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Vocal Compositions

Wind Compositions

String Compositions

Piano Compositions

Piano Improvisations

Mixed Ensemble Compositions

Large Ensemble Compositions

Electroacoustic Pieces

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Click on the blue composition names to download audio files.

Streaming audio files are available at www.myspace.com/marklybargermonson.

Vocal Compositions

It is I (December 2000)

for mezzo-soprano, alto and cello

c. 1’50”

This work is a two-voice cannon above an ostinato bass line. A quote expounding on the idea of omnipresence and omnipotence from the Gospel of Thomas (77) inspired this composition and comprises its text.

It is I who am the light which is above them all.

It is I who am the all.

From me did the all come forth,

And unto me did the all extend.

Split a piece of wood, and I am there.

Lift up a stone, and you will find me there.

Rorate (winter 2001)

for alto and tenor (soloists or ensemble)

c. 1’15”

This piece is a vocal bicinium in the Renaissance sacred vocal style.

Rorate, caeli, desuper,

et nubes plurant justum:

aperiatur terra et germinet Salvatorem.

Drop dew, heavens, from above,

and let clouds rain the just:

let the earth be opened and let it bud forth a Savior.

Agimus Tibi Gratias (winter 2001)

for soprano, alto and tenor (soloists or ensemble)

c. 1’50”

This composition is a three-voice motet in the Renaissance sacred vocal style.

Agimus Tibi gratias,

Rex omnipotens Deus,

pro universis beneficiis tuis,

qui vivis et regnas per omnia saecula saeculorum.

Amen.

We give Thee thanks,

O almighty King and God,

For all thy goodness

who lives and reigns throughout all ages.

Amen.

The Quest for Immortality (winter 2001)

for mezzo-soprano and tenor (soloists or ensemble)

c. 1’00”

Study of Renaissance sacred vocal writing coupled with a quote from Maharaji inspired this work.

No one has ever been able to beat time.

Yet, in you is the quest for immortality,

Because the immortal is within you.

The door is within you.[1]

Embrace Peace (winter 2003) This piece was honored with a UCSB Corwin Award in 2004.

for alto, baritone and cello

c. 9’20”

“Embrace Peace” was written in response to the involvement of the United States in the Middle East in the winter of 2003.

It consists of an alto singing in English, a baritone singing in Persian (Farsi) and a cellist.

The Farsi text is a translation of a poem in English. Each text is set to a different, yet compatible melody. The first third of the piece is sung in English. The second third is sung in Farsi. Finally, the two melodies are sung in counterpoint to symbolize the universality of souls longing for peace, as well as the compatibility of seemingly disparate cultures.

The cellist introduces the melodic material of each vocal part, accompanies these melodies (primarily with drones) and, at several points, continues the vocal melody as if grace, or inner transcendence, briefly takes over the musical expression.

“Solh ra Dar Aghoosh keshim”

janhaye bishomari Tanhayand

Dar nefrat Azadi nist

Gozashte ra Bogzar

Aramesh ra daraghoosh gir

~Translator, Bahram Osqueezadeh, March 2003

“Embrace Peace”

Countless souls alone

In hate—no freedom.

Release the past.

Embrace peace.

~Kara Lybarger-Monson, March 2003

Quiet Burning (spring 2003 – December 2004) This piece was honored with a UCSB Corwin Award in 2005.

for soprano or flute and cello

c. 19’00” – 26’00” (Note that performance times differ due to the absence of tempo in movement II and the improvisational nature of movements V and VII.)

I. Sunset (spring 2003)

for soprano or flute and cello

recorded artists: Nichole Dechaine (soprano) & Ervin Klinkon (cellist)

c. 2’20”

Blue sky

sun falls

and burns it red.

~Kara Lybarger-Monson

II. The Solemn Sea Exults the Sky (February 10, 2004)

for soprano or flute and cello (also for solo piano)

c. 3’00” – 5’00” (Note that an absence of tempo leads to varying durations.)

This piece is in homage to the organic form, bell-like (tintinnabuli) sonorities and mystical essence of the music of Arvo Pärt.

III. Suspended in Everything (September 28, 2003)

for soprano or flute and cello

c. 5’15”

Fall fastidiously…

like a drop into the vast ocean.

Understanding is divested.

Open…we are suspended in Everything.

~Mark Lybarger-Monson (September 6, 2003)

IV. Mourning (December 9, 2004)

for cello

c. 3’20”

This piece is a memorial to “Skeet,” my uncle Phillip Milton Sleet, Jr., who died on December 9, 2004.

