Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition - each track inspired by the interpretation of the Ravel orchestration by Isao Tomita and performed and recorded by Howard. Mussorgsky  completed the piano work in 1874 and is based on pictures by the artist, architect, and designer Viktor Hartmann which was a friend of the composer.

I used a scanned copy of the 1922 Ravel score to achieve this work. I do not consider it complete as I want to make some changes to a few of the instruments and effects to better represent the score. This is my interpretation of the score, and each instrument part, 52 in total, has been faithfully entered, note for note, into my computer so that I could produce this work.  Any mistakes are my own. I hope that you enjoy it.

Pictures at an Exhibition

These are my interpretations of Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt.  Also, I added Puck, even though it is not in the suite... I did this because, well it's Puck...

Peer Gynt's Peer

These are my interpretations of the works of Claude Debussy that I adore. All are electronic creations. In some, I use many different sampled pianos and effects to create the sonic space I desire. In others, I intrepret the instruments in the spirit of Isao Tomita to create a unique work expressing my vision of Debussy's vision.  I hope that you enjoy these works.

Howard Interprets Debussy

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite. All tracks are electronic representations of the instruments that I imagined he would have used had he had an impressive recording studio. 

This is the complete orchestral work with all instruments and all of their notes represented. I used the score from D. Rahter's reprint of the original P. Jurgenson 1892 printing. I obtained this score from IMSLP.  

Any mistakes are my own.

The Nutcracker Is Oh So Suite!

In this album, I present my interpretation of two popular works by Ludvig van Beethoven: Quasi una Fantasia, aka Moonlight Sonata, and Pathétique. 

For each piece I crated a "piano" that brought out what I felt when I listen to the piece. These are layered, built from many sampled acoustic and electric pianos along with electronic synthesizer patches I created. I also used various effects and edits to achieve the crafted sound that I desired like distant canyon echos, dense hall reverberation and other flights of my imagination. Let the music take you on a journey and I hope you enjoy my work.

Howard channels Ludwig van Beethoven - Alotta Sonata

28 audio tracks representing all of the instruments in the 1875 Peer Gynt score by Edvard Grieg. Norwegian goodness!

From Wikipedia: The piece is played as the title character Peer Gynt, in a dream-like fantasy, enters "Dovregubbens (the troll Mountain King's) hall". 

There is a great crowd of troll courtiers, gnomes and goblins. Dovregubben sits on his throne, with crown and sceptre, surrounded by his children and relatives. Peer Gynt stands before him. There is a tremendous uproar in the hall.

In The Hall Of The Mountain King -  (Dovregubbens hall)

This is Grieg's Anitra's Dance. This interpretation consists of 17 tracks. I created a fender rhodes part from the pizzicato of the violins, viola and cello to accompany the violin and cello solo parts. In addition, i added some temple bells and of course scored a drum track which was absent in the original. I hop you enjoy it!

The song is in the key of A minor and the tempo is 160 BPM. That is a little faster than the score indicates the tempo should be but I like it at this speed.

Anitra's Dance - Anitras dans

This is a eight track interpretation of Opus 71's Puck written by Edvard Grieg. It is a lyric piece for piano, to which I have substituted Electric Guitar, Synthesizer, Piano Samples and other sounds.  It is quick and fast, and this is my interpretation. I'm really proud of the drums....

Puck -  Edvard Grieg - Opus 71 on Synth and Electric Guitar

Tchaikovsky's Dance of the sugar plum fairy from the Nutcracker Suite. All instruments synthesized. 17 Tracks mastered with the mid side technique..

II. b) Danse de la Fée Dragée - (Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy)

This is the Arabian Dance, or Coffee, from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite.  It consists of 20 tracks and is a preliminary mixdown of my version of the composition. I used several different synths to achieve the feel I want for the piece and I used the mid side mastering technique to render this.

Coffee (Arabian Dance)

II. d) Danse arabe - Coffee - (Arabian Dance)

This is 20 tracks of synthesized Russian Dance from the Nutcracker Suite, each note lovingly entered from the . It is mastered using the Mid Side technique.

