This piece tells the story of my family's journey to America in the 20th Century. Each movement describes a particular event or feeling as described to me by my parents and grandparents. While describing the story of one particular Greek family, I believe the themes are common to all immigrants. 

For more information or to purchase/rental score and parts, please visit http://nickitasdemos.com

New World Sketches

The title of this work is taken from the review of a concert given on May 13, 1875 at the Cincinnati May Festival. The program featured a performance of Bach’s “Magnificat.” About Bach’s work, the Cincinnati Commercial Review opined: "The work is difficult in the extreme… most of the chorus abounds with rambling sub-divisions. We consider the 'Magnificat' the weakest thing the chorus has undertaken… possessing no dramatic character and incapable of conveying the magnitude of the labor that has been expended upon its inconsequential intricacies."

While it may be amusing to read such a characterization of one of the great masterworks in the Western canon, the review reminded me how often we are quick to dismiss details and nuances in our modern society. Such concerns are often lost in our modern world in favor of small sound bites of information, sweeping generalizations and an impatience to consider the intricacies of any given situation. This failure to be measured, thoughtful and willing to explore the complexities of the issues of our time leads to the worsening of our problems, the coarsening of our culture, and sadly the repetition of our errors. In much the same way that a knowledgeable music lover may scoff at the 1875 review of Bach’s “Magnifict,” how much more will future historians bemoan our inability to comprehend the intricacies of our society?

While these thoughts occupied my initial thinking about this composition, the term “inconsequential intricacies” paradoxically also carried an opposite meaning for me. I composed the work while incredibly dangerous Category 5 hurricanes lashed the Caribbean, the city of Houston, the entire state of Florida, and most of the Southeast United States. Mexico was also rocked by devastating earthquakes. All the while, the world becomes more dangerous as North Korea threatens nuclear war, unimaginable genocide occurs in Myanmar, and domestic unrest grows more heated on a daily basis.      

Confronted with all these issues (and more) while writing this piece, I could not help but notice that while our neighbors are faced with profound suffering, we who are not directly affected (myself, the worst offender) blithely attend to lesser concerns. These lesser concerns are elevated and we become distracted by inconsequential intricacies, often ignoring deeper more profound issues.  

This composition attempts to grapple with both my responses to the term “inconsequential intricacies.” On the one hand, all the elaborate counterpoint has been carefully worked out and, for me, represents the necessity of considering difficult and often nuanced aspects of a larger problem. The work also features a bass flute solo prominently throughout. The use of this instrument, often interspersed with counterpoint, reminds me that despite surface distractions, there are often deeper concerns to consider.

Inconsequential Intricacies

Commissioned by and dedicated to Jonathan Whitaker

Duration: 7 minutes

eight shades of metal is a brief virtuoso work for four saxophones and four trombones. The work was commissioned by my good friend, trombonist Jonathan Whitaker for inclusion at the 2014 National Music Festival in Chestertown, Maryland. I was very intrigued by the idea of writing for this extraordinary combination of instruments because I find interesting areas of similarity and contrast between the two instrumental groups. Both the trombones and saxophones are made of brass and exude a certain powerful timbre. That trombones should produce this power is perhaps not surprising. However, one does not tend to think of woodwind instruments as “powerful.” The saxophone family is the exception to this rule. This may well be due to the origins of the saxophone. The instrument can trace its development back to the ophicleide, a keyed brass instrument of the 19th century. Throughout the composition, I have tried to exploit the innate power found in both instruments. Both family groups tend to be very homogenous when blended together. Therefore, the piece often pits a “choir” of trombones against a “choir” of saxophones. Despite their similarities however, the piece also seeks to highlight the unique differences between the two instrumental families as well. The saxophones tend to get the more technically linear passages while trombones tend to provide powerful jabs and building chords throughout. The trombones also make use of their various mutes to illustrate the ability to significantly morph their timbre as compared to the saxophones. There is no programmatic element to the composition. Given my general interest in fast, rhythmic music, I merely sought to create a rollicking good time for the performers. It’s my hope that this translates well and that audiences experience a similar joy.

