Written for Dr. Hugh Floyd and the Furman Singers during my time in Arezzo, Italy in the Fall of 2013. It is a setting of Francecsco Petrarch's 112th sonnet. 

"Sennuccio, I want you to know in what manner
I am treated, and what my life is like:
I burn, and am consumed, as I used to be:
the breeze whirls me, and I am as I was.
 
Here I saw her all humility, and its opposite,
now harsh, now soft, now pitiless, now kind:
now clothed in nobility, now in grace,
now tame, now disdainful and wild.
 
Here she sang sweetly, and here she sat:
here she turned, and here took a step back:
here, with her lovely eyes, she pierced my heart:
 
here she spoke a word, and here she smiled:
here her face changed. Alas, both night and day,
our lord, Love, holds me, with such thoughts."

Qui (un madrigal)

A contemplative, improvisatory-like piece written in memory of my late grandfather Bobby McCarley, in response to Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross' observations on death and the dark internal struggle of those most deeply impacted by great loss. It was written for and premiered by my dear friend and colleague Ryan Blocker.

In memory of those we have loved most - lost, but not forgotten - perpetually suspended in an endless sea.

a vessel of light in a dark sea

"The Hyena" is a cadenza-like, virtuosic piece for solo clarinet written in response to a poem of the same name by Jeffery Beam on the mythological attributes of this conniving, cackling creature. The work is my first true exploration into the world of 12-tone (though I'm often surprised by its jazzy undertones) and features long-winded chromatic passages that are interjected by onomatopoetic sequences that emulate the whooping and hollering of a hyena on the prowl. Many thanks to the talented Trevor Stewart for a stellar performance and to Jeffery Beam, whose words continue to haunt, tantalize, and inspire. 

The illustration above is just one of many drawings by Ippy Patterson conceived for Beam's "An Elizabethan Bestiary: Retold." You can check out some of Patterson's other stunning works from the book here: http://50watts.com/An-Elizabethan-Bestiary-Retold


The Hyena

Erravi is a short piece for electronic media, quickly conceived for the annual Composer/Choreographer collaboration at UMKC in 2015. The basic premise is one of self discovery and reemergence. Too often we young artist feel lost and dissatisfied with our growth/output - finding ourselves wandering in a haze of our own devise... Stunted and creatively blocked, yet still seemingly awake and functioning. This piece is about a reawakening of the senses and of the mind - a rekindling of the imagination and creativity. All it takes is a single thought... And slowly your soul boils up and over until you erupt... or sink back into seclusion. 

This has been my only significant quest into the world of electronic music to date. 

Erravi

Enclosed is a short excerpt from a scoring project completed and recorded in the Spring of 2015. For this project, I chose to score the Pirate scene from Finding Neverland (2004), in which J.M. Barrie (Depp) indulges in a game of make-believe with the Davies children. Though I cannot post the video clip here, it is readily available on YouTube (with Kaczmarek's original score). 
My music attempts to color and accentuate the action on screen, which begins in a quaint wood, transitions into the flamboyant pirate world of the children's imagination, and ends with a sudden jolt back into reality. 

Finding Neverland (Film Scoring Project - Excerpt)

A short cycle written for my dear friend and colleague, Morgan Voke. 
This set is meant to evoke the various stages of a woman's love life. "Aimons Toujours" is told from the perspective of a young girl, giddy and full of cheese. She's "fallen in love" for the first time, but seems to be more overwhelmed with the IDEA of love. In "Amour veut tout," the young girl has grown up and is experiencing (and experimenting) with the more sensual side of love. This particular song is told from the perspective of the woman's lover, who is in the process of seducing her. After the climax, the piece quietly reiterates the first word, "Mistress," and dissolves in the night. In the final song, "Extase Ancienne," the texts describes two ghosts (once lovers) walking alone in a park at night. One ghost remembers these moments fondly and and tries to reiterate them to the other, who sadly does not return her passions. The piece ends as it began.

Holt McCarley