“A Quickening” Concerto for Flutes and Percussion. Scored for 11 flutes and 4 percussion, (Duration 10’) Premiered at the Florida State University (this recording.) Performances at the Florida Flute Fair in Orlando, and the National Flute Association convention in New Orleans. Made possible by a grant from the Brannen Fund for New Music. Published by Falls House Press.

A Quickening

Fanfare - Classical - Orchestral  0:35

Menage 1  - Chamber Music  1:05

Menage 2  - Chamber Music  0:52

Echoes Of Sarah - Chamber Music/Flute  0:44

7 Memories - Chamber Music/Flute  1:06

Audio Logo 1 + 30 Second Spot - Commercial  0:39

Audio Logo 2 + 30 Second Spot - Commercial  0:36

More often than not, composers will take inspiration from those who have come before, whether 300 years or 30 years before. Raines unabashedly takes his cue from both Stravinsky's Pulcinella and Brian Wilson's Surf's Up (here, the title of the second movement) for his Seven Memories.

Seven Memories

The piece is scored for narrator, Flute, Cello, clarinet trio and flute ensemble (4 flutes, 2 doubling on piccolo, 2 alto flutes, two bass flutes, and doubling on triangle, wood blocks, egg shaker, and wind chimes).

The narration includes quotes from Shakespeare’s "Hamlet" and "Julius Caesar", Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s "Love in the Time of Cholera", Paul Gaugin, "Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?" (title of his painting of the same name), and Haruki Murakami, “Norwegian Wood “.

Into the Eternal is dedicated to my friend and musical mentor, composer Ladislav Kubík (1946 – 2017).

Approximate duration 12 minutes

Text for Into the Eternal  (Do Věčného):

Thou know'st 'tis common; all that lives must die, passing through nature to eternity. 
– Shakespeare, “Hamlet”, Act I, Scene II – 

Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, it seems to me most strange that men should fear; Seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it will come. 
– Shakespeare, “Julius Ceasar”, Act II – 

To die, to sleep-No more; and, by a sleep to say we end the heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, when we have shuffled off this mortal coil… Must give us pause.
– Shakespeare, “Hamlet”, Act III, Scene I –

I discovered to my joy, that it is life, not death, that has no limits. 
– Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Love in the Time of Cholera – 

Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going? 
– Paul Gaugin, (title of his painting of the same name) – 

Death is not the opposite of life but an innate part of it. By living our lives, we nurture death. 
– Japanese author Haruki Murakami, “Norwegian Wood” (“Noruwei no Mori”) – 

Look to this day for it is life, the very life of life.
In its brief course lie all the realities and truths of existence the bliss of growth, the splendor of action, the glory of power. 
For yesterday is but a memory and tomorrow is only a vision.
But today well lived makes every yesterday a memory of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope. 
Look well, therefore, to this day. 
– Ancient Sanskrit poem – 
* The original source is generally attributed to Kalidasa, an Indian Sanskrit playwright and poet active during the 4th-5th Century AD. His work was based on Hindu philosophy 

Walk right up ladies and gentlemen, walk right up! Everything Must Go! 
– Unnamed carnival barker –

Into The Eternal (Do Věčného)

Robert's career has spanned both music and visual arts, creating award- winning work in both fields. Raised in New York City’s Greenwich Village by parents who were active in the arts, he was immersed in music, theater, literature, and the visual arts from an early age. His experience includes working for a number of years as a guitarist and composer in New York City, producing as well as performing on many recordings of jazz, blues, and popular music. He has composed for both theater and film. In 2001, following an extremely successful period in the graphic arts, he refocused his energies on music, completing both Masters and Doctorate studies in composition by 2007.

Robert served as Program Director (Dean), of a new online Bachelors degree in music Music Production at Full Sail University in Orlando from 2009 through 2011. He was responsible for building a program to teach music composition, theory, and production online. He hired and supervised all faculty of approximately 25 people, and wrote and/or directed the creation of all curricula and teaching materials.

He's an active composer and educator, bringing to both endeavors his trademark enthusiasm and appreciation for artists and students from diverse backgrounds and disciplines. He has composed a sizeable body of art music, released several CDs of original compositions, and toured the United States and Europe. Robert is well versed in the latest music computer technologies and maintains a state-of-the-art recording studio.

Robert has taught university level courses in theory and composition and has received a number of prestigious awards and commissions for his compositions.

Robert Raines

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