Check out a score sample at my website: http://nickitasdemos.com. You can also purchase a full score and complete set of parts from the site (hard copy or digital download).

eight shades of metal

Within the Eastern Orthodox Christian Tradition, an akathist (from the Greek, akathistos) refers to a hymn dedicated to a saint, a holy event, or one of the Persons of the Holy Trinity. While many akathists date back to the first millennium of Christianity, the writing of these types of hymns continues today especially in the Slavic tradition. Most of the newer akathists are a pastiche, incorporating a generic form that imitates an earlier akathist into which a particular saint's name is inserted. 

The idea of an akathist being a pastiche of new and old elements intrigued me as I set upon the writing of this work. Instead of fitting new words into older forms, I decided to incorporate a more contemporary musical vocabulary around an ancient Byzantine Chant melody. The chant melody, Τη Υπερμαχω    (Ti Ipermaho; To You Theotokos, O Champion Leader) is from the most well known akathist, written in the 6th century to the Theotokos (from the Greek, Mother of God, referring to the Virgin Mary). During Great Lent, it is chanted each Friday during the Salutations to the Theotokos Service and at each Divine Liturgy.

All musical material within this work revolves around the ancient melody. It is a reminder to me of the anchor that informs the motion of my life and the ties of this temporal existence to eternity. 

For a sample score or to purchase this piece, please visit http://nickitasdemos.

Akathist

This piece tells the story of my family's journey to America in the 20th Century. Each movement describes a particular event or feeling as described to me by my parents and grandparents. While describing the story of one particular Greek family, I believe the themes are common to all immigrants. 

Movement 4: Songs For My Fathers

This is a love letter back to Greece from a second-generation member of the family who first arrived in the U.S. near the turn of the century. This movement contains the most overt use of Greek folk music in the piece. It begins with a traditional taxim in the solo violin. A taxim is an improvised solo over a sustained drone preceding a dance tune. In this case, the taxim not only serves as an introduction, but also provides most of the melodic and harmonic material that is used throughout the movement. Following the taxim, two very upbeat dance-like sections occur before the music returns to a middle section reminiscent of the introduction. In this middle section, flashes of traditional Greek folk melodies are presented. Of the three melodies featured, two hail from the city of Kalamata in Greece. This is the area of Greece where my paternal grandfather was born. This somewhat introspective section soon gives way to one final exuberant statement before the work reaches its exciting conclusion.

For more information or to purchase/rental score and parts, please visit http://nickitasdemos.com

New World Sketches - 4. Songs For My Fathers

This piece tells the story of my family's journey to America in the 20th Century. Each movement describes a particular event or feeling as described to me by my parents and grandparents. While describing the story of one particular Greek family, I believe the themes are common to all immigrants. 

Movement 3: Promised Land

This brief movement pays homage to the entrepreneurial spirit of both my paternal grandfather (who owned a laundry business) and my maternal grandfather who was a restaurateur. It is in a rondo form and light in character. The music is as optimistic as these men who believed so deeply in the opportunities afforded them in America. Their hard work laid the foundation for my parents’ success in this country and provided all the opportunities I now enjoy two generations later.

For more information or to purchase/rental score and parts, please visit http://nickitasdemos.com

New World Sketches - 3. Promised Land

This piece tells the story of my family's journey to America in the 20th Century. Each movement describes a particular event or feeling as described to me by my parents and grandparents. While describing the story of one particular Greek family, I believe the themes are common to all immigrants. 

