Chamber Symphony (2014) - 16.5'
I. Cannabis Infectuous
II. The Man in White
III. At a Party - Total Shutdown
Piccolo with Flute*
Oboe*
E-flat Clarinet*
B-flat Clarinet with Bass Clarinet*
Bassoon*
Contrabassoon*
Horn*
C Trumpet with Piccolo Trumpet*
Tenor Trombone*
Bass Trombone*
Percussion 1**: glockenspiel, bass drum, blender***, vibraphone, 3 high-pitched pots or pans, tambourine, brake drum, woodblock, flexatone, castanets, triangle, vibraslap, xylophone, tam-tam, cowbell, 2 bongo drums
Percussion 2**: crash cymbals, drum set consisting of hi-hat, crash cymbal, snare drum, 2 toms, kick drum, and splash cymbal, bass drum II, thunder sheet, vibraslap, wind chimes, lion's roar, offstage drum set with pieces up to the performer's discretion
Electric Keyboard* ** with these sounds (1: big brass, 2: piano, 3: electric piano, 4: jazz combo organ, 5: techno harpsichord, 6: cathedral organ, 7: heavy bass, 8: deep church harmon organ, 9: harp, 10: harsh synth, 11: harsh dance music sound similar to a buzz saw)
Violin 1 with Large Ratchet**
Violin 2 with Cowbell Tree and a single Cowbell with a drumstick**
Viola with Mahler Box I**
Cello with Mahler Box II**
*All woodwinds, brass, and electric keyboard double air horn
**All percussion, strings, and electric keyboard double whistles of multiple high frequencies
***The blender may be played by a separate person entirely
The chamber symphony was written early in my composition life. Much like Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique it follows the story, unknown to the audience, of a young protagonist going through a crazy night. It uses a large chamber orchestra with many percussion instruments, most notably a blender. The strings quartet also keeps busy with percussion. The violist and cellist in the first and third movements are asked to leave their seats and go to opposite sides of the hall to pound on mahler boxes! In the first movement the protagonist is partaking in some substances, in the the second they are hallucinating, and in the third they find themself at a party and his body begins shutting down. This work was written purely for my own enjoyment and premiered at my sophomore composition recital at Portland State University. It was played again in a presentation of my chamber symphonies at The University of Texas at Austin in 2015.
Take a listen!
https://soundcloud.com/nicholas-perry-clark/chamber-symphony-1
II. The Man in White
III. At a Party - Total Shutdown
Piccolo with Flute*
Oboe*
E-flat Clarinet*
B-flat Clarinet with Bass Clarinet*
Bassoon*
Contrabassoon*
Horn*
C Trumpet with Piccolo Trumpet*
Tenor Trombone*
Bass Trombone*
Percussion 1**: glockenspiel, bass drum, blender***, vibraphone, 3 high-pitched pots or pans, tambourine, brake drum, woodblock, flexatone, castanets, triangle, vibraslap, xylophone, tam-tam, cowbell, 2 bongo drums
Percussion 2**: crash cymbals, drum set consisting of hi-hat, crash cymbal, snare drum, 2 toms, kick drum, and splash cymbal, bass drum II, thunder sheet, vibraslap, wind chimes, lion's roar, offstage drum set with pieces up to the performer's discretion
Electric Keyboard* ** with these sounds (1: big brass, 2: piano, 3: electric piano, 4: jazz combo organ, 5: techno harpsichord, 6: cathedral organ, 7: heavy bass, 8: deep church harmon organ, 9: harp, 10: harsh synth, 11: harsh dance music sound similar to a buzz saw)
Violin 1 with Large Ratchet**
Violin 2 with Cowbell Tree and a single Cowbell with a drumstick**
Viola with Mahler Box I**
Cello with Mahler Box II**
*All woodwinds, brass, and electric keyboard double air horn
**All percussion, strings, and electric keyboard double whistles of multiple high frequencies
***The blender may be played by a separate person entirely
The chamber symphony was written early in my composition life. Much like Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique it follows the story, unknown to the audience, of a young protagonist going through a crazy night. It uses a large chamber orchestra with many percussion instruments, most notably a blender. The strings quartet also keeps busy with percussion. The violist and cellist in the first and third movements are asked to leave their seats and go to opposite sides of the hall to pound on mahler boxes! In the first movement the protagonist is partaking in some substances, in the the second they are hallucinating, and in the third they find themself at a party and his body begins shutting down. This work was written purely for my own enjoyment and premiered at my sophomore composition recital at Portland State University. It was played again in a presentation of my chamber symphonies at The University of Texas at Austin in 2015.
Take a listen!
https://soundcloud.com/nicholas-perry-clark/chamber-symphony-1