Composed in January 2009

Featured on my senior recital.

Performance Notes:
The story is this: An elderly woman sits in her home, alone after the recent passing of her husband of over 50 years. A strange energy flows into the room and she feels the presence of an individual. She quickly realizes that it is none other than her husband, Harold. They talk and dance, but as with all spirits who return, there is business unfinished. An accident many years ago resulted in the premature death of one their children, and Harold continues to feel responsible. After more dancing, singing, and the room seemingly coming alive, it is time for Harold to depart once more. In a way they are both letting go of each other, finally content with their circumstances.

The music here is comprised of prerecorded samples, which is to say not limited by the range, playability, availability, etc. of acoustic instruments and the musician that play them. While I could have selected exotic and novel sounds, I found that I rather preferred the traditional sound of orchestral instruments in this context. Though the music is currently computer controlled playback, it could easily be played by a group of musicians live—a project that I hope to undertake in the near future.

Writing the piece went hand in hand with developing the technology that drives it. The entertainment industry has used a form of this lighting control for decades, and what I have done here is simply interfaced it with the computer. The lights are both triggered as well as “performed”, and as the music unfolds the information is sent in realtime to the controller, which changes the intensity of the lights. The basic hardware is not much different than what you might find in your house inside the dimmer switch for a light fixture.
Performed Sunday, March 22nd, 2009 at the FSU College of Music (Premiere)

Performers:
      Tess Mattingly, soprano

Engineered by:
      B. Louis Fagin

My Husband Harold

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Video (photo by Diana Galeano):

My Husband Harold from B. Louis Fagin on Vimeo.

Composed in January, 2006
Revised January, 2007; April, 2009

Featured on my senior recital.

Performance Notes:
This work was composed almost entirely during a single day in the dorms at FSU during my freshman year. I had just seen Carlisle Floyd's Susannah the night before, and had a distinctly 'Appalachian' sound in my head. The weather was beautiful that day—so much so that I was inspired to stay inside and compose. The result was a piece of music full of meaning and memories, and one that now spans my entire time at FSU. I have dedicated it to my grandfather, Donald Fagin, who died just a few weeks before I began my undergraduate studies. He filled the house with music, and my childhood memories are imbued with the sound of his records and his piano playing.
Performed March 22nd, 2009 at the FSU College of Music

Performers:
      Violin - Nicole Wendl
      Bassoon - Ali Eaton
      Clarinet - Sarah Bonomo
      Cello - Michael Scott

Engineered by:
      Drew Carroll

17 Hours in the Valley of a Mountain

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Composed in February, 2009

Featured on my senior recital.

Performance Notes:
Another composition which came into existence freshman year. This one, however, didn't come into focus until quite recently. I set out to write a flute solo for a friend, and originally scored the work for fute and string orchestra. The rhythm changes and large arpeggiations proved too difficult for performers below the level of, say, Perlman, and I was forced to shelve the piece. Fast-forward to 2008 when it suddenly occurred to me that the harpsichord could solve most of my problems. This instrument is similar to a piano, but predates it by over 300 years. Inside, the strings are not struck with a hammer, as in a piano, but rather they are plucked. The sound is short lived, and limited in dynamic range, but is crisp, and delicate, and perfectly suited for the performance of this piece. The harpsichord is most associated with the performance of 17th century Baroque music, but every now and then a composer will “rediscover” the unique sound it produces, and include it in a new work.

The main motive of the piece is a simple arpeggiation that moves from chord to chord. The first form we hear is spaced as one might play a chord sitting at a piano. After this plays out, a “transformation” occurs which brings us to the next iteration of the theme. One can imagine a polygon of some sort being rotated, with a new side at the top every time. The second version of the theme is spaced according to the overtone series, with the intervals decreasing harmonically (½, ⅓, ¼, etc.) as it ascends. After this we again hear another transformation which brings us to the third version. This time, the chords only feature their root pitch, and the spacing is strictly octaves. The range is quite large, and the players play a game of toss as the notes circle around the ensemble, from low in the basses to the upper reaches of the violins. After another transformation, the theme returns yet again in the form of minor and modal chords, with a mixture of wide and narrow spacing. Without a break (what you might consider a 'jump' transformation), the motive moves to a version comprised only of the perfect intervals of the fourth and fifth.

You might be asking, “What are n-Dimensional Transformations anyway?” The fact is, the math behind these concepts fascinates me to no end, but I could not even begin to describe these structures. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, it would seem.
Performed Sunday, March 22nd, 2009, at the FSU College of Music (Premiere)

Performers:
      Jennifer Whitehead, flute solo
      The Arcadian Ensemble
      Brett Karlin, conductor
     
      Violins - Cecile Forsberg, Nicole Wendl, Alex Dee
      Violas - Joey Scheerle, Orlando Aponte
      Cellos - Emily Stockseth, Olivia Grover
      Basses - Aaron Yackley, Andrea Guerrero
      Piano - Matthew Bell
      Harpsichord - Joseph Kraus
      Percussion - Joel Boss, Mike Hughes

Engineered by:
      Drew Carroll

n-Dimensional Transformations in which Continuity Is Maintained

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Composed in December, 2008

Featured on my senior recital.

Performance Notes:
Rarely as a composer these days (and especially as a working one) do you get the time to compose a piece exactly as you see ft. That was this piece for me. The bass clarinet was a must, and with percussion, well, the more the better I say. The clarinet seemed the perfect compliment to the bass, and the cello to the winds.

The title is nearly as complex as the work itself. 'Amaranthine' is a colorful word which means “unfading” or “everlasting”, and refers to the amaranth flower. As I began to compose the music, certain memories and thoughts seemed to keep popping into my head. These happy memories, when applied in excess, caused a distressing form of nostalgia that temporarily consumed me. I decided to continue writing, and simply discard everything when I could think more seriously again.

What I found, however, was that the more I infused each note with what was on my mind, the more open and clear my thoughts became. Thus the piece became a form of therapy, and a meditation. I'd like to think that the little black dots on the page are tied to those memories in my brain, which in turn connect to the past. It is time travel, in a way, and perhaps the only form of it we'll ever know.
Performed Sunday, March 22nd, 2009 at the FSU College of Music

Performers:
      Joel Boss, percussion 1
      Dan Shelkofsky, percussion 2
      Mike Hughes, percussion 3
      Sarah Bonomo, clarinet
      Evan Williams, bass clarinet
      Shannon Kiley, cello

Engineered by:
      Drew Carroll

I.

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II.

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III.

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IV.

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Composed in September, 2008

Performance Notes:
Every once in a while, you get the opportunity to write something that truly excites you. This piece is a return to musical elements that I love: thick harmonies, uncertain intonation, ostinato rhythms, abrupt style changes, and more. Additionally, as a horn player I have encountered many inspiring works for the horn, and this piece combines elements from some of my favorites, such as Hindemith's "Sonata for Horn and Piano" and Gilbert Vinter's "Hunter's Moon". You can also hear elements from modern art music, popular music, and even classic video games: all genres that have become the background to my life.
Performed November 12, 2008 in Dohnanyi Recital Hall at the Florida State University College of Music

Performers:
      Chris Patsis, horn
      Nikolas Bauchat, piano

i.

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ii.

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iv.

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