Movement 2: Lullaby for Louis

My paternal grandmother once told me a poignant story that took place as her family was immigrating to this country. Just before the ship left Europe for America, my great grandmother's luggage was stolen. She had to endure the long trip over the ocean with no clothing. Moreover, she had several small children with her and no husband to assist her (my great grandfather already being in the United States had sent for her and the children). One of the children was an infant, my grandmother's brother, Louis. My great grandmother had to rely on makeshift provisions and the kindness of her fellow passengers during the journey. This movement imagines a scene that I am almost sure took place. The infant Louis, tired and hungry, wrapped in bed sheets instead of diapers clings to his mother. She softly sings to him a lullaby. All the while she is thinking about the uncertainties of her life and the lives of her children as she slowly travels to the shores of a foreign land. The music contains a sweet melody, however it also bears the concerns of my great grandmother as well. In a larger sense, this movement pays homage not only to my great grandmother but also all those like her who had the courage to uproot themselves and travel to a strange, new land.

For more information or to purchase/rental score and parts, please visit http://nickitasdemos.com

New World Sketches - 2. Lullaby For Louis

This piece tells the story of my family's journey to America in the 20th Century. Each movement describes a particular event or feeling as described to me by my parents and grandparents. While describing the story of one particular Greek family, I believe the themes are common to all immigrants. 

Movement 1: Ellis Island, 1917

After undertaking a bit of research, I discovered the date my paternal grandfather (who I am named after), Nickitas J. Demos, immigrated through Ellis Island. This movement is an attempt to portray what it must have been like to process through the facility. The music has a nervous and unsettled energy throughout. There are flashes of recognizable musical material but always through the lens of disorientation. The musical language at times is quite dissonant just as many foreign languages being spoken at once might seem dissonant to an immigrant ear. Finally, near the end of the movement, Greek folk elements emerge over the confusion. These musical elements represent the immigrant's strength of character in maintaining his culture even while moving into a foreign land.

For more information or to purchase/rental score and parts, please visit http://nickitasdemos.com

New World Sketches - 1. Ellis Island, 1917

Semi-Finalist: 2015 Rapdio! Composition Competition

This brief and energetic work was written as an entry to the national 2015 Rapido! Composition Competition. The competition calls for composers to write a new work within a 14-day time frame with the organizers providing the formal design of the piece and its instrumentation. While not usually prone to writing new compositions without a commission or some guarantee of performance, I nevertheless decided to enter this particular competition due to its enticing award. On the morning of June 8, 2015, I received my notification that the competition called for a ”theme and variations” written for clarinet, violin and piano not to exceed six minutes in total duration. After thinking about the work for a day, I began composing on June 9 and completed the piece nine days later.

In thinking about the formal design of a “theme and variations” scheme, it quickly occurred to me that history is replete with variations on the same themes endlessly replaying themselves. I knew I wanted to explore this connection and was reminded particularly of an interesting article I had read sometime ago in the in the February 21, 2013 edition of The Daily Beast news blog. Megan McArdle’s opinion piece entitled America’s New Mandarins posits the notion that the paths of power and success in the United States are narrowing and with them, the world-view of the powerful. She describes this situation as the “Mandarization of America.” Mandarins were powerful officials in Chinese imperial bureaucracy. While entrance into this class was technically open to anyone, only those who could pass a very rigorous exam were accepted. To quote Ms. McArdle, “What you have is…a country run by people who think being good at exams is the most important thing on earth. Sound familiar?” Sadly, it does and the remainder of the intriguing article draws compelling comparisons between the old Chinese imperial system and trends surfacing in modern America. 

Having found my inspiration, I first composed my main “theme;” a 34-bar melody comprised of three sections. The melody is bright and energetic and, for me at least, illustrative of the bright elite class of students who test well and are entering into our own American “mandarin class.” However, as the melody progresses, succeeding sections contain underpinnings of dissonance that express my misgivings about the new emerging elites. Just as the trope of “mandarization” repeats in variation throughout history, my energetic melody undergoes six variations over time. The first two variations develop the main melodic idea (the “A” section) presented at the beginning of the piece. The third variation concerns itself with the “B” section of my melody; a rising motive of perfect fifths. The fourth and fifth variations explore the “C” section of my melody; somewhat dissonant figures derived from an insistent repeated note motive that represents my nagging concerns about the elite class emerging in the United States. The sixth and final variation returns to the “A” section of the melody in its most energetic manifestation to round out the composition.

