This piece, "Silhouette's of a Moment," is comprised of 5 individual piano sketches that are woven together to elicit feeling as one listens and ponders the happiness of today and the fear of tomorrow. 

Movements:
i. In Tomorrow's Shadow
ii. Yesterday's Lament
iii. Among the Sky
iv. In the Twilight
v. A New Day's Promise

Silhouette's Of A Moment

Written in collaboration with the poet Delany Lemke, this piece explores the landscape of Michigan's Beaver Island and its old Irish heritage by diving through foggy fields and spectacular sunrises to timely jigs and bountiful bootlegging.

"The Ghosts on Tom McCauley's Road"

Long before dawn
When dirt roads are grave
Still
A shadow
Of memory
Wakes from fog
In the pasture.

Fiddle folksong
Seeps from
The empty polebarn
Then the patter
Of a jig
The shatter
Of a bottle.

On his porch
An old man moans
Long forgotten
Verses of the dead
With moonshine
In his hands.

~Delany Lemke

The Ghosts on Tom McCauley's Road

Written as an exercise for one of my counterpoint classes, I decided that I liked it enough to post it to SoundCloud. Because of this, when I find the time, I might expand this and even possibly orchestrate it.

Chaconne In A Major

This is a fugue that was originally written for one of my counterpoint classes, which I later went back and edited. As my first attempt at constructing a fugue, it was an invaluable learning opportunity, and I am largely satisfied not only with the outcome of the work, but also with the knowledge I gained.

Fugue No. 1 In F Minor

An arrangement of Dmitri Shastakovich's Prelude op. 87 no. 9 for chamber orchestra.

Shastakovich - Prelude Op. 87, No. 9

An arrangement of Paul Hindemith's Ludas Tonalis - 15. Interludium: Molto Largo for orchestra.

Hindemith - Ludas Tonalis - 15. Interludium: Molto Largo

Through Obscured Windows is a piece for solo piano, and it consists of five movements, each a sketch written to provide a veiled glimpse into another place or time.

Movements:
I. The Looking Glass(00:00)
II. Bottles and Barstools (03:12)
III. What Was (05:45)
IV. Shattered Delusions (09:08)
V. Passing Reflections (11:10)

"The Looking Glass"
Set on the mirror reflection of an isolated lake, this piece travels through a rainstorm. With each rain drop, the perfectly reflected image on the lake begins to distort, almost unrecognizable in the downpour. Just as quickly as it came though, the storm dissipates, and the mirror-image on the lake's surface reappears, only marred by the last few lingering drops of rain.

"Bottles and Barstools"
Utilizing traditional western melodies and rhythms, this piece calls back to the saloons out west that were once filled with cowboys, vigilantes, and the like. Indulging in drinking and dancing, this get-together gets out of hand and escalates into an all-out bar brawl. With bottles and barstools flying around, the player piano continues on in the background, mimicking the chaos around it.

"What Was"
A moment of reflection in the midst of the movements, this piece asks the listener to close their eyes and simply remember.To remember those things that were, and to contemplate that which has yet to come.

"Shattered Delusions"
Set in a chaotic dance-like manner, this movement has a hard time sitting still. Constantly moving, this piece highlights the duality of reality versus delusion through the interplay of the erratic left and right hands.

"Passing Reflections"
The finale of the piece, this movement is a miniature theme and variations, mimicking the reflections to be had on any one moment. The ways in which one can view a particular thing are vast, and so thus are the variations presented. With the theme even paying homage to one of my earlier pieces, this is the final "obscured window" to look through, asking the listener to take some time to reflect on themselves.

Through Obscured Windows

Rising out of repetition and the use of several small melodic fragments, "Impetus" takes shape in the conversation between two forces that frequently shift from working in cooperation to opposition. The statements made by both voices are constantly acting as the impulses for one another, pushing forward when the other fades out, thus to keep the piece driving forward in an unrelenting nature.

Impetus

This is just a short piece I put together using GarageBand for one of my friend's computer science video game project "CryptKeeper".

Into the Crypt

"La Fleurette Africaine" was written by Duke Ellington, and it was first recorded for his 1962 LP "Money Jungle". Inspired by the delicateness of the piece, I decided to arrange this work for a jazz sextet, placing it in a fast swing style as opposed to the original medium latin feel and including some elements of my own. The end result is a piece unique from Ellington's version, but one that also holds onto some initial elements as to stay true to its roots. Enjoy!

La Fleurette Africaine

"Time"

Time,
Ticking forward;
Grains of sand slipping through.
Shadows of regret,
And memories of joy,
Time.

Stuck in forward motion,
there is no going back.
What's done is done;
Finished is,
finished.

Ebbing,
Flowing.
No end in sight;
A dampened light.
Time.

The seeds of life will have been sewn.
The artful face to which it's prone;
A constant clock,
counting down.
A creation,
all our own,
Time.

Looking back,
where did it go?
Time, time, time;
Ticking onward.
Time, time,
Time.

Time.

-Zachary Nicholson, 2015.
-Performance by the Central Michigan University Chamber singers, conducted by Dr. Nina Nash-Robertson. April 24th, 2016.

Time

An original arrangement of Van Heusen's/Burke's jazz standard "But Beautiful" for a large jazz ensemble.

But Beautiful

I am Zachary Nicholson, and I am currently an undergraduate student studying music theory and composition at Central Michigan University under Dr. José-Luis Maúrtua. In the past, I have also studied under Dr. David Gillingham, Dr. Scott Harding, and Dr. Evan Ware, and I was the winner of the 2015 ACDA Choral Composition Competition for my piece "Time." On this page, you can find recordings (currently all MIDI) of a majority my pieces. In addition, if you would like the score for any of these works to perform and/or look at, please send me a message; I am more than happy to, and I am also willing to answer any questions you may have! Enjoy the music!

Zach Nicholson

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