.

Mater mitis

Mitis Mater

(2017) Symphony # 7 is about transformation.  The outer movements have the common trait of “becoming” what they were intended to be over the course of the movements.  Movement I does this harmonically; starting with a harmonic structure centered around All Interval Tetrachords and morphing into a structure based on the upper tetrachord of a major scale combined with the lower tetrachord of a minor.  The transition here occurs with the “out of scale” notes acting as pivots between the 2 tonalities.  Movement IV transforms melodically; from a disjointed, fragmented theme into a more majestic and stable figure.

The inner movements transform into each other.  Though very different in mood, the 2 movements have many similarities both in harmonic makeup and melodic content.  The caesura between them obscures the fact that the ending harmony of the second is the opening harmony of the third.

Movement I – Allegretto

Movement I opens with a delicate Flute melody; lyrical in construction, but containing several motivic fragments which serve as counterpoint and development as the movement progresses.  The melody is rather long at 20 some-odd bars, but there are several interjections by the orchestra which both enhance and set off the melody from the accompaniment.  The B theme is a Passacaglia using the complex meter of ¾ over 3/2 to create a certain forward momentum while still holding back the drama.  This theme has a largely descending feel to it countering the rising nature of the Flute melody.  These opposing forces are used extensively in the development of the themes and to set up the return of A in the transformed tonality.



Movement II – Alla Marcia – Adagio

Movement II opens with a militaristic march theme pounded out in the brass.  As the theme is taken over by the other instruments, it loses much of its edginess.  A rising climax heralds a brass fanfare leading to the B theme; a running ostinato in the Bassoons…..A soaring, long-note melody takes over in the Strings.  Over the course of development, a number a moods take over the various elements of melodic content, finally melting into an Adagio based on the opening theme.  



Movement III – Appassionatta

Movement III opens with the half-diminished chord variant that ended the 2nd movement.  The A theme has many similarities with the military theme of the preceding movement; opening in the woodwinds in a much more subdued atmosphere.  The B theme in the low Brass and Double Basses quickly gives way again to the woodwinds until a solo Trumpet starts a series of repetitions of the theme expressed in a variety of moods.  A brief episode then returns to A in blocked harmonies of Strings over a pedal point.  An apparent build up leads to an unexpected somber conclusion in quiet solitude with a choir of French Horns.





Movement IV – Allegro Agitato – Maestoso con Brio

Movement IV begins with an animated ostinato in the basses.  Over this driving bass, a fragmented, seemingly disconnected melody sounds out in the Trumpets.  The B theme, also somewhat disjointed, continues the “lost” feel of the movement.  A series of episodes follow in various tempi and colors all leading to the Grosse Fugue that closes out the work using the A theme in a more structured, organized almost regal fashion.  Connecting the chaos to majesty is a solo Cello passage which brings into organization the B theme accompanied by the chorale-like French Horns……As the Cello solo ends, the 4-voice fugue takes control and mushrooms into a grandiose conclusion.

Symphony #7  - Movement IV

Symphony #7  - Movement III

Symphony #7  - Movement II

Symphony #7  - Movement I

(2016) This is my interpretation of Picasso's masterwork.

Impressions Three Musicians

(2015) “Prima Adventus Dominica” is a setting of chants of Mass Propers for the first Sunday of Advent.

Melodically, this work adheres to the original chants almost verbatim.  However, the tone centers are constantly changing from phrase to phrase, and often mid-phrase.  The ever-shifting “tonics” give rise to the poly-modal harmonic structure which drives the work.  The contrasts and clashes between these two worlds help create the overall mood which is one of controlled jubilation; great anticipation without over-anxiousness.  The melodic and harmonic architecture play against a number of rhythmic figurations to keep the feel joyous and provide a nervous energy throughout, leading up to the piety of the final Amen.

This set of Propers is the first of 4 representing the weeks of Advent.  Each subsequent setting removes a little more restraint from the jubilation leading up to the unbridled exhilaration over the birth in Bethlehem.

Prima Adventus Dominica - Introitus

I'm a life-long Connecticut resident.  I received my degree in Composition from the University of Bridgeport where I studied with David Barnett and Michael Linton.  My instrument is the accordion ---- yes, the accordion.  

My compositional style follows no particular school of writing.  During my college years, if asked, I would quickly and proudly say that my music was atonal.  Now, with the wisdom of age, and the benefit of much more study, I know how wrong that was.  Much of my music is far from atonal in the Schoenberg, Webern, Berg sense.  I believe very strongly in melody and the subsequent development of melopy as a compositional force.  Though my melodic ideas are rarely hummable tunes,  I still maintain a commitment to the ideas and to their development as a unifying tool in my works.  I also strive for a harmonic consistency throughout a given piece.  With dissonance being a common link in most of my harmonic structures, the degree of dissonance will change from piece to piece depending on the topic.  In laymen's terms, some pieces are uglier than others.  Of course ugliness, beauty, like, dislike --- these are very subjective concepts which I try to eliminate from my thinking when composing.  My music lives in the world of tritones and augmented fifths, using "less dissonant" as my points of relaxation.  But I still try to strike a balance between tension and resolution towards the goal of creating an emotion, a picture, an idea or a feeling through the music.  In the end, I wish only to touch the soul of the listener; to make them feel something through the music.  

I hope you listen and  enjoy.

Many of the works I will post here are "Orchestral Respresentations"; that is, they were produced by synthetic means via computer.  Though at the core I believe nothing replaces a real instrument and more importantly the real musician playing that instrument, computers have afforded me the opportunity to hear my music close to my original intentions. 30 years ago, my composition teacher (Dr. David Barnett) foretold the impact of computers on composers.  His words have proven prophetic to me.  It's certainly not my aim to to replace "live" performance", nor do I make the claim that these tracks sound "real".  The virtual orchestra is merely the tool I have available to me to hear my music and to get my music heard.

dmastroianni

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