For more information and to purchase score and parts, please visit http://nickitasdemos.com/index.cfm?pagename=works&id=252&i=32

Dances For The New Mandarins

Text: Trisagion Prayers and selected hymn from the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (4th Century, A.D.); adapted by the composer

The Church Fathers teach us that there are three basic types of prayers. First, there are those prayers that are spontaneous, relatively short and contain personal words by the individual. Secondly, there are very short prayers meant to be prayed continuously, repeated over and over again until the prayer becomes a part of the individual’s life. (A good example of this type of prayer is the ”Jesus Prayer” having the text: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have mercy on me, a sinner.) The third and most predominant type of prayer is the “ready-made” prayer. These prayers have been written by the Church Fathers, Holy Saints or, as in the case with the Lord’s Prayer, given by Christ Himself. They are learned and recited by the faithful both in corporate worship and in private devotions. This composition focuses on this third type of prayer. 

All prayer is a conversation between the individual and God. As in any conversation, one does not simply begin conversing without exchanging opening words of greeting. Within the Orthodox Church, there are a series of prayers called the Trisagion Prayers that serve as a prelude to the conversation. This piece is a setting of those introductory prayers. The text is as follows:

In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Glory to Thee, O God, Glory to Thee.

O Heavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, who are present everywhere filling all things. Treasury of good things and Giver of Life, come and dwell in us. Cleanse us of every stain and save our souls, gracious Lord.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have mercy on us. (repeated 3 times) 

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

All Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, forgive our sins. Master, pardon our transgressions. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for your Name’s sake.

Lord Have Mercy (repeated 12 times) 

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on Earth s it is in Heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from the evil one.

For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

During the final portion of these prayers, specifically the Lord’s Prayer, I have also superimposed an additional prayer chanted during the Divine Liturgy. The text of this prayer is as follows:

 We praise You / Lord, we bless You / Unto You, O Lord, we give our thanks with our fervent prayer to You, our God.


This work also seeks to honor the memory of Angela Ioannides who, for over 30 years, faithfully served the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Atlanta, Georgia as organist for the choir. The use of a solo soprano throughout as well as the organ are presented in homage to Angela, who in addition to performing as organist, possessed a truly angelic soprano singing voice. The text is presented in three languages: Greek, Latin and English.

If you are interested in purchasing a score (hard copy or PDF download), the music is available through my publishing arm, Sylvan Lake Press. Visit my website at: http://nickitasdemos.com

Prelude to the Divine Conversation

Hellenic music stands between two worlds. On the one hand, it has most of the characteristics of Western tonality while on the other, it contains elements of non-Western idioms from the Near East. Xoros Phonia explores this dual nature by loosely adapting several different types of sacred and secular folk styles in one single movement.

The work is divided into six distinct sections and is generally very light in character. The piece grows faster and more exciting section by section moving from a slow mysterious beginning to an energetic, fast paced and joyous conclusion. The title is taken from the Greek and means, roughly, “voice dance”. The text throughout is simply syllabic. Typical Hellenic sounding syllables are used with the inclusion, in some areas, of actual Byzantine “sol fege” syllables. The singers are also asked to make percussive noises with their mouths (imitating at times the doumbek, a hand held percussion instrument and at other times maracas). Members of the group are also instructed to clap and snap their fingers throughout the piece involving their whole bodies in the “dance” of their voices.

