2013
Derrada R. Rubell-Asbell, baritone; Taiko Pelick, piano

On The Sea - by John Keats (1817)

It keeps eternal whisperings around 
     Desolate shores, and with its mighty swell 
     Gluts twice ten thousand caverns, till the spell 
Of Hecate leaves them their old shadowy sound. 
Often 'tis in such gentle temper found 
     That scarcely will the very smallest shell 
     Be moved for days from where it sometime fell, 
When last the winds of Heaven were unbound. 
O ye who have your eyeballs vext and tir'd, 
     Feast them upon the wideness of the sea; 
     O ye whose ears are dinned with uproar rude, 
Or fed too much with cloying melody--- 
     Sit ye near some old cavern's mouth and brood 
Until ye start, as if the sea nymphs quired.

On the Sea

2014
Performed by the Fort Worth Civic Orchestra.
words and music by Marta Lynn Keen

Christmas on the Beach at Waikiki, excerpt

2014
Performed by the Fort Worth Civic Orchestra.
words and music by Cosy Lee and Jane Sebba

I'm a Little Christmas Cracker, excerpt

2012
   I. Allegro
   II. Moderato
   III. Finale, allegro
Woodwind quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet in Bb, French horn, bassoon)

Quintet for Winds, No. 1, III. Finale, allegro (midi)

Mehrdad Gholami, flute - http://www.mehrdadgholami.com/
Dr. José Pablo Quesada, celesta - http://www.zionpianostudio.com/

Full program notes at: http://www.mhbriggs.com/rubaie.html

	The Persian scientist Omar Khayyam (1058-1131) remains one of the most influential figures from the Middle Ages, and is most widely known for his poetry. When my good friend Mehrdad Gholami asked me to write this piece, we discovered our mutual interest in these poems. This piece contains four movements, each based on a different quatrain of Khayyam's, the originals of which will be recited (in Farsi) before each movement. Mehrdad and I have selected four quatrains that are all connected by a common theme, and that work together as a set - a quatrain of quatrains. Khayyam's quatrains typically follow the same format: the first line introduces an idea, the second expands upon that idea, the third provides a contrast of some kind, and the fourth line provides synthesis. In this same way, each of these quatrains we have selected acts as their own respective line in this meta-quatrain. The title "Rubaie" ("quatrain"), the singular form of "Rubaiyat" ("quatrains"), refers to this organization.

I. 
Once, in a potter's shop, a company
Of cups in converse did I chance to see,
   And lo! one lifted up his voice, and cried,
"Who made, who sells, who buys this crockery?"

II. 
I saw a busy potter by the way
Kneading with might and main a lump of clay;
   And, lo! the clay cried, "Use me gently, pray,
I was a man myself but yesterday!"

III. 
There is a chalice made with wit profound,
With tokens of the Maker's favor crowned;
   Yet the world's Potter takes his masterpiece,
And dashes it to pieces on the ground!

IV. 
When I am dead, take me and grind me small,
So that I be a caution unto all,
   And knead me into clay with wine, and then
Use me to stop the wine-jar's mouth withal.

Rubaie - III.

Rubaie - II.

Rubaie - I.

Katie Capp - cello

Theme and Variations (for cello solo) was written for Alex Duke at the Clear Creek Music Festival in Halfway, Oregon.  Only a week remained in the festival when I began this piece, but I knew that Alex could pull it off. This is the first piece of mine that utilizes quarter tones; while they are not the essential element of the piece, they do give a specific character (and challenge to the performer). The form is not easily recognizable to the ear, and mainly acted as a compositional tool. One can, however, pick up on the various motives being developed throughout the piece.

Theme And Variations (for solo cello) (Capp)

A fun little project I did using only sounds I recorded myself. You might laugh, and you might even be grossed out. It starts off a little slow, but listen to the end!

Cosmic Cooking

Kourtney Newton - cello

Theme and Variations (for cello solo) was written for Alex Duke at the Clear Creek Music Festival in Halfway, Oregon.  Only a week remained in the festival when I began this piece, but I knew that Alex could pull it off. This is the first piece of mine that utilizes quarter tones; while they are not the essential element of the piece, they do give a specific character (and challenge to the performer). The form is not easily recognizable to the ear, and mainly acted as a compositional tool. One can, however, pick up on the various motives being developed throughout the piece.

Theme And Variations (for solo cello) (Newton)

"I'm Not Speaking English" was composed entirely by manipulating a recording of a Polish man saying the title sentence in a very thick Polish accent. 
- more at http://www.mhbriggs.com/ -

I'm Not Speaking English

for flute and fixed media (stereo)
for Kayla Hanvey, flute

The word “viscid” refers to the tight, squeezed feeling of hearing two pitches very close to each other played at the same time. Even two pitches side-by-side on the piano (a half-step, D and D# for instance) have a certain tension when played together. This piece explores and relishes in this tension, creating moments of even stronger compression via microtones; these intervals closer than a half-step create a sticky texture one might describe as viscous, or viscid. The flute player interacts with this tension, taking part in it at the beginning and end, but staying above it for most of the piece. The accompanying material is all derived from recordings of the flute.

Viscid

America: the Past, Present, and Future

Quiet Sounds, for amplified string quintet (2 vln, vla, vc, db), originally drew its inspiration from what the title suggests, the quiet sounds of these five string instruments. These sounds take on a different character as they are amplified to “normal” volume, providing an exciting palate of new sounds. However, the entire piece is not derived from the quiet sounds, but the last two-thirds explore what was hidden in them in a post-minimalist language, the music behind these ideas.

Meant to be performed with dance, this 27' work explores all areas of emotion and delivery. Hopefully these excerpts will provide an idea of the scope of the piece.

Quiet Sounds (excerpts A, B, C, D, and E)

www.mhbriggs.com
I am a composer and arranger currently living in Tallahassee, Florida. Contact me about commissions, arrangements, or purchasing my music (for performance) at mhbriggs@att.net.

Matthew Briggs

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