It is tempo di Trepak, molto vivace and I interpret that as 155 BPM in the beginning and then at measure 73, marked stringendo, starting to increase the tempo to an ending at 176 BPM.

II. c) Trepak, danse russe - (Russian Dance)

This is 13 tracks of my interpretation of the Ouverture Miniature from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite. It is mastered using the Mid Side technique. The tempo is Allegro Gusto which is about 105 beats per minute. 

An overture is meant to whet the appetite of the audience for the performance and relay pieces of the performance to the audience to help them anticipate the performance to come. Unfortunately, this Overture does not whet the appetite, it dims it because, in my opinion, it is just not that great a piece of music. I did what I could, these are all the original notes included, there was just nothing I could do dress it up any more than I did. I am happy with the work, just not thrilled.

I. Ouverture Miniature

13 tracks of interpolation and rumination on the March. This is an all electronic interpretation of the Marche from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite.

II. a) Marche

This is Totentanz by Franz Liszt as I interpret the sounds. It is 27 tracks of audio files, transcribed from the original score and interpreted into electronic samples and instruments. I am particularly proud of the rendering of the Piano, as I used several separate samplings of Grans, Fender Rhodes and Grand's with various echo and reverb effects to create a vast space for the piano part. I hope you enjoy.

Purchase This Track!

Totentanz - Howard's Cybernetic Synthetic Orchestra - Dance of Death - Franz Liszt

This is the second piece in Satie's Gymnopedies. The title translates to Slow and Sad. I used my 5 meter grand sample, the distant grand patch and a fender rhodes with custom reverb on the master to make it "big". 6 tracks mastered using the Mid Side technique.

Erik Satie - Trois Gymnopedies - 2 Lent Et Triste

The third piece in the Trios Gymnopedies by Satie. Again, 6 tracks and I used the 5 meter grand, fender rhodes and distant grand. Also, applied Echo and Reverb to the master to achieve a feeling of "space". The title translates to Slow and severe,

Erik Satie - Trois Gymnopedies - 3 Lent Et Grave

Ok, I love this piece so much I did it again. This time i used custom piano accompaniment with Stereo Rhodes, 5 Meter Grand and Distant Grand patches. Custom reverb and echo to make it bid. Oh, and a mini-moog/electric guitar combo doing the melody.  8 tracks total. I am quite proud. Please let me know what you think.

Erik Satie - Trois Gymnopedies - Lent Et Douloureux

Flight of the bumblebee @ 173 BPM using Drums, Guitar, Synth, Grand Piano and two other backing synths.

Flight of the Bumble Bee - Synth, Piano, Drums and Guitar

This is the Hurdy Gurdy Man, seven tracks. I used one track for the 5 meter grand piano to play the accompaniment without the bass. A bass guitar sample for the drone. I also backed the bass guitar with samples of a Fender Rhodes Mark II and also my distant grand samples processed through multiple echos.  the synthesizers playing the voice are multi-oscillator Moog's using a unison box, double tracked with slightly differing tunings and delay settings. It is my intention to record the vocal and mix it as well. I will record the vocal and process it through a vocoder to give an eerie feeling.

I love this work.
Here are the words:

There, behind the village, 
stands a hurdy-gurdy-man,
And with numb fingers 
he plays the best he can.

Barefoot on the ice, 
he staggers back and forth,
And his little plate 
remains ever empty.

No one wants to hear him, 
no one looks at him,
And the hounds snarl 
at the old man.

And he lets it all go by, 
everything as it will,
He plays, and his hurdy-gurdy
is never still.

Strange old man, 
shall I go with you?
Will you play your hurdy-gurdy 
to my songs?

Schubert - Winterreise - Der Leiermann #24

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's Solfeggio in C Minor. Ambient mid side mix, custom synth with rhythmic delay. For my little man's birthday.

Solfeggio in C Minor

Lent Et Douloureux, 
Slow and Painful, 
ゆっくりと痛みを伴って, 
Yukkuri to itami wo tomonatte

French, to English, to Japanese. 

This is a collaboration we call Satie with Friends. In Jacksonville, Florida I recorded a backing piece playing bass and impossible pianos. I sent it to my friend Kyuppa san, 今野英生 , who lives in Kushiro, Hokkaido. The only instructions were to use any instruments and techniques to record the melody however he chooses to interpret it. 

