Sienna, Burnt and Raw for Guitar and Double Bass

Here is a recording made by Safron Sonoda and Joana Izabelle, along with photographs of some of the cave paintings from Lascaux that served as inspiration for the piece.



You can find the music on this page of the IMSLP.

In an Old House in Paris

September 26, 2020

This is an antiphonal piece that follows the rhythms found in the text of Madeline, a children’s book written in 1939 by Ludwig Bemelmans. The words that correspond to the musical phrases can be found in the book, which can be found in many libraries and bookstores.

During this time of social distancing, musicians have been looking for ways to play together by way of video communication. Truly synchronous two-way communication is not yet possible, so this piece explores the horizontal musical communication that is operative in antiphonal music.

I have found that the piece works better on a direct communication platform like FaceTime than it does on a conference-based platform like Zoom.

I have made modular settings so that this piece can be played by two violins, two clarinets, violin and clarinet, two violas, viola and guitar, oboe and guitar, flute and guitar, violin and guitar, violin and viola, viola and cello, oboe and viola, flute and viola, bassoon and cello, bassoon and viola, two cellos, and two bassoons.

I wrote this piece so that musicians can have the pleasure of communicating with one another in real time, which is a necessity in times of social isolation. In the time that follows the Covid-19 pandemic (whenever that may be), this piece could be performed in a way that injects freedom in the sections marked “allow for random cacophony.”.

This piece is available on this page of the IMSLP.

November 22 UPDATE: Here is a video of a Zoom performance of the version for violin and viola played by musicians in Michigan and Texas.



Here's a performance by clarinetist Jade Garcia and violinist Emily Rumney

The Schoen Duo has made three videos: one with the music alone, one with the music and pages from the book, and one with the addition of the spoken text! This link will get you to all three.

2025 UPDATE! Now for String Quartet.

Four Souvenirs for Five Guitars

December 10, 2012

The music is available in the IMSLP. You can download the score and parts here.

Lorca's Guitar

I was inspired to write this after seeing an exhibit at the New York Public Library that included Federico Garcia Lorca's very own guitar. Photography was not permitted, so I "took" my own musical images. You can listen to a recording and download the music on this page of the IMSLP.

You can also listen to the whole piece here.

The Ash Grove for Four Guitars

September 3, 2013
The score, parts, and a computer-generated recording are available here.

Musings on Melodies from Der Fluyten Lust-hof

This version is for viola d'amore and guitar:


and this version is for violin, viola, and guitar (or any two melody instruments)


You can find the music for both versions, including a treble part for the viola part of the version for trio, on this page of the IMSLP.

New Year's Greeting for Viola d'amore (or Viola) and Guitar

December 24, 2012

Happy New Year for 2013! You can find the score and parts for this New Year's Greeting on this page of the IMSLP.