VIOLONCELLO: 

Double Bass appears in only two ensembles: Concerto for Clarinet and String Quintet and From Fits and Starts  MIDI recordings.

Mixed Trios:

From Fits and Starts (8/26/13) for flute, cello and string bass – 6’30”.  The elements of this piece were chosen almost at random from several clichés.   I wanted contrasting elements that could coexist:  rising repeated-notes with gaps of silence, four rising eighth notes reminiscent of the crowd-rousing organ at a baseball game, a jazzy riff with a counter riff as accompaniment, a slower hymn-like melody with a narrow range, full-octave glissandos, and a short ostinato with a lazy descending melody above.  From these, the form of the piece unfolded as an ill-defined rhapsody, never quite at ease with itself.

Live recording.  The work was premiered by the Fresno State New Music Ensemble on November 16, 2016, on the CSU-Fresno campus.

Recent photo of the New Music Ensemble at Fresno State.

 

 

 

Ambitions (12/28/21) for clarinet, cello and piano – 10’45”.  It is a funny thing about ambitions. Sometimes what one wishes to achieve is clearer in one’s head than it is in reality. This piece plays with that ambiguity. The first movement, Persuasive Oratory, suggests clarity and directness of expression, but the reality is chromatic with a tonality that does not match its key signature.  The funny title aside (How to Be-a Scherzo and Tri-a), scherzo and trio movements have traditionally followed a strict form.  How can one alter and update this form without losing its essence?  The final Jazzy Jig sounds like a jig for 32 measures. Then, the clarinet does a rising slide and all bets are off. Is this really a jig? Probably not, but it is a rousing finale.  MIDI recording.

 

Youthful Spirits (1/25/16) for clarinet, cello and piano – 8’00”.  Youth often see the world as alive with new adventures.  It is that spirit that I wished to capture in this work.  The opening allegro is a cheerful setting with varied meters.  The two sections appear in various guises to create variety, and the asymmetry of the sections makes the mood especially jaunty.  The second movement is very slow.  The mood is both calm and leisurely.  The finale is a straight-forward march.  MIDI recording.

 

Blue/Rambliu’/Bear available for trumpet/flugelhorn/piccolo trumpet, cello and piano (1989); and for trumpet/flugelhorn/piccolo trumpet, bass clarinet/B-flat Clarinet/A Clarinet & piano (5/14/18) – 9’10”.  The title is in three parts. Blue is both a color reference and a cool feeling because of the coolness of water and of ice. Here, however, there is also an unsettled, mysterious feeling at work.  Ramblin’ is a short set of variations on a folksong, “Ramblin’ Gambler.”  Bear is so-named, in part, because it is difficult to play, especially making real demands on the trumpet player.  Live recording.

 

Paul Morton, trumpet.  He, Susan Morton, cello, and Kevin Ayesh, piano, premiered Blue/Ramblin’/Bear.

 

 

 

 

 

Mixed Quartets:

Gallia est omnes divisi in partes tres (3/2/21) for clarinet, 2 violins and cello – 9’30”.  The title of this work is a short form for the Latin quote that opens Julius Caesar’s book De Bello Gallico. “Gallia est omnes divisa in partes tres” translates as “Gaul is all divided in three parts.” Each of the parts is represented by a movement of this piece.  I. Gallia Celtica: This was the largest part of Gaul and perhaps the least civilized. Celts reportedly fought naked in battle and terrorized their enemies with fierce war cries.  II. Belgica: Julius Caesar called the Belgae the bravest and strongest of his enemies. Indeed, his army suffered its worst defeat against them.  III. Aquitania: Caesar referred to the people in this area as “long-haired Gauls.” My own ideas of Acquitaine center around Eleanor, the great queen from the Middle Ages. Accounts of her outspoken, forceful personality, her remarkably long life and her use of power made her an imposing and brilliant political force during her lifetime. When I added to this her support of the arts (notably poets and troubadours), the basis for a rollicking finale took shape. The movement is largely in septuple meter with frequent, accented offbeats and a strong rhythmic flow. It is also characterized by a repeated measure that ends each section.  MIDI recording.

