Commissioned by and dedicated to clarinetist William Helmers, the 16-minute "Sextet for Bass Clarinet and Strings" (2009) is a chamber version of "Concerto for Bass Clarinet and Strings" (2004), presented in the conventional three-movement concerto form (fast – slow – fast). Throughout the piece—and in true concerto fashion—the soloist explores the capabilities of the bass clarinet while facing expressive and technical challenges not always associated with the instrument. Meanwhile, the string quintet, far from humming away quietly in the background, does its share of heavy-lifting as it weaves a colorful, multi-textured fabric around the solo line.

Each of the three movements reflects a stte of being familiar to us all: Levity bubbles over with gregarious enthusiasm; Loss throbs with poignancy, grief, and pain; and Emphasis certainly makes its point.

From the CD "High Autumn" on the Potenza label: http://www.potenzamusic.com/high-autumn-works-for-clarinet-by-james-grant-126345.a

Score and parts available through Potenza Music — sales@potenzamusic.com



Purchase at Potenza

SEXTET FOR BASS CLARINET AND STRINGS | William Helmers, bass clarinet

From the CD "High Autumn," on the Potenza Music label: http://www.potenzamusic.com/high-autumn-works-for-clarinet-by-james-grant-126345.cfm

_________________________

Slow jazz…. What musical language could celebrate more appropriately the lyrical, sensuous, expressive character of the clarinet? The three Chocolates, in this version for clarinet and piano, are torch songs in the tradition of the passionate, tuneful ballads of the American ‘40s and ‘50s.

Originally composed for viola, the first two Chocolates, “Valentine” and “Bittersweet,” offer soulful narratives that speak to devotion, poignancy, romance, uncertainty, longing. The third Chocolate, “Triple Mocha Indulgence,” is slightly less soul-searching, more ebullient, and progressively becomes animated (a sugar high, perhaps?) right up to its raucous close.

Chocolates was commissioned and premiered in 1998 by violist Michelle LaCourse, to whom this music is dedicated.  Her 2009 recording on the MSR Classics label, “Chocolates: Music for Viola and Piano by James Grant” (MS1335) has been met with critical acclaim.


CHOCOLATES | William Helmers, clarinet; Wayne Wildman, piano

'Recitative' is a plaintive, mournful narrative that gradually swells into outbursts of rage and confusion.

'Frenzy' is just that, and includes instructions to the performers such as 'with resignation,' 'barely controlled,' and 'pissed off.'

RECITATIVE & FRENZY  |  William Helmers, clarinet; Stefanie Jacob, piano

"Double Concerto for Euphonium and Tuba," with the University of South Florida Wind Ensemble under the direction of John Carmichael, featuring Brandon Jones (euphonium) and Jay Hunsberger (tuba).

DOUBLE CONCERTO FOR EUPHONIUM AND TUBA | II. Passage | University of South Florida

ORCHESTRAL SCORE - https://www.dropbox.com/s/7mx05mvx4dj6vu8/Listen%20to%20the%20Earth%20-%20Orch%20Score%2011%20x%2015.pdf?dl=0

PIANO/VOCAL SCORE - https://www.dropbox.com/s/lu9uwrr16k343xy/%2002%20-%20LTE%20-%20PV%20Mixed%20Chorus.pdf?dl=0 

PROGRAM NOTE

Commissioned by Choral Artists of Sarasota to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the cantata Listen to the Earth hitches a ride aboard NASA’s Apollo 11 mission to the moon. Scored for baritone solo, youth chorus, mixed chorus and chamber orchestra, this music was composed in loving memory of Daniel Troen Moe and Richard David Moe. 

The texts come from three sources: the NASA transcript of communications between Houston Mission Control and Apollo 11 Mission Commander Neil Armstrong; the United Nations Environmental Sabbath Program; and original texts sung by the baritone soloist, written by the composer and inspired by the writings of Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle astronauts, and astronomer Carl Sagan.

As the piece opens we are at T-minus 15 seconds atop Apollo 11’s 30-story high rocket, seconds away from starting the ignition sequence of its massive Saturn V boosters—we barely have time to secure our safety harnesses as the thunderous launch “lifts us from the pad with astounding vibration.”

