Showcasing my most representative works — though I have no idea what that actually means in any detail.

Variations on an Original Theme in A (2022)

Fantasia (2019) 
on “Highland Cathedral”
for saxophone quartet

Premiered August 2019 at a private wedding in Metchosin, Canada
B.T. Williams Quartet

In 2019, a dear friend hired the currently-defunct B.T. Williams Quartet and I to provide music for her wedding. In addition to helping put together programs of various classical and pop hits for their ceremony and reception, I composed this short piece to act as a recessional, as the conventional wedding repertoire lacked a certain personal resonance for the occasion.

A set of free variations on the Highland bagpipe tune, “Highland Cathedral,” the work takes inspiration the formative bonding my friend and I experienced in high school concert and jazz bands, as well as whatever the opposite of bonding is, regarding her adoration of bagpipe music. (The B.T. Williams Quartet had spent many summers jockeying against strident pipers for the prime busking locations in Victoria’s Inner Harbour, and I had worked nearby, within earshot of too many dubious renditions of “Scotland the Brave.”) The bride and groom got engaged while travelling Europe, in an ancient Scottish church where ancestors of the bride had once been married, so this particular melody seemed especially appropriate. 

Version notes:
This playback demo was created using MuseScore 4 and the Muse Sounds libraries.

Fantasia (2019)

for Yasuaki Igarashi
11 variations including a 4-voice fugue, based on the traditional Japanese folk song "Kinya Monya" from Oki, Shimane Prefecture.

楽譜/Sheet

キンニャモニャによる主題と変奏

Original composition for Violin and Percussion.

Original scoring/composition © 2024 Mourkousis Yorgos(GR) all rights reserved.

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Sectio Aurea (2024) | Theme and Variations, for Violin and Percussion

What’s in a name? Let's hear . . . 

This is a musical cryptogram, a musical piece is based on the letters of a composer's name. Johann Sebastian Bach was one of the first to create a version in his 'Art of the Fugue'. 

Definitely fun to do, this composition is based on the letters of my name:   K-E-N-N-E-T-H   R   L-I-N-D-N-E-R -Jr.  

It is a “theme and variations” piece.  The theme is stated at the beginning, followed by many variations based on the theme, but not necessarily restating it in expected ways. The fun is to try to use as many different forms of the theme as reasonably possible, while maintaining listening interest and enjoyment.

This piece uses a standard symphony orchestra, slightly scaled down. It introduces the theme, followed by 15 variations, the last one a fugue. It ends with a grand restatement of the original theme in the opening key signature of C major, doubled in metric length.

Explanation & History: 
A composer’s name may contain many letters not directly corresponding to musical notes, so a transcription scheme may be used. For the letters in “Kenneth” and "R", the musical note E was used as the center datum. Then the number of letters in the alphabet from E to the nonmusical named letters were counted. This number was then used to count the number of steps on a musical grand staff from middle E, (both up and down), to find the musical notes to use. “Lindner” and “Jr” used D as its center datum. Easy for me to say, I know, but if you're still with me, that's how it worked out.

An old tradition, after an early example was composed by J.S. Bach (B-A-C-H, final theme of his Art of the Fugue), it was followed by other composers such as Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms (the C-L-A-R-A theme), Edvard Grieg (the G-A-D-E theme, the name of one of his favorite composers, Neils Gade), Dimitri Shostakovich (D-S-C-H-D, E-flat, C, B-natural), Alban Berg (A-B) and Arnold Schoenberg (A-S-C-H-B-E-G) among others.

Variations on KRLjr

A set of variations on the most popular Bavarian beer song, often played by oompah bands, especially at Oktoberfest. It tells the tale of a reveller at the Oktoberfest starting off with a small Litre stein, then going on to drink many more until he is completely drunk.

Variations on a Bavarian Tune "Ein Prosit"

Featuring period instruments from the baroque/early classical era, a chamber choir as well as solo voices.

Lament - Variations on a Theme by Tony Manfredonia

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫 / 𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫
🎻 Classical 
🌵 Latin 
🎮 Rhythm-Game

Yorgos Mourkousis, located in Athens (GR), is a Guitarist/Composer/Tutor dedicated in the contemporary side of art.
Whilst a guitarist, his field of action covers live performances, original scoring for movies & theatrical plays in various other instruments as well.

Classically trained percussionist & media composer.
Currently enrolled at Thinkspace Education

Toronto-based multi-instrumentalist, composer and music educator with diverse roots in classical, jazz and contemporary art music, as well as street performance and musical theatre. Frequently juggling a unique array of saxophones, bassoons, and clarinets (even cello) within a single performance, he has performed alongside ensembles from across southern British Columbia, including the Victoria Symphony, Theatre Under the Stars Vancouver, and as a founding member of the BT Williams Quartet. Whitehorne earned a Bachelor of Music from the University of Victoria in 2018 and currently pursues academic research into music, language, and the brain, as part of graduate studies in psychology. As a composer, his output includes works for solo musicians, chamber ensemble and larger forces. Whitehorne has often been heard in an eclectic mix of venues around Victoria, from the Royal Theatre to the Inner Harbour causeway, passionate about sharing fresh, engaging music with new audiences.

Graduating from Oberlin Conservatory of Music, I majored in Music Education and bass trombone. I was also fortunate to have the renowned John W. Coffey, bass trombonist of the Boston Symphony, as an adjunct teacher. 
While keeping my day jobs, I've performed professionally in symphony orchestras, bands and brass groups, and also enjoyed playing tuba and euphonium. 
I am a self-taught composer with 130+ copyrighted original pieces and arrangements, from symphony orchestra and concert band, as well as brass groups and solo works.
Retiring from the corporate world, (computer reliability and QA for medical devices), my wife Kathy and I were privileged to raise 100% grass fed bison for 20 years, and sell to wonderful customers in Southern California farmers markets. After retiring a 2nd time before the pandemic, I've happily returned to my first love of music!
Thanks for listening. I hope you will let me know how you enjoy these pieces!

New tracks tagged #Theme and variations