V. Blossoming (November 14, 2004)

for soprano or flute

Performance times differ drastically due to the improvisational nature of this piece.

This aleatoric work portrays a blossoming of spirit.

VI. Piercing a Star (spring 2003)

for soprano or flute and cello

c. 3’05”

The poet thrusts her pen

into the night blanket of sky,

piercing a star

to illuminate the Mind.

~Mark Lybarger-Monson (March 29, 2003)

VII. Floating above Ground (October 13, 2003)

for soprano or flute and cello

Performance times differ drastically due to the improvisational nature of this piece.

The soprano/flutist and cellist begin improvising with a floating quality, incorporating irregular, organic rhythms, legato phrasing and dynamic flexibility. As the cello part initiates an earthy groove, the soprano/flute line continues with a floating quality; hence, the title, “Floating above Ground.” Once the soprano/flute reaches a climax, the cellist begins to settle before returning to a floating quality. In the end, each performer fades into silence.

Mystic Cantata (October 2003 – August 2004)

for vocal septet or choir

c. 6’30” – 16’00” (Note that performance times differ drastically due to the indeterminate nature of the movements, particularly the third one.)

The purpose of Mystic Cantata is to deepen the performers’ and audience’s understanding, appreciation and experience of sound, silence, breath and sacred chants. The authority of the breath over the metronome and clock serves to infuse these pieces with a natural energy and flow while providing a directive for all concerned to be immersed in the breath. The sonorities, breathing patterns and spatial arrangement evoke fresh soundscapes for ancient practices.

I. Alleluia (August 3, 2004)

c. 2’30” – 5’00”

This movement embodies the Judeo-Christian-Islamic belief in grace descending from heaven.

II. Merge with Dust (August 16, 2004)

c. 2’00” – 4’00”

The following text initiates this movement as the mind merges into the “dust” of spirit:

Blunt the sharpness,

untangle the knot,

soften the glare,

merge with dust.[2]

In Islam, Hu represents the 100 names of Allah. The following is an exquisite use by Jalaluddin Rumi:

Our weak, uneven breathings, these dissolving personalities,

were breathed out by the eternal Huuuuuuuu, that never changes![3]

III. Into a Silent Om (October 20, 2003)

c. 2’00” – 7’00”

This movement focuses on the paramount Hindi-Buddhist chant, Om, as it gradually merges into silence.

With All Your Heart (April 8, 2005)

Commissioned by Charlene Chi

for mezzo-soprano, with three sopranos

c. 2’30”

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil,

to give you an expected end.

Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.[4]

Merge and Emerge (February 2006)

for digitally synthesized overtone CD (using Csound), strings, voice, percussion, water and dancers

3’09” – indefinite

Merge and Emerge: Harmonic Rising encourages performers to delicately balance listening, feeling their breath and expressing their breath through sound and movement. Initially performers assume a traditional performance space, focusing on merging with the overtone series. As this work unfolds, the performers gradually construct an immersive, spatialized sound environment. At the same time, they begin to emerge from the overtone series—harmonizing it, transforming it, moving though its space.

Through a Glass Ceiling (June 2006)

for solo violin, viola, cello or voice; and digitally synthesized CD

5’02”

Mystic Cantata II (October 2007 – January 2008)

for choir, chimes, small wind chimes and tam-tam

Performance times differ drastically due to improvisational nature of this work.

Mystic Cantata II consists of two choral works celebrating the diversity and underlying unity of several spiritual paths.

I. Holy Word: Om, Aum, Aumen, Amen and Amin (October 2007 – January 2008)

for choir, chimes, small wind chimes and tam-tam

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.[5]

The words om, omen [aumen], amen and ameen [amin] which are spoken in all houses of prayer are of the same origin.[6]

The ordering of the words in this chant—Om, Aum, Aumen, Amen and Amin—is an imaginative construction of a cross-cultural transformation of the holy Word. Through chanting diverse manifestations of the holy Word in conjunction, I hope to disclose their underlying unity while expressing an awareness of the Divine.

II. Interfaith Peace Chant: shanti, khema, héping, shalom, irini, pacem and salaam (October 2007 – January 2008)

for choir, chimes and small wind chimes

This chant consists of words for peace in the original languages of several major religions: Hinduism and Sikhism (shanti in Sanskrit and Hindi), Buddhism (khema in Pali), Taoism (héping in Chinese), Judaism (shalom in Hebrew), Christianity (irini in Greek), Catholicism (pacem in Latin) and Islamic (salaam in Arabic).