He achieved greatness. He sent me three audio tracks with flute, clarinet and violin. I have mixed our efforts into this piece of music. This is a collaboration between two friends who met through a common love of interpreting the music of Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky.

I present our interpretation of Slow and Painful.遅くて痛い, the masterwork by Eric Satie.

Satie with Friends - Gymnopedies #1 - Lent Et Douloureux

The second iteration in Satie with Friends, this track features a lead by my friend Ken Soper of Tennessee. Ken is a very accomplished player and is now retired form the touring scene. I asked Ken to contribute a solo to the Satie with Friends project and this is what he came up with. He used a Moog One, yes he is a lucky bastard, along with some whistling and a boys choir patch. I love the sound. It is so Satie.

Remember, in this project the participants have to have two qualities, they have to be my friends, and they take the backing track I created of my impossible piano and add whatever they desire. So far, I am in awe of everything contributed to this project!

Satie with Friends - Gymnopedies 1 - Lent Et Douloureux - Ken Soper

Carol of the bells

Irrlicht, song 9 from Winterreise by Franz Schubert.  The false light of the will-o'-the-wisp has led him astray, but he is used to that. Every path leads to the same goal. Our joys and sorrows are but a trick of the light. Every stream reaches the sea, every sorrow its grave.

3 tracks, my 9 meter grand mixed with a fender rhodes and a special synth using a variety of delays to achieve space. Preliminary mix, not yet EQed. x`

Irrlicht - Will-o'-the-wisp

Debussy arabesque instrumental, 10 tracks, all electronic. In the spirit of Isao Tomita and dedicated to his memory. Isao is who inspired me to become a synthesist and his influence permeates my work.

Debussy - Arabesque In E - With Synthesized Instruments

Clair de Lune which is the third movement of Suite Bergamasque by Claude Debussy. Performed by me using a special mix of sampled grands and fender Rhodes pianos plus a lot of effects. 8 tracks of audio mixed with the mid side technique.

Debussy - Suite Bergamasque - Movement 3 - Clair de lune

Synthesized for your protection. I added a little itty bitty mamouth distorted electric guitar to this classic. I hope you like it and would appreciate any comments on the mix.

Howard's Cybernetic Orchestra - Ride of the Valkyries - Richard Wagner

The Old Castle. The painting is said to depict a medieval castle before which a troubadour sings a song.

Il vecchio castello - The Old Castle - Track #4

Hartmann's design for the décor of a picturesque scene in the ballet Trilby. The original chics in the ballet were canaries.

Balet nevylupivshikhsya ptentsov - Ballet of Unhatched Chicks - Track #9 - Pictures at an Exhibition

This is described, by Stasov, as "An avenue in the garden of the Tuileries, with a swarm of children and nurses". The Tuileries Garden is near the Louve museum in France.

Tuileries - (Children's Quarrel after Games) Track #6

Mussorgksy said of Hartman's picture, "The creative spirit of the dead Hartmann leads me towards the skulls, invokes them; the skulls begin to glow softly."

The picture is a self portrait of Hartmann descending into the Roman Catacombs via lamplight.

Con mortuis in lingua mortua - With the Dead in a Dead Language - Track #13

Modest Mussorgsky - the Gnome second selection from Pictures at an Exhibition. About 18 tracks to produce it in all its goodness, not complete yet but getting close to what I expect it to do. This is all synthesized and inspired by Tomita and Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

Stasov described the picture as "A sketch depicting a little gnome, clumsily running with crooked legs."

Gnomus - (The Gnome) - Track #2 - Pictures at an Exhibition

Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition - Catacombs.

9 tracks, depicts Hartmann's descent into the Roman Catacombs by Lamplight.

Sepulchrum Romanum - Catacombs  -Track #12

Promenade #2 - Track 3

Mussorgsky is roving through the exhibition, now leisurely, now briskly in order to come close to a picture that had attracted his attention, and at times sadly, thinking of his departed friend.

This took 19 audio tracks to achieve and is from the Ravel score and implements each instrument.

