Weird and wonderful, as Elton sang in a different context....

Compilation for Ron

Serenade To Yesteryear, a symphonic poem for chamber orchestra

Echoes and Shadows (From Within The Cave)

Experimenting again here with different divisions of strings. Why is getting the balance right so difficult? Part of the answer is that conductors (not composers) are the experts. They ensure, for example, that large numbers of divisions of second violins, avoid blasting smaller numbers of viola divisions into acoustic oblivion.

Small, medium or large orchestras plainly have very different numbers of divisions of the different string instruments. It is very complicated to get the balance right, to say the least. Conductors know how to handle all sorts of different orchestras (small, medium and large)...and therefore all sorts of different divisions, of all sorts of instruments.

The best way for composers to learn (from conductors) is to attend rehearsals of pieces made by famous composers. Making notes of everything the conductor says to the orchestra during rehearsals.

Gustav Mahler was a conductor who happened to compose in his spare time. Being a good conductor, in my opinion, is orders of magnitude more difficult than being a good composer. Controversially, I suggest good conductors should not be required (by the performance notes of a score), to adhere strictly to performance notes. Good conductors should be positively encouraged to interpret scores ad libitum.

Efforts were made in the above study to think about string divisions, in relation to other string divisions and piano. A technical study. Which became the first movement of my first piano concerto.

Piano Concerto No.1 (1st movement) Op.22

“I don't know why we are here, but I'm pretty sure that it is not in order to enjoy ourselves.” Ludwig Wittgenstein.

Nobody said it would be easy.

Towards The Light

Ice covered with a thin O2 atmosphere; the smallest of the four Galilean moons of Jupiter.

The Moons Of Jupiter- Europa

Generally bouncy (4/4 and 7/8). Mellow episodes,with tenor saxophone playing softly (3/4-sort of).
The photograph was taken,between periods of rain, in my suburban garden in late September. This beautiful hoverfly is Sericomyia silentis (the Yellow-barred peat hoverfly) feeding from Japanese Anemone.. First time for the garden. Infact two female Bog flies were seen several times over two days.

Sunshine And Frequent Showers

Cityscape

At various times the voices of Albert Camus,Eugène Ionesco, Dali, Philip Larkin ,TS Eliot and Samuel Beckett are heard...oh, and la fruit d'Orange.

Excerpts include : Samuel Beckett's novel 'Watt'
                               Philip Larkin's poems 'Trees' and 'MXMXIV' 
                               T. S. Eliot's Little Gidding (Four Quartets)

(A)Scene:1  La Voix de la Fruit d'Orange  (Theatre Of The Absurd)

After Heraklit*, this is the second soundscape made with a polyend tracker - a device  I like to refer to as a digital punchcard machine. The reasons for this naming choice are obvious to anyone old enough to remember actual punchcards. 

this upload also is an experiment in having an accompanying video - shot in a jittery, glitchy, seemingly careless, nouvelle-vague digital-punk-70s style: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIgBYsTstBs/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

all of the sound, imagery, wording and poetry:  copyright jo richter

RELATIVE SUN

translating torsos, gestures and forces
timid embraces of cultural icons
mind's urban slacklines span fixes and fines
surgical lasers, mosses and lichen
kneel at the sabretooth altar - move on, never falter
don't feed from the baiters - don't give up trying

* https://soundcloud.com/sonic-textures/heraklit_01-wav?si=cf85782bca904f0483b286023143620f&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Now, dear soundcloud, do tell me why this cannot be recommended?

relative sun

relative sun (a digital punchcard)

“Symphony for Chamber Orchestra - 3rd Movt: Rondo" was completed in June 2025 in Fairview, TX. Performance time is about 11 minutes. Printed and electronic copies of the score and parts will be available soon from www.CreativeSpiritOnline.com.

About this recording:
The present virtual recording was produced using Finale 27.4.1 and the Garritan Personal Orchestra 5 virtual instrument library. For the best listening experience, high quality headphones are recommended. This recording was mastered by EMastered.

Instrumentation:
Flute. Oboe, Bb Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn in F, Trumpet in C, and Strings

Performance notes:
• Tempo, expression, and dynamic markings should be strictly observed.
• There is no key signature. Accidentals apply to the end of the measure or to the note or notes tied over the measure, and only to notes of the same pitch class, in the same octave.
• Hairpin pairs (e.g.: mp <>, mf ><) indicate a temporary volume change of one dynamic level.
• Passages marked fff or ppp indicate playing as loudly and as quietly as possible, respectively.
• Double-bass “C-extension” is required.

Contact information:
Robert John Brooks, Fairview, Texas USA
Email: robtjbrooks@yahoo.com
Web: www.CreativeSpiritOnline.com
Web: eMastered.com/profile/robtjbrooks

Engraving by the composer
Artwork by the composer
Copyright 2024

Symphony for Chamber Orchestra- 3rd Movt: Rondo

Piano Concerto No.3 (2nd movement) Op.36 - Adagio

Paul Chihara (1938- ) 
Maestoso: Allegro molto from String Trio (1985)  
Jade String Trio
Claire Chan, violin
Ching Chen Juhl, viola
Ling Cao, cello

Jade String Trio was founded by three highly accomplished musicians and educators: Claire Chan, violin, Ching Juhl, viola, and Ling Cao, cello in New York City in 1999. The ensemble performed classical trio works of Mozart, Beethoven, Dohnanyi as well as promoting living composer's compositions. 

