Composition Commons^™

I Have Not Always Been As Now, Bailey Knowles

Compositions

i have not always been as now is a four-movement piece for soprano voice, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and glockenspiel. The libretto is a reworking of literature by Edgar Allen Poe. I read through his entire output of poetry, isolated lines that I enjoyed, stood out, or triggered a musical thought in my head, and rearranged them to create a new story. The story is purposefully vague, and its specific meanings and interpretations shall be deciphered by the listener. The story follows someone who is recalling memories of a love from the past. This love could be a person, a …

La Bicicletta, Jack Druffel

Compositions

Program Notes:

La Bicicletta was written in the fall of 2018 and edited for the Illinois Wesleyan Symphony Orchestra in early 2019. It is a narrative about an accident the composer endured while in Milan, Italy. While cycling home, he was struck by a motorcycle and spent a night in an Italian hospital and was released the next day with minor injuries. The main idea of the piece is to reflect the mundane tasks of daily life, and this motif is presented in each of the four sections that make up La Bicicletta.

The first part of the piece reflects …

Movement I. "Lo" From Four Moons For Brass Quartet, Gregory V. Goeden

Compositions

"lo" is the introductory movement of a four-part suite, entitled Four Moons for Brass Quartet. As suggested by the title, the four movements of the work were modeled after a specific set of astronomical entities, the four Galilean moons of Jupiter. These celestial satellites provided inspiration for this work in a number of different ways. Scientific observations and measurements for each moon, such as diameter, mass, density and composition, provided melodic and harmonic ideas through a 20th century musical process that is commonly referred to as "pitch set theory." The visual and physical qualities of each moon, and their relationships …

Illinois (Honors), Luke J. Mcloughlin

Compositions

This work was abstractly inspired by the landscape of my home state. I composed its building blocks while just north of Normal, Illinois, specifically while at various points along the square formed by Main Street, E 1800 North Road, N 1300 East Road, and W Ziebarth Road. During multiple sessions, I visited these locations and wrote down, on staff and loose leaf paper, what came to mind. The goal was that, during the composition process, I would focus more on the development of the music—in and of itself. The resultant piece was to avoid relying on some sort of outside …

Oasis Dreams, Clarisse Tobia, David Vayo, Faculty Advisor

Compositions

Full musical score for violin, viola, cello and piano for large or small ensembles.

Flow, Tommy Bravos

Compositions

Flow was composed in the Spring of 2014 and premiered in it’s entirety during the April Student Composition Concert here at Illinois Wesleyan University. I composed the piece during an emotionally tumultuous time, and it represents many events that were occurring cyclically in my life at the time. The emotional events that directly inspired Flow were like opposite sides of a coin: one being relationships attempting to grow and the other being relationships gradually turning sour, needing to be left behind. These ideas are represented by the piece revolving around the recurring motive, showing how these events constantly wove in …

Dolce Stil Novo, Timothy W. Mcdunn

Compositions

Dolce Stil Novo is a slightly unconventional kind of tone poem. As the title suggests, the main inspiration for the piece is the poetry of Dante Alighieri, especially that subset of it which belongs to his so-called "Sweet New Style." While the three successive intermezzi are tied only obliquely to this subject, the first and final movements make direct reference to Dante's Sweet New Style as found in the Vita Nuova, an autobiographical compilation of prose and verse. In this way, the piece is a reflection on Dante's writings from two perspectives: that of the author (in the first and …

Se Tu Mi Lassi (If You Leave Me) For Choir, Katherine Spencer

Compositions

No abstract provided.

(Waterfall), Scott Schumann

Compositions

No abstract provided.

With Eyes Closed, Queenie Li

Compositions

No abstract provided.

Light The Way: Song Cycle For Baritone Voice And Piano (Honors), Brian Baxter, Joshua Ziemann

Compositions

Light the Way is based on seven distinct poems written by Joshua Ziemann. I was compelled to write a song cycle based on Ziemann's texts after reading through his poetry and seeing great possibilities for musical settings. The poems that I chose to set are not concretely related to one another; however they are related on an abtract level. The texts in many respects, represent a sense of searching for purpose and meaning in life and our environment. I chose the title, Light the Way, in order to reflect this sentiment.