As Apollo 11 clears the launch tower and its ascent from Earth accelerates, we hear the rapid-fire back-and-forth between Houston’s Mission Control (the Chorus) and Apollo 11’s Mission Commander, Neil Armstrong (our own Über-Astronaut, baritone Marcus DeLoach). Systems are checked, flight abort modes come and go, and the third stage is ignited. 

Upon reaching Earth Orbit Phase, our Astronaut catches his first glimpse of Earth from space and marvels at the majesty of this “living, breathing, precious four-and-a-half-billion-year-old miracle.” 

Houston initiates the Translunar Phase of the mission, which releases Apollo 11 from Earth orbit and sets it on its lunar trajectory: “You are GO for translunar injection!”—and Apollo 11 commences its 3-day coast through space toward the moon. 

Our Astronaut becomes increasingly introspective as he views Earth slowly receding, and he begins to comprehend with emphatic clarity that “this beacon of blue and brown, green and white, holds the summary of my life.” An impassioned litany between the Astronaut and the combined youth and Mmixed choruses expands in scope and intensity.

Now in lunar orbit, Apollo 11 gets the call from Houston: “Apollo 11, Houston. We’re go for undocking. Over.” The Lunar Module (Eagle) detaches from the Command Module, and our Astronaut reports: “Eagle is undocked. The Eagle has wings.” The descent to the lunar surface has begun.

Eagle lands on the moon; and now, our Astronaut is “standing in cosmic dust, orbiting a rotating planet orbiting a distant star.” Gazing in awe at Earth from the lunar surface, he sees and understands for the first time what Earth truly is: “a fragile, defenseless sphere floating gracefully through space and time.”

If only we all could stand with our Astronaut on the lunar surface and see Earth from one-quarter million miles away. From this vantage point we surely would comprehend just how vulnerable, isolated and tentative our one and only home truly is, and that Earth’s intricate, delicately balanced ecosystems are indeed a miracle. We surely would understand that we must—we absolutely must—commit to nurturing and caring for Earth, every moment of every day, in every way possible, just as she always has cared for us.
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Listen to the Earth - orchestra mock-up

CHOCOLATES for viola (excerpts) Michelle LaCourse, vla; Martin Amlin, pno

Ragamuffins is a virtuosic, raucous, humorous crowd-pleasing frenzy for any Bb clarinet and any Eb clarinet or saxophone. Because neither voice is really considered 'top' voice, any combination will work. (Possible combinations include bass clarinet and alto sax, clarinet and bari sax, bass clarinet and Eb soprano clarinet.) This versatile piece begs experimentation with various instrumentation. Sheet music available at www.JustForWinds.com.

Buy on iTunes!

RAGAMUFFINS | duet for any B-flat clarinet and any E-flat clarinet or saxophone

A moving premier performance of "Tribute: Those Who Serve," by the University of West Georgia Wind Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Josh Byrd.

Tribute: Those Who Serve, scored for Grade 4/5 band, is dedicated to the bravery, heroism and sacrifice of First Responders.  The music is based on an earlier work for orchestra, called Tribute, commissioned by conductor Michael Gagliardo and the Etowah Youth Symphony Orchestra to commemorate the events of September 11, 2001.

I composed the original Tribute in the spring of 2002 while in residence at Copland House in Cortlandt Manor, NY, where Aaron Copland lived and worked the last thirty years of his life.  With gratitude to Copland House and as my own "tribute" to Mr. Copland, the orchestral version of Tribute opened and closed with the composer's initials A.C. featured in the strings as major chords on A and C. Mercifully, the current version for band has been transposed up a half-step to the key of B-flat.  A central section in D-flat features robust quotes from Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, a work that is at the spiritual core of Tribute: Those Who Serve.

Tribute: Those Who Serve invites us to pause and reflect on the daily acts of valor exhibited by the many First Responders in our local communities—law enforcement officials, firefighters, search and rescue teams, emergency medical technicians and citizen volunteers, to name but a few. My hope is that Tribute: Those Who Serve will inspire community and school bands nationwide to hold events to honor the brave women and men who serve with consummate commitment and determination in our local communities, selflessly standing tall in times of local and national crisis. 