Paul Chihara's String Trio is of the greatest string trios in the 20th century. Paul sent his work to the Jade String Trio, while the group was looking for Asian female composers. Paul wrote to the Trio, charmingly: "I am not a woman, but I am an Asian. May I send my string trio to you".  

One year later, Paul attended the performance of his String Trio performed by the Jade String Trio. He was very happy and he invited the Trio to record it for the Albany Label, in 2003.

Paul Chihara String Trio

The warrior faced the war and managed to survive, leaving behind the memories of the loss of his comrades, hunger and thirst, and the trauma of the death of so many loved ones. From childhood, he had received pure love from his mother, for whom he was her entire cosmos. The warrior's mother loved to do things. She instilled, in his actions, dedication to those she cared for. She conveyed what she felt in her heart through her daily actions. The warrior, then a child, had therefore learned the art of doing things well. As he grew up, the warrior had become a Person capable of caring for those he loved within his inner cosmos, and he had discovered that the outside world was not particularly interested in this. Therefore, he had placed himself at the right distance from the demands of a system of things created by evil men for blind domination and oppression. He was beyond, and did not fit into any category of the system's bloodthirsty representation. He was outside that scheme. Those who had invented that murderous representation were individuals who hated Beauty and pure love. Since childhood, he had been clear that man must have the opportunity to be free, to love, to commit, and to fly. He was grateful for everything he had in life, for the love he felt for his Mate. He was grateful for the love he had received from his parents, from the earliest days of his childhood. He was grateful for the opportunity to try to live a dignified life. The image of evil men had not killed him. The warrior lived those days with the hope of finally being able to embrace his Mate again, who, for him, was the true cornerstone of his entire existence. She was someone who knew how to love. She had been able to discern the criminal plan behind the bloodthirsty image of the powerful, who wanted, through war, to destroy every form of human life, the legitimate aspirations of every child, and the destiny of the human race. Walking along the path that would lead him home, the warrior reflected on how deeply the bloodthirsty image had penetrated the minds and hearts of individuals. The warrior, moving toward what was once his home, observed villages destroyed by hatred, and it was then that he understood that conflict was truly in every man's mind, and that the representation had only shown it in its alienating extent. The thought of his Companion still sustained him, when, suddenly, his eyes caught sight of the clear image of a silver Fortress rising on a majestic hill. The sun illuminated its profile, creating a diffuse chiaroscuro effect; the sky was indigo and the earth Titian red. He continued. He reached the Fortress's gate and heard the loving sound of children's voices playing. Unexpectedly, the Fortress's great door opened. The children ran toward the warrior, immediately realizing how exhausted the war veteran was. A child brought him water, which the warrior drank. Then, a woman's voice broke the murmur of the playing children. "Children, show me!" she said, her tone firm, her voice revealing her youthful innocence. The warrior immediately looked up, the woman looked at him, and they recognized each other instantly, because that's what happens to people who love each other. The woman ran toward the warrior, and he, seeing her approach, smiled at her with his last remaining strength, and when they embraced, she said to him: "My love, you're back safe and sound!"

This EP is a concept album.

This album is dedicated to my Companion, the true pillar of my life, to my father, who loved Art, and to my mother, a master in the art of knowing how to do things.

One day, children will witness the birth of a New Age of Light...

6. "O"

Neither Here Nor There

A VISIT !!!!! HURRAY !!!!
it is a long journey out here to the forest far from city delights
i am so grateful <3<3 only a parent could understand <3<3
they are not a frog but a crow🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛
made with new item chromatic pitch thingy but the G doesn't work (second hand from ebay)
also made with other mic, looper, voice, bugle, hand drum, trusty zoomh1, NCH

hurray !! the offspring of fr0ggy5 cometh 💕💕💕for visit 💕💕💕🚂🚂

In memory of Bernard Herrmann - died December 24, 1975.

Creative Spirit Online: "Lush harmonies and finely wrought counterpoint characterize this one-movement, introspective, expressive essay for string orchestra."

Score and parts are available from Creative Spirit Online. Please go to
https://www.creativespiritonline.com/product/passacaglia-for-strings/ for information and viewing.

If your group is interested in premiering this work please contact the composer.  Score and parts are available from Creative Spirit Online.

View/Purchase Score

Passacaglia for String Orchestra - In Memory of Bernard Herrmann

I was born in Leicester in the late 1950's. Since semi-retirement and subsequent retirement (as a Dermatologist and formerly G.P) I have spent some of my spare time trying to learn music theory. I also enjoy long distance running as well as cycling, skiing and tennis. I enjoy cooking, gardening and growing a few vegetables. And fine wine (in moderation). I enjoy insect photography, with a particular interest in hoverflies..
To my regret I never learnt a musical instrument when younger but I have listened to and been fascinated by music for as long as I can remember. The advent of the computer age has allowed me to pursue my desire to compose music. I use Logic Pro X software (and MuseScore3 for recent piano compositions). My compositions reflect my varied listening preferences (including Contemporary Classical, Jazz and  Music from other cultures around the world).

Echoes and Shadows (From Within The Cave)

SFJ

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