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Final Composition Projects from MUCO 342

MUCO 342's class concert was held April 10th in Tanna Schulich Hall at 8pm.


"Sirens" - Matthew Ricketts                                   
 Michael Siu , Bassoon 

In Sirens , I have tried to explore accoustically the different senses of the word Siren- namely, the mythological figure of the beautiful, bird-like women who seduced sailors to death with their singing voice, and the more modern sense of a helpful warning of danger to come (as with an air-raid siren). With bassoon as sailor and electronics as Siren/Siren, my piece traces the solo instrument's seduction, rejection and destruction at the hands (or wings) of a merciless electronic entity.

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"Bouncin'" - Thierry Tidrow                                   
 Lindsay Roberts , Oboe 

This is a piece for oboe and electronics, the meaning of which, if understood, will radically alter the rest of your lives for the better.

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"Vulgaritka" - Michal Novotny                                   
 Daria Binkowski , Flute 

In Vulgaritka, my first goal was to place the flute and the electronics on the same level. With some general concepts in mind, such as transfer, layering, transition, I established a very regular exchange between the two mediums, as well as layerings on many levels: different sound qualities (percussive, airy...) superimposed, as well as the gradual creation of chords and clusters. I subdivided the flute tone into its two components, breath and pitch, and used both equally throughout the work. The final gesture of the piece combines all these elements into one, namely the layering of pitches, which is taken up the flute in a multiphonic, and the exchange of notes, only this time from the electronics to the flute.

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"Echolalia" - August Murphy-King                                   
 Alexandra Fol , Piano 

ech-o-la-lia: the repetition of vocalizations made by another person. This work explores two main sounds- that of a baby crying, and a recitation of the opening lines from Allen Ginsberg's 'Howl' read by the poet himself.

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"Mostar" - Suad Bushnaq                                   
 Randal Pierce , Accordian 

Torn between reality and a dream...not knowing whether the past has taken over the present or the present has eradicated whatever beauty was left in the past... I trudge through the remains of a life once lived. This was Mostar... gleaming with Bosnian majesty...where peasant voices once lined the plains and the mountains with tender 'Sevda Linkas' pouring from the heart... where the Stari Most stood...proud and robust... carrying on its shoulders the hopes of its people... bowing with respect. This was Mostar... can you see it now ? Is anything left ? I ask.

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"dying is fine)but Death or Lament, Air and hymn 
for solo Trumpet and Electronics" - Darren Russo                                  
 Daniel Mills  , Trumpet 

The piece is a meditation on the poem by Cummings. It explores the theatrics of the poetry and the disjunct way in which the words read. Particular emphasis is given to the word 'Death' and the music reacts to this word at several points in the piece breaking away from it's general sparse and static quality into denser and more active sections.