Score and parts available at Potenza Music: http://www.potenzamusic.com/tribute-those-who-serve-for-wind-band-133062.cfm 

Score+parts at Potenza

TRIBUTE: THOSE WHO SERVE - for grade 4/5 band

Commissioned by the Choral Arts Society of Washington, Norman Scribner, Artistic Director — A high-octane Christmas romp for timpani, soprano solo, large chorus, and orchestra.

Choral Arts Society of Washington Chorus and Orchestra
Arianna Zukerman, soprano
Freddy Begun, timpani
Norman Scribner, conductor

Program note and texts:

In the summer of 2004, Norman Scribner commissioned me to compose a “multi-purpose” work for the Choral Arts Society’s 2005 Christmas Music concert at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.  The commission was requested to celebrate the CASW’s 40th Anniversary Season; to honor the retirement of Fred Begun, principal timpanist with the National Symphony Orchestra and longtime friend and timpanist with the CASW Orchestra; and to make full-throttled use of the Choral Arts Society’s 200 voices in a joyful Christmas romp for timpani, soprano solo, chorus, and orchestra.

Eminent scholar and musicologist Wayne Shirley played a key role in the development of Eja! Eja! (Joy! Joy!), for which I am most grateful: he provided me with a cornucopia of Nativity texts, many familiar and some obscure.  From two antiphons, Mirabile mysterium and Hodie Christus natus est, I harvested Latin texts declaring both profound mystery and sublime ecstasy at the birth of Christ; from 18th-century hymnist and student of mysticism John Byrom came two stanzas from his A Hymn for Christmas Day; and from 19th-century English poet Alfred Lord Tennyson’s In Memorium, XXX, emerged the most simple and elegant of quatrains that begins: “Rise, happy morn, rise holy morn....” What better words than Tennyson’s to begin a musical celebration of the Nativity?

Eja! Eja! is dedicated with thanks and warm affection to the Choral Arts Society of Washington and its music director, Norman Scribner, and to timpanist Fred Begun.

James Grant  |  Toronto, ON, 2005

___________________________________________________________________

Text

Rise, happy morn, rise, holy morn,
Draw forth the cheerful day from night:
O Father, touch the east, and light
The light that shone when Hope was born.

                         - from Alfred Lord Tennyson, In Memoriam, XXX

Mirabile mysterium declaratur hodie:
Deus homo factus est.
Eja! Eja!*

Christians awake! Salute the happy Morn
Whereon the Saviour of the world was born!
Rise to adore the Mystery of Love,
Which Hosts of angels chanted from above;
With them the joyful Tidings first begun
Of God Incarnate, and the Virgin’s Son.

Mirabile mysterium declaratur hodie:
Deus homo factus est.

Eja! Eja!

Then to the watchful Shepherds it was told,
Who heard th’Angelic Herald’s Voice: “Behold!
I bring good tidings of a Saviour’s Birth
To you and all the Nations upon Earth;
This Day hath God Fulfill’d his promis’d Word;
This Day is born a Saviour, Christ the Lord.

                        - from John Byrom A Hymn for Christmas Day

Mirabile mysterium declaratur hodie:
Deus homo factus est.
Eja! Eja!

Hodie Christus natus est.
Gloria in excelsis Deo, alleluia.**

Deus homo factus est.
Hodie Christus natus est.

____________________________________________________

* A wonderful mystery is revealed today;
God has become man.
Oh, Joy! Joy!

—transl. Ron Jeffers
Translations and Annotations of Choral Repertoire, Vol I:  Sacred Latin Texts

** Today, Christ is born.
Glory to God in the highest.  Alleluia.

PDF of score!

EJA! EJA! (Joy! Joy!) | timpani, soprano solo, large chorus and orchestra

When I received a call in the summer of 2013 from tuba legend Jim Self asking me if I would be interested in composing a short, virtuosic romp for four F tubas, I found myself reaching for my pencils even as Jim finished his first sentence.

There followed several skype sessions with the USC Bass Tuba Quartet, Jim’s top-flight ensemble of four insanely talented young tuba players—Brandon Davis, Danny Garcia, Charlie Mann, and Michael Murrin.  Collectively, Jim and the quartet asked me for a thoroughly democratic work, one in which each of the four parts would require a comprehensive technical command of the instrument in both agility and range. In other words, Tuba 1 was not to be stationed relentlessly in the stratosphere spewing melodic material; and Tuba 4 was not to be chained mercilessly in the dungeon laying goose eggs.  Indeed, as per their request, Whiplash requires all four players to weave in and out among themselves in a kaleidoscopic game of high-stakes tag as each part turns on a dime at an unusually rapid pace, all the while executing challenging music that explores the extremes of high and low, loud and soft, lyrical and gnarly.

