An adventurous theme depicting peaceful wintertime.

Winter Adventure

Boss Battle

Foreboding March

"Sauntering in the Woods" is a quartet scored for piano, violin, viola, and cello.  It consists of three different themes, "Waltz" - a lively waltz in B minor that introduces the main theme on the viola which then develops on other instruments; "Lullaby" - a mellifluous section in D major in which the theme, first played on the piano, resembles a lullaby; and "Serenade" - a melancholic lament in B minor that's introduced on the violin and develops until the coda, a soft, fading ending for all of the instruments.

Sauntering In The Woods (Piano Quartet)

An adagio dedicated to Dmitri Shostakovich, whose music influences me greatly.  Bonus points to whoever hears where I quote him!

Adagio for Dmitri

I worked on my latest orchestral composition, Danzón, from July 2015 to January 2016. It is inspired by the “Danzones” of Mexican composer Arturo Márquez and by the music of Cuba. Enjoy!

Danzón (2016)

Primordial Utterances for Soprano, Flute (doubling Alto Flute), and Clarinet (doubling Bass Clarinet) was written for the Columbia University undergraduate composition seminar under Georg Friedrich Haas. Performed live on May 2, 2017 by the TAK Ensemble.

Program note: "Primordial Utterances focuses on the evolution, or devolution, of ways of articulating sound through an instrument. As the ensemble progresses from one mode of articulating sound to the next, the music gradually approaches the timbre of the human speaking voice and other human-produced sounds that existed prior to music. What distinguishes these 'primordial utterances' from simply noise is that they are human-organized. Noise becomes music when the element of human control enters the picture."

Special thanks to TAK Ensemble, Georg Friedrich Haas, Taylor Brook, and Tyshawn Sorey.

Primordial Utterances (2017)

Live recording of Danzón (2018) for Wind Ensemble. Performed on March 4, 2018 by the Columbia University Wind Ensemble at the Tenth Annual Columbia Festival of Winds, conducted by the composer. This is a raw recording courtesy of Alexander Morden.

Special thanks to Jason Noble and the Columbia University Wind Ensemble.

Danzón (2018) for Wind Ensemble - Live Recording, Raw Ver. 1

In Configuration No. 1, I notate two staves with contour lines, each of which controls a parameter for the shape of the singer’s oral cavity on each syllable. For example, on the first syllable [l], the relative height of the line on one staff describes the vowel shape, while the other describes the tongue’s position on the roof of the mouth. This work is an exercise in how much control a composer can get over the variables affecting the physical interface of a vocal performance (i.e. the performer’s oral configuration). As the vocalist sustains sound throughout the piece, I also notate which pitches are to be sung.

Configuration No. 1 was written for the spring 2018 Columbia undergraduate composition seminar under Georg Friedrich Haas. It was inspired by the techniques in Dieter Schnebel’s work madrasha II. The text for Configuration No. 1 goes as follows: “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.” 

This recording of Configuration No. 1 is of its premiere performance on April 26th, 2018, performed by the composer at Symphony Space. Special thanks to Georg Friedrich Haas, Bill Dougherty, and Ashkan Behzadi.

Configuration No. 1 (2018) for Solo Voice

Members of the International Contemporary Ensemble premiere "En Aŭtuno" by Brent A. Morden. From the Columbia Undergraduate Composition Concert; December 9th, 2018; Italian House (Columbia University). Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjyvJUmYmnI

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Personnel:
Joshua Rubin, clarinet
Nanci Belmont, bassoon
Gareth Flowers, trumpet
Sharon Harms, voice
Lizzie Burns, bass
David Fulmer, conductor

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Program note:
"One day this past spring, I was strolling down Broadway en route to a voice lesson. Brainstorming new ideas for compositions, a thought crossed my mind: What if I write a vocal work setting text whose meaning I don’t know? This idea compelled me. When I returned to my room after my lesson, I hungrily searched online for Esperanto poetry, and encountered the writings of Hungarian author Julio Baghy (1891-1967). I sought Esperanto text deliberately. Esperanto was a new tongue constructed in the late 1800s with the intention of being a universal second language. Reading this poetry aloud to myself, it sounded deeply uncanny. I could hear shadows of familiar Slavic and Romance languages embedded in these unfamiliar words.

Writing my work for the composition seminar this semester, I chose to set a Baghy poem called En Aŭtuno, a seasonally-appropriate title that means “in autumn.” After this premiere, I will return to my room and translate the poem into English so that I can see how the actual meaning of the text works with the musical material I wrote. Perhaps it will surprise me.

Special thanks to George Lewis, Ashkan Behzadi, Sam Yulsman, and David Bird."

En Aŭtuno (2018)

The world premiere of Fell Swoop (2019) for Wind Ensemble, recorded live on March 25th, 2019. Performed by the Columbia University Wind Ensemble, conducted by the composer.

