The composition From Gateshead to Newcastle: And Back Again is a contemporary piece for
Music Box performance; being completed in November 2019. It takes two people to
perform: one to wind the crank on the Music Box (as well as ensuring the correct pressure
on the wood and following the speed changes illustrated on the performance score) and
one to cue the accompanying sound files and images that are projected simultaneously.

The work is, at heart, a raw depiction of the architecture of Gateshead and
Newcastle. For a while, I had wanted to do something more conceptual and use
architectural dimensions to generate musical ideas. This project enabled me to explore this
avenue in a very literal way as the shapes of the buildings are literally punched onto the
punch cards; which are then fed through the music box. The main influence for this was a
car journey I took through Gateshead and Newcastle; as well as a following journey back via
the same exact route. During the journey back, I noticed how some other passengers pre-
empted the return of certain monuments or buildings. On one occasion in particular,
something that could be seen through the window of an art gallery on the journey into
Newcastle could not be seen on the way back. This difference in perspective, despite the
ability to foresee what buildings were coming, was the basis for the use of Retrograde
Inversion in the second half of my composition. The process of creating the work was largely
experimental. I began by tracing the generic shapes of the buildings onto punch cards and
working around ways to illustrate these shapes using punched holes. Some liberty had to be
taken in order to represent detail in these markings. For example, punched holes to closely
after one another meant the music box did not work as well; leading me to widen
dimensions in certain buildings such as Grey’s Monument.

After investigating Heitor Villa Lobos’ New York Skyline Melody, I noticed that it was
possible to allow the succession of buildings and locations to dictate the structure of my
work. I believe that this lends a through-composed element to the composition that is
(quite literally) turned on its head in the second half. I had included some bridges in the
collection of locations and wanted to highlight their lower level of stability compared to
sturdy land. Therefore, I included a bass ostinato in the work that was present when we
were on land but not when we are travelling over water. Furthermore, although the rest of
the piece continues at a moderate tempo, there is an element of Rubato during the bridge
crossing sections. In terms of the development of the work, I decided to add an electronic
element; including the cuing of sound files
(that had been recorded at such locations) coupled with the projection of images; which
help to depict the buildings.

From Gateshead To Newcastle: And Back Again

The Icarus Trio composition is a programmatic piece for mixed ensemble; and was
completed in March 2019. The piece is scored for Clarinet in Bb , Violin and Cello, and is 6
minutes long.

I wanted to write music that represented characters from Greek mythology for some
time and had always pictured composing these works for a small ensemble that also
comprised the tonal properties needed in order to depict the characters involved. One of
the stories of Greek mythology, that I find most interesting, is that of Icarus. Although,
instead of simply writing abstract music that ‘apparently’ represents the subjects of the
story and their emotions, I wanted to use the instruments and notation to try and actually
illustrate the characters and their motions in the music. Because of this, I decided to assign
the instruments to the characters in the myth: the Violin is Icarus, due to its ability to soar in
the very high registers; the Clarinet is Daedalus (Icarus’ father), owing to its earthy tones
and ability to work well in dialogue with the Violin; and the Cello acts as a musical narrator,
invoking the emotions and locations found in the myth.

Approaching this piece, I thought about it as a miniature work that concisely depicts
the myth of Icarus. I believe that this concept could be developed, later, into a suite of
Greek mythology subjects. In preparation for composing, I researched the myth and posited
its multiple interpretations. Ultimately, I decided to structure the piece in three small
movements in order to clearly illustrate the story. Movement 1, Building the Wings, begins
with an Adagio preamble that is marked by yearning figures in the Clarinet and Violin parts;
as Icarus and his father wish to escape the island of Crete. This gives way, in bar 10, to a
constructive device known as note addition; which is used to illustrate Daedalus’
construction of the wings. Throughout this movement, there are percussive elements in
each part that serve to evoke the soundscape of a workshop. Movement 2, The Flight, deals
with the main aspect of this myth and also the most exciting. It begins with Daedalus taking
off from a cliff edge, with Icarus following closely behind. In order to evoke images of flying
and windy terrain, I employed glissandi and quarter tones to represent small fluctuations in
altitude. The movement is predicated on a canon which connoted Icarus following (or
failure to) Daedalus’ flight path. This device is useful in depicting Icarus straying from this
path, as the time between canonic repeats (as well as the ability to change pitches) can be
altered; being obvious to the listener. The final movement, The Lament for Icarus, is a
anguished, chorale-like passage which employs rhythmically-augmented figures from
Movement 1 in the Cello to convey the sadness and fatigue of Daedalus. Sentences that
explain the plot point of the myth appear throughout in order to assist the performers in
their interpretation of the music.

The Icarus Trio

This piece, composed in 2016, builds on the work of Serialist composers such as Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg and Anton Webern. It utilises a 12-tone Row that is transformed in many ways. The piece also includes extra-musical features such as 'key-tapping'.

Serial Duet No. 1

This is one of my first efforts of creating Film Music. It is composed in the style of Thomas Newman - employing a Piano-based classical ensemble, whilst also utilising electronic elements and effects.

One More Go

This is a piece I wrote in the style of Thomas Newman. It is intended as a piece of cinematic writing - perhaps for a trailer.

Transformation

I wrote this piece last year and just got round to producing it.

The Icarus Trio

Rhys Chambers - Composer

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