Name: Vienna Nights - Wilby by jlwp47 in brass
Duration: 16 min 37 s
Description: Live recording of the Fountain City Brass Band at the 2014 NABBA competition. I am playing timpani.

brass

Northop Silver Band's performance of Of Distant Memories, by Edward Gregson, at the National Brass Band Championship Finals, Royal Albert Hall, October 12th 2013

Of Distant Memories

Black Dyke - Symphony in Two Movements (Edward Gregson) - EBBC 2013

All electronic material is sourced from a Behringer ARP 2600 clone, Erica SYNTRX and a Eurorack modular, with the 2600 being treated by or passing through the SYNTRX in most instances. Additional material from my modular began making their way into the piece about halfway through the journey. The piece emerged out of some rough improvisatory materials recorded at the beginning of September 2022. 

This is a reworking of an earlier "draft," after my friend Erik Klackner unwisely commented that the piece (a 36-minute version) could be three times as long and remain just as engaging. I decided to see if that was literally true. It seems to me that it is, although *your* mileage may vary... I think the large form is pretty much determined, although a lot of the inner detail will be worked, with some material being refined, re-recorded or rejected. 

I've always liked long pieces. In the heyday of progressive rock, I loved those side-long tracks that bands indulged in, and spent many hours scouring record stores for new ones. It seems that composing lengthy pieces is just deeply ingrained in my musical personality. Writing music of this scale puts one grip of a kind of madness that can be off-putting for the most openminded listener and strain friendships. Along with the dedicatee, Brad Fowler, Jay C Batzner and Ryan Hare have given crucial feedback along the way, and I am forever grateful for their encouragement and support. 

David D. McIntire: Behringer 2600, Erica SYNTRX, Eurorack modular, bass clarinet, clarinet

I began this piece using the 2600 clone and the SYNTRX, but along the way I began building a Eurorack modular setup (constructing most modules from kits), which I began incorporating into Svalbard as the system grew. Within my Eurorack modular there are a handful of modules that are really special to me (and contribute greatly to the piece), especially three from Djupviks Elektronik: Distorted Light, Clot and Svalbard. I can't recommend those highly enough.

Current version: 26 November 2024

Things to See & Do in Svalbard (for Erik Klackner)

Plane of Existence was composed by Carson Chlup

Plane of Existence is a representation of the space between life and death, taking you where your soul goes after you pass and what the journey is before you arrive at your destination. This piece is intended to give off an ethereal feeling, taking the listener beyond the different ‘Planes of Existence’ to hopefully experience what it would be like to travel to a realm beyond our comprehension.
Starting with the initial transition of the soul after death, slow and somber, then giving a glimmer of light in the dark æther leading us to an unstable yet exhilarating section. Next, is a river-like plane, flowing into what feels like a waterfall of realities. Following this leap of faith, the listener is taken to a massive amalgamation of all the previous Planes of Existence. Finally, concluding with where your soul is meant to go. The piece intentionally ends inconclusively, and is to be open to interpretation based on the listener's beliefs.


Plane of Existence was written for the Stephen F. Austin State University Percussion Studio’s 2022-2023 Freshmen Class. 
-Carson Chlup

Written from Nov 21st, 2022, to March 23rd, 2023.

For business enquiries, you can reach me here,
Carsonchlup1@gmail.com

Written with Sibelius Ultimate.
Using sounds from Tapspace Virtual Drumline 2.5.

Plane of Existence - Carson Chlup - Percussion Ensemble

Recording of the test piece from the Norwegian National Championships 2010. 
The piece was written by Thomas Doss.
Conductor - Peter Sebastian Szilvaj


Sketches From Nowhere - Manger Musikklag

Live recording of the Fountain City Brass Band at the 2014 NABBA competition. I am playing timpani. 

Vienna Nights - Wilby

Shattered Hearts was composed by Carson Chlup

Shattered Hearts is the embodiment of broken relationships, Whether it be romantic, family, or friendships, Shattered Hearts takes us through the stages of love, heartbreak, and the attempt of moving on.

It starts out in a quick and radical manner, representing the sparks that light up when your heart feels something towards someone. We then go through a very slow, open section with a very limited amount of instruments and melodic lines happening, representing the vulnerability we put ourselves through for love, then entering a corral witch expands upon that prior sparse section with an overload of feelings, those same feelings being overwhelmed using the depth of instrumentation for a euphoric moment.

We then get into the energetic part of the piece, this phase of the piece is designed to move fast, phrases being short as to represent how fast time flies when you’re in love. These joyfully heartfelt sections don’t last though, we then get a hint of concern, feeling something that we don’t want to feel, the feeling that something has changed. We constantly try to fight for it, working to preserve what we have built, but we are met with this giant climax followed by immediate darkness, this sudden shift is meant to represent your heart sinking, representing the start of heartbreak.

The next chunk of the piece is slow, painful, exposed, and is meant to be uncomfortable. This is meant to represent the lowest a human can feel, the worst feelings imaginable. This part is supposed to hurt, and it’s okay to let it. This section shows how hard it can be to just exist, We slowly build on instrumentation, but it just never feels quite right, never as good as it once was, there’s something missing. The section ends with a very exposed vibraphone solo, representing that even after trying to push through it, that hole in your heart will always be there, and the damage has already been done.

This next section is meant to feel like you’re in some state of limbo. You should be past the grieving stage, but for some reason you’re still hurting. This chunk takes us through familiar melodic lines from both sections of the piece, trying to bridge the gap between happiness and sadness, we speed up in tempo going through various states of mind, mimicking how the mind can be in so many places at once.