Special thanks to Jason Noble and the Columbia University Wind Ensemble.

http://www.brentmordenmusic.com

Fell Swoop (2019) - Live Recording, 3/25/19

The second world premiere of Fell Swoop (2019) for Wind Ensemble, recorded live on March 31th, 2019 at the Eleventh Annual Columbia Festival of Winds. Performed by the Columbia University Wind Ensemble in Roone Arledge Auditorium (Alfred Lerner Hall), conducted by the composer.

Special thanks to Jason Noble and the Columbia University Wind Ensemble.

Fell Swoop (2019) - Live Recording, 3/31/19

"Get A Handle" from Once Upon a Fortnight, an original neo-noir comedy musical. Music by Brent Morden and Book/Lyrics by David Treatman and Brent Morden. 

Performed live at Euphonisms: A Senior Recital for the World, April 28, 2019 in Wien Hall, Columbia University.

Michaelle DiMaggio-Potter - Voice
Robert Willard - Voice
Nick Sare - Piano
Nigel Telman - Bass

Get A Handle (Once Upon a Fortnight)

"I'm Just Fine" from Once Upon a Fortnight, an original neo-noir comedy musical. Music by Brent Morden and Book/Lyrics by David Treatman and Brent Morden. 

Performed live at Euphonisms: A Senior Recital for the World, April 28, 2019 in Wien Hall, Columbia University.

Robert Willard - Voice
Lexie Kapilian - Voice
Lance Morden - Voice
Nick Sare - Piano
Nigel Telman - Bass

I'm Just Fine (Once Upon a Fortnight)

"Fuzzy Feelings" from Once Upon a Fortnight, an original neo-noir comedy musical. Music by Brent Morden and Book/Lyrics by David Treatman and Brent Morden.

Performed live at Euphonisms: A Senior Recital for the World, April 28, 2019 in Wien Hall, Columbia University.

Nicolas Duran - Voice
Lexie Kapilian - Voice
Michaelle DiMaggio-Potter, Robert Willard, Reuben Rahmeyer, Kyra Dawkins, Lance Morden, Brent Morden - Ensemble
Nick Sare - Piano
Nigel Telman - Bass

Fuzzy Feelings (Once Upon a Fortnight)

"This is Not the End" from Once Upon a Fortnight, an original neo-noir comedy musical. Music by Brent Morden and Book/Lyrics by David Treatman and Brent Morden.

Performed live at Euphonisms: A Senior Recital for the World, April 28, 2019 in Wien Hall, Columbia University.

Featuring: Robert Willard, Michaelle DiMaggio-Potter, Lexie Kapilian, Lance Morden, Nicolas Duran, Reuben Rahmeyer, Kyra Dawkins, James Gong, and Brent Morden
Nick Sare - Piano
Nigel Telman - Bass

This Is Not The End (Once Upon a Fortnight)

"Come Away to Arden" was originally written for Columbia University Kings Crown Shakespeare Troupe's production of As You Like It (Spring 2017). Music by Brent Morden, Lyrics by Sam Balzac.

Performed live at Euphonisms: A Senior Recital for the World, April 28, 2019 in Wien Hall, Columbia University.

Michaelle DiMaggio-Potter, Voice
Brent Morden, Voice
James Pecore, Piano

Come Away to Arden

The first movement of Opus Clavicembalisticum by Kaikhosru Sorabji, orchestrated by Brent A. Morden. Listen to the original piece for comparison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fxja3vPV5Q.

Read by the Columbia University Orchestra in a workshop for students of Georg Friedrich Haas' Orchestration Seminar. Conducted by Jeffrey Milarsky, December 4th, 2018. Special thanks to Julian Day for the recording.

Opus Clavicembalisticum, I. Introito (Sorabji) - Orchestrated by Brent A. Morden

Highlights from The 125th Annual Varsity Show: It's A Wonderful Strife. Music by Brent Morden; Lyrics by Brent Morden, Yael Cohen, and Jacob Kaplan. 

Songs featured: "Waiting to Be Crowned" | "No More Spills" | "What's the Point?" | "Finale"

Recorded live on May 4th, 2019 at Roone Arledge Auditorium, Columbia University. Special thanks to the V125 cast, pit, and creative team. More at https://www.thevarsityshow.com/past-shows/v-125-2019.

http://www.brentmordenmusic.com

The 125th Annual Varsity Show - Highlights

A Columbia University graduate with a passion for music. Composition styles range from classical to jazz and solo to large ensembles. If you would like to use something I wrote, please contact me beforehand at brentmorden@gmail.com.

Visit my website: http://www.brentmordenmusic.com

Watch my senior recital, world premieres of my original works, and other performances on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzwjnpbBUigWcv_QuLMhVaA

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FAQ:
What software do you use to create your music?
I use Sibelius 6 (http://www.sibelius.com/products/sibelius/7/index.html) for nearly all of my projects.

Brent A. Morden

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