My AS Level composition. Influenced by Dream Theater, Mastodon and Claude Debussy.They seemed to like it...

A Sense Of Purpose

Sea Idyll is a fantasia based on on two folk melodies collected by Cecil Sharp; "Evening prayer" and "Onward and Homeward Bound".

Sea Idyll (for String Quartet). J. A. Shaw (2015)

Score can be found: http://1drv.ms/1EwBE2C

This is the final compositional installment of my Year 3 BMus degree and the final latest work in series focusing on the First World War; a cantata for tenor and bass soloists, choir, percussion, harp and string orchestra. 

The chorus sings the words to Wilfred Owen's 'Anthem for Doomed Youth' whilst the soloists recite words taken from the last letter of Lt. Glyn Rhys Morgan. 

Cantata 'The Passing Bells'. J. A. Shaw (2014 - 15)

My first prelude for piano and written in the key of F# major, the vast majority written in November 2014 but finished in July 2015. 

Score: http://1drv.ms/1hcpmI0

Prelude for Piano. J. A. Shaw (2015)

Main Titles. Mockup using: EWQL Hollywood Orchestra Diamond, Cine Samples Orchestra (Core), Spitfire Solo Strings, Spitfire Albion & Symphobia 2.

Main Titles

Score: https://1drv.ms/b/s!Ain2jUhigXERf6zwqCCJPPY_9DU

From today up until Christmas I have decided to set myself the challenge of writing a Christmas carol a day, hopefully ending up with 25 pieces for Christmas. Here's the first one, 'Minstrels' by William Wordsworth, let's see how long I stick with it. Ideas for poems most welcome.

1. Minstrels, A Christmas Poem. J. A. Shaw (2016)

A jig with a catchy tune, including contemporary twists and turns along the way! Named after a local pub in Bangor, north wales.

The Skerries Jig

Sortilège ('a foretelling by divination') is loosely inpired by the witches imprisoned in The Cage, St Osyth in Essex. The piece itself follows the path of divination from the first ambiguous glimmers to a full blown prophecy.

This recording is a 2 minute extract taken from the live concert recording performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and conducted by B. Tommy Anderson. The piece was selected as part of their Composition: Wales 2019 Scheme, in which 8 Welsh-based composers gain the opportunity to have their piece work-shopped an performed!
The concert took place on the 19/02/19
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcnow

The full duration of the piece is circa 6-8 minutes.

The picture is titled “The Apprehension and Confession of three notorious Witches”, c. 1589. (Photo: Public Domain). These witches were condemed and executed at Chelms-ford in the County of Essex.

Sortilège- BBC NOW 2019 Extract

an excerpt of the 2nd movement, performed by the Berkeley Ensemble

Blodeuwedd Excerpt

An excerpt from my piece The Evening Strait - Concert Prelude performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales at Composition: Wales on the 3rd-4th March, 2020 at Hoddinott Hall, Wales Millennium Centre.

Program note: The first version of Concert Prelude was written in 2017 with the objective of being an exciting but varied overture-style work. Using a simplistic and obvious musical building block, the motif heard at the very opening of Concert Prelude informs almost all the subsequent music heard in the piece. The fourths are used constantly, both as melody and harmony as the piece progresses. The opening ascending flourish is met by a bright and brilliant introductory passage before moving to a sombre and fluid texture. The strings harmonics pulse brightly above descending lines in the horns and double basses and each entrance of the woodwind melody moves the harmony forward before returning to the opening harmonies via a clarinet solo of descending fourths. Then the opening motif is extended with a zig-zagging run played by various sections of the orchestra in an energetic and agitated section. Nervous energy continues into a section of static repetition in the violas and timpani counterbalanced by expanding quartal chords in the brass which explode and disfigure. The heavily rhythmic section progresses but is subdued by previous harmonies which continue to expand upwards. The music breaks down into rhythmic fragments in the woodwind before blending into the exciting final coda. The subtitle “The Evening Strait” was added after completion as I felt the main sections were reminiscent of contrasting evenings in the busy city centre with the tranquillity of the star over the Menai Strait.

Score (excerpt starts at page 21): https://1drv.ms/b/s!Aig3KuLeC_ijhPoHeEyJx9RKOzrZbw?e=CUR86b

The Evening Strait - BBC NOW Excerpt

This track can still be downloaded here:
https://deryncullen.bandcamp.com/track/andante-from-symphony-no-5-tchaikovsky

Download

Tchaikovsky - Andante from Symphony no. 5

Composer studying Composition at Bangor University, focusing on music for the concert hall and stage.

Violist,
Composer,
Conductor,
Percussionist

The Evening Strait - BBC NOW Excerpt

Zach Reading

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