First composition is complete!

My first composition, Jabberwocky, for clarinet, horn, and piano, is complete!  I plan to make it available on Sibelius.com.  Because this is the first time I've posted any composition via that site, it might take a couple of days for it to become available.

Jabberwocky, a famous poem found in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass, is the subject matter and is narrated by the instrumentalist throughout the piece.  The nonsense words that make up the poem, still evoke imagery--perhaps even more so than if the language was clear.  Because most of the words are imaginary, the mind can wander.  This allowed me to incorporate a number of musical styles to provide the backdrop "aural scenery".  So many things inspired this work.  When I wanted something to sound creepy or "a little off", I recalled images from Tim Burton movies.  The pictures in my mind helped me create the clashing sounds that begin Jabberwocky.  British marches that I have played in band created the heroic march that is heard after the piece's climax.  And my fondness for theme songs from retro television shows (two in particular--I will leave you to guess which ones), helped to create the ending.

Since the first stanza of the poem is also used as the last stanza, I was faced with a dilemma.  Do I treat the beginning and ending the same, or differently.  When I first started, the plan was to treat them the same.  The more I got into the work, I decided to treat the beginning and ending completely differently.  Since the nonsense words lack definition, they can have any number of meanings.  And after the slaying of the Jabberwock, I felt the music should reflect the "relief" that the father and son must feel.  

The orchestral version transitions between the heroic march and the ending with a bit of an unusual overlap.  More instruments create a larger sound canvas to manipulate.  As I said earlier--the orchestral version is coming soon.

And on a non-music related note (though it does have to do with sound), it is finally raining in Oklahoma!  Our 100+ degree temps have finally subsided!  It has been a brutally hot summer.  I feel for our farmers and ranchers who have lost so much.  I hope that the rain will allow them to replant some crops for fall and replenish their herds.

Take care!