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Wind Compositions

Three Double Reed Inventions (Fall 2001)

c. 7’20”

The following three pieces use the principle of motive statement and continual development that is epitomized by J.S. Bach’s “Inventions and Sinfonias.”

I. Sorrow (October 14, 2001)

for English horn

c. 1’25”

II. Somewhere in the Morning (October 24, 2001)

for oboe and bassoon

c. 1’35”

I first heard the melody upon awakening one morning.

III. The Gulf Between Dreams (Fall 2001)

for oboe, English horn and bassoon

c. 4’20”

This piece takes one on a palindrome journey through changes of character and space.

A Day in the Park (October 30, 2001)

for flute and piano

c. 2’00”

This is a post minimalist piece with developing repetition in the piano part and a pseudo-improvisation in the flute. The flute derives its basic idea from the piano, and in turn the piano imitates segments of the flute melody. The mood is light, quirky and playful.

Dancing in the Forest (Winter 2001)

for flute, English horn, bassoon and conga pair

c. 4’10”

This work includes earth bound rhythms in the conga drum that infuse energy into the melody and imitative counterpoint. The centerpiece is a breath of light lyricism. It was motivated by my need to tap into primal forces.

Awakening of the Butterflies (May 9, 2004)

for flute trio (also for solo piano)

recorded artists: Caitlin Boruch (flutist), Carla Townsend (flutist and tam-tamist) & Emily Noble (flute)

c. 4’00 – 8’00” (Note that performance times differ drastically due to the improvisational nature of this piece.)

You stroll into a eucalyptus grove and notice light streaming through an opening in the center, which illuminates branches bearing thousands of dried leaves. Upon closer examination, you realize that these “leaves” are monarch butterflies. The light warms and awakens the butterflies from their hibernation. Blood returns to their wings, and they begin to flutter more and more rapidly, revealing their regal wing designs. Suddenly, a cluster of butterflies burst off of a branch, soaring in hypnotic patterns, gradually rising above the treetops. They vanish into migration….

Quiet Burning (spring 2003 – December 2004)

for flute and cello (also for soprano and cello)

c. 19’00” – 26’00”

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String Compositions

Teardrops from an Old Man (January 28, 2002)

for cello and piano (also for solo piano)

c. 2’25”

Moving an elder man to tears while improvising at Friendship Manor (an elder home) inspired this piece.

Sunken Heart (January 30, 2002)

for cello and piano

c. 3’00”

Erik Satie, Ludwig van Beethoven and a continued feeling of heart connection from “Teardrops from an Old Man” inspired this composition.

Crimson Invocations (December 14, 2003 – January 1, 2004)

for unaccompanied cello

c. 6’30”

This set is dedicated to my wife, Kara Lynn Lybarger-Monson

I. Anniversary at the Cabin (December 15, 2003)

recorded artist: Ervin Klinkon (cellist)

c. 2’05”

The intimate atmosphere of Kara and I celebrating our five-year wedding anniversary at my stepfather’s cabin inspired this work. Flavors of J.S. Bach and Frédéric Chopin enrich it.

II. Sweet Silence (December 18, 2003)

c. 2’05”

This work is the result of my experiencing a sweet silence while meditating at the cabin.

III. Homecoming (January 1, 2004)

c. 1’05”

Though my wife and I enjoyed New-Year’s Eve (on the brink of 2004) in New Orleans, returning to Santa Barbara was refreshing. This piece exemplifies the simplicity and profundity of returning home.

IV. Kara Lynn (December 14, 2003)

c. 1’15”

This composition is virtually a transcription of my spontaneously singing “I love you” in various ways to Kara the night of our five-year wedding anniversary.

Quiet Burning (spring 2003 – December 2004)

for soprano or flute and cello

c. 19’00” – 26’00”

Suspended on a Breath (October 1 – November 27, 2007)

for piano and violin, viola or cello (also for solo piano)

c. 12’00” – 28’00” (Performance times differ drastically due to improvisational features in this work.)

Controlling the breath causes strain.[7]

Suspended on a Breath consists of 7 movements variously fashioned by the performers’ breaths and/ or pulses.

Throughout the movements and surrounding silences, you are invited to consciously experience your breath.

