Name: Ex Nihilo, Ad........* by SFJ in Contemporary Classical Music
Duration: 3 min 57 s
Description: https://pocketmags.com/magazine-articles/why-is-there-something-rather-than-nothing

This is very eerie. Rolling trains, dead children was my association. Mesmerising in a morbid way. Extraordinary.

hey: very nice. concise and articulate but evocative.

this piece is also quite cinematic, to me anyway (easy to visualize various things.

Contemporary Classical Music

Sleep; restful sleep that is disrupted  by a disorientating and somewhat disturbing dream. Only partially inspired by the poem "Intimations of Immortality" by William Wordsworth but the composition title does come from a line in the poem.
I would recommend this poem. To me I find it very moving. At the start of the poem the poet regrets the passing of a time (as a young child) when everything in nature seemed "as if apparelled in celestial light". Now he tries to and partially/fleetingly reclaims that feeling but anxiety and despair creep back. From my 21th. C atheist viewpoint his "intimations of immortality" seem quite forced and wishful thinking. The poem, however, is very moving and resonates with partially formed thoughts that it stimulates in the reader.

The Fields of Sleep

Over the last 6 weeks I have been having once fortnightly zoom lessons from a composer (Adam)friend of my ex-colleague and friend (and very good violinist),Andrew. The initial focus has been on re-mastering. I re-mastered  this composition and made a few compositional changes that the re-mastering suggested. The enhanced detail, especially in the timbral subtleties, is very noticeable.
The  music was originally composed in  2019 whilst on holiday in Spain. Our friends, Sarah and Tony joined us for a while. Memories of that time (cycling up to Casares from the coast with Tony) fill me with a slightly melancholic nostalgia.

Reconnect For Orchestra (The Summer Before Last)

The photo is of Holy Isle from Lamlash Bay (Isle of Arran).
9/8 prominent.

En Plein Air

dac insomniac + r.s.stropharia - răgaz pe culmea suferinței - impro-set live (30.06.2020)

Funny Kind of Sad

And art thou nothing? Such thou art, as when
The woodman winding westward up the glen
At wintry dawn, where o'er the sheep-track's maze
The viewless snow-mist weaves a glist'ning haze,
Sees full before him, gliding without tread,
An image with a glory round its head;
The enamoured rustic worships its fair hues,
Nor knows he makes the shadow, he pursues!

Brocken Arc [Mist on the Mountain]

www.CreativeSpiritOnline.com: "Like all of Brooks’s works, 'Airs & Recitations' is a virtuosic construction of densely complex rhythms and rigorous, dissonant pitch combinations. The marvel of it is: there’s tenderness and expressive lyricism packed into his highly organized musical language."

“Airs and Recitations” was completed in December, 2022 in Fairview, TX. The work is in three movements: Andante con moto, Largo espressivo, and Andante con brio.  Performance time is about 18 minutes. Printed and electronic copies of the score and instrumental parts are available for purchase from www.CreativeSpiritOnline.com.

About this recording:
The present virtual recording was produced using Finale 27.3 and the Garritan
n Personal Orchestra 5 virtual instrument library. For the best listening experience, high quality headphones are recommended. This recording was mastered by EMastered. EMastered.com/profile/robtjbrooks

"Airs and Recitations" is an approximate transcription of the composer's seventh piano sonata, also posted here on SoundCloud.

Instrumentation:
    Flute, Oboe, English Horn, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, Trumpet, Bass Trombone, 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 2022

View/Buy Score

Airs and Recitations - Fantasy for 9 Soloists and Strings (Now published at Creative Spirit Online)

Part of a new concerto for Tuba, strings and percussion to be premiered June 2024.  Tuba solo: Mike Poyser;  Orchestral mock-up: John Webb

John Webb Concerto For Tuba And Strings - Slow Movement

only modified natural cowbells from allgäu (r.s.stropharia + a.schwarzer) 09.02.2024

Creative Spirit Online: "Colorful and engaging from beginning to end, this is the latest of Robert John Brooks’ virtuosic offerings. The three movements (Rondo, Variations and Finale) are scored for large orchestra—a twenty-minute journey through sometimes tender, often energetically playful, occasionally threatening, and ever-changing musical textures. Brooks’ musical gift lies in his ability to create highly structured, clearly defined musical gestures within the context of a challenging and thoughtful harmonic and rhythmic language."

“Contrapunctus III” was completed in February 2024 in Fairview, TX. The work is in three movements: Rondo, Variations, and Finale'. Performance time is about 20 minutes. Printed and electronic copies of the score are available now and instrumental parts will soon 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:
2 Flutes. 2 Oboes, English Horn, Eb Clarinets, 2 Bb Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, 2 Bassoons, Contrabassoon, 2 Horns in F, 2 Trumpets in C, 2 Tenor Trombones, Bass Trombone, Tuba, Timpani, Percussion, 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

Contrapunctus III for Orchestra

Guitar Miniature

prelude

Work for philharmonic orchestra in three movements.

"The moon's my constant mistress,
And the lonely owl my marrow;
The flaming drake and the night crow make
Me music to my sorrow."

 - from an anonymous folk song called "Tom O'Bedlam"

Orchestral Suite 2024 No. 1

Orchestral Suite 2024 No. 1 mvt-1

song

https://pocketmags.com/magazine-articles/why-is-there-something-rather-than-nothing

Ex Nihilo, Ad........*

https://iep.utm.edu/epis-mem/
https://aeon.co/essays/why-remember-and-be-sad-when-you-could-happily-forget
Years ago I enjoyed (in the way I do also with books and you-tube videos on popular science)reading about philosophy despite never really getting my head around the topics discussed. I recently started reading a book of articles from the Oxford University Press (1976) entitled The Philosophy of Mind that I read (along with Bertrum Russel's "History of Western Philosophy") in 1978/9 ........It got me thinking/remembering.

What It Is To Forget. What Is It, To Forget? [2019-2021]

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).

Ex Nihilo, Ad........*

SFJ

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