Timstro117

Thanks for listening punkitititi. I have uploaded a new audio file to the site --- the old file was mono, unfortunately. I wish I could upload a score, but right now the piece is being considered for publication, and I don't believe I am at liberty to make the music available.

This is the second movement of a Mass for choir and orchestra that I composed and premiered last year. The scoring is for soprano and tenor soloists, mixed chorus, three trombones, organ, timpani, and strings. The work was commissioned by the Catholic Diocese of Dallas and the Catholic Campus Ministry at Southern Methodist University to commemorate the ministry's 75th year of existence. This recording is from the dress rehearsal. There is no timpani because the timpanist had to leave early to play in a concert. The mp3 can be found at MySpace.com - Timothy Roy - DALLAS, Texas - Classical / Acoustic / Electroacoustic - www.myspace.com/timroymusic. Comments about the music are welcomed and much appreciated.

Thank you gms5287 and SSC so much for listening. It takes some patience to listen to the piece because of all the pauses (supposed to create a buildup of anxiety), but I'm glad the music was engaging enough to keep you interested. Great critique SSC: I'm glad you liked the handling of various violin techniques. I studied several books on the instrument and a few scores (including the Paganini Caprices and the Solo Sonata by Bartok). There was even a book I found that dealt solely with violin harmonics. Pretty interesting stuff. I'm glad you didn't find the harmonics and different effects to be "throw-ins." I was interested from the very beginning in using a few extended techniques if possible, but only if they contributed to the overall effectiveness of the piece. Thanks for commenting on the ending! It was difficult to compose a worthy coda for the piece, but I think the one I provided was successful. Happy to hear someone else think so too. Thanks!

Thanks for all of the comments guys! I'm really glad that the "19th century feel" was a success because that's what the director wanted. Also glad the melody/harmony/orchestration was appreciated.

It's not really about "popularity." It's about gaining complete mastery of certain elementary contrapuntal techniques. And I can't exactly agree that canon writing is more difficult than fugue writing ---- maybe if you're writing a very dull undeveloped fugue. Anyway, it doesn't matter. They're both difficult when one is attempting to really succeed in creating a very detailed piece.

Gaspard de la Nuit - Ravel Islamey - Balakirev Suite Iberia (particularly Triana) - Alb

You should also try doing short counterpoint exercises such as canon and invention before attempting a fugue, which is the considered the highest and most complicated contrapuntal technique. Here is an example of a short canon I did for a comp seminar: http://www.youngcomposers.com/forum/short-canon-violin-cello-12302.html The duration of that piece is just what you might want to go for. Do a bunch of these until you feel like you've got them down. Also, before even doing this, you might study species counterpoint. It's a pain, but it is the best start possible.

Honestly, if you want to really learn how to write disciplined counterpoint, especially fugues, you should not start out by using such a busy subject. The subject you've posted is pretty chromatic in places and carries with it harmonic implications of secondary dominants and such --- when three or four voices are in full swing later in the piece, it will take great contrapuntal skill to craft perfect individual lines to really make those implied harmonies "work" rather than just sound awkward. My advice is to start with a very simple subject. There is nothing wrong with this, as Bach used quite simple subjects from time to time. Just check out the subject from his crowning contrapuntal achievement, Die Kunst der Fuge. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Kunst_der_Fuge.png Bear in mind, there is nothing really "wrong" with this subject --- it just seems overdone for someone who wishes to write a study in fugue. Start small and work bigger.

This was actually an exercise completed for a weekly composition seminar at SMU. We were all instructed to write a short but very strict canon. Comments welcome! http://www.box.net/shared/eooue3xqog

Yes, the "Main Floor" track is a bit lengthy, but it was a piece that was played all day, everyday for four weeks, so it needed to be very long and ambient. It's funny you should mention this, because the gain level of the cocktail party atmosphere was quite a bit lower when I first mixed the track. After I tested it using their sound system, however, I did a remix with a louder conversation track to get a better balance. It sounded perfect coming through their smaller speakers.

Thanks all for listening! Euler, I'm glad you felt the music reflected the title. The "oscillation from inquietude to panic" is EXACTLY what I was going for. Also thanks to The_Emperor. Glad you liked the dynamic contrast --- and of course the playing is brilliant. I'm sure Sayako would be pleased to hear the compliment.

Thanks for the response and glad you liked it. For the most part, neither this piece nor the elevator music is the style I normally employ when composing music strictly for myself, but you've gotta do what you've gotta do when you're asked for film or corporate tunes. I don't know why you'd hear it that way because there isn't any hemiola. It's a solid 3/4 the entire piece, conducted in a slow one. Maybe you're hearing phrase groupings of two bars which would be a really slow two?

In September, I was commissioned by fashion retail giant Neiman Marcus to compose music for the celebration of their 100th year anniversary. The theme was "Future Fashion," and designers from around the world submitted designs which were meant to predict the future of fashion. My job was to compose music for the flagship store in downtown Dallas that perfectly complimented the futuristic visual of the store. The first product that I presented them with had a prominent piano part --- corporate felt that it made the piece move along too slowly, so I replaced it with a synth arpeggiation. I also wrote music for another room, and for the elevators I created a cocktail party-like atmosphere with conversation, wine glasses clinking, and slow smooth jazz in the background. Here is a link to an article about the event. Some of the music is on the right of the same page. http://www.smu.edu/newsinfo/stories/timothy-roy.asp

This is a piece that I composed for a student film at SMU. The film was titled "Vignetta" and the scene that I wrote the music for was called "Disteasle" --- which is apparently a made-up word. I don't ask directors questions, I just write. Anyway, he wanted a 19th century-sounding waltz, and that's what I gave him. The ensemble is flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and string quartet. The players are all SMU students. The recording is on my myspace page: "Disteasle Waltz" www.myspace.com/timroy

Oh, and the effect at around 4:27 is sul ponticello, although harmonics are used before and after in the same passage.