We then get to the last chunk of the piece, starting with a reprise of the beginning in a different key, symbolizing the similarities and differences between people you chose to love. We then get into a more hopeful tone, intentionally shifting the tonal center to represent the first step taken in moving on. We explore new feelings, and revisit familiar ones. At the climax of the piece, we build into this massive open power chord, representing the differences from the other climax, unlike last time, this climax doesn’t end in darkness, It ends in melancholy; sad without having a reason to be sad. 

The end of this piece is a slow fade out, it's emotional for reasons you wouldn’t expect in a story like this, but that’s the point, everyone's story is different. Purposefully ending with the melody from the beginning in a different key, symbolizing that even when they’re gone, there’s still a part of them with you. The ending is meant to be open to interpretation, take it how you will and make your own conclusions, it purposely doesn’t end on a perfect resolved tonic note, but an octaveated 3rd to symbolize that life is open ended, we will never truly have a finished story, and that’s okay.

This piece is meant to make the listener and player feel something, encouraging them to make this story their own. Everyone's story is different when it comes to love, and the goal of this piece is to allow all facets of it. Like aforementioned, this story can be about anything, whether it is romantic, family, or friendships, you get to decide what “Shattered Hearts” means to you.

Shattered Hearts

Shattered Hearts - Carson Chlup - Percussion Ensemble

David D McIntire: analog modular synthesizer

Light Refracted by Rusted Wings

David D McIntire: Eurorack modular synthesizer, Erica SYNTRX, Behringer 2600, electronics

'A Ligotti Landscape (for David McGuire)' is a kind of a sequel or companion piece to an earlier work from 2010 called 'unhurried, untitled.' At the time, the response was less than whelming, apart from my friend, composer/pianist/educator David McGuire, who liked it very much. Over the years whenever we'd chat on the phone he'd bring it up, and I began to contemplate a companion piece or sequel of some sort. The earlier piece used material that I'd generated with an EMS VCS-3 "Putney" synthesizer in 1985. In that recording, I'd set up a kind of feedback-based patch (only dimly remembered) that I controlled by slowly opening and then closing the Putney's filter. 'Ligotti' has a much more complex and dense texture, but its material is still shaped by a governing filter.
In this instance, my Eurorack modular's output is sent through a patch on my Erica SYNTRX, which has a similar architecture to the Putney, although the circuitry is not identical. I don't "play" my synthesizers in the usual sense; most often I construct a patch that sets some process in motion, and then I simply turn a knob, VERY slowly, which controls how much of the process is allowed to be heard. Each time I'd record a layer, the process would yield similar, but never-quite-the-same gestures that began to interact with one another in unexpected ways. All of the layers were made with variations of the same patch, and (as before) my only action was turning a knob. Slowly.

My compositional process is harder to describe. I don’t necessarily know where a piece is headed when I begin one. Usually, once I have a patch that offers some intriguing sound or gesture, I’ll record a number of variations, and then start layering things together. At all times, I’m asking myself, “What do these sounds want to do? Where do they go from here?” Answering those questions becomes the ongoing mission, until a sense of completion asserts itself. It’s not a fast process and a piece will usually head down some blind alleys or hit a few dead ends before finding its direction. Life often works in similar ways.

Earlier versions of this piece were uploaded (and performed live) under the title 'The Great Unlearning.' As I was approaching completion, that title began to feel more problematic and less appropriate to me. While I was questioning this title choice, I'd begun to reread some short stories of existential horror master Thomas Ligotti, whose books had originally been given to me by David McGuire. Ligotti's stories are notable for their exploration of generic settings and situations that very gradually accumulate subtle layers of tension and suspense. The processes in this piece seemed consistent with Ligotti's methods and this homage a way to express my gratitude for a friendship of over four decades.

Working on pieces like this is a solitary process and I rely on trusted listeners to offer feedback along the way. I am truly grateful for the ears of Ryan Hare, Erik Klackner, Brian Lavelle, Jay C. Batzner, Brad Fowler and Michelle Allen McIntire, without whom I'd have lost my way or given up long ago.

A Ligotti Landscape (for David McGuire)

Negative Space was composed by Carson Chlup

Negative Space in art design is defined as “The empty space around and between the subject of an image”. When writing this piece, I tried to use this concept in as many ways as possible. To name a few examples, The setup is made almost completely symmetrical and mirrored, The performers are constantly moving around the set up and sharing instruments, Compositionally I use a lot of different techniques to create a variety of contrasting sections; such as frequent change of the Tonal Center, Modes, Mix Meter Sections, Metric Modulations, Manipulation of Space and Time, Polyrhythms, Splits between parts to pan to opposite sides of the setup, Timbre Changes, and many more effects and techniques that you may be able to pick up on.

My ultimate goal in writing Negative Space was to create something that is both fun and enjoyable for the Performers and Listeners, As well as expanding my abilities as a Composer. The constant use of Modal changes, Fast runs, Energetic sections, and so many more musical techniques helps in turning the exhilarating soundscape of Negative Space into what it is.

Negative Space was written for the Stephen F. Austin State University Percussion Ensemble. - Carson Chlup

Written from November 6th, 2024, to April 12th, 2025.

Socials:
Performance Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr_2DT-5ironSYXjX5YhbeA
Score Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@CarsonChlupScoreArchives
Soundcloud
https://soundcloud.com/carsonchlup
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100080792447792
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/carson_chlup/

Official Audio on Score Channel
https://youtu.be/3e9pZxRX8TQ
Official Video on Performance Channel
*Upload Date TBD*


For business enquiries, you can reach me here,
Carsonchlup1@gmail.com

Written with Sibelius Ultimate.
Using sounds from Tapspace Virtual Drumline 2.5.

Vienna Nights - Wilby

jlwp47

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