Whiplash (marked “Like trolls exercising”) was commissioned by Jim Self for the 2013-14 USC Bass Tuba Quartet and was composed between Thanksgiving and Christmas 2013. The music is dedicated with robust thanks to the four brilliantly-talented tubists for whom it was written, with a knowing nod of deep respect to Jim Self for his well-documented and unceasing commitment to expand the scope and content of offerings in the tuba and tuba ensemble repertoires.

Purchase sheet music: http://www.potenzamusic.com/whiplash-for-tuba-quartet-135959.cfm

WHIPLASH for tuba quartet  |  USC Bass Tuba Quartet

Movement I, "Levity," from "Sextet for Bass Clarinet and Strings" — William Helmers, bass clarinet; Phllarmonia Quartet, with Zachary Cohen, double bass

Sextet for Bass Clarinet and Strings |  I. Levity

Movement II, "Loss," from "Sextet for Bass Clarinet and Strings" — William Helmers, bass clarinet; Philomusica Quartet, with Zachary Cohen, double bass.

Sextet for Bass Clarinet and Strings |  II. Loss

Movement III, "Emphasis," from "Sextet for Bass Clarinet and Strings" — William Helmers, bass clarinet; Philomusica Quartet, with Zachary Cohen, double bass.

Sextet for Bass Clarinet and Strings |  III. Emphasis

Each of these ten études depicts one aspect of what is arguably the most awkward social rite ever invented: the blind date. 

'Nervous Anxiety | Eager Anticipation | Relaxed' progresses through three common stages of date anticipation, while 'Small Talk' captures a not very successful attempt to initiate conversation. 'So Much In Common' celebrates the giddy recognition of sharing similar interests, while 'Fanfare For Nothing In Common' (with apologies to Aaron Copland) sounds the alarm as DNA-level incompatibility becomes evident. 'Love At First Sight' speaks to that welcome seductive feeling of increasing attraction and hopeful vision that “this may be the one!” just as 'Chatty | Annoying'  tells a different story. 'Reflecting, Revolving Spoon' suggests the quiet introspection of stirring and staring into a coffee cup as one sits across from “the other,” assessing the personal dynamics at play. 'Opposites Attract' musically defines that well-worn bromide from the dating scene, while 'Tons of Fun' is just that.  The final étude, 'Emergency Number Speed-Dial Rescue Phone Call'…well, that says it all.


Buy sheet music

NOT YOUR NORMAL SET OF ETUDES: 10 BLIND DATES FOR SOLO TUBA | Jeff Baker, tuba

CHOCOLATES - I. VALENTINE | clarinet and piano

CHOCOLATES - II. BITTERSWEET | clarinet and piano

CHOCOLATES - III. TRIPLE MOCHA INDULGENCE | clarinet and piano

From Aaron Tindall's CD, "This Is My House."
http://www.potenzamusic.com/this-is-my-house-134346.cfm

CONCERTO FOR TUBA: THREE FURIES - I  |  Aaron TIndall, tuba

CONCERTO FOR TUBA: THREE FURIES - II  |  Aaron TIndall, tuba

From Aaron Tindall's CD, "This IS My House."
http://www.potenzamusic.com/this-is-my-house-134346.cfm

CONCERTO FOR TUBA: THREE FURIES - III  |  Aaron TIndall, tuba

From Potenza Records (PM1012), Eufonix Quartet CD "End Game" — http://www.potenzamusic.com/end-game-114954.cfm — Used by permission.
_________________________________

Endgame was intended to be the third and final movement of tba4tet, a work commissioned by a consortium of 48 participants made up of individuals and tuba-euphonium quartets. This music stands on its own as a three-and-a-half minute virtuoso romp for tuba-euphonium quartet - a piece that is probably best put at the end, not at the beginning of the program. Endgame, marked 'Giving it all you've got', is a tour de force display of syncopation, somewhat eccentric meters, frantic double-tonguing, and a brief episode of pagan raunch (whatever that is), all supported by a brutally relentless second tuba bass line that views oxygen to be of no importance whatsoever. 