The first section presents most of the motivic material to be used throughout and is reminiscent of Byzantine Chant. Musical materials are loosely passed between upper voices while the baritone and bass maintain held pitches. In a stark juxtaposition between the sacred and the more earthy elements of modern Hellenic culture, the first section gives way to a tsifteteli rhythm. The tsifteteli is a dance type in duple meter akin to more oriental / “belly-dance” music with roots in the rebetika sub-culture. Rebetika is commonly associated with the bouzouki (now the national instrument of Greece but once a instrument of low social standing) and urban low-life characters. The loose adaptation of the tsifteteli presented in this work is a bit slower and much more subtle than the more vulgar modern displays one encounters in contemporary social affairs. This section soon transitions by way of an abrupt modulation into a Kritiko Syrto rhythm and then into a general syrto rhythm. These two sections are representative of island music which, despite different geographical groupings, can be characterized as lighter and more flowing than the majority of mainland dances. The Kritiko Syrto hails from the island of Crete and is a bit slower than the general syrto which succeeds it. Both island dances feature a syncopated duple meter. The works accelerates into the last two sections which borrow, in style, the music of the northern mainland of Greece; in particular, Thrace (the easternmost province of Greece bordered on the west by Macedonia, on the north by Bulgaria and Turkey on the east with the northern reaches of the Aegean Sea to the south). The fifth section features a karsilamás dance rhythm (9/8 meter beat in a 2+2+2+3 pattern) which gives way to the sixth and final section which loosely adapts the mandilátos ( a 7/8 meter beat in a 2+2+3 pattern). Those listeners familiar with the music of the region will also detect the brief insertion of some typical Bulgarian harmonies at the point the sixth section begins. It is a joyous celebration which is first sounded in the sopranos, soon picked up by the alto and spread to the rest of the ensemble. The music returns to a more Hellenic character for the final expression of exuberance. 

To purchase sheet music, please visit http://nickitasdemos.com and click on the "Store" tab.

Live Performance - April 28, 2002

Xoros Phonia

The title Citizens of Nowhere is taken from an article of the same name written in 2003 by Paul Kingsnorth for The New Statesman. The article puts forth the assertion that a new global middle class is emerging. Kingsnorth calls this new class the “citizens of nowhere,” and opines, “Whether they are scurrying through summit venues, storming the business class gates in airport terminals, lunching at restaurants with high ceilings and unobtrusive waiters, or drinking bottled water in air-conditioned boardrooms, the citizens of nowhere are our new ruling class. Politicians, corporate top dogs, media stars, ‘opinion formers’ and bureaucrats, they occupy a prism of halogen-lit elitism…Rootless, technocratic, unburdened by the baggage of locality or the complications of history, they exist in every nation but feel attached to none.” As a traveling musician, I often find myself within the environment created by the fruit of this class; awakening in chain hotels flanked by chain restaurants and big box retailers. More than this simple comparison, however, this notion extends to the current state of contemporary music composition as well. I can’t help but think about how many “composers of nowhere” there seem to be. Over the years I have attended many contemporary music conferences and festivals or sat on composition panels where one contemporary piece is presented after another. They all seem the same; originating from a nondescript geographical area and possessing all the same textbook techniques. Thus title of the Kingsnorth article, the class it describes and how it relates to my own experience resonated with me. I knew that at some point I would like to write a piece of music influenced by these ideas.

The opportunity presented itself when my colleagues Ken Long (clarinet) and Jan Berry Baker (saxophone) approached me about writing a new work for them. The resulting composition, Citizens of Nowhere is the work influenced by the Kingsnorth article. The music is rootless and constantly shifting; never settling for long in any one key center or mood. Even the two soloists do not remain on a single instrument for very long but constantly shift back and forth between different members of their respective instrumental families – the clarinetist moving between the Bb clarinet and bass clarinet and the saxophonist between the alto and soprano saxophones. There is a general anxious feeling about the piece that is manifested by a relatively quick tempo, the use of shifting meters and rhythmic, virtuosic writing. As the piece continues, bits and pieces of melodic fragments begin to reappear and the work begins to gain some cohesiveness. At its conclusion, the music finds solid footing and a clear resolution and therefore seeks to answer Kingsnorth’s final challenge: “The rest of us can join the citizens of nowhere in their empire of the placeless, or we can build new relationships with our own landscapes and our own communities. We can build on our pasts or dismiss them; bleach the human rainbow or loudly defend awkward, stubborn, unprofitable diversity. Somewhere or nowhere. The choice is ours.”

I chose somewhere.  

