Voluntary in F Minor - Diminuet

You might like a PDF here!

So a friend of mine challenged me when I was struggling for ideas - write a minuet, use "a lot" of diminshed chords. I took the idea and ran with it, primarily using diminshed (and extended) harmonies and drawing the melodies from that. I like my short works to have some variety in them, and I'm trying not to replicate ideas too closely one to another - I admit that I was a bit twitchy having just written a piece in 3/4 two weeks ago!

Copyright and money request below:

Voluntary in F Minor by Mike Cutler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Hymn-A-Week 34 - 2016 #4, with nods to Rheinberger

Here's a new hymn, based on themes of the first movement of Josef Rheinerger's second organ sonata. Because it's an instrumental piece, the range is a bit wider than I'd normally ask a congregation to sing (High F! Such fun!) but it's still, I think, a nice use of a very chorale-like tune.

Those who know me know that I have a certain... let's say, "obsession" with the organ works of Rheinberger. Definitely worth a look, if you don't know them. This Sunday I have the opportunity to play the above-mentioned Sonata at a Wind Chamber concert - which marks the first time in quite a while I've played Rheinberger in recital, which is a shame. I'll have to play more of it in the future!

Standard practice notes below!

This hymn by Mike Cutler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Voluntary in A-flat Major - Pärt-song

Here's where you might find a PDF of this page!

This past week, Arvo Pärt was declared the most-performed living composer. While I question the methodology and wonder at who was in the running (and no, I'm not nearly so egotistical as to think that I might have been!) there are few better options for living composers to be widely performed.

This week's meditative voluntary is inspired by Pärt's minimalistic style - although not by this week's announcement; it was in the back of my mind a while! Specifically, I had in mind his setting of the Beatitudes with its motivic leaps of sixths.

I tried this one out at my work organ to check a couple things before posting, see what registrations could be made to work, and so forth. The pedal part works both with and without 16', and using a (very soft) manual 16' for the left hand part was quite effective, requiring only that it be coupled to the pedal in the last two bars for a proper harmony (as I was using the 8' flute in the pedal at the time). I experimented with tempi as well and found that a speed of 50 or slower to the quarter note was - while very slow - rather pleasant.

Finally, it is possible, although probably ill-advised, to play the left-hand part in the pedals and the pedal in the left hand, but doing so makes getting a continuous legato very challenging due to the large leaps in the manual lines.

I'm curious as to the longest possible performance of this work that still has a sense of motion rather than of a series of static chords. I'd be curious to hear any interpretations!

That's all for now. Here's the legally stuff and my continued declaration of needing money.

Voluntary in A-flat by Mike Cutler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Your donations can help me keep writing these! Click to feed a composer!

Hymn-A-Week 33 - 2016 #3

A little longer than last week. I decided to explore a little bit of modality today, playing in F dorian (the missing D-flat is no mistake!). I wish I had more to say!

Roll credits!

This Hymn by Mike Cutler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Your donations can help me keep writing these! Click to feed a composer!

Voluntary in C minor - Marching in Three

A March in Three! (PDF Link)

One that's a bit longer, and a little bit of fun (for me, anyway). This fuguish march came from a week of wandering about all sorts of unusual patterns and time signatures until finally settling in three in a fairly straightforward rhythm. It wound up being a little more aggressive than I'd anticipated, but I think it's enjoyable nonetheless.

The post-Christmas lull has been quite welcome, giving me a chance to wander through lots of interesting compositional ideas. I'm looking forward to an Improv Gala - I haven't done theatre improv music in a while, so it'll be good to get my chops in order - another Wind Chamber concert at the end of the month, and a whole whack of work on our way up to Easter. Right back in to it!

Legal things and donation begging!

Voluntary in C Minor by Mike Cutler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Your donations can help me keep writing these! Click to feed a composer!

Hymn-A-Week 32 - 2016 #2

This was a fun one to put together. Nothing too shocking this time, just a quick little setting. My little experiments suggest that it will work both slowly or quickly. Interestingly (for me, anyway) the original rhythm was slightly different, but going over it a few times I decided to shift the beat.

The usual stuff!

This Hymn by Mike Cutler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Your donations can help me keep writing these! Click to feed a composer!

Voluntary in E-flat Major

Kind of chant based, sort of. Not really. (PDF link)

This publication is dedicate to Lokistarwind, a friend and supporter from the Let's Play community! Thanks for everything, Loki!

This short little aria is loosely based on the short chant that bookends it. The chant came first. The ideas of putting it in 7/8 and in five-bar phrases stemmed from a sadomasochistic streak, apparently. It doesn't switch the beat too often, anyway. When I play it myself, the feeling of the Allegretto section is very light and floaty. I do use a solo stop and soft strings to accompany, which I feel adds to the lightness of the whole work.

All in all I feel it's a pretty straightforward and uncomplicated way to start 2016! All the best to the new year!

Voluntary in E-flat Major by Mike Cutler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

I'm now on GoFundMe! You can support my third book of short organ works from here.

Hymn-A-Week 31 - Welcome to 2016!

Since I ended the year with Away In A Manger, I figured I should start with Auld Lang Syne, or at least its equivalent. Draw a couple slurs and ties in the second half, and you'll have a tune for Auld Lang Syne; don't, and you have a decent (I think) Double Common Meter tune.

I'm aiming for at least fifty tunes this year! Let's see if I can manage that.

Happy New Year to all readers! See you through the year.

Business!

This Hymn by Mike Cutler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Your donations can help me keep writing these! Click to feed a composer!