Promenade #1

Promenade #4 - reflective of the main promenade theme, only 10 measures. 14 tracks.

Promenade #4 - Track #8 - Pictures at an Exhibition

Promenade #3  with more extroversion and weight than before. 8 measures...  12 tracks

Promenade #3 - Track 5

A Polish cart on enormous wheels, drawn by oxen. I feel that Mussorgsky wrote this to show the oxen far away, coming close and passing the observer and then passing beyond view. I tried to achieve that with my rendering. 

This is 19 audio tracks and a faithful input of the Ravel score. I added some industrial samples to create a "rhythm" track as piece really needed something to drive it. This addition gives it a "steam punk" drive so that instead of an oxen, we get a steam driven or industrial robotic oxen pulling our polish cart. I hope you enjoy my interpretation.

Bydlo - Cattle - Pictures at an Exhibition - Track #7

Limoges. The Market (The Great News) in Eb Major. French women quarrelling violently in the market.

Limoges - Le marché (La grande nouvelle)- Track 11

Two Polish Jews, Rich and Poor (Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle). The movement is thought to be based on two separate extant portraits.

Samuel Goldenberg Und Schmuyle - Track #10

the final track of Pictures at an Exhibition. Hartmann's sketch was his design for city gates at Kiev in the ancient Russian massive style with a cupola shaped like a slavonic helmet."

Bogatyrs are heroes that appear in Russian epics called bylinas. Hartmann designed a monumental gate for Tsar Alexander II to commemorate the monarch's narrow escape from an assassination attempt on April 4, 1866. Hartmann regarded his design as the best work he had done. His design won the national competition but plans to build the structure were later cancelled.

The movement's grand main theme exalts the opening Promenade much as "Baba Yaga" amplified "Gnomus"; also like that movement, it evens out the meter of its earlier counterpart. The solemn secondary theme is based on a baptismal hymn from the repertory of Russian Orthodox chant.

This is a faithful rendition of the Ravel orchestration but I did follow Wood's lead in incorporating a Fantasy Hammond Pipe Organ thingy into the piece. I just felt it was crying out for organ.

The Bogatyr Gates - The Great Gate of Kiev

Hartmann's drawing depicted a clock in the form of Baba Yaga's hut on fowl's legs. Mussorgsky added the witch's flight in a mortar."

A scherzo marked Feroce with a slower middle section. Motives in this movement evoke the bells of a large clock and the whirlwind sounds of a chase. Structurally, the movement mirrors the grotesque qualities of "Gnomus" on a grand scale.

The Hut on Hen's Legs (Baba Yaga)

This first movement is played at Adagio sostenuto which translate to slow and sustained and is in the key of C# Minor. I used three piano samples for this, electric, 5 meter grand and Distant Mountain Grand to get the space into the music.

Ah, Ludwig van Beethoven, thou art so HUGE! So immense!  This is my recording of "Moonlight Sonata" or as it is actually titled, Quasi una Fantasia which translates to  "sonata in the manner of a fantasy".  This is the second sonata from the Opus 27 and was written in 1801.  The name, moonlight sonata, was actually penned by Ludwig Rellstab who thought the piece reminded him of the moons reflection off of lake Luzern in Switzerland.

The sonata breaks with normal form in that it is represented as a slow movement, a little faster movement and then a fast movement. Traditionally a sonata would be fast movement, slow movement, and finally an ending fast movement.

Moonlight Sonata 1st Movement - Beethoven - Quasi una fantasia

This second movement is played allegreto which translates as a little quickly.  This movement is in the key of Bb Minor. I used three piano samples for this, electric, 5 meter grand and Distant Mountain Grand to get the space into the music.

Moonlight Sonata 2nd Movement - Beethoven - Quasi una fantasia

This final movement is again in C# Minor and is presented as Presto Agitato which is "fast, agitated." I used three piano samples for this, electric, 5 meter grand and Distant Mountain Grand to get the space into the music.

Ah, Ludwig van Beethoven, thou art so HUGE! So immense! This is my recording of "Moonlight Sonata" or as it is actually titled, Quasi una Fantasia which translates to "sonata in the manner of a fantasy". This is the second sonata from the Opus 27 and was written in 1801. The name, moonlight sonata, was actually penned by Ludwig Rellstab who thought the piece reminded him of the moons reflection off of lake Luzern in Switzerland.