Sheet music for this piece is available via my publishing arm, Sylvan Lake Press. To order (hard copies or PDF downloads), please visit my website at http://nickitasdemos.com.
The disc is available in hard copy from Amazon.com or download at iTunes.

Citizens of Nowhere

"Four Moments for Clarinet and Violin" is one of the few very early works in my catalog that still holds a nostalgic and warm spot in my heart. I had wanted to write a duo for these two instruments ever since high school when a good violinist friend and I searched for repertoire we could perform together. While the opportunity never presented itself to compose the work for my friend, I eventually completed the project while at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. Although no programmatic titles are given, each of the short and relatively simple character studies that comprise the four movements of the work are loosely inspired by places and relationships formed during my years in Chapel Hill. To purchase sheet music or for more information, please visit http://nickitgasdemos.com

04 Four Moments For Clarinet & Violin - 4. Briskly

03 Four Moments For Clarinet & Violin - 3. Moderately

02 Four Moments For Clarinet & Violin - 2. With Energy

01 Four Moments For Clarinet & Violin - 1. Slowly

This piece was originally commissioned as a duo for alto saxophone and organ. When saxophonist Athanasios Zervas asked me to compose for such a combination, I felt a bit of trepidation at the outset. It is a relatively uncommon pairing of instruments and I was a bit unsure of how to proceed initially. However, in thinking about the combination, it occurred to me that of all the woodwind instruments, the saxophone is probably best suited to hold its own against the mighty organ.  After all, it is just another metal pipe filled with air. I therefore set about writing this small work, in terms of duration, that nevertheless feels as if it were on a grand scale. This grandeur is in keeping with size of sounds produced by both members of the duo. The music is abstract, filled with contrasts of energy, lyricism and towering open sonorities. I was not following any specific programmatic element in writing the piece save for its title. The notion of large “cathedrals” of air was a thought that came mid-way through the writing process and is a concept that ultimately defined my relationship with the instruments. The version presented here is for alto sax and piano and was created in order for the piece to enjoy more performances. To purchase sheet music for either version of this composition, or for more information, please visit: http://nickitasdemos.com.

Cathedrals Of Air (piano Version)

1996 ASCAP/Rudolf Nissim Composition Competition - Honorable Mention 

Written in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree - Cleveland Institute of Music & Case Western Reserve University.

The title of Three Pieces of Time is taken from an interview given by the late actor, Jimmy Stewart. In the interview, Mr. Stewart expressed a view of the motion picture as a “piece of time.” Music also exists in time. Anyone who listens to any piece of music also moves through time with that piece of music. Thus, the title of the work is meant to draw attention to a composer’s ability to not only manipulate sound materials but also time itself.

Although no particular program is intended for each of the three movements, each “piece of time” has a distinct character. The first movement makes use of Greek folk dance rhythms. The most pronounced of these is the kalamatiano, a dance in 7/8 meter from the Peloponesian region of Greece.

All of the material in the second movement is derived from the opening twenty measures. Through manipulations of the opening motivic material and a gradual thickening of texture, the movement reaches a fortissimo climax involving the entire orchestra. The true goal of the movement, however, is reached right after this “climax” as the entire string section slowly spreads itself apart and comes to rest on a very quiet cluster of pitches stretching over six octaves. This stasis of activity serves as a balance between the very active natures of the first and third movements.

The third movement begins without pause. Although not as rhythmically varied as the first movement, it achieves a level of excitement through a continual blur of virtuoso playing. There is also an alternation in texture between densely scored counterpoint at a loud volume and more sparsely orchestrated sections at a much lower dynamic level. These sections are compressed with each repetition until the piece reaches its unexpected conclusion.

