New Music Monday, #9: ‘The Last Man Left on Earth’

Every Monday throughout 2023 I will be highlighting a different piece of music that I have either written or been closely involved with. And this week, prepare to reject potential suitors because it’s…


What’s it called?
The Last Man Left on Earth.

What’s it from?
My 2019 ragtime musical ‘It’s Not Really the Apocalypse’, which tells the story of four old friends who wake up one morning to discover they are the only people remaining on planet Earth.

What’s it all about?
Having now set up a new life for themselves on a quaint little farm, you’d think it would be plain sailing for our protagonists from now on, right? Wrong! It turns out Gary and Lizzie have some unresolved ‘history’, which comes to the fore when Gary realises that they are the only two unattached people left on the planet. In this ‘anti-love-song’, Lizzie demonstrates that even though her opportunities for romance are down to 1, she can still do better.

Listen out for…
The semi-random cluster chords at 1:58 that denote Lizzie fending off Gary’s advances. Also the rhyming of ‘rude’, ‘crude’ and ‘lewd’ at 3:00 – writing lyrics is often difficult, but occasionally the English language does play right into your hands! Oh, and let’s not forget the most laboured joke on the whole album, where Gary tries to lessen the insult of having a ’10 foot 2′ ego by suggesting it may be a circumference measurement rather than radius. Who says geometry can’t be fun? And who knew egos were circular?

Find out more at…
www.michaelgrantmusician.com/inrta

Videos: Smith & Grant – Piano and Woodwind Duo

The other week I had a delightful time performing with pianist extraordinaire Jack Mitchell Smith for a wedding in Tabley House (near Knutsford). But if you don’t believe me, I HAVE EVIDENCE! Here are some videos taken from our performance on the day, as well as a couple of clips from our rehearsal:
 

There’s A Small Hotel (Rodgers & Hart)

The Lady Is a Tramp (Rodgers & Hart)

I’ve Got You Under My Skin (Cole Porter)

Some Enchanted Evening (Rodgers & Hammerstein)

New Music Monday, #8: ‘Stargirl’

Every Monday throughout 2023 I will be highlighting a different piece of music that I have either written or been closely involved with. And this week, prepare to stop a school bus falling off a bridge because it’s…


What’s it called?
Stargirl

What’s it from?
‘Music for the Moving Image’, my ever-expanding album showcasing pieces that I’ve written for various film projects, with all the pesky sound effects and dialogue removed.

What’s it all about?
I wrote this as my entry for the 2021 Spitfire Audio Scoring Competition, to accompany a clip from the eponymous TV series (which seems to be available on Amazon Prime if you’re into that sort of thing). The basic plot of the clip is that a bus falls off a bridge, then a big robot catches it, then Stargirl makes a bright light, then there’s some conversation, then an ice man comes along and someone gets run over.

Listen out for…
The big moment at 0:30, where our hero saves the day with her shiny stick.

Find out more at…
youtu.be/GgOUxXUePWA , where you can watch the clip with my music incorporated into it.

Videos: ‘Ein Heldenleben’ E Flat Clarinet Excerpts

Alright, before we go any further let me address the elephant in the room. You may have noticed that this blog is looking a little different from usual. Well that’s because, in a frankly thrilling burst of proactivity, I have finally got round to migrating the whole thing from Blogger to WordPress, meaning that it is all now full integrated into my website! Hooray! It’s still a bit of a work in progress I admit, so please forgive me if things are looking a bit rough at the moment. I’ll spruce it up properly before you know it, and then we’ll all be able to enjoy the blissful sense of everything being in the same place.

But now, on to the main topic of this post! The other week I played Eb clari for a performance of Richard Strauss’ egomaniacal epic ‘Ein Heldenleben’ in Stockport. It’s not often I get to play the tiny squeak machine in a legitimate context, so I made the most of the occasion and got some video clips during the rehearsal. If you’ve ever wondered, then, what such music sounds like from the perspective of the high woodwinds, now is your chance to find out. Also, as an added bonus you get the pleasure of watching my facial expression cloud over every time I fudge a note! Not that that ever happens of course.

First up, some bits from ‘The Hero’s enemies’, in which the Eb clari does what it does best by being as irritating and obnoxious as possible:

And then there’s ‘The Hero’s deeds of war’, an extended battle scene which may sound oddly familiar to anyone who knows ‘TIE Fighter Attack’ from the Star Wars Episode IV soundtrack:

New Music Monday, #7: ‘World Without Sand’

Every Monday throughout 2023 I will be highlighting a different piece of music that I have either written or been closely involved with. And this week, prepare to confront your deep-seated irrational phobias because it’s…



What’s it called?
World Without Sand

What’s it from?
‘Mongolian Death Worm: A Puppet Show Musical’, the show what I wrote, starred in, directed, produced, edited etc. with my regular collaborator Mister James Ure during the first national lockdown in 2020. It’s a full 68 minutes of silliness, centring around the search for a mysterious creature that has been pilfering steaks from a village community somewhere near the Gobi Desert.