Acoustic Exploration For Prepared Piano, Jesse Schaar

Compositions

The strings which correspond to the circled pitches are to be prepared with dimes. These notes on the piano have three strings per note, so the dime may be wedged between the three strings. The pitches created will be lower than the written pitch. The target created pitches for d, e# and f% are a, c# and d respectively. The dimes may be adjusted along the length of the string to achieve these target pitches. The strings which correspond to these circled pitches (which are an octave above where written) should be prepared with the rubber insulation of a wire. …

People Movement (Honors), Brian Baxter

Compositions

People Movement was written for the second session of the 2006 Interlochen Composer Institute. The piece derives its motives and rhythms from the sounds of public and private transportation in Chicago, IL. The opening repeating motive in the bassoon which serves as a rhythmic base for the work represents a group of motorcycle riders revving their motorcycles while sitting idle in a parking lot." The rhythm of the motorcycles was fascinating to me and it had in fact originally interested me while on a trip to Minnesota when I was in downtown St. Paul. All of the other material in …

Passing Tour (Honors), Brian Baxter

Compositions

In the overarching development of my compositional voice, Passing Tour has proven to be a pivotal piece. Written in 2004 during my first year as an undergraduate music student, it pulled my musical knowledge from before college and combined it with my new heightened passion and higher understanding of music to create a piece that would become a jumping off point for my compositional style as an undergraduate student. The piece itself was composed with the memory of family road trips ingrained in my head from my childhood. This piece is meant to evoke the type of introspective thoughts that …

Vermont (Honors), Brian Baxter

Compositions

Vermont was inspired by the great amount of time that I have spent in the state of Vermont visiting with my family. The state of Vermont has always been a very important part of my life and to an extent I consider it my second home. The initial theme played by the first cello is of great importance throughout the piece and is a chant that comes from the Catholic mass. This theme is reminiscent of the old, small town New England churches that I have attended with my family as well as a representation of the importance of Catholicism …

At The Grave Beneath The Oak, Benjamin Johnson

Compositions

No abstract provided.

String Quartet (Honors), Luke Gullickson

Compositions

I began my String Quartet in the summer of 2006 with the opening section, which flashes in a sort of montage between passages from the first three movements. The piece then grew into four ostensibly disparate movements that are linked through many references that are built into the musical structure.

After The Fact (Honors), Brian Baxter

Compositions

Composer's Note: After the Fact has no specific extra-musical program however as I was writing the piece I was inspired by many thoughts on the age-old question of "what if?" By this I mean what would people do differently if they had known in the first place the outcome of a certain situation. While writing this piece I was specifically paying close attention to the news about the war and tensions that were taking place over in Iraq and the Middle East. In many ways this piece is a reflection on this war and all of the conflict taking place …

Kyrie (Honors), Brian Baxter

Compositions

Kyrie was written in a three part form reminiscent at the actual form of its namesake in the Catholic mass, however it has no programmatic basis. The number three is a primary organizational mechanism for this piece. Kyrie is based on the Eb dorian mode and contains a number of motives reminiscent of Gregorian chant.

Fanfare For The Black Cat (Honors), Brian Baxter

Compositions

Fanfare for the Black cat is a short comical work for brass quintet. It was inspired by a black cat that followed me home one night as I was walking through a park. As I reached my house, the cat vanished as suddenly as it had appeared. The piece is based on two motives which are spun out through the entire piece and intended to create a mysterious ambience.

Seven Piano Pieces, Eric Malmquist

Compositions

No abstract provided.

Symphony For Strings And Percussion (Honors), Eric Malmquist

Compositions

No abstract provided.

The Letter, Benjamin Johnson

Compositions

No abstract provided.

Solo For Vibraphone, Eric Malmquist

Compositions

No abstract provided.

Four Preludes For Piano, Luke Gullickson

Compositions

No abstract provided.

What A Beast Art Thou!, Eric Malmquist

Compositions

"What a Beast Art Thou! - Three Shakespeare Songs," for bass voice and piano, explores the depths of the darker side of human nature. Using texts from Titus Andronicus Act 5, Timon of Athens Act 4, and Titus Andronicus Act 5 respectively, the three songs intend to express emotions of hate and anger, while conveying the drama unfolding during each particular scene. "What a Beast Art Thou!" was commissioned by William Roberts III and premiered by him in December 2005. Duration: approximately 10 minutes.

Piano Concerto "Pacific", Luke Gullickson

Compositions

"Pacific" is built in three main sections. Each of the main sections has a signature theme....The themes are placed throughout to suggest a journey from the Midwest to the Pacific: the geographical changes as well as the personal reflections that accompany travel. The epigraph, from historian Frederick Jackson Turner, is a question regarding the fale of American democratic values after the closing of the frontier, a question that we have yet to answer.

Concerto For Violin-- For Mark Portolese, Daniel Vendt

Compositions

No abstract provided.

Dance-- For Chris Davis, Daniel Vendt

Compositions

No abstract provided.

Antihero, Daniel Vendt

Compositions

Written and Directed by Amanda Gwyndhar Bratton

Director of photography: Elizabeth Schroeder

Starring: Christopher Ehresman, Timothy Shelton, Amanda Gwyndhar Bratton

Set/costumes/makeup: Stephanie Koets, Amanda Gwyndhar Bratton

Choreography by: Brittany Morgan

Original music by: Daniel Vendt