JordanRoberts

Hey everyone, Here's another new work for my daughter's middle school band. "Legend of Bete Grise" transports listeners to the mystical shores of Lake Superior's Bete Grise, a place steeped in folklore and natural wonders. Inspired by local legends, the piece captures the haunting tale of a Native American maiden whose mournful song still echoes across the bay, calling out to her lost lover. The middle section features a shanty that evokes the sound of her lover out on the waves, further immersing the audience in the story's atmosphere. Through expressive melodies and gentle harmonies, the music evokes imagery of the sands that sing when touched by human hands and the serene beauty of the beach. As performers explore the piece, they also encounter the Dorian scale, adding a touch of modal color to the melodic landscape and expanding their musical horizons. What do you think?

I'm at it once again, but this time with a Mass, specifically a Missa Brevis. This is the Kyrie. I will be using some of the themes here throughout. As for the organ part, it is just a rough draft. I dont play organ myself, but have a couple meetings with organists coming up. I would like to add some more counterpoint in the middle voices of the organ, but am not sure what an organist can reasonably accommodate, so for now it's very simple voicing with a melody line. I'd also love some feedback on how I'd do that here as well!

Now that I have cantamus, i went ahead and mocked it up.

Es wird meiner Seele lang - TTBB.pdf Send me a concert program if you ever end up doing it.

Now that I have NotePerformer, I decided to come back to this. Making some big edits soon!

My composition professor challenged me to try some different things and write for open instrumentation (meaning that I, the composer, have no say over what instruments play the music) so I wrote something for "at least two instruments and a keyboard instrument". There's even a part where I just write out chords and tell the musicians to pick their own notes within the chord. This is my first experiment with minamalism, but I kind of like it! You may recognize a brief quote of the old hymn "When the Roll is Called Up Yonder" which is where it gets its' name, "Morning Breaks Eternal". The idea of the peace is waking up "on the other side" and how beautiful that would be. For this specific audio rendering, I have: Part 1 - Oboe, Flute, and Clarinet Part 2 - Alto Sax, Bass Clarinet, Cello Keyboards - Grand Piano, Marimba I'd love some feedback! Let me know what you think.

I composed a choral piece a while back and decided to arrange it for strings. Here is the thread for the vocal part: Enjoy!

I decided to come back to this now that I have cantamus and a few more years of experience. I kept the TTBB as is with the understanding that this would be for a high level choir with range, but I decided to raise it up a major 6th for SATB.

This is fantastic feedback!!! I appreciate it greatly. It is being premiered by the Grand Valley State University combined choir, however I will make some edits before selling.

I find this very easy and pleasant to listen to. I agree from my limited work with cellists that a double stop of a fifth is a pain. Otherwise, I love this! What are you using for your recordings?

This is by far one of the most interesting things I've listened to in a very long time. I absolutely love it!!! Your textures are so varied.

This was another fun project with the Grand Valley State University composition studio. We were given details about the inner workings of our carillon towers and given the specific set of pitches that could be triggered by the tower's computer via midi. This is what I was able to create given the pitches. What a fun project!

Yes, I study with Bill. He's awesome! He has really helped me define my own composing voice despite being an older student with a lot of experience. I started this program at 33.

I decided to come back to this after chatting with my composition professor. The 13/16 bars weren't terribly useful, and he gave the same feedback regarding the last measure. This is going to be premiered live this summer by a semi-pro wind ensemble in Michigan and in the meantime, we will be having a reading/recording session with the Grand Valley State University Symphonic Wind Ensemble. Here's the updated score and mp3.

I just finished my first composition of 2024. This is a choral setting of a 1918 poem by Alfred Noyes, "Peace". In my life, finding peace has not been easy, and it has required great patience and waiting. This is reflected in the slow lilting tempo. Although it alternates between 11/8 and 12/8 time, it doesn't "sound complicated". The piano sound is Kontakt's August Förster Grand and the vocals were modeled in Synthesizer V Studio Pro.