Endgame is dedicated with thanks to Matt Tropman, Kelly Thomas, Mark Nelson and Don Harry, who premiered the work at the 2008 ITEC in Cincinnati, OH.

Score and parts: http://www.potenzamusic.com/endgame-for-tuba-euphonium-quartet-124546.cfm


ENDGAME  |  tuba quartet; Eufonix Quartet

Buy music at Potenza

THREE FURIES FOR SOLO TUBA - Fury II | John Hadden, tuba

Waltz for Betz (1999) is a gentle, passionate ballad - Erik Satie by way of Henry Mancini - originally composed for solo piano as a musical Valentine's Day card, then later arranged as a recital piece for viola and piano, and ultimately as a work for viola solo with string quartet, string quintet, or string orchestra accompaniment.  Versions are available that feature virtually every orchestral and band instrument in the solo role.



WALTZ FOR BETZ  |  clarinet and string quintet

Mvt I of James Grant's Choral Symphony for Baritone Solo, Chorus, and Orchestra based on the Civil War poetry, prose, and correspondence of Walt Whitman. 


SUCH WAS THE WAR  |  I. O Terrible Drums

'Recitative' is a plaintive, mournful narrative that gradually swells into outbursts of rage and confusion.

'Frenzy' is just that, and includes instructions to the performers such as 'with resignation,' 'barely controlled,' and 'pissed off.'

RECITATIVE and FRENZY  |  Frenzy

RECITATIVE and FRENZY  |  Recitative

Originally commissioned as a chamber quartet for clarinet, violin, ‘cello, and piano by the Hoff-Barthelson Music School in Scarsdale, NY, Entr’acte is a musical rendering of “the smell of the greasepaint, the roar of the crowd!”  

This version for chamber orchestra was commissioned by the Bay-Atlantic Symphony, Jed Gaylin, Music director.

A version for full orchestra is in the works..


ENTR'ACTE  |  chamber or full orchestra

Premiere recording of the version for bassoon and piano of "Chocolates," on the Potenza Record label (PM 1029) — Used by permission.

Purchase recording:
http://www.potenzamusic.com/chocolates-125860.cfm

Purchase sheet music:
http://www.potenzamusic.com/chocolates-for-bassoon-and-piano-125997.cfm

_____________________________________

 Slow jazz... What musical language could celebrate more appropriately the lyrical, sensuous, expressive character of the bassoon? The three Chocolates, in this version for bassoon and piano, are torch songs in the tradition of the passionate, tuneful ballads of the American 40s and 50s. The first two Chocolates, Valentine and Bittersweet, offer soulful narratives that speak to devotion, poignancy, romance, uncertainty, longing. The third Chocolate, Triple Mocha Indulgence, is slightly less soul-searching, more ebullient, and progressively becomes more animated (a sugar high, perhaps?) right up to its raucous close. Chocolates was commissioned and premiered in 1998 by violist Michelle LaCourse, to whom this music is dedicated."

Chocolates can be heard on bassoonist Mary Stuckemeyer's CD of the same title, released through Potenza Music.


Purchase recording

CHOCOLATES - III. Triple Mocha Indulgence | bsn + pno

CHOCOLATES - II. Bittersweet | bsn + pno

CHOCOLATES - I. Valentine | bsn + pno

Please feel free to download!

Jeffrey Chappell, piano
Sebrina Maria Alfonso, conductor
The Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra is the result of a commissioning consortium  -- six orchestras, their music directors, and four pianists joined me in planning this work for premiere during the 1994-95 concert season.  The four pianists were Michael Arnowitt (Montpelier, VT), Jeffrey Chappell (Washington, DC), Robert Palmer (Muncie, IN), and Ron Levy (Woodcliff Lake, NJ).  Following is a list of the orchestras who participated in the piano concerto consortium, their music directors and the three pianists who premiered the work in 1995:

• Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
William Hudson, Music Director; Jeffrey Chappell, piano 
	
• Muncie Symphony Orchestra
Leonard Atherton, Music Director; Robert Palmer, piano 
	
• Goucher Chamber Symphony
Sebrina Alfonso, Music Director; Jeffrey Chappell, piano 

• University of Vermont Symphony Orchestra
David Davenport, Music Director; Michael Arnowitt, piano 
	
• Frederick Symphony Orchestra
Sebrina Alfonso, Music Director; Jeffrey Chappell, piano 
	
• Missouri Symphony Society
Hugo Vianello, Music Director; Jeffrey Chappell, piano 

The concerto is presented in four movements, preceded by an introductory Invocation for solo piano that briefly presents the musical building blocks upon which the four movements are based.  

