Whole-hearted

“But you did not listen to me,” declares the Lord, “and you have aroused my anger with what your hands have made, and you have brought harm to yourselves.”
Jer. 25:7

Note that not listening to the Lord does two things: It arouses His anger and it brings harm to yourself.  Neither are wise and the second automatically follows from the first.

2 Kings 16 — Here is the strange story of Ahaz, son of Jotham.  Jotham was an "okay" king doing right, but there were still the high places left in the land.  I wonder if these became a snare for his son Ahaz.  Regardless, Ahaz rejected true worship of YWHW and actively pursued any other form of religion that allowed him to do as he pleased.  But notice his syncretism:

   King Ahaz then gave these orders to Uriah the priest: “On the large new altar, offer the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering, the king’s burnt offering and his grain offering, and the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. Splash against this altar the blood of all the burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I will use the bronze altar for seeking guidance.”
   2 Ki. 16:15

He believed in "both/and" and borrowed whatever from wherever.  He ended up with a different gospel, and would have been happy with a different Jesus and a different spirit.  He was half-hearted at best in his worship of the Lord; but half-hearted is worthless in God's estimation. 

God wants whole-hearted devotion:

• Ps. 9:1; 111:1 — whole-hearted praise of God
• Ps. 119:2, 10 —whole-hearted seeking of God
• Ps. 119:34, 69 — observe & keeps laws whole-heartedly
• Ps. 119:58, 145 — crying out to God, praying and pleading with Him whole-heartedly

We must remember that He is the rewarder of those that diligently seek Him.  (Heb. 11:6)

Dialogues for Two Clarinets

Published by Kistner und Siegel:

* Dialogues for Two Clarinets


    This duet started off because someone asked me to write a duet for trumpet and clarinet. It worked well, but several people (including myself) felt that it would work even better as a clarinet duet.

Here is the link to the computer playback of the piece.  NOTE: you will have to search the list within the SoundClick link to find the individual movements since that site has changed their format.

The three movements are

• Reminiscing
• Pleasant Conversation
• Punctuated Dialogue

    In the last movement you will hear percussion sounds. These are to represent the foot-stomping or toe-tapping that the performers are to engage in whilst playing. The foot antics are written into the score and very deliberate, punctuating the dialogue.

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Brass Suite with Trumpet

Published by Kistner und Siegel:

* Brass Suite with Trumpet

      This is an interesting ensemble.  Four tubas and a trumpet.  (Technically two tubas, two euphoniums and a trumpet.)  I wrote the first movement and was almost immediately asked to turn it into a complete suite.  I am indebted to David Carter for using his Vienna Symphonic Sound Library to make a very realistic computer playback performance of this piece.  Indeed it was he who encouraged me to write additional movements for this suite after he surveyed the initial piece.

Here are links to various ways of listening to it:
+ At SoundClick.  NOTE: you will have to look within the SoundClick link to find it at number 7 on the list.  (They changed their site so direct linking cannot be done now.)
     The whole suite

+ On YouTube: the first two movements, illustrating some of what I heard as I wrote it.
     Movement I, Fanfare
     Movement II, Reflections

Reviews:

The whole suite—

mmmm that's nice
   This 3 movement work features some beautiful lower brass chords and maintains rhythmic interest throughout.  The trumpet melodic work is so different to the way I approach melody that at first I found it hard to lock into, but as the piece developed, the logic and sense of the melodic work became apparent and actually, quite catchy. To me, the underlying feeling of serenity/tranquility is the unifying feature of the work. The review headline is actually what I said after the last notes. I note that some of the composers other works have this same underlying feeling. A work of quality.
 
~Jeffrey Thorpe

Individual movements—

Movement I, Fanfare
            The first review has been lost to time and the bit bin of the internet.

Movement II, Reflections

Beautifully done
While some may argue with the "muddy" side of such an ensemble, four tubas is the foundation of just about every brass band around and I think the chords you have presented here underneath the trumpet are well structured. 

~ David Smith

Movement III, Delight!

Aptly named 
The title of this piece is a perfect description. A delight to listen to. Short and sweet, bouncy, plus any other synonyms of delight that could be thought of to make this review more than the minimum 30 words. :-D

~ Tony Matthews

Mars—59,620 Years

Published by Kistner und Siegel:

* Mars—59,620 Years

Click here to find a computer playback of this piece.  NOTE: you will have to search the list within the SoundClick link to find the individual movements since that site has changed their format.

      A Wind Quintet written in 2003 for a small, informal competition.  It had its premiere in London in 2006 at a small gathering of musicians who were showcasing new works.

The theme of the competition was the fact that the planet Mars was reaching its closest approach to earth in an estimated 59,620 years.  I took that theme and wove the idea of the Roman god of war with the dry and dusty images from the planet.

59,620 Years--Mars Returns is the simple telling of the approaching of Mars, the god of war. Mars, the Planet, is dry and arid--much like many of the deserts found throughout central Asia. For that reason, I chose a wind quintet and often featured the use of the double reed instruments with a haunting melody to try to invoke the feeling of a desert or at least nomadic life.

The approach of Mars is signified by a change to a minor key and an increasing sense of urgency. The storm clouds of war gather and break over everything. But Mars is old. The youthful delights that once he took in the exploits of war now easily tire him and his passion quickly drains away. Fear and foreboding subside. Calmness returns. The idyllic joy again returns as Mars fades away into the distance.

The numbers 5, 9, 6, 2, and 0 play an important part in developing the intervals used in two sections of this piece.

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Nothing but the Blood

Published by Kistner und Siegel:

* Nothing but the Blood

      A duet for Piano and Violin that is an arrangement of an old hymn.
Initially I started this as an exercise of "Can I write music in 5/4?"  But it quickly developed into something that transformed the old hymn and made it soar.  I am blessed to have performed this three or four times.  The recording, although not our best, is from one of those occasions

Click here to find the link to a recording of the performance.
 

Reviews

Excellent
I stumbled across this while browsing through the composer's personal page, and before I'd even begun to listen to the scorch playback, I knew that it was not going to be just another arrangement- the obvious and wonderful rhythmic style is perfect for this hymn. All too often, I find versions of this—one of my favorite hymns—done in too much of a "rock" style, but this is perfect. It sets itself apart while still not violating the spirit of the song. I would love to hear this performed, I'm sure it is even more moving in person. Excellent, excellent job.
 
~ Curtis Schweitzer


A Transformation
Despite the title, this is an instrumental piece for violin or any other suitable instrument and piano. The old-fashioned and slightly four square gospel hymn by Robert Lowry is transformed into a moving almost epic, folk-like piece. The original 4/4 time is changed into 5/4 time which helps give it a new character and any jerkiness is avoided by an effective flowing then dramatic piano accompaniment. The melody itself is beautifully varied and ornamented—soaring to a lovely climax. Anyone who needs an instrumental piece to play during moments of reflection in a service or, indeed, in a sacred concert should have a look at this.
 
~ Charles Dodds

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