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Michael Williams  

Behind the Parapet

 Year: 2005
for piano trio, with effects pedals and amplification

  • Instrumentation
    violin, cello, and piano. Each performer should have the following pedals: reverb, delay, and on/off switch.
  • Programme Note

    This piece was inspired by Plato’s allegory of the cave in which he describes humankind as existing in a world where truth is merely a shadow.

    …above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a parapet; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in from of them, over which they show the puppets. …they only see their shadows, or the shadows of one another, which the fire throws on the opposite side of the cave.

    I have used Plato’s allegory more as a point of departure and as an occasional reference point rather than a literal representation of the story. However, there are instances where I have deliberately tried to capture the character of the marionette players, the fire and the shadows.

    The purpose of the digital effects, are twofold. Firstly, the delay and reverb should at times create a nebulous quality in which motifs become slightly blurred and imprecise. Secondly, with the aid of amplification and effects, the more intimate colours of the piano strings being stroked or violin and cello pizz are given more presence.

    Michael Williams
    Notes taken from Ahi – The Ogen Trio, Atoll Records ACD108

  • Availability

Jonathan Besser  

Chessboard Cowboy

Duration: 04' 00" Year: 2005
an improvisation for soprano saxophone and piano, with live processing

Jonathan Besser  

Cloud Formation Microscope

Duration: 04' 00" Year: 2005
improvisation for soprano saxophone and piano

Jonathan Besser  

Coldwater Light Bulb

Duration: 03' 00" Year: 2005
improvisation for bass clarinet and piano

Jonathan Besser  

Dust Bunny Meditation

Duration: 03' 00" Year: 2005
An improvisation for soprano saxophone and piano, with live processing

Jonathan Besser  

Fruit Cake

Duration: 06' 00" Year: 2005
an improvisation for soprano saxophone and piano

Jonathan Besser  

Geosynchronous Hibernation

Duration: 01' 00" Year: 2005
An improvisation for soprano saxophone and piano

Jonathan Besser  

Magnificent Photon

Duration: 02' 00" Year: 2005
An improvisation for soprano saxophone and piano

John Elmsly  

Nocturne

Duration: 13' 00" Year: 2005
for bass clarinet, gentle percussion and soundscape

  • Instrumentation
    Percussion - for any number of players with free choice of instruments. 'Pitches' are suggestive only.
  • Programme Note

    For several years I had been promising Andrew a new piece for bass clarinet, and previously worked in Vancouver with Barry Truax’s POD system to produce some intriguing granulation files derived from notes played by Andrew. These languished unused until 2003 when I heard some wonderful frogs singing in the middle of the night at Chulalongkorn University of Bangkok, and managed to get some recordings. These two sources, plus some transformed temple bell recordings and a mad chorus of police whistles in evening traffic, provided the source material for the soundscape. I began writing the music for bass clarinet around this soundscape.
    Much of the bass clarinet part is composed using a synthetic scale which is different in each octave. Although the end result is an arbitrary invention which pleased me, the original inspiration came from exploring the relationship between the Thai seven note scale and pentatonic scales. I had originally been thinking that Thai percussion instruments might be appropriate for the percussion part, but have since decided that the any available instruments may be used. The first performance used a mixture of ‘junk’ percussion (e.g. bowls, cans and flower pots) and bongo drums, but any experiments are welcome.

  • Availability

John Psathas  

One Study One Summary

Duration: 12' 00" Year: 2005
for marimba, junk percussion and tape