I. Breathing into Everything (October 2004)

for piano

c. 2’00” – 5’00”

II. Droplets (November 13, 2005)

for piano and violin, viola or cello

c. 0’30” – 2’30”

III. Chant (December 2005, transformed November 27, 2007)

for piano and violin, viola or cello

c. 2’00” – 4’00”

IV. Stars Ripple in this Reflection (February 17, 2005)

for piano

c. 1’20” – 3’00”

V. Float & Groove (April 2006 & August 2007)

for piano and violin, viola or cello

recorded artists: Jonathan Morin (violinist) & Mark Lybarger-Monson (pianist)

c. 2’30” – 4’00”

VI. Burning to Shine (November 14, 2004)

for violin, viola or cello

c. 1’30” – 3’30”

VII. Breathing to Center (October 1, 2004)

for piano and violin, viola or cello

recorded artists: Jonathan Morin (violinist) & Mark Lybarger-Monson (pianist)

c. 2’00” – 4’00”

Through a Glass Ceiling (June 2006)

for solo violin, viola, cello or voice; and digitally synthesized CD

5’02”

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Piano Compositions

Freedom (1993)

c. 3’23”

I began working on this piece when I was sixteen. It is based off of the harmonic progression contained in Johann Pachelbel’s “Cannon.”

I Have Always Loved You (summer 1997)

c. 4’55”

Gregorian Chant and mild Jazz harmonies inspired this piece.

Young Winter, Ancient Spring (fall 1997)

c. 7’40”

This work represents the wisdom of recreating oneself, in living fresh and releasing old patterns.

Subtle Flame (1998)

c. 3’30”

The warmth of spiritual longing inspired this composition.

Lullaby (1998)

c. 1’50”

This is a quiet, lilting piece with a simple progression and lyrical melody.

If I Had the Heart (summer 1998)

c. 2’30”

This piece surfaced from a desire for understanding, resolution and forgiveness.

The Burning (fall 1998)

c. 2’25”

This piece emerged from feeling the flame of spirit burning away the denser sense of self.

Aspire (1999)

c. 1’35”

This piece is an invention with a theme I heard while meditating. It is non-traditional in that the interval relationships within it are treated as more important than the harmonic progressions.

Hope (fall 2000)

c. 3’10”

J.S. Bach, W.A. Mozart and my hope for a joyous existence in Santa Barbara inspired this piece.

Nocturne Variations (winter 2001)

c. 4’55”

This piece was written primarily at night and was inspired by an inner longing and a corresponding richness and warmth. The main theme evolved out of improvisation. It is in palindrome-rondo form (A-B-A’-C-A’’-B’-A’’’), with variations on the primary and secondary themes.

Teardrops from an Old Man (January 28, 2002)

also for cello and piano

c. 2’00”

Moving an elder man to tears while improvising at Friendship Manor (an elder home) inspired this piece.

A Slip of the Mind (March 3, 2002)

c. 2’00”

This brief work is an atonal invention motivated by my occasional slips of the mind. I wrote it after a thorough study of set theory. The entire work is a development of the motive presented in the first measure.

De-Light (May 9, 2002)

c. 0’50”

This work was modeled after J.S. Bach’s Inventions. The title is a play on words, representing both the affection of delight and meaning “of the light” (de means “of the” in French).

An Open Window in Winter (July 15, 2002)

c. 1’50”

Romantic and Surreal styles are synthesized in this brief rondo.

The Solemn Sea Exults the Sky (February 10, 2004)

also for soprano and cello

c. 3’00” – 5’00” (Note that the freedom of tempo results in varying durations.)

This piece is in homage to the organic form, bell-like (tintinnabuli) sonorities and mystical essence of the music of Arvo Pärt.

Awakening of the Butterflies (May 9, 2004)

also for flute trio and tam-tam

c. 4’00” – 8’00” (Performance times differ drastically due to improvisational features in this work.)

This Tender Moment (August 20, 2004)

Commissioned by Dora Lambrecht, for herself and David Lindstrom

recorded artist: Mark Lybarger-Monson (pianist)

c. 1’25”

Dora Lambrecht requested a work that portrays a late-blooming companionship filled with wonder, questioning and intimacy. She asked for the work to be brief and to have stylistic elements of Erik Satie, Claude Debussy, Frédéric Chopin and Arvo Pärt.

Suspended on a Breath (October 1 – November 27, 2007)

Movements I, II, IV and V can be performed as piano solos.

c. 6’30” – 14’30” (Performance times differ drastically due to improvisational features in this work.)

With My Son: Jonah’s Rhapsody (September 2005, August - December 2007, February & October 2008)

recorded artist: Mark Lybarger-Monson (pianist)

c. 5’20”

With My Son: Jonah’s Rhapsody stemmed from enjoying 12 rich hours with my son when he was a year old. Since then, this piece has developed in character and subtlety, as has our relationship.