The sonata breaks with normal form in that it is represented as a slow movement, a little faster movement and then a fast movement. Traditionally a sonata would be fast movement, slow movement, and finally an ending fast movement.

Moonlight Sonata 3rd Movement - Beethoven - Quasi una fantasia

This is Ludwig at his finest. The Sonata in C Minor Opus 13 Fist Movement, better known as Sonata Pathétique was written for Prince Karl von Lichnowsky by Beethoven. 

The first movement is know as Grave – Allegro di molto e con brio, which uses the Mannheim crescendos or Rocket theme. I used 6 audio tracks of instruments to get this sound for the work from distant grand to fender rhodes to a 5 meter grand piano. I hope you like it.

Pathétique - Sonata in C Minor Opus 13 1st Movement - Beethoven

The Sonata in C Minor Opus 13 Second Movement, better known as Sonata Pathétique was written for Prince Karl von Lichnowsky by Beethoven. 

The second movement is know as Adagio cantabile (Slowly, in a singing style), opens with a famous cantabile melody. This theme is played three times, always in A-flat major, separated by two modulating episodes, making it a five-part rondo. 

This is an 8 chanel stereo mix using Grand Piano, 5 Meter Grand, Distant Grand,  Echo Grand Piano, Fender Rhodes Piano, and several synthesized choral and string patches mixed together. I hop you like it!

Pathétique - Sonata in C Minor Opus 13 2nd Movement - Beethoven

The Sonata in C Minor Opus 13 Third Movement, better known as Sonata Pathétique was written for Prince Karl von Lichnowsky by Beethoven. The third movement is known as a Rondo: Allegro (Quickly). 

This is a 9 Chanel stereo mix using 5 meter grand piano, Grand Piano, Echo Grand Piano, Distant piano, Fender Rhodes Piano, and several synthesized choral and string patches mixed together. I hope you like it!

Pathétique - Sonata in C Minor Opus 13 3rd Movement - Beethoven

This is 12 tracks of audio representing my take on Edvard Greig's Morning Mood.  I hope you enjoy it. this is the first pass at mixing and I may change a few instruments. I need to listed to it over and over before I determine that....

Morning Mood - Morgenstemning i ørkenen

This is Prelude from Suite Bergamasque by Claude Debussy. I used 6 different sampled pianos mixed together to get the sound that I desired for this piece. They included my 5 meter grand, a distant grand enhanced with echo and reverb for spaciousness and a pedal board Fender Rhodes. I am really happy with the results.

This piece is played at moderato tempo rubato and is the in key of F Major.

Debussy - Suite Bergamasque - Movement 1 - Prelude

The second movement is also inspired by Baroque dance and arabesque styles. The main theme is delicate and is ornamented by many embellishments. The piece is in the key of A minor and is in 3/4 time.

To achieve the soundscape that I wanted for the piece, I again relied on three different piano samples, the 5 meter grand, the distant grand which is heavily processed via echo and reverb, and the processed Wurlitizer.

Debussy - Suite Bergamasque - Movement 2 - Menuet

The final movement of Suite bergamasque is titled Pasepied and is in the key of F# Minor and is played Allegretto ma non troppo. I used 5 differnt piano sample instruments and various settings, effects and equalization to get the ambiance I wanted for this track. A pasepied is a type of dance that originated in Brittany.

Debussy - Suite Bergamasque - Movement 4 - Passepied

This is from Peer Gynt and is the Death of Ase or Åses død. The piece is in B Minor. I redid my original version and paired it down for a minimalist approach.  I put the tempo of the piece at 40 BPM for more gravitas, as if it didn't have enough already!

Death of Ase - Åses død

I create electronic music in the spirit of Tomita and Wendy Carlos. I also like to rock and am into Pink Floyd. I have been a user of Cakewalk since version 1.0 and currently use Reason, Cakewalk and Audacity along with a studio full of electronic instruments and effects. I play with local musicians and I work at composing electronic renditions of classical music.

Howard F. Arner, Jr.

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