I’m now recording another album of my songs, and wrote a piano introduction to the round “Laughter”: a chromatic harmonization of that diatonic tune.
Entries Tagged as '*Music'
Introduction to “Laughter”
January 26th, 2021 · 2 Comments
If Something Goes Wrong, Just Pretend It Didn’t Happen
January 14th, 2021 · Comments Off on If Something Goes Wrong, Just Pretend It Didn’t Happen
A song about coping with life’s difficulties. This too can be found on That Regrettable Weekend and in The Doug Skinner Songbook.
When a Snowman Melts
December 24th, 2020 · 2 Comments
As the title indicates, a song about what happens when a snowman melts. I recorded this for Meg Reichardt’s Holiday Recording Party, in an arrangement for ukulele, ‘cello, and psaltery. If you follow that link, you can also hear my piano arrangement of “Underjordisk Musik,” a Norwegian folk tune traditionally attributed to the trolls in […]
Careers
November 26th, 2020 · Comments Off on Careers
A brief song about the many careers a child might aspire to. This too can be found on That Regrettable Weekend and in The Doug Skinner Songbook.
String Quartet 1: Eddie Unchained
November 12th, 2020 · 2 Comments
I’ve posted excerpts from several of my string quartets, but neglected the first one, which consists of several pieces from my musical Eddie Unchained. Well, here’s how it begins…
String Quartet 17: Lockdown
November 2nd, 2020 · 2 Comments
My 17th string quartet was written during the pandemic. It consists of two movements: a brisk tune and round, strictly diatonic in C, E-flat, and A; and a slow movement in not-strictly-diatonic G. More may follow.
Wreck of a Man
October 12th, 2020 · 2 Comments
Here’s another song from White Knuckle Sandwich, giving me a chance to sing gloomy lyrics in my lower range. I’ve also performed this with David Gold adding an obbligato on viola and duck call.
Cries of Vendors
September 17th, 2020 · 2 Comments
A keyboard version of a bit of my String Quartet 15: harmonizations of two street vendors’ cries notated by Friedrich Weber in 1887.
String Quartet 16: Piano Pieces
September 1st, 2020 · 1 Comment
My 16th string quartet consists of arrangements of some of the piano music I’ve written over the years. Here’s “Radio Valentine,” written for a radio show in San Francisco long ago.
String Quartet 15: On Melody in Speech
August 25th, 2020 · Comments Off on String Quartet 15: On Melody in Speech
In the course of my miscellaneous musical reading, I found an article by the organist and composer Friedrich (or, in England, Frederic) Weber, “On Melody in Speech,” in the Feb. 1887 issue of Longman’s Magazine (pp. 399-410). Weber notated the pitches and rhythms of the cries of several animals (dogs, birds, donkeys), and added some […]