SAMURAI (1999)
In Memoriam: Akira Kurosawa

 - by MIchael Schelle

Çommissioned and premiered by:
Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra
Neal Gittleman, conductor

January 2000
Schuster Center for the Performing Arts

Michael Schelle's website: http://schellemusic.com/1.html

SAMURAI (1999) for orchestra

Almost everyone agrees that human beings have a thing called a soul; an indefinable, supernatural spirit that transcends the physical body and makes up the essence of who a person is. Many people who believe in souls also believe you can lose or degrade your soul by committing certain bad actions. Objectively, society mostly agrees regarding what actions will lead to the loss or degradation of a soul. A person, in striving for something he wants but does not deserve may foolishly harm or degrade his soul. But can a person give their soul away? Is it possible to trade your soul for some cheap, transient thing? If so, what seemingly innocent road might lead one to make this choice? To what or whom is the sold soul given? Also, to whom did it really belong in the first place?

This piece is dedicated to the JACK Quartet with all possible gratitude for their artistry, brilliance, and willingness to work with composers whose careers are still in the birthing stages. My own experiences with the JACK have been the highlight of my time as a composition student at the University of Iowa. I can’t thank them enough for their hard work, technical brilliance, and patience!

never bowing down (2014), performed by the JACK Quartet

Almost everyone agrees, at least in principle, that it is wrong for human beings to kill each other. This seems to be a universal rule. And yet it happens all the time, in every country, society, and time period. Why do we do this? What seemingly innocent road do people set out on that leads them to eventually taking another person’s life. Working at Oakdale Prison in Coralville, Iowa, has given me opportunities to meet and make music with a number of murderers. I have found that, for the most part, they seem like regular people that you might meet anywhere out in the world and I wonder what in their lives could have led them to commit such heinous acts. My guess is that none of them started out with any intention toward doing evil, but that there was something they prized as more important than another person’s life and following this logic can, at times, lead one to murder. I imagine that the dividing line between murderer and innocent man is not usually a wide one and that if you are ever going to murder another person it must already be starting today. Ask yourself, who is it that you treat as less than a person? Is there a person or group of persons you secretly despise? Maybe it’s people of a certain race, color, creed, or orientation. Or maybe it’s just the people who serve you…or garbage collectors. Or maybe it’s the murderers in prison. Are they less than human to you? If so, and if you allow yourself to give in to this belief, you may be on the road to joining them someday. 

And yet, this piece is not meant to be a gloomy affair but to appeal to your better nature. Somewhere, underneath the clouded logic and bad tempers of even the most miserable offender is a heart longing to be happy. Longing to be free…to be a child again and laugh. Longing to be simple and live in the sunshine. This is the cure to the murderer’s disease. Whether this music pleases you or not, I urge you to take that cure and spend your life searching for truth and beauty.

This piece is dedicated to the Enid Trio with all possible gratitude for their artistry, brilliance and friendship. 

now we are murderers as well (2014) for violin, viola and bassoon performed by the Enid Trio

This piece was commissioned by choreographer Charlotte Adams and premiered at the University of Iowa on February 11, 2016.  Charlotte's beautiful piece was called "Here Comes the Sun," but I changed the name of my corresponding music because, you know...there's that OTHER piece of music called "Here Comes The Sun."  Anyway, a special thanks to dancers Emily McElwain and Kristen Vasilakos (the dancers in the picture).

there goes the sun (2016), for violin and laptops

Lost Boy Cover

Michael Schelle

ALBERTI BOMBARDIER (2018)
- for solo piano

Alberti Bombardier was written for the breathtaking German pianist Susanne Kessel, for her incredible "250 Piano Pieces for Beethoven" project (250 new piano pieces by composers from around the world - pieces inspired by Beethoven for the 250th anniversary of his birth (1770-1827)

“250 piano pieces for Beethoven” (Bonn, Germany 2013 – 2020)

Alberti Bombardier was inspired by various Beethoven "alberti bass" patterns found throughout his influential catalogue of klaviersonaten. Many sonatas were considered, but the primary influence is from the vigorous and breathtaking Sonata No. 22 in F Major, Op. 54 (1804)

An overview of the direct influence(s) from Beethoven Op. 54 on Alberti Bombardier :  

A few brief direct quotes, gestures, harmonic fields and "alberti" patterns from Op. 54 are constantly manipulated - fusions of Beethoven / Schelle ideas are scattered, juxtiposed, mutated, mutilated, disassembled, re-assembled, re-directed, re-purposed, re-harmonized, etc., evolving into multiple original hybrid materials that embrace the dynamic urgency of Beethoven's fast music; the opening measure is in 5/4 time; there are 108 measures in the piece (2 x 54)

Michael Schelle:  www.schellemusic.com

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ALBERTI BOMBARDIER (2018), for solo piano

A piece that explores if and when information is inherently valuable.
Live- October 2017

Net Neutrality

Enjoy sound

Composer from Wyoming trying to better the world;
Only rough recordings will be uploaded to the ol' Soundcloud.

Sheet music is normally available by request.

Net Neutrality

Jeremiah Tabb

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