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Piano Improvisations

Icicle Dance (February 2005)

0’39”

Sunrise (February 2005)

recorded artist: Mark Lybarger-Monson (pianist)

4’01”

Clouds of Intrigue (February 2005)

3’04”

A Question on Your Pillow (February 2005)

3’11”

And the Sky Turns Over (May 22, 2005)

2’36”

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Mixed Ensemble Compositions

Merge and Emerge: I. Harmonic Rising (February 2006)

for synthesized overtone CD (using Csound), strings, voice, percussion, water and dancers

3’09” – indefinite

Dissolving...Embodied (April 5, 2006)

for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin and cello

recorded artists: California EAR Unit: Dorothy Stone (flutist), Phillip O’Connor (clarinetist), Amy Knoles (percussionist), Vicki Ray (pianist), Robin Lorentz (violinist) & Erica Duke-Kirkpatrick (cellist)

3’45”

Breath filled melody can elevate consciousness, dissolving thought. So very high above the ground, a groove sinks our toes into moist soil. Does the spirit have to lapse while the body dances?

Breath Fire ~ Bliss Storm (Summer – Fall 2006)

In the summer of 2006, I spent many days at a local park with my son, Jonah. Under the shade of the trees, I frequently practiced and improvised on a djembe, an African hand drum. Meditation is both the inspiration for this composition and integral to its manifestation, allowing spontaneous expression to enliven its notated character and structure.

Thereby, autonomy is given to the hand-drummer’s breath and pulse as a co-creator of this work. Her/his breath shapes the first section, while her/his pulse initiates the second one. Gradually, the pulse is diffused in its essence. In the third section, the spirit of breath and pulse unite, resulting in rhythmically driven melodies and a breath-tempered groove (hand drum) that float in independent yet sympathetic layers.

I. Composed Version

for djembe, alto flute and viola

recorded artists: Mark Lybarger-Monson (djembist), Emilee Wong (alto flutist) & Shannon McCue (violist)

c. 4’00”

II. Improvised Version

for djembe (or other hand drum) and voice(s) and/or melodic instrument(s)

recorded artists: Mark Lybarger-Monson (djembist), Joel Feigin (frame drummer), Emilee Wong (flutist) & Jonathan Morin (violinist)

choral singers and chime performers: Eleanor Baylon, Brandi Bennitt, Brittany Brooks, Kara Lybarger-Monson, Mark Lybarger-Monson Gary Monson, Ian Mussman (and small wind chimes), Curt Peltier, Laura Roth & Ahmad Smadi

c. 3’00” – 9’00”

Primal Visions (April 2006 – July 2007)

for Tibetan bell, tam-tam, frame drum and solo viola, cello or voice

20’41”

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Large Ensemble Compositions

The Five Elements (spring 2002 – winter 2003) This piece was honored with a UCSB Corwin Award in 2003.

for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba, many percussion instruments involving 2 percussionists, violin, viola, cello and contrabass

c. 40’00”

Ten years of practicing Chungliang Al Huang’s Tai Ji movement, entitled “The Five Elements,” was the initial inspiration for this composition. In this work, I hope to communicate the physical, emotional, conceptual and spiritual aspects of earth, metal, water, wood/wind and fire. The order of the movements has been determined by the five elements’ productive cycle, in which each element is the seed for the next. A prelude and postlude represent the elements emerging from and returning to the Tao.

The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.

The name that can be named is not the eternal name.

The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth.

The named is the mother of the ten thousand things.[8]

The Tao begot one.

One begot two.

Two begot three.

And three begot the ten thousand things.

The ten thousand things carry yin and embrace yang.

They achieve harmony by combining these forces.[9]

I. Emerge from Origin (winter 2003)

c. 5’40”

The aforementioned words of Lao Tsu inspired the spirit and structure of this prelude. Existence ripples out of formless silence (“The Tao begot one”), and then births symmetry (“One begot two”). Independence is represented by a third figure (“Two begot three”).

II. Earth (spring 2002)

c. 4’20”

Imagine rolling hills and dark, moist soil evoked by a simple low-lying melody. Flowers emerge from the vital earth as pollen floats through a garden. The listener slowly enters a cave where incoming light diffracts through a crystal. After being immersed in this hypnotic light, the listener rests on the rich ground. Just as foliage bears little resemblance to the dirt from which it grew, the sections of this piece are stylistically varied; however, they are integrated through overlapping and the return of the initial theme.

