Symphony no. 1 - “Roots”

First Movement- Klezmer and Celtic

This is the first movement of my first symphony. The themes are derived from music I hear and whistle unconsciously all the time, sometimes driving my wife crazy; what one of my friends calls "the soundtrack of my life".

I compose by improvising at my keyboard. I record a theme and ask "What comes next?" I don't do a sketch to plan the sections and parts; each theme or development follows from, or is informed by what came before.

This first movement has musical ideas from Klezmer to Celtic and reflects some major influences in my musical journey.

What you will see are the tracks and MIDI notes as they are played

Second Movement- Theme and Variations

This is the second (slow) movement of my first symphony. Musical ideas come from riffs and lines I've played on guitar for years. The movement starts with an opening statement, followed by a restatement with variation and re-orchestration. Throughout the movement the theme is stated and varied many times. At one time a line is repeated handing off the melody from instrument to instrument, all the while building to the question of how it will resolve; which it does, only to be restated with yet another variant, building again and finally falling to its' denouement.

Third Movement - Mozart's Jig

This is the third movement of my first symphony. Typically the third symphonic movements are dances and this is no exception. The main theme for French horn resembles the fast movements of any of the 4 Mozart horn concertos, all of which I have played myself. It came to me in an instant and the rest of the movement almost wrote itself. The second theme is jig for fiddle and the the 2 themes intertwine and develop until the end. It was a ton of fun to write and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

This is the fourth and final movement – Chorale and Finale - of my first symphony entitled “Roots” The chorale was inspired by the music of Sir Arthur Sullivan, and indeed the movement begins with a snippet of the opening tympani concluding chorale HMS Pinafore. The chorale develops with repetition and different instrumentation and gradually transitions to a new theme inspired vaguely by my listing to all the greats from Mozart to Schubert, and there is a bass line at one point that reminds me of the 3rd theme of the Unfinished Symphony. After that the “what next” is a development of a related theme with motion and counter motion, not quite a fugue but similar. The music then transitions back to the initial chorale and concludes with a fanfare. I am an amateur composer, and learning as I go, so I hope you will take this journey with me and perhaps be inspired to write you own music.

Fourth Movement - Chorale and Finale