I wrote this piece during Spring 2020 at Fresno State, using the piano piece Musica Ricercata by Ligeti. I especially enjoy movements 3 and 4.

Mvt. I - An Exercise in Atmosphere (0:00-1:13)
Mvt. II - Dissonant March (1:14-2:40)
Mvt. III - Throwing a Ball at a Wall (2:42-5:05)
Mvt. IV - Nightmare Fuel (5:07-6:23)

©2020 Dalton Morris

Four Short Compositional Etudes For Piano

This was a fun little composition written at the end of the "Fresno State Summer Arts - Art of Scoring for Video Games" Workshop based off of a joke I made on an earlier project. This one is so much fun!

©2021 Dalton Morris

Cowpunk 1877

This is a very recent short piano improvisation I did. I came up with a fast line and went with it xD

©2021 Dalton Morris

Fast

Here is another piano improvisation! For this one, I had a motif appear under my hand, so I used that! A lot of time-signature meandering.

©2021 Dalton Morris

Mind Fog

This is another synth improv in the Me Series. This time, my mind was very restless, blocked, and overwhelmed with not only a bunch of homework (I procrastinated at the end of this semester, Fall 2021) but I had a lot going on in my mind blocking me from doing anything. I thought that improvising would help me clear my mind (this is usually a good method for me to clear my head), and it partly did, except for it still left that homework block unmoved. This is both ambient yet full of tension, so it is a bizarre juxtaposition.

I used the Emerald Haze Synth Pad on Logic Pro for this improvisation.

©2021 Dalton Morris

Me No. II

Made this for a recent sequel to the video game workshop; you can say this is a Cowpunk 1877 sequel xD

Cyber House Party

Performers:
Aunika Bull - Soprano
Dr. Drew Quiring - Piano

Lyrics:
Brian Rojas

sung by those who gather flowers and songs
Reborn again and again in the season of earth
years on our bones,
days in the eyes of heaven,
el cielo de dónde vienen
Las Canciones
Que te canto, a tí.

Ascend to Heaven to Hear These Songs and Collect Your Flowers Here on Earth is a piece that I wrote for the 5th Annual Fresno State Art Song Competition. The words for the art song (which share the same name as the piece) were given as part of the competition. I have wanted to write a piece for this competition for years, and this year was finally the time I did. I found my original inspiration from the initial Zoom meeting where Dr. Briggs (voice professor at Fresno State) discussed the competition, and I almost immediately got a start to the melody of this work when she began reciting the words. Originally writing this for low voice (this version is the high range), I figured out the rest of the melody by singing it while composing, along with writing at a piano. For me, this piece is a huge accomplishment, as this is something I have wanted to write for years and have finally accomplished that goal. Also, this gives me a concrete idea on how to write more art songs in the future (which I most definitely will do). 

In terms of emotional qualities to this piece, I just let the words guide what the tone of the song would be. For me, the words naturally expressed words of beauty (as is the theme for this year), but also expressed more than that. These words to me express almost a feeling of peace, that even when you pass away, you will live on in the memories of others, and what you left behind, whether that be music, paintings, a business, a philosophical ideal. They give me a sense of comfort that I will have an impact on the world. From another perspective, I see it as singing to someone else not to worry for when we part, as our past wisdom, teachings, love, and personality will last long after we are gone.

Ascend To Heaven To Collect Your Flowers And Hear These Songs Here On Earth

Forward we go
Through the eclipse
Into the silent sky

Onward we trek
Beyond what is known

Don't wait
To build a house
Where a city resides

Forward we go
Into the silent sky


Synth, bass, guitar, piano, vocals, and production: Dalton Morris (Me)
Cover Photo: Dalton Morris (Me)
Lyrics: Dalton Morris (Me)

©2022 Dalton Morris

Silent Sky

Spiral (Pt. II)

Under fog we pray,
As embers forge their burn;
A scald slowly seeping
Onto the backs of the worn.

Rays of light protrude above,
Beams stretched beyond grasp.
"Will a ladder offer aid?"
None found in the decay.

A fire breathes its first sigh,
Off the horizon it forms.
If we extinguish its flare soon,
Our troubles won't have a say.

But forever we wallow in fear;
Unable to move.
"Will a ladder offer aid?"
None found in the decay.

"Someone must see the blaze ever reaching,
Announcing its hunger!
Prepared to consume our souls
Without remorse, without delay!"

Pleas rise from the floor
Prayers begged by many
"WILL A LADDER OFFER AID?!"
None found in the decay.

The flames swallow more,
The cries become louder,
The flurries of pleading washed away,
By the burn's march forward.

Screams for a savior
Ring out from every side,
"WILL A LADDER OFFER AID?!?!"
None found in the decay...

As the flames receive nourishment
From the panic encompassing all,
It engorges on everything it sees;
Few remain in the fog...

As those left have grown weary,
Their sobs become whispers.
"Will a ladder offer aid?..."
None found in the decay.



This work (the piece and the poem) stems from the fears presented within myself as the start of the year 2025 has unfolded. With the world seeming like it is falling apart, slowly yet swiftly, one can be at a loss of concrete words on how to articulate their feelings on it all. This is the closest I can personally reach to speaking on these matters; how so much is seen, so many beg for relief and an end to the insanity, yet little is truly done. 

It takes musical inspiration from Thomas Schwan (String Quartet Op. 4 from 2014, and Pater Noster [Our Father] for SATB Choir from 2024), Alban Berg (String Quartet No. 3, and Sieben Fruhe Lieder Arr. for Cello and Piano) and J.S. Bach (Well-Tempered Clavier Book I No. 24 in B Minor, Praeludium and Fuga). This was performed and composed in one take.

©2025 Caesura Phenomenon Publishing. All Rights Reserved.

Under Fog We Pray

I am a current cello and composition student at Fresno State; I hope you enjoy my music!

Dalton Morris

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