III. Metal (autumn 2002 – winter 2003)

c. 9’30”

section 1: c. 7’00”

section 2: c. 2’30”

“Metal” is subdivided into two sections: the first section represents gold, the energy of metal while stabilized and centered; the second section represents magnetization and crystallization. Timbre, dynamics, rhythmic pulse and percussive effects create a sense of glow, which is focused by limiting the pitch material to “G”. This warm sphere of golden, pulsating light gradually increases in size and energy. After reaching full brilliance, it slowly fades…until it is no longer perceivable.

IV. Water (2002)

recorded artists: Jill Heinke (flutist), Tessa Gross (oboist), Andrew Tompkins (clarinetist), Kirstin Haaheim (bassoonist), Phil Kamhi (French hornist), Amy Abid (trumpetist), Tommy Phillips (trombonist), Chris Teeples (tubist), Matthew Stone (percussionist 1), Timothy Beutler (percussionist 2), Richard Biaggini (violinist), Jennifer Eberhard (violist), Claudia Kiser (cellist) & Miles Jay (double bassist)

c. 5’00”

The listener is nourished, yet alone, in the dark, quiet ocean depth. He/she gradually rises toward the motion and light at the surface. Here, swells crash (as in Debussy’s La Mere), and water evaporates to form clouds. Cloud motions are brisk and light at first, but suddenly become dark and heavy. Thunder cracks…signaling rain. A breeze angles the rain, which gathers into puddles and then forms a stream. This stream journeys to the ocean, merging with the infinite blue-green. In this movement, form and content are aligned through mobile textures, and smooth and frequent transitions.

V. Wood/Wind (winter 2003)

c. 5’35”

Wood and wind are perceived as dual natures of the same element because wind is often seen through the motion of trees and plants, and because both nurture fire. In this movement, I intended that the listener feel as if he or she were strolling on a path, beginning in a forest. The path leads into a denser part of the forest, which opens into a meadow, where a breeze stirs. The listener continues walking into a dark forest, then into a cluster of wizened oak trees, followed by another windblown field and an immense red wood forest. The path ends where it began. This movement is a rondo pastorale, which unfolds and cycles rather than develops.

VI. Fire (spring 2002)

c. 4’20”

A breeze ignites a flame from a single spark, gradually developing a conflagration. The inner motions of the fire become apparent as its spirit ascends. From lack of fuel, the fire dies with only a spark (the spirit of fire) still in motion. In solitude, the spark ardently searches for new fuel. After much seeking, it finds dry foliage…a crown fire is born. After this culmination, wisps of flames take flight and fade into warm embers. In contrast to “Wood/Wind,” this movement entails layering increasingly vigorous figures into large climaxes.

VII. Return to Origin (February 2003)

c. 5’40”

The postlude is a palindrome of the prelude, denoting a return to the Tao.

New Life (Winter 2001; October 2003 – May 2004; February – July 2008) This piece was honored with a UCSB Corwin Award in 2008.

c. 14’00”

New Life is a symphony that celebrates the process through which life is renewed in three movements.

I. Conception (October 2003 – June 2004; March – July 2008)

c. 5’00”

Conception is initiated with Eros in the air, evoking a tender rapport between the solo violin and solo cello…they alternate extending toward one another. Then, the solo cello begins a theme of intimacy with the violin. Initially, he (the cello) is hesitant. This hesitancy melts as the solo violin welcomes his every move. Her (the violin’s) warm response leads to a fluid merging of hearts. Spontaneously…tenderly, they make love – evoking ecstasy. The intimate theme returns enveloped in an orchestral glow…and conception occurs!

II. Prelude to a Breath (Winter 2001; February – July 2008)

c. 4’00”

Prelude to a Breath represents life in the womb – floating, developing…being loved. A tam-tam signals this new life’s beginning. The pizzicato basses and arco celli signify the pulse, which evolves into a melodic bass line. French horns, violins and flutes represent the mother’s breath. The clarinet and then the oboe, English horn, bassoon and bass clarinet represent the spirit descending into and merging with the fetus as new life. The breath motive liberates itself from the pulsing bass, developing into a sequence that climaxes with the reentry of the spirit melody, which soars, abandoning pulse and breath. Thereafter, pulse, breath and melody merge as the new life awaits birth, floating blissfully in its mother’s womb.

III. Birth (February – July 2008)

c. 5’00”

Birth begins cloaked in an air of mystery. Labor begins suddenly and then develops gradually. A harp melody is the heralding light of new life. A canon (with interval and four-level mensuration components) represents the mother’s patient suffering and tremendous love throughout labor. The canon begins in the lower strings, gradually including higher registers and more instrumental colors. The mother’s contractions gradually intensify, as is signified by the cymbal, tam-tam and timpani rolls. The strings recede (except the bass), clearing the path for the return of the heralding melody, now represented by an amalgamation of clarinet, bass clarinet and French horn. The termination of this tune signals the onset of delivery. And now…birth! The family is filled with awe as they adore this new life.