The gentle Invocation is followed by the explosive first movement, Toccata (hell-bent), which asks the pianist to explore and exploit the full range of the piano keyboard with unrelenting vigor.  

The second movement, Invention (quirky) - Dance (elegant), contrasts the somewhat eccentric, angular rhetoric of the imitative Invention with a graceful and more conventionally melodic Dance.  

The romantic, expansive third movement, Rhapsody (tender), unabashedly invokes beauty and pathos in the spirit of the late 19th-century concerto. 

Employing a variety of orchestral textures and tempi, the fourth and final movement, Ebullition (zesty), finds the piano weaving its way through now familiar musical materials as it pushes inexorably towards the concerto’s conclusion. 

The musical language of the concerto orbits several simple melodic and harmonic cells that are developed both tonally (Invocation, Rhapsody, Dance), and not-so-tonally (Toccata, Invention, Ebullition).  The juxtaposition of these two harmonic “spins” sets up a sonic platform conducive to exhibiting the vast range and versatility of the piano -- not to mention the impressive virtuosity of the pianist.  

The Concerto for Piano and Orchestra is dedicated with thanks to my colleague and friend, composer Ellen Lindquist.

Score and parts available directly from James Grant:
jim@jamesgrantmusic.com


CONCERTO FOR PIANO | I.Toccata

Mvt. I of James Grant's "Quintet for Brass," as recorded by the Iowa Brass Quintet.

QUINTET FOR BRASS  |  I. Greetings  |  Iowa Brass Quintet

Mvt. II of James Grant's "Quintet for Brass," as recorded by the Iowa Brass Quintet.

QUINTET FOR BRASS  |  II. Holding Forth  |  Iowa Brass Quintet

Mvt. IV of James Grant's "Quintet for Brass," as recorded by the Iowa Brass Quintet.

QUINTET FOR BRASS  |  IV. Nuts  |  Iowa Brass Quintet

(For now, a passable Finale-generated audio file.)


Purchase score+parts

HOMAGE  |  tuba quartet

An old archival recording of a piece composed in 1985 — it won First Prize in the 1986 International Choral Composition Competition sponsored by California's South Coast Choral Society.

Psalm 98 | SATB Chorus and Piano

    In the nineteenth century, composers embraced an emerging single-movement form as an alternative to what had been the dominant orchestral expression of the time, the multi-movement symphony.  This one-movement form, called the “symphonic poem” or “tone poem” (the term preferred by R. Strauss), is descriptive, or “programmatic” in nature and often uses as its inspiration the non-musical creative narrative of another artist.

    The works of photographer Elizabeth Siegfried caught my attention in the spring of 1998, when I viewed a collection of her platinum prints on exhibition in Baltimore.  Each photograph drew me into a space where visual balance and proportion merged effortlessly with deeply personal, meditative, and at times unsettling content.  Moved by the quiet intensity of her images, I asked Ms. Siegfried if she would allow me to compose a symphonic work based on a selection of her photographs; she agreed.

    Symphonic Poem No. 1: Release is inspired by 23 platinum prints that make up a body of work Siegfried calls LifeLines.  Unlike Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition (after drawings and water colors by Victor Hartmann), and Respighi’s Trittico Boticelliano (after three paintings by Boticelli), Release is not literal in its approach to interpreting its source of inspiration; that is, the music does not attempt to “translate” Siegfried’s images into their exact musical counterparts.  Instead, Release (which takes its name from the final image in the LifeLines sequence) seeks to absorb the content of the complete visual narrative and re-express it in musical terms.

    The images in LifeLines, viewed in sequence, address the complex issues of aging and the passage of time; how we, like all elements of creation, swim in a constantly evolving sea of overlapping cycles: as one expression of life concludes its cycle of emergence, development, decay, and release, another expression of life begins.

