This Nocturne, or at least its main themes, represents my first true attempt at composing on the piano several years ago. I composed or improvised a bunch of fragments and musical ideas together with the basic framework of the Nocturne.

As I've already implied in the description of my Fantasy, the two compositions were once conjoined when I finally decided to separate them and develop them independently. However, besides sharing the same key, a lot of textural fragments are still shared that can be noticed, and I bluntly quoted the main theme of the fantasy as a homage to their shared heritage. Personally, I'm particularly fond of the A-major melodic line starting at 0:38, which I consider one of the smoothest and most beautiful melodies I've written so far. Considering the hammering intro, it is one of the last additions I've made for this nocturne, and it helped me with a lot of structural problems. As with my other compositions, further changes will likely happen down the line.

I dedicate this work to another of my great friends, Ivan Dadić, a masterful smith, who once gifted me a beautiful crusader helmet he crafted (he even took measurements of my head for the undertaking). I humbly hope this endeavor will honour the gift he blessed me with!

Nocturne for Piano, F-sharp Minor

Eletron-trip

Work on the new album is nearing its end and going into the studio the band have a lighter air about them. Feels Like Glass is led by Sonny's piano groove and moved along by Sticks' evolving percussion.

The Dark Messiahs are:
Sticks Thompson - Drums
Art Masters - Saxophone
Reed Johnson - Sax
Blue Six - Trumpet
Tully Wilson - Flute
Wilt Flowers - Bass
Sonny Rhodes - Piano

Feels Like Glass - The Dark Messiahs

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Written: 1988 | Duration: 8'
Instrumentation: 12 pairs of hands (twelve hand clappers)

Buy Sheet Music: https://www.steveweissmusic.com/product/voices-paterson/percussion-ensemble-sheet-music

PROGRAM NOTE
Voices was written to accompany six dancers performing a powerful work about the lives of teenagers. Two hand clappers (four hands) represent one dancer, and each of the six dancers choreographed their individual dance to their own clapping tracks, which start out together in unison but gradually become more intricate. The whole piece slowly and almost imperceptibly speeds up from beginning to end.

Voices for 12 Clappers (12 Pairs of Hands)

American composer Robert Paterson is a true New Yorker—born and bred in Buffalo, he lived in Rochester and Ithaca for over ten years, in New York City for over twenty years, and now lives in Saratoga Springs, near the Adirondacks. Paterson’s colorful music embraces a wide variety of themes, everything from goddesses and online dating to mathematics and the environment. His music is filled with emotion and fierce rhythmic energy, marked by elegance, wit, and meticulous craftsmanship. Named Composer of The Year by the Classical Recording Foundation at Carnegie Hall, Paterson is the winner of the Alfred I. DuPont Award, and his opera Three Way won the Grammy® under Best Classical Producer of the Year. His music is often a Best of the Year pick on National Public Radio. His orchestral tone poem, Dark Mountains, regularly airs on NPR’s Performance Today. Three Way premiered with Nashville Opera, then BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), and across the United States. Minnesota Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, The Oratorio Society of New York, Buffalo Philharmonic, Albany Pro Musica, Albany Symphony, Musica Sacra, Austin Symphony, Vermont Symphony, and ensembles worldwide perform his works. Paterson gives masterclasses at the Curtis Institute of Music, New York University, the Aspen Music Festival, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and more. He is the Artistic Director and house composer for Mostly Modern Projects. Robert is a lifelong vegan and advocates for animals and the environment, celebrating the natural world with ground-breaking works such as his Triple Concerto, A New Eaarth, Listen, and I Go Among Trees.

Voices for 12 Clappers (12 Pairs of Hands)

Robert Paterson Composer

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