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Electroacoustic Pieces

Behind the Door (October 2004 – April 2005) This piece was honored with a UCSB Corwin Award in 2006.

an electroacoustical exploration of mysticism

23’56”

I. An Unexpected Opening (October 2004)

comprised of recordings altered by digital signal processing

6’31’”

This work consists entirely of layered recordings of my voice. Globally, closed timbres gradually transition to open ones. Locally, flux occurs within phoneme groups. While the structure of this work was planned, the details were improvised: the rhythm and energy of my natural breathing patterns shaped each phrase.

II. The Seventh Limit (December 2004)

comprised of recordings altered by digital signal processing

4’15”

The desire for rich and seldom-heard resonances drove this piece. It is a play with the overtone series to the seventh partial via a meter-long toy tube. I rotated the tube at rates corresponding to desired partials. Cross rhythms, panning and wind noise were desired byproducts of the tube’s rotation. The tube-derived sounds are globally affected by an increase in reverb and flange. Independently, the sound of a rain stick advances toward and recedes from the foreground.

III. Shaping Silence (April 2005)

comprised of granular synthesis

5’05”

In this work, I aspire for the audience to listen to silence with the same attention as sound. At the deepest level, silence is shaped in two distinct ways: sound emerges out of and back into silence; sound creates a stark juxtaposition to silence. The structure of the whole piece is projected on several levels. I used two granular synthesis programs: MetaSynth and Cloud Generator. This is truly a micro-tonal work, with the octave divided into 192 and 300 equal parts, amongst other divisions.

IV. Liquid Light (January 2005)

comprised of MIDI synthesizer and percussion

recorded artist: Mark Lybarger-Monson (keyboardist and percussionist)

7’55”

The phrases of this piece were shaped by my breathing and the rhythms were influenced by my heart beat. I progressed through a graphic score intuitively, allowing the layers of sound to bleed into each other. Seven-limit just intonation is used for the MIDI tracks, while various acoustical percussion instruments contribute color.

Infant Indigo (December 2004)

Dedicated to my wife, Kara, and my son, Jonah, born by cesarean section on June 18, 2004

comprised of recordings altered by digital signal processing

7’10”

The ocean represents the undulating white noise of the womb. Kara breath initiates Jonah’s heart beat (recorded from an ultrasound while in utero). His breath soon follows. Jonah’s multifarious coos, laughs and grunts are layered into increasing intensity. His singing is harmonized via a Just-intoned faux-bourdon. The work concludes with Kara announcing Jonah’s birth.

Ode to Maharaji (winter 2005)

comprised of Maharaji’s voice, MIDI, water, djembe and piano

8’22”

Ever since I was introduced to Maharaji in the late spring of 1998, I have heard his voice as consciousness-imbued music. In this work, audio samples were extracted from Prem Rawat’s (also known as Maharaji) DVD recording entitled Peace is Looking for You. Here, I attempt to be Maharaji’s musical accompanist. Throughout the piece, I intended to draw on Maharaji’s consciousness and reflect his mood through overdubbing myself playing djembe, piano (using my improvisation entitled “Sunrise”) and MIDI synthesizer (using percussion and string patches). I manipulated the sounds of water in a glass bowl for text painting and atmosphere.

Overflowing on a Quiet Night (June 2005)

comprised of granular synthesis

5’06”

This piece is an attempt to balance spaces of relative inactivity with clusters of explosive sound, as well as samples that bridge the two extremes. Each sample consists of intertwining higher frequencies lines that are compelled by a low frequency swell to flow downward in arpeggiation. To create this composition, I crafted an image in MetaSynth, synthesizing the image in 53, 106, 212 and 424 equal divisions of the octave. I chose these divisions because several just intonation intervals are approximated within them, making the resulting sound more round and consonant than with most other divisions. With MetaSynth, samples created with more divisions per octave span smaller range of frequencies. For example, the 106 divisions have half the frequency range as the 53 divisions sample; moreover, the 424 division result has 1/8 the range of the 53 division sample. The variety of ranges within the samples is coupled with variety of durations, from1 second to 256 seconds (1 x 2⁷ or 4’16”), with samples at each doubling in between. There is a correspondence between wide frequency range samples and brief samples; the briefer samples transpire a broader range, evoking explosive sounds. The chart below illustrates this relationship:

Relationship Between Division/Octave (and thus Frequency Range) and Sample Duration
	Divisions/Octave	Seconds	Notes
S a m p l e s	53	1,2 & 4
	106	4, 8 & 16
	212	16, 32 & 64	These samples were transposed up an octave to keep closer to the center of the audible range.
	424	64 & 128
	Exponential	256 (4’16”)	Note that the longest sample is the most consonant (it is in alignment with the overtone series) and covers almost as broad a frequency range as the samples derived from 53 divisions/ octave.

