Mummer's Journey is essentially a completely virtual advent calendar/walking simulator experience in which the entirety of Woody Point, Newfoundland is 3D modelled, and the player can exist in this alternate reality Woody Point, which is set at nighttime, in winter, with nobody around besides silhouettes passing by the windows of the buildings. 
Being someone who has spent lots of time walking around Woody Point at night, it was so surreal to suddenly be in this beautifully rendered game-world Woody Point where everything is to scale and almost like the real thing, but not QUITE. There is definitely an eerie sense of calm running through Mummer's Journey and I tried to add to that with slightly chilly synths running through the soundtrack. I also tried to add a familiar warmth to the atmosphere with some staple Newfoundland instruments.
The opening Prelude was just an excuse for me to write a classic video game overture which blooms from simple 8 bit sounds into a big string section. Whereas an ocarina or flute may carry the melody in another popular game series ;), here I used the more Newfoundland-esque tin whistle.
Tracks 2 and 4 are meant to just loop endlessly and provide a calm yet slightly uneasy environment. A favourite colour of mine on track 2 is the large layers of accordion drones that Reg and I recorded at St. Pat's church in Woody Point.
Track 3 plays right down in the main strip of Water Street. It's got a little more rhythm but it's still pretty chilly. It also recontextualizes the Prelude melody if you want to get nerdy.
The final track is a sweet little ditty played on the St. Pat's baby grand and then slowed down slightly to give it a nostalgic feeling. The moment where a wall of accordions enter in this track is probably my favourite moment of the score. This track plays in the end credits of the game as well as at a somewhat hidden campfire in the middle of a field... sort of like a little Easter egg to reward those who explore the game.

All of these tracks loop around and around in the game.

All of the instruments were played by me, some were recorded by me and others (the ones that sound the best) by Reg Kachanoski. All the music was mixed and mastered by Michelle LaCour. Thanks Reg and Michelle!!

5. Campfire

4. Lighthouse at Midnight

3. Water Street

2. Mummer's Journey

1. Prelude

A silly collection of short pieces written in 2015-early 2016.

i. Humoresque
ii. Serenade
iii. Scherzo
iv. Chorale
v. Finale

Five Bagatelles for Wind Quintet

ii. sea of stars

I loved this song already. I had a ton of fun finding creative ways to translate the original to chamber ensemble.

Performed by Yvette Coleman and the DxV ensemble.

GMSM 2016

Bjork - Joga

When I heard that the incredible flautist with DxV, Marianne, also specializes in ney improvisation, I INSTANTLY thought of Hunter. The chord progression already hints at Eastern music and I just took it from there. The first time I heard her improvising over Hunter, my mind was blown. This piece definitely showcases Marianne Noordink's incredible playing.

Performed live by Yvette Coleman and DxV ensemble.

Bjork - Hunter

I originally wanted this without the schizophrenic drums throughout, but in hindsight I'm glad that the percussionist Paul Fadoul told me that it was a bad idea... a beautiful song and I hope my arrangement did it the justice it deserves. A special shout-out to Diederik van Dijk's  heart-throbbing cello playing! What a guy. Also note that Yvette is singing much of this song while doing choreography... while balancing on the top of a ladder. That Yvette is something else!!

Performed by Yvette Coleman and the DxV ensemble.

Bjork- Hyperballad

This was an interesting one! Christine and Marianne are not touching their instruments, but rather rocking some auxillary percussion. I wanted to emulate the crazy rhythmic intensity and crunchy textures of the original. It definitely isn't AS crunchy but a cool experiment nonetheless.

Performed by Yvette Coleman and the DxV ensemble.

Bjork - Enjoy

Lamp Once Out

6 haiku - i. experimenting

i. we dance each night

ii. love is not changed

Another setting of Edith Sitwell, for soprano, string quartet and percussion. This performance was the premiere last April.

Soprano (and tingsha bells and tamtam) - Carolyn Quick

Vln 1 & 2 - Samantha Kung and Madelynn Erickson
Vla - Nina Weber
Vc - Adrian Pang

Percussion - Michelle Panikkar

Big thanks to you all!

bells of gray crystal

This is the sombre theme of Chelsea Xinyi Chen's short film "Reverie." The soundtrack won "Best Score" at the 2019 UBC POV Awards. It's been a joy to work with Chelsea on 2 of her films now, and I hope we can continue to collaborate in the future!!

Beautiful playing here by Melody Chen (violin) and Peter Krejcar (piano). Big props to Shiun Okada, who let us into the hall at midnight, set up all the gear and took care of the recording process for us. What a guy!

Photo by Ian Mrozewski

Main Theme from "Reverie" - 2019

i burn; i shiver (2019) Excerpt 1

i burn; i shiver (2019) Excerpt 2

Premiere performance at 2019 Tuckamore Festival in St. John's.

Natalie Finn - vln
Emma Schneedecke - vc
Kassey Demers - pno

riverspeak - for piano trio (Premiere)

www.roberthumber.com

Bio:

I am a Canadian composer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist based in Vancouver and Corner Brook, Newfoundland. I primarily write concert music (chamber, orchestral, choral), and I have so far written two award-winning short film scores (I Will Keep Your Light (2018), Reverie (2019)). In May 2019, I graduated with a Master's Degree in Music Composition at University of British Columbia where I studied with Jocelyn Morlock, Stephen Chatman, Dorothy Chang and Keith Hamel. In 2017, I completed a Bachelor's degree in Music Composition, where I studied with Andrew Staniland and Clark Ross.

Since I began studying composition in 2015, I have been lucky enough to write for many incredible musicians including TorQ Percussion Quartet, Friction Quartet, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Musica Intima, Duo Concertante, Victoria Symphony and others. Looking forward, I have many promising projects and ideas for 2019/2020!


Contact me at humber.robert15@gmail.com if you are interested in any of my scores, film collaborations, or are interested in recordings/info regarding:

-wreckhouse (2018) - for symphony orchestra

-floating wingless bloated (2019) - for symphony orchestra

-breath shapes (2019) - for violin and piano

-riverspeak (2019) - for piano trio

-lifted up (2019) - for piano, 2 percussionists, violin and double bass (working on version for percussion quartet)

-the ground beneath us (2019) - for trombone and double bass

-shucks (2018) - for cello and marimba (with kick drum and brake drum)(revising and working on versions for cello and two percussionists, viola and two percussionists)

Popular tracks by Robert Humber