    Release responds to that eternal ebb and flow, that counterpoint of overlapping life cycles; and to the emotional and spiritual journey we each face as we pass through life’s stages.  Underlying tension searches for resolution and sings of longing and vulnerability.  Increasing anxiety erupts into stubborn defiance. Cathartic transformation holds the promise of gradual understanding and eventual peace; and the final process of letting go makes way for new life and new dreams.  Our own release approaches, motions to us, embraces us like the ocean.  And we, too, must let go.

    Symphonic Poem No. 1: Release is dedicated to my father, David, whose own gentle release on December 4, 2000, is remembered in this music. 


Symphonic Poem No. 1: Release | orchestra

This track is a not-too-terribly-lame Finale-generated audio teaser of "Opener/Closer," fanfare for Trumpet in C and Tuba in F, which is my Songs Without Words No, 7, published by Potenza Music. To view the PDF of the music you're being teased with, visit www.jamesgrantmusic.com/opener-closer.

More info!

Opener/Closer for Trumpet and Tuba  |  Audio Sample

Stuff is the first of four recital pieces originally commissioned by and dedicated to 78 adventure-seeking tubists representing 30 states and three countries, who fearlessly joined the 2001 Solstice/Equinox Commissioning Consortium. As each Solstice and Equinox approached during the year 2001, a new piece was sent out to the participants. All four pieces (Stuff, High Autumn, Just A Thought, Endorphins) now exist in multiple versions for orchestral and band instrument and are programmed frequently at conferences and on student and faculty recitals throughout the year.

Ascent

Stuff

INFO + PURCHASE LINKS

Stuff - Theme with  Seven Variations for Unaccompanied Trumpet | Jason Dovel, trumpet

In 2015, Australian conductor Stephen Williams, Music Director of the New South Wales Public Schools Symphony Orchestra, honored me with a commission to compose a work for this magnificent ensemble of young musicians. In our discussions, Maestro Williams and I agreed that the language of this new orchestral composition would be colorful and full-bodied, with content that evoked a compelling sense of beauty, optimism, and strength—perhaps even a sense of mission.  

The resulting programmatic narrative for orchestra, Earth – poem of thanks to our common home, is an instrumental anthem of gratitude, a meditation on the noble grandeur of our planet and the abundance it provides. Earth also contemplates the significant and growing challenges faced by our planet that require our committed, resolute action. The inclusion of the words “common home” in the subtitle is a respectful nod to Pope Francis, whose passionate May 2015 encyclical on the environment has as its subtitle, “On Care For Our Common Home.” 

The intent of Earth is to inspire in all of us a deeper sense of personal connection with “our common home,” through music that is both a call to celebration and a plea for more conscious living. We have countless reasons to be joyful and grateful for the gifts Mother Earth continues to provide. Yet we also must thoughtfully embrace our role as conscious stewards of our planet to ensure that she always will be at her full potential to create and sustain the miracle of life, as science indicates she has done for over three billion years.

Earth – poem of thanks to our common home suggests that with humility and gratitude, with hope and firm resolve, and with mindful attention to the wonder that is Earth’s ecosystem, we can and should shift our perspective from that of living on the earth to one of living with the earth—a shift worthy of consideration not only for ourselves and for Earth, but for the wellbeing of all future generations of inhabitants of our miraculous planet.

James Grant
September 2, 2016
Oxtongue Lake, Ontario

Info on score/parts

Earth - poem of thanks to our common home  |  orchestra

The concluding 6-minute wordless choral meditation from James Grant's environment-themed cantata, "Listen to the Earth," to be premiered by a consortium of American and Canadian choruses on or around Earth Day, 2020. Choral Artists of Sarasota is the Lead Commissioner and will give the official premier performance in Sarasota, FL, in April, 2020. Click on "View PDF of score," above, to see the conductor's score. For comprehensive information on the Listen To The Earth Project, go to: www.ListenToTheEarth.org

View PDF of score!

Meditation from Listen to the Earth | Choral Artists of Sarasota Chorus and Orchestra

On October 28, 2012, Gail Robertson and Stacy Baker gave the premier performance of the Double Concerto for Euphonium and Tuba in its recital version with piano accompaniment.

JamesGrantMusic

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