While the shorter samples sound explosive, the longer ones have eeriness from the close frequencies, the descending glissandos and low frequency dynamic swells near the climax of the sample. Some listeners have stated that “Overflowing on a Quiet Night” sounds like an otherworldly battle or an arrival of alien visitors. This piece is available in both stereophonic and quadraphonic versions.

Merge and Emerge: I. Harmonic Rising (February 2006)

comprised of a digitally synthesized overtone CD (using Csound), strings (viola: Kurt Rohde), voice, percussion and water (Mark Lybarger-Monson) and dancers

3’09” – indefinite

Primal Visions (April 2006 – July 2007) This piece was honored with a UCSB Corwin Award in 2008.

for Tibetan bell and/or tam-tam; solo violin, viola, cello or voice; and digitally synthesized CD (using Csound)

20’41”

Primal Visions is an electro-acoustical exploration of mysticism and the harmonic series.

Prime number harmonics and cross-rhythms permeate movements I, III, IV and V. Prime numbers are much more than mathematical constructs… they define the colors and tendencies within tuning systems; they can sound march-like, round, fragrant, hot or transcendent when shaping rhythms. Combining simple prime numbers can create consonant coalescing harmonies and fluid rhythms; while combining complex prime numbers can create colorful or dissonant harmonies and timbres and conflicting or floating rhythmic complexes.

I. Prelude: Ether Orbs (July 6-9, 2007)

for Tibetan bell and/or tam-tam and digitally synthesized CD

3’35’”

A shimmering field of 22 prime number harmonics—to the 73 harmonic—is sculpted away by circles of various sizes: the first fills this field with silence at its apex; the last one dissolves the field with five vertically adjoining circles. Each frequency emanates its own rhythm, seven octaves below, thus cross rhythms couple harmonic components. Nested AM (amplitude modulation) bends each of these rhythms. A tam-tam is struck sparingly, lacing silences with ceremony.

II. Through a Glass Ceiling (April – June, 2006)

for solo violin, viola, cello or voice; and digitally synthesized CD

5’02”

And when the shadow fades and is no more, the light that lingers becomes a shadow to another light.

And thus your freedom when it loses its fetters becomes itself the fetter of a greater freedom.[10]

Gradually, a glass ceiling coalesces in the high register. As it steadies, a low rumble develops into a synthesized melody. A violinist expressively emerges from and meditatively merges with the synthesized melody as it slowly, surely and powerfully rises to the 32 harmonic, transcending the glass ceiling…becoming radiant.

III. Interlude: Field of Primal Light (July 6-17, 2007)

comprised of digital synthesis

1’11”

Field of Primal Light is similar to Ether Orbs without frequency bands carved away. Parallel AM as well as progressive attacks and decays assures that the spectrum continually shimmers anew.

IV. Primacy (February, 2007)

for tam-tam and digitally synthesized CD

7’11”

In Primacy, bells sound a deep slow pulse from which a mensuration canon emerges gradually with various articulations of several prime waves. Four different melodic sets organize the first 20 prime numbers (up to the 67^th harmonic) of the harmonic series to subdivide the pulse into 2, 3, 5 and 7 parts, which interweave and gradually erode, rephrasing and syncopating into silence.

Once you are immersed in this meditative kaleidoscope, an unexpected melody enters with an organ-like tone (consisting of all the tones not in the prime wave plus the fundamental) sounding only even harmonics. This floating, falling melody moves with presence through this ether otherworld. We gradually perceive that this melody descends toward the roots of primacy, relating it to all the strange lights upon reflection.

A live tam-tam emerges from and submerges into the mensuration canon. The percussionist infuses subtle and gestural transitions into this ratio ridden world as he moves with his breath and rides his pulse—coloring, supporting and swelling above the melody.

V. Postlude: Subtle Orbs (July 6-9, 2007)

for Tibetan bell and/or tam-tam and digitally synthesized CD

3’42”

Subtle Orbs is the complementary pair to Ether Orbs: only the frequencies within the circles remain, yet the conclusion carves space uniquely. In the silence, a tam-tam resounds.

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