Live Performance - November 20, 1991

Three Pieces of Time - 3. Madly

Live Performance - November 20, 1991 

Three Pieces of Time - 2. Warmly

Three Pieces of Time - 1. Anxiously

Completed in 1999 for solo viola, Tonoi I is the first in an ongoing series of works for solo performers. There are currently seven pieces in the collection. During the course of writing these solo works, I have established certain characteristics common to all the pieces in the series. The pieces are episodic and abstract in nature, having no particular idea or “program” attached to them. Although presented in one contiguous movement, the works are divided into clear sections. Each piece is dedicated and written for a specific performer. In the case of this work, I have written and dedicated the work to my friend and colleague, Tania Maxwell Clements. I write these pieces in a linear fashion – beginning with the first measure and writing straight through to the last with no insertions of sections; composing a later section before an earlier section, etc. It is typical for the works to use and develop the harmonic and melodic materials presented at the beginning of a given work throughout the piece. Each section of the respective pieces moves further away from the original statement. Succeeding sections may seem to have been arrived at in a logical manner, however, they move the listener further and further away from the opening motivic and/or harmonic environment originally presented. The game that I set-up up for myself is to figure out a way to return to the opening material no matter how far I have wandered. In all of the Tonoi works, I am also interested in writing as idiomatically as possible for the respective solo instrument.

Aegean Counterpoint - Chamber Music of Nickitas Demos

Tonoi I

From the earliest points of her history, the Church has interpreted many events and personalities found in the Old Testament as foreshadows of the New Testament. "Meditations on Amber & Flame" is a work containing four brief reflections on one such connection. In the first chapter of the book of Ezekiel, the prophet reveals the following that was seen in a vision: “I looked and behold, a sweeping wind came from the north, and a great cloud was in it, with surrounding brightness and fire flashing forth from it. In its midst was something like the appearance of amber in the middle of the fire, and a brightness in it. In the midst, there was as it were the likeness of four living creatures…This was the likeness of their faces: the face of a man, the face of a lion on the right side of the foursome, the face of an ox on the left and the face of an eagle.” [Ezekiel 1: 4-5; 10]. The Church has interpreted the four creatures Ezekiel beheld as symbols of the four Gospels of the New Testament. Within the small confines of this composition, each of its four movements is a brief musical meditation on the theological connections between the specific creatures Ezekiel’s vision and what Gospels they point to in the New Testament.

The first movement, "Behold The Man," concerns itself with the first of the creatures seen in the amber and flame: the face of a man. The Church interprets this creature as a representation of the Gospel of Matthew because this particular Gospel has, as a major theme, Christ as Incarnate God. Moreover, St. Gregory the Great (329-391 A.D.) also notes a further connection to man in that this Gospel begins with the genealogy of Christ. Musically, the movement is cast as a fugue. Musical motives are carefully worked out and built upon one another throughout and represent the careful workings of Christ’s entrance into the world through the generations of men; beginning with Abraham, continuing through David and leading up to “…Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.” [Matthew 1:16]. The title of the movement is also a reference to the words spoken by Pilate in John 19:5; a phrase that is also found in an Old Testament prophecy that heralds the coming of Israel’s Messiah [Zechariah 6: 12-13].

The score and parts to this work are available through my publishing arm, Sylvan Lake Press. You can get more information and order either a hard copy or PDF download via my website: http://nickitasdemos.com.

Meditations On Amber & Flame - mvmt 1: Behold The Man

Nickitas Demos (b. 1962) holds a DMA in Composition from the Cleveland Institute of Music where he studied with Donald Erb (1927-2008). Commissions include works for the Cleveland Orchestra, Atlanta Ballet, Nashville Chamber Orchestra and the National Association of College Wind & Percussion Instructors. Awards include: Winner - American Prize in Composition-Chamber Music(2021); MacDowell Fellowship (2012); Grand Prize: 2004 Millennium Arts International Competition for Composers; Grand Prize: 2005 Holyoke Civic Symphony Composition Competition; and 23 ASCAP Awards. His music is self-published through Sylvan Lake Press (ASCAP) and recorded on Ablaze Records, Albany Records, Capstone Records, Petrichor Records, and MSR Classics. Demos is the Coordinator of Composition at the Georgia State University School of Music, Artistic Director of the neoPhonia New Music Ensemble, and co-founder and artistic board member of the SoundNOW Music Festival. More information at: http://nickitasdemos.com.

Nickitas Demos

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