A composition I wrote back in the spring of 2014.

Original text, 'Eternal Silence' by Okami Kamikaze:

Silence
Silence when we are walking, 
Silence when we think, 
Silence is what fills us all, 
With a binding eternal link.

Silence in the little children, 
Silence in the adults, 
Silence wrapping around us all, 
Silence pulsing in the walls.

Silence fills this hollow world, 
Silence is the choice we make, 
Silence is the death of this all, 
Silence is our fate.

Recording was taken at Keene State College, Keene, NH in the Fall of 2014
Performers:
Molly Schafer
Amanda Williams
Josh Brennan
Sam Bellmore
Zack St.Pierre
Tom Kendrick
Dimitrios Kapoukranidis
Julia Alma
Samantha Fowler
Katlin Hart

Silence

A piece I wrote in the winter of 2015

This piece is about my family heritage (of the Irvine Clan of Scotland). This first section (which is all I have done) is meant to portray the hardships of peasant life in early Scotland before my family gained lordship status.

The title 'Sub Sol, sub Umbra' is taken from my families motto 'sub sol, sub umbra, virens' which roughly translates to, 'In light, under shade, I thrive.' To me, this means that no matter your life circumstances, whether it is the darkest or lightest of times, you should still be proud that you are an Irvine. The first section that I have recorded here is meant to symbolize the dark times or the 'umbra' of the Irvine clans existence.

Recorded by the 'American Modern Ensemble' under the direction of Robert Patterson in early 2016 at Keene State College, Keene, NH

Sub Sol, sub Umbra

Reptilia is a three movement work I wrote in the spring of 2016 about the three reptiles I have owned as pets throughout my life. The title, ‘Reptilia’ represents the species class all of my cold-blooded friends, while the movements are named after each pet’s species order.

The first movement, Iguanidae, was written as an elegy for my green iguana by the name of Tom Rodriguez who was very lazy, only ever moving from his branch to his heat rock everyday. Our primary interaction consisted of me spraying him with water multiple times a day to keep his dry skin moisturized.

The second movement (titled Emydidae) is also written as an elegy, only now for my departed red-eared slider turtle, Schtaron. She was not a friendly turtle, as she would often hiss and attempt to bite my brother and I. We would often find enjoyment from watching her franticly swim about her tank to prey upon feeder fish that we bought for her every Sunday.

The final movement, entitled Testudinidae, was written as an ode to Boris, my recently acquired Russian Tortoise. Boris is by far the friendliest reptile I’ve ever owned. Because he is very young and cannot get far, we often let him graze in our backyard where he feasts upon clovers, and often enjoys other greenery that is given to him.

I chose to write this work for the tuba due to the lethargic and lumbering nature of the instrument in correlation with similar characteristics that reptiles possess. If a tuba cannot be used, other instruments with these qualities are also sufficient for the role.

Recorded at Keene State College, Keene, NH 2016

Performers:
Justin Young- Bassoon
Samuel Irvine- Percussion

KSC Student Composers Recital – Spring, April 23, 2016

Reptilia – III. Testudinidae

Reptilia – II. Emydidae

Reptilia – I. Iguanidae

Performed By Dr. Elaine Broad-Ginsberg
Recored in the Alumni Recital Hall at Keene State College, Fall 2014

Samuel M. Irvine

Popular tracks