SPONGE
for trombone and electronics
SPONGE, for trombone and electronics (MAX/MSP), was written for and premiered by Tim Taylor. The title refers to how the electronics “absorb” the acoustic trombone sound and output the processed sound in sporadic way. The melodic material for this piece is drawn from traditional Polish music discovered and transcribed by the musicologist Chalubinski. The name of the tune heard throughout the piece, and heard in full at the end of the piece, is Slodyczkowa. The electronics heard in SPONGE are an attempt to enhance the sonorous and resonant sound of the trombone by using quasi-random digital delay to create “glitchy and stretchy” sounds with the trombone serving as the source material.
BRICK
for tuba and electronics
BRICK is a theme and variations based on the 1979 album “The Wall” from the psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd. The harmonic material and riffs are derived from the bassline heard in Another Brick in the Wall, of which the title BRICK refers to. The piece is built around that bassline, riffs and guitar effects heard on the album, and extended techniques like multi-phonics and other vocal effects aimed to emulate a squealing electric guitar. This piece is suitable for performances in recital halls, music festivals, garages…basically any venue that indulge a tubists’ dream to be a rockstar.
Syzygy
for bass clarinet and electronics
Syzygy – the nearly straight-line configuration of three celestial bodies (as the sun, moon, and earth during a solar or lunar eclipse) in a gravitational system.
Written for bass clarinet and live electronics and premiered by Alexander W. Ravitz, Syzygy blends three distinct styles into one complete work. Syzygy blends unaccompanied bass clarinet with electro-acoustic soundscapes recorded and manipulated in real-time with transcribed licks from John Coltrane’s iconic album Interstellar Space from 1967.
Sorrowful Songs
arr. for tuba and electronics
Henryk Górecki’s Symphony No. 3, written in 1976, combines quasi-sacred minimalism with modal melodies drawn from centuries old Polish chants and folk songs scored for solo soprano and string orchestra. Symphony of Sorrowful Songs achieved international acclaim after Dawn Upshaw and the London Sinfonietta’s 1991 recording under the baton of David Zinman, with over 2 million copies of the record sold to date. Arranged for tuba and electronics and performed using MAX/MSP, this arrangement aims to represent the monumental work by Górecki by giving the performer the opportunity to recreate a massive 200+ bar cannon, have their acoustic sound digitally distorted and glitched, and play the role of a soprano soloist in front of a massive string orchestra…all in the same 20 minutes.
Warrior
for euphonium and electronics
Warrior is a single-movement work broken up into several contrasting sections. There are two main melodic ideas that occur throughout the piece: one lyrical and one rhythmic and aggressive. These ideas are in constant battle throughout the piece and are present in both the euphonium and the electronics. The electronics serve as both accompaniment and another performer. Some sections of the piece are recorded and then manipulated by the electronics and played back as new material. The sounds heard in the electronics are synthesizers, pre-recorded tuba sounds, and live-processed euphonium.
This piece is performed using MAX/MSP.
Susurrus
for tuba and electronics
Susurrus is an electro-acoustic work that was premiered by Christopher Jones on 12-3-2014 at the University of South Florida. Susurrus is performed using PureData and incorporates acoustic tuba playing, extended techniques, and electronic accompaniment to create a unique soundscape.
Susurrus- whispering, murmuring, or rustling.
Janus
for trumpet and electronics
Janus for trumpet and electronics was composed in late 2016 / early 2017 for trumpet player Marie Mencher. The piece is performed using MAX/MSP and can be performed using the free software MAX Runtime available from cycling74. The piece includes a score with full instructions on how to setup the electronics and the MAX patch needed to perform the piece.
Janus is a single-movement work broken up into three contrasting sections: transitions, passages, and beginnings. The title refers to Janus, the Roman God of transitions, beginnings, passages, gates, doorways, and more. The piece uses quotes from Tower of Power’s You’re Still a Young Man and the tune A Child Is Born.
december
for tuba, electronics, and video
I. cold
december is a collection of audio and video patches that were combined into a master patch in MAX/MSP. The patch was created in the fall of 2016. Part 1 of december uses extended technique on the tuba, phase distortion, and sample playback at various speeds and direction.
december
for tuba, electronics, and video
II. chamber
Part 2 of december uses one pitch, a sample of a tuba mouthpiece being struck with a metal beater, and pink noise. These sound sources are played through various filters, detuned, and run through a series of effects chains.
december
for tuba, electronics, and video
III. post
Part 3 of december is the longest section and combines the effects from the first two sections. This section also uses more audio and video interaction.
This is My Tuba
This piece was composed in the spring of 2014. The piece was selected to be performed at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research held in Lexington, KY in March of 2014.