 

Tonal Entanglement (4/27/19) for bassoon, violin, viola and cello – 9’15”.  My recent interest in quantum entanglement influenced this work. The idea that an electron could function in two places at once, even separated by a considerable distance, fascinated me. For the first movement, Simple Pleasures in Multiple Places, I started with the idea that the accompanying string figures should embody C major, A minor, and the dominant of C major simultaneously. The second movement, Modal Chaconne, begins with a simple, four-measure phrase from the bassoon. In the manner of a chaconne, the phrase is repeated by each of the instruments, but it drifts through different pitches. Against this, there is a rhythmic figure that is at odds with the underlying rhythm, creating a sense of unease.  The last movement, Racing to Where We’ve Been, is in G minor, but gives hints of many other keys, among them G major with flatted sixth and seventh scale degrees. The retro ending with its repeated G bring the case for entanglement full circle to the accompanying dominant of the first movement.  MIDI recording.

 

Sheraja Lashadachka i Bulba, aka Grey Horse and Potatoes (1/22/18) for clarinet, violin, viola and cello – 7’40”.  Parts of this work are based on two folk songs from Belarus. I found delightful performances of both on the internet. “The Grey Horse” (Sheraja Lashadachka) was played by Valentina and Alexander Kozak (Kozak Family Trio) and “Zhivicca.” “Potatoes” (Bulba) was arranged by Dmitri Slepovitch and performed by the Simcha Jewish Youth Music Theater (Minsk), Elizaveta Khaskina, Artistic Director and Conductor, in a video courtesy of Limburg TV, the Netherlands, 2009.  This rendering of the folk music begins with a pensive clarinet solo over the strings that is interrupted by the “grey horse” melody. The clarinet’s melancholy statement continues, changes tempo and introduces fragments of “potatoes” that leads to a full statement of the melody beginning with the violin. The “potato” section includes new material, ending with a ritard and a return of the pensive clarinet. The “grey horse” section follows, eventually moving back and forth between the two folk melodies before ending quietly with the “potato” theme.  MIDI recording.

 

Allegro Quartet (1/16/18) for clarinet, violin, viola and cello – 12’30”.  This piece is about energy, and in a way, about the varied meanings of allegro. It is lively, even in its “slow” movement, and uses a variety of textures and figuration to remain fresh and cheerful.  The opening movement, marked allegramente (nimbly, lightly, vivaciously), creates its energy from syncopation and unexpected chromaticism.  A middle section provides some relief from both the syncopations and the chromatics.  The second movement begins and ends slowly. However, even here, the thirty-second note runs prevent a complete sense of ease. At the allegro assai, the clarinet introduces a syncopated figure. This figure grows into an accompanied fugue.  A slower, chordal is interrupted by a very folksy melody from the clarinet against pizzicato strings.  The allegro assai returns before movement ends slowly.  The final allegro resembles a movement in a concerto grosso with a four-measure ritornello. The first solo is a lively melody from the clarinet.  Each instrument, in turn, has a solo that speaks in its own voice.   At the end, the clarinet’s first melody is played by pairs of instruments before the final tutti.  MIDI recording.

 

City Life (1/5/18) for clarinet, violin, cello and piano – 5’30”.  Life in cities and their neighboring suburbs is both hectic and somewhat repetitive. Daily tasks, whether work or home related, require a certain diligence and the ability to adapt quickly.  In this piece, hectic elements often overlay steady, straight-forward melodic patterns. The steady melodies represent diligence in the face of varied conditions. Sometimes there are moments of joy or brief respites of peace, but the pace of life continues. The pace of life itself may be what is attractive about city life. It makes the day-to-day routine worth the effort.  MIDI recording.

