¡Yo Soy Nicholas !

This composition consists of three strings.

This string trio consists of a violin, cello, and piano. The compositions changes from minor to major and also includes imperfect and perfect authentic cadences.

Enjoy! 

This piece was created in less than 48 Hours for a creative project we had in AP Music. At the time of this creation, I had just finished listening to a collection of Philip Glass' repertoire. Philip Glass is a revolutionary minimalistic composer, and I have really gotten to love his repetitive style. I composed this piece with that in mind. All content is original and was played through a MIDI Keyboard in GarageBand.

Note: I just changed the ending of the piece, which delayed the composition's completion.

Enjoy!

This jazz composition consisting of Alto, Tenor, Bari Sax, Trumpet, Trombone, and Piano is centered around the basic chord progression known as rhythm changes. The piece changes styles from swing to straight-8ths and incorporates altered chords throughout.

I composed this piece for my final in Music Theory. 

I created this as a final composition in Electronic Music this year. Unlike much of my other composition, I tried to stray away from my minimalism and develop a piece of music that followed popular song form. Although there is still repeated material, it made me realize that it is nearly impossible to create a piece of music that does not have repeated characteristics. The song has two distinct sections that build together to a unique ending.

This is my first composition I created in Reason. As I struggled with learning the new software I tried to create Salvador Dali's famous work, The Persistence of Memory, in music. I created this for Electronic Music.

It was in 1931 that Dali created his most famous work, The Persistence of Memory. Incorporating all of the elements of surrealism, Dali commentates on the irreverence of time. Dali also uses his idea of ‘softness' and ‘hardness' in the painting. The foreground, including four clocks is very dark - a contrast to the peaceful background. The large flexible clocks are placed in a dream-like desolate coastal region in which dark sand is covered by shadow. As the focus moves towards the top of the painting and back, the colors get lighter. A calm, light blue sea is complemented by a golden yellow sky that fades to a rich blue at the top. Finally, a rocky ridge protruding out of the water is located near the top right of the painting. The sun is reflected off each intricate detail.

The primary focus of painting is clearly the watches in the foreground. However, I began my piece out in the distant sea, where the disturbed images of the watches are barely visible. Surrounded by an optimistic atmosphere of bright colors, the piece begins with a steady oscillating rhythm - similar to the ticking of a clock. Each clock is represented by a tuned percussive instrument, all within the timbre of a marimba and chime. The simple percussion beat similar to a metronome, represents Time. This steady rhythm stays the same for much of the piece, reminding us that although we can be lost in the thoughts of the painting, reality tells us that Time can never be changed.

As the piece approaches the shoreline, Time within the clocks begins to become somewhat unsteady. Divisions of three mixed with divisions of four build to a contrasting B section that begins when the piece crosses into the shadow near the shoreline. The metronome-like beat drops out as one begins to discover what abnormal objects exist on the land. When it is determined that the objects are indeed clocks, a C theme begins accompanied by the same percussive metronome. For the most part, the theme is cheerful, but the melody incorporates a mysterious aspect and like before, time begins to shift. A chromatic progression including many different qualities of chords is somewhat random and builds to a final D section.

The D section is clearly the most disturbed theme in the piece. Abnormal minor progressions accompany the original theme's melody played backward. Although the listener may not recognize this approach, I used it as a unique compositional technique. Furthermore, this idea ties the piece together and mimics Salvador Dali's intention of the painting. Time is irrelevant, and through this ‘erasing' of the original melody, I tried to illustrate this idea.

In a broad sense, the instruments I used in this composition represent the objects in the painting. There are four different tuned percussion instruments, each representing a melting clock carrying their own rhythm. As I mentioned before, the simple drumbeat represents Time, and stays constant for the majority of the composition. The electronic bass represents the peculiar cloth in the center of the painting. Adding to its mysterious quality, the object has some distinguishable human characteristics. Additionally, there are four sections to the piece; each theme represents one of the four watches.

The concept of Time has never been fully grasped. Proving to be an additional dimension, the undefined perception of Time is difficult to comprehend. In Dali's work, Time is unstable. This is reflected in the somewhat incomplete ending of my composition. The sounds simple fade out, leaving the listener with ‘unanswered questions' - much like the concept of Time in our lives today.

I was at the right spot at the right time yesterday. Photo of the Cathedral of Learning taken from Upper Campus with my phone believe it or not.

 Something you don't see every day :) 

This podcast was created by Alex Mills and Nick Amoscato for their Electronic Music class. Intro theme music was composed by Nick Amoscato with vocal help from various classmates. Alex Mills wrote the podcast script as well as the commercial jingle.

All editing was done through GarageBand.

This composition began in my AP Music class as a classmate's melody. We were to take that melody and create an original song. Shortly after, I was given an English assignment to recreate Beowulf though music. The two prompts fit perfectly, and I have the storyline of Beowulf to thank for the piece's development.

For detailed composer notes, click here.

Note: This is a second version of my original composition. I revisited the piece and edited volume, texture, and dissonance.

This is my first composition in AP Music for the new year. The piece began with a simple melody I wrote in Finale. From there, the piece just continued to develop. An intro section comprised of strings leads to that simple melody line, now supported by harmony. An electric guitar and rock drum set mixed with strings and brass gives the composition a unique feel. The piece builds through a minor B Section before returning to the simple melody.

 It has been too long since my last composition (before Summer '09), so I entitled this piece "A New Beginning". I feel this concept can to apply to anyone and is shown through this composition. The piece builds to a climax, but in the end returns to that same beginning...

This composition proved to be challenging, but overall I think it turned out well. I chose to compose a piece based on Pittsburgh's historic amusement park, Kennywood. I tweaked the video before beginning the composition which includes accordions and organs setting the mood of an amusement park.

I hope you enjoy! 

The bombing of Hiroshima has been one of the most controversial and influential military procedures for nearly four decades. The boundaries of military aggression were stretched beyond any imaginable limit, and no other country since has matched the magnitude of such an attack. Whether Harry Truman made a just decision is not for us to decide. The attack is over, leaving behind unbelievable statistics, scorched terrain, and most importantly the void of thousands of innocent lives. Nothing in our world could ever match the enormity of this event. With that said, I have tried to capture the tragic bombing through original music and visuals.

 For deatiled composer notes, visit bit.ly/TragedyAtHiroshima.

This was an AP Music project in which I was to create a commercial for Apple Computers. All music is original and composed in Apple's GarageBand. Video was shot on a Panasonic SDR-H40P Digital Camera using Apple's 2nd Generation iPod Touch.

To read about how the video was created, visit http://bit.ly/MacCommercial.

Enjoy!

This original composition was performed on nine iPod Touches at AP Composition Night. After a short week of rehearsals we performed the piece using an app called ThumbJam.

For more information visit this site.