I write orchestral and other instrumental music, and songs.
My aim is to write music which is original and accessible, which explores new sound combinations and which has a strong melodic content and a clear sense of direction.
Stuart Davis (1892-1964) Abstraction, 1937 Public Domain
Part II has the title ‘Into The Spiral’ and the main intention here was to express the idea of being confronted with and reacting to, a series of challenges. The piece opens with a quiet folk-influenced passage for solo flute which is then interrupted by the main two-note motif which appears throughout the rest of the piece in various forms; on each occasion it is developed differently before returning to its original form. The piece ends on a quiet note with a final restatement of the two-note motif fading into the background. Trumpet and saxophone play a leading role in the score and, as with Part I, the audio was generated by Sibelius Sounds.
The ‘E’ Suite is a piece for string orchestra in four parts. It begins quietly and develops gently before ending with a strong and sustained climax. The narrative ideas here are the birth of a much loved child, the child’s early years and the joys of childhood generally – as viewed by both the parents and the child. There is the occasional suggestion of anxiety but the piece ends on a very positive note.
The scoring was originally completed in Sibelius 7 before being transferred to Cubase 9.5 and edited with the virtual instruments of the Vienna Symphonic Library (Special Edition and Special Edition Plus). The recording you can hear was mastered by the sound engineer and producer, Phil Marsden.
This is a short lively piece for string orchestra. It was conceived as a dance piece and has an uptempo rhythm built around a five note motif which is repeated at regular intervals throughout.
As with ‘The ‘E’ Suite, Part 1’, the scoring was transferred to Cubase from Sibelius 7 and edited with the virtual instruments of the Vienna Symphonic Library. Mastering was again undertaken by Phil Marsden.
This is a piece for solo piano. The mood is sombre and the intention was to reflect on past events and how these will impact on events in the future. It is in two parts each beginning with the same short chord progression – acting like a refrain – which also ends the piece with a slow and deliberate fade.
The Sibelius score was transferred to Cubase 9.5 and edited with Modartt Pianoteq using the Bluethner Prelude piano voice – mastering was undertaken by Phil Marsden.
This was my first orchestral piece. It’s scored for flute, oboe, clarinet in B flat, bassoon, French horn, trumpet in B flat, trombone and strings and the audio is from Sibelius Sounds.
The opening section is quiet and contemplative, featuring a series of sustained notes interspersed with short motifs. A brief crescendo then follows, led by the trumpet, before a contrasting theme is introduced – the first part is jagged with plenty of single note staccato and the second smoother with rising and falling passages. The theme is passed between the woodwind instruments before leading to a sustained, rising crescendo involving all the instruments of the orchestra. The piece then finishes with a quiet descending passage in the strings. In writing it I was thinking of how people constantly strive to achieve their objectives despite often being derailed along the way.