 

April Nights (5/6/13) available for flute, clarinet, viola and cello or flute, clarinet, horn and bassoon or flute, clarinet, viola and bassoon – 5’00”.  Spring is a time of renewal and growth.  This work takes three simple ideas (one lively and rhythmic, a second using sustained rising fifths, and the third a flowing melody) and combines them in different ways to capture the freshness of early Spring evenings.  MIDI recording.

 

Grandma’s House (3/19/13) for Flute/Piccolo, Clarinet/Bass Clarinet, Violin and cello – 8’30”.  The work was inspired by memories of visiting my grandmother’s house.  The four movements are “The Hidden Attic Entry” with its sense of mystery, “The Squeaky Rocker” and its sing-song rocking, the squeaky “The Foot-Bellow Reed Organ” and “The Crowded Cubby” with its overlapping lines.  MIDI recording.

 

Mixed Quintets:

Obstination (1/15/16) for flute, horn, violin, cello, and piano – 10’00”.  I made up the term “obstination” to refer to a state of pointed and fully intentional obstinacy.  I use this term knowing that obstinacy already covers this meaning, but I am too stubborn to use it.  Conflict and dramatic tension result from “obstination,” even if compromise is in everyone’s best interest. This work follows such a conflict.  The principal theme in the first movement is all about assertiveness.  If the movement were a character, it would be a character that knew it was right.  The second movement “character” can be interpreted as more introspective and intellectual.  It includes a carefully stated argument, played by the horn, and a piano solo that reflects pride in the horn’s argument.  This, too, is a character that thinks it has won.  The third character or movement represents the victim of a lack of compromise.  There are troubled chords and a melancholy melody from the flute. Tension builds.  Finally, the piano enters with a series of extremely frustrated and manic statements. These subside in resignation, and the work ends.  MIDI recording.

Mixed Sextets:

Concerto for Clarinet and String Quintet   (4/23/20) 15’00”.  Cello and String Bass.  The first movement, Passion, begins with a cadenza for the clarinet. The first theme at the entrance of the strings is somber and tense. The second movement, Frustration, begins with a jagged but sustained melody in the lower strings answered by descending scales from the clarinet. Dissonant chords follow along with a string accompaniment related to rhythms from the first movement. The entire second movement develops from these elements, ending with another clarinet cadenza. The third movement, Jubilation, is a light, cheerful rondo. It features wide leaps and arpeggios in the clarinet part, things particularly suited to the instrument.  MIDI recording.

 

Mixed Octets:

Citta di’Udine (2010) for flute/piccolo, B-flat clarinet/bass clarinet, percussion, piano and string quartet – 7’40”.  This work is based largely on memories of a stay in Italy in 1975. I was staying with friends in a villa in the hills about five miles from the city.  We were young, and it was the first time in a foreign country. Everything was an adventure, whether it was searching for portabella mushrooms in the forest or buying bread and cheese in the open market. This piece attempts to capture the joy of youth and adventure when everything was new, and life appeared to have no limits.  MIDI recording.

 

Mixed Ten Performers:

Semper Fi (2014) for flute, trumpet, 2 trombones, tuba, cello and four percussion – 9’45”.  I have always admired the courage and conviction of the Marine Corps. Their loyalty to one another and to the corps creates a comradery that is powerful and patriotic.  The three movements of this work represent different aspects of the life of a marine.  “The Forced March” uses a driving rhythm to propel the strains of the melody. A slower section, representing the exhaustion of an extended troop movement interrupts the flow before the main melodic strain returns.  “Fallen Comrade” uses pyramiding, cluster-like chords to depict a sense of anguish and loss. Against this, both trombones and the flute have extended solos, expressing both a sense of mutual affection and devotion to a lost soul.  “No Man Left Behind” uses harmonic tension and driving, syncopated rhythms to create a sense of the difficulties one might experience in rescuing a fellow marine. The music becomes very quiet near the end, denoting spent energy perhaps. However, the piece ends on a positive note, indicating a successful rescue.  MIDI recording.