here's a song I wrote in fall 2020 about living with the reality of seasonal fires in Southern California

Copyright ©2020 by Matthew Brown. All Rights Reserved.

wildfire skies

Vocal harmonies by Becca Bishop
Mixed by John Baffa
Mastered by Evren Göknar
Image by The Big Sleep Text-to-image generator @advadnoun

Carry Me Over

Mountain Song

My SATB a cappella choral arrangement of Jason Robert Brown's musical "It All Fades Away" from "The Bridges of Madison County."

Performed by withonevoice, directed by Brian Winnie.

It All Fades Away (Jason Robert Brown | SATB arr. by Matthew Brown)

This track is from the album Though Love Be a Day and is available for purchase on CD Baby here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/antiochchamberensemble1

A Red, Red Rose

City Of Thieves

This piece is the second piece of a set of Retrospections I intend to write over the course of my life. This piece's vast array of subject matter includes the events of the last few months, traditionalism, Romanticism, beauty, peace over conflict, and God's love as depicted in Isaiah 43: 1-4. It is scored as a single movement for two violas. It was performed during June 2019 at the Walden School by Victor Lowrie Tafoya and Katie Palka.

Retrospection II

Demon by Matthew Brown 
performed June 2, 2019
Inversion Ensemble
Trevor F. Shaw, artistic director

DEMON by Matthew Brown
performed June 2, 2019
Inversion Ensemble
Trevor F. Shaw, artistic director

Text: Marcus 5:9
Legio nomen mihi [Our name is Legion]
Est multi sumus [For we are many]

DEMON was written and premiered on Saturday, October 15, 2015, presented to an audience of film and video game composers as a
demonstration of novel vocal techniques. My challenge to myself was to write a piece with zero specific pitches or texts; previously, I had
experimented with such techniques only within the context of more “traditional” choral pieces, such as Pacem. As the piece began to take
shape, I realized that the addition of an appropriately spine-tingling text would complement the sound world which was emerging. The
Latin included in the piece is taken from a biblical story of demon possession. Asked for a name, the response is: “Our name is Legion, for we are many.” Although this piece may be performed with smaller choirs—perhaps even as few as eight or twelve—I imagine it becoming
increasingly effective (and impactful) with greater numbers, given the techniques employed. (A Roman legion consisted of about five
thousand men at the time of the story, for what it’s worth!)

Demon by Matthew Brown June 2, 2019

Pop, in the style of Rick Astley - Jukebox

A sonic image of March 15 - May 15, 2020 from my apartment in Brooklyn, NY during On Pause orders as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
It combines sounds heard from my window each day and evening from this time period, sounds from a collaboration with choreographer Kelly Bartnik, and my own musical responses.

In My Room

During this unprecedentedly challenging semester, the student singers of the Moreno Valley College (CA) Chamber Choir embarked with Director Dr. Matthew Brown on a musical journey of self-expression inspired by the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests across the country, the tradition of protest songs in American history, and harnessing the power of songwriting. 

Singers Josephine Save and Skylar Bluu co-wrote the lyrics for the new original song, "Listen," about the need for individuals and societies to stop talking over those suffering because of who they are, and to "please just listen." This song, as well as all the others, were arranged, edited, and mixed by Dr. Matthew Brown.

Next come two protest songs separated by a half century. The first, "If I Have a Son," was originally written and performed this year by Ruth B. (b. 1995) in response to the ongoing epidemic of violence against black Americans. The 1960s-era  "What Did You Learn in School Today?" is Tom Paxton's (b. 1937) folksy song whose simplicity belies its thought-provoking message about American society. 

"One Voice" was written by Ruth Moody and originally performed by The Wailin' Jennys. It speaks in musical metaphor of the tremendous and unassailable power of voices in unison, united despite their differences. The traditional spiritual "We Shall Overcome," perhaps most famously sung by Pete Seeger (1919-2014) during the Civil Rights Era—but also in oppressed countries around the world—harkens back to a time when community singing, especially as a public political expression, was not unusual. 

May we all unite in song in times of trial, and model our actions after the students' words:  "quick to listen, slow to speak, soft to answer, hearts to seek."

LISTEN 
(2020)
words & music by Josephine Save & Sklar Bluu
arranged by Matthew Brown

IF I HAVE A SON
(2020)
words & music by Ruth B.
arranged by Matthew Brown
Josephine Save, solo

WHAT DID YOU LEARN IN SCHOOL TODAY?
(1964)
words & music by Tom Paxton
arranged by Matthew Brown
Matthew Brown, solo

ONE VOICE
(2004)
words & music by Ruth Moody
arranged by Matthew Brown
Holly Sedillos, solo

WE SHALL OVERCOME
(traditional)
arranged by Matthew Brown

Special Thanks: 

Jo, Skylar, Barry, Amy, Charlie, Holly, Michal, Scott, Todd, & Jackie

All arrangements ©2020 by Matthew Brown, All Rights Reserved.

If I Have A Son

matthewbrown

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