This piece was commissioned by the National Orchestra Institute days before the shutdown of 2020. Having just finished my dissertation and with the weight of the impending pandemic on my mind, I set out to write this piece. I believe it is my most melancholic and forlorn to date. While I do not think of this piece as being a "covid piece" I do think it aptly captures the state of mind I was in while writing it. 

"Since about 2016, I have wanted to write a piece which is entirely slow and mostly quiet – one that captures a dim, mysterious, melancholic glow that seems pale, effervescent, and capable of evaporating at any given moment. This craving has been only partially fulfilled in some of the slow movements of my other works – most notably, the second movement of Modus operandi called Dust. However, in the pursuit of contrast, many of these movements stray from their quiet sound worlds and erupt into more passionate and bombastic textures (Encompass Mvt. II, Concerto for Horn Mv.t. II). The title Just dreams not only sets the mood for the nebulous, floating quality of the music but also suggests this mood will be maintained throughout. 

The piece contains three “lines”. The presentation of a new line denotes the start of a new section – these are marked No. I, No. II, and No. III. As the piece progresses, memories and echoes of past lines permeate the sections of the new lines. Their relationships are demonstrated below: 

No. I	= Line 1 + premonitions of Line 2
No. II	= Line 2 + Line 1
No. III	= Line 3 + fragments of Lines 1 & 2 

In lieu of a more contrast-based sense of dramatic trajectory, the form is driven by the counterpoint of the lines, the progress of the somewhat saccharine harmonies, and the subtle transformation of timbre as the lines are filtered though the various instrumental pairings/groupings."

Recording provided by the National Orchestra Institute

Just dreams for mixed nonet (2020)

Tyler Taylor (1992) is a composer-performer from Louisville, KY. Much of his work is dedicated to creating abstract musical analogies for social-political happenings both present and past. Common among these pieces is a sense of contradiction – sometimes whimsical, sometimes alarming – that comes from the interaction of diverse musical layers. 
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Tyler is currently a full time resident composer at the Louisville Orchestra as part of the inaugural installation of their Creators Corps residency program. In this role Tyler not only writes music for the orchestra but also works closely with community organizations, schools, and programs in the city of Louisville. He established and taught the Louisville Orchestra Young Composer Program for JCPS students grades 4-12 where students had new compositions workshopped and performed by members of the LO. 
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He has been commissioned by the Louisville Orchestra, Washington and Lee State University, the Youth Performing Arts School, the Chicago Composers Orchestra, the Indiana University New Music Ensemble, the Indiana Band Masters Association, the National Orchestral Institute, and more.
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His work has been recognized by awards including the BMI Student Composer Award (2019) and the Howard Hanson Ensemble Prize (2017, 2016). He also held fellowships at the Bowdoin International Music Festival (2021) and the National Orchestral Institute (2021). Most recently, his dissertation “Permissions” for large symphony orchestra was selected for performance during Indiana University’s annual New Voices Orchestra concert on 11/16/22.
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In addition to his pursuits in composition, Tyler also performs the horn in various settings ranging from recitals of contemporary music to professional orchestral settings including the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, Huntington Symphony, Louisville Ballet and the Owensboro Symphony. He maintains a studio of young horn players in Louisville and southern Indiana.
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Tyler holds degrees from Indiana University (Doctor of Music with minors in Music Theory & Horn Performance), the Eastman School of Music (Master of Music), and the University of Louisville (Bachelor of Music).

Just dreams for mixed nonet (2020)

Tyler W. Taylor