Written during a time when the world is experiencing so much sadness, this piece is meant to guide the listener to feelings of hopefulness and optimism.  Boba (bubble tea), as do butterflies, can’t help but to bring joyfulness and Boba and Butterflies is meant to show that even when there is sadness, we can still find beauty and happiness in the world.  The risers that lead to many of the section changes of the song, represent the butterflies.  The glistening sounds of the verse and chorus represent the sweetness of bubble tea and the deep bouncing bass lines the heaviness of the boba (tapioca pearls) that are part of this sweet drink.  Boba and Butterflies ends similarly to the introduction representing the changing emotions that are universal to the human experience.  Although the song is comprised mostly of the chord progression, I - V – vi – IV, I have used many note extensions in each of the chords to bring about more color and sweetness (just like boba and butterflies.)  

Photo by Katie Rainbow 🏳️‍🌈 on Unsplash

Boba and Butterflies

Lamenting Moonlight is a solo piano piece that portrays both the beauty and solitude experienced under the moon’s luminescence. The repeated soaring melody lines represent the wistful thoughts of nostalgia that frequent our dreams – happy to be together again and yet sad when we wake up to discover them gone.

Lamenting Moonlight

Wintersong is a Christmas song that was produced with a combination of recorded sounds and instruments, as well as virtual midi instruments.  Wintersong begins and ends with soundscapes that represent a cold wintery night.  Throughout the song structure you will hear interpolated small clips of well-known traditional Christmas songs placed together with my original music.  These motifs are passed around by instruments that I recorded.  Wintersong is meant to be both happy and sad, to reflect that although Christmas is a joyful time, it is also a time that many feel great sadness. I chose to begin with Holst’s, In the Bleak Midwinter, to set the tone for the loneliness and emptiness that is also felt during festive seasons.  I also used the “Do you hear what I hear” from the Drummer Boy, to put forth the idea that as we celebrate the joyous season, we should also listen for the quiet voices of those who are suffering.

Wintersong

Anderson Jennifer Fortune Floats Music Bed 2

Anderson Jennifer Fortune Floats Music Bed 1

Anderson Jennifer Fortune Floats Music Bumpers Bonus Game Entry

Anderson Jennifer Fortune Floats Music Stingers Small Win

Anderson Jennifer Fortune Floats Music Stingers Anticipation 1

The nostalgia of missing someone after they have passed, yet also feeling happiness that there are so many beautiful memories to cherish.  Craving the prior and yet moving forward with optimism, wishing you could have both, but knowing you can’t, and settling for a new normal.   Saying goodbye and making new introductions.  Someone has been lost but they are always present. Embarking on a celebratory journey that means knowing how to experience both joy and sadness simultaneously.  This song is that.  A lot has changed in this world of ours, so this song is for also for the loss of the Somethings that will never be the same.  We can’t go back, only forward, so Someones & Somethings is a song for that journey.  

Someones & Somethings was composed based upon a cyclical eight chord, chord progression in the key of e minor.  The song utilizes a modern pop song structure with a double bridge and uses timbres that represent both the sorrow and joy that are central to the emotions of experiencing a bittersweet journey.  The initial melodic ideas are yearnful for the people and events of the past.  As new more up-beat themes are added, these express the aspirations and gradual cheerfulness of combining past and present together with hopeful next adventures.  As the tempo, dynamics, and texture increase in the music, so does the energy and motivation to propel forward, with both nostalgia and optimism co-existing.  The final outro is reminiscent of the introduction and represents the ambivalence in life.  Dedicated to all the Someones and Somethings, but also to the journeys taken finding peace and happiness in the bittersweet – that is Someones & Somethings!

Someones & Somethings

Talisman’s Touch describes the moment the talisman has been intercepted by a rogue villain.  The talisman’s protector has been maliciously tied to a chair and the talisman’s magical powers that had always been used for good are now being manipulated for evil.  Set in the key of a minor, Talisman’s Touch begins and ends with soundscape sections that are used to establish the mood and magic of the talisman – is the power for good or evil?  Talisman’s Touch is set in 5/4 meter and its rhythmic drive is motivated by the push and pull of hero vs. villain utilizing the competing feels of 3 and 2 in the meter and rhythmic motifs.  The call and response throughout also represent these opposing forces.  The orchestration of Talisman’s Touch is intentionally scored with intense brass, percussion and contrasted with the strings’ motif together with the synthesized sounds and recordings of the magic and forces associated with the story.  The music was created using both Ableton and ProTools and involve a combination of both virtual and recorded live instrument sounds.

Talisman's Touch

Jennifer Anderson is a Canadian music educator, composer, and music technology specialist who blends acoustic and electronic instruments to create unique sonic textures inspired by the natural world.

Jennifer Anderson

Popular tracks