What’s it all about?
Professor-Roy-Chapman-Andrews-But-You-Can-Call-Me-Roy-Chapman-Andrews has just been summoned to Professor Bodkin’s office and been tasked with travelling all the way to the Gobi Desert, to work out why the university meat supply has suddenly dried up. But Roy has a secret which means this assignment may not be his cup of tea (or freshly-squeezed Bovril).

Listen out for…
Roy’s parodying of Winston Churchill in his “We will fight the beaches” speech. Also, the frankly divine lyric “If you send me to Mongolia I’ll be filled with melancholia; To make me go to Asia – I can’t think of anything crazier.”

Find out more at…
www.michaelgrantmusician.com/mdw

New Music Monday, #6: ‘Untitled Worm Song (Part I)’

Every Monday throughout 2023 I will be highlighting a different piece of music that I have either written or been closely involved with. And this week, prepare to empathise with the world’s most unloved creature because it’s…



What’s it called?
Untitled Worm Song (Part I)

What’s it from?
‘Mongolian Death Worm: A Puppet Show Musical’, the show what I wrote, starred in, directed, produced, edited etc. with my regular collaborator Mister James Ure during the first national lockdown in 2020. It’s a full 68 minutes of silliness, centring around the search for a mysterious creature that has been pilfering steaks from a village community somewhere near the Gobi Desert.

What’s it all about?
This song turns up towards the end of the musical, when at long last Professor-Roy-Chapman-Andrews-But-You-Can-Call-Me-Roy-Chapman-Andrews and Sheriff come face to face with the fearsome worm that has been causing so much trouble. But when given an opportunity to tell his own side of the story, it becomes apparent that the Mongolian Death Worm maybe isn’t all as bad as people make out.

Listen out for…
The thoroughly gratuitous key change at 3:05 – because it wouldn’t be a musical without excessive unnecessary key changes!

Find out more at…
www.michaelgrantmusician.com/mdw

New Music Monday, #5: ‘Say Hello To Yellow’

Every Monday throughout 2023 I will be highlighting a different piece of music that I have either written or been closely involved with. And this week, prepare to question your colour perception because it’s…



What’s it called?
Say Hello To Yellow

What’s it from?
‘Mongolian Death Worm: A Puppet Show Musical’, the show what I wrote, starred in, directed, produced, edited etc. with my regular collaborator Mister James Ure during the first national lockdown in 2020. It’s a full 68 minutes of silliness, centring around the search for a mysterious creature that has been pilfering steaks from a village community somewhere near the Gobi Desert.

What’s it all about?
It’s a well-known fact that yellow is the favourite colour of the Mongolian Death Worm (seriously, look it up – this puppet show is inspired by real events I tell you!). Therefore, in a bid to trap the fearsome creature, the local sheriff has assembled a whole series of appropriately-coloured objects to act as bait. Or so he thinks…

Listen out for…
The pleasingly homophonous lyric “We’ll be mustered by this mustard,” which we’re all very very proud of.

Find out more at…
www.michaelgrantmusician.com/mdw

Film Music: ‘Shibil’ AND ‘The Foundling’, Re-Scored by Michael A. Grant

Awards season is well and truly upon us, with all the big film studios releasing their proudest creations in the hope of securing some of those nice shiny little statues we so lovingly call ‘Oscar’ (and friends). Therefore it seems like a good time to share a couple of modest projects I had a a go at last year, where my task was to write brand new music for existing film clips, in the hope of winning some competitions.
 

Shibil

This is a short excerpt from a Bulgarian film that I know little-to-nothing about, other than that it won a lot of awards and appears to feature many horses. Musically I have tried to capture the expansiveness and vastness of the landscapes as well as a certain epic mythical quality that seems to be prevalent.
 

The Foundling

This one is not just a clip but an entire short film, so you get to appreciate a full mini-story from beginning to middle to end. I’ve woven together three main strands for the music:

1) A solo gypsy-esque violin to both represent the mother character and evoke the overall nomadic traveller’s lifestyle.
2) A large, slightly discordant woodwind section to mimic the sound of a fairground organ and bring us into the world of the circus.
3) A traditional string section